Do you feel at a loss when you hear, "Turn in your Bibles to . . . "? Maybe you start from the front and flip through the pages. Then when you don't find the book you're looking for, you start at the back. Finally, you give up and look in the Table of Contents, but that doesn't help. By the time you find the book in the alphabetical table of contents, the pastor or teacher is long past reading the verse you were trying to find in the first place.

Learning all 66 books of the Bible seems a daunting task. But I guarantee you if you learn them and actually use that knowledge regularly, you will not forget them. Try starting with just the New Testament a section at a time.

Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are the Gospels. They tell about Jesus' life here on earth. Mark's gospel was probably written first and Matthew and Luke apparently consulted it for much of their content. Thus, these three are called the synoptic gospels. The four gospels are in reverse alphabetical order.

Acts is a book about the Acts of the Apostles (another name for the book). A continuation from the book of Luke, this book begins with a recap of the days leading up to Jesus' ascension and tells how the gospel was spread from the Jews to the Samaritans by the disciples and to the Gentiles by Paul and his fellow workers. It is the first book in the Bible alphabetically.

Next we have nine letters from Paul (sometimes with other individuals) to churches in their respective areas. The first three are Romans and First and Second Corinthians. The next four--Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians--are easy to remember if you think of General Electric Power Company. After these come First and Second Thessalonians. This is the longest book name in the Bible, leading us to the next three books.

The Pastoral Epistles also begin with "T" in descending name lengths and in alphabetical order. They are First and Second Timothy and Titus. They were written specifically to Timothy and Titus (as opposed to an entire church or group of churches) who were serving in Ephesus and Crete respectively. Based on differences as compared to other letters from Paul, a portion of modern scholars question whether Paul wrote these epistles; however, it is noted that differences should be expected due to the more personal nature of these letters. Philemon is sometimes included in the Pastoral Epistles, but in actuality it was written to a Christian slave owner on behalf of his (presumed runaway) slave who was returning after becoming a Christian.

Separating the Pauline Epistles from the General Epistles is the book of Hebrews. The author of Hebrews has long been in question. Unlike other letters it lacks the greeting typical of Greek correspondence at the time. Traditionally, the author was thought to be Paul, but modern scholars largely agree this was not the case. It is addressed to a group of Jewish Christians.

The General Epistles were so named because they were addressed to all Christians, not just a particular church, area, or individual. James, presumed to be the brother of the Lord, penned the first of these. Peter, the leader of the disciples wrote First and Second Peter. John, the beloved disciple, wrote the next three; First, Second, and Third John. John is the only writer with a "Third" to his name. Next is Jude. It is uncertain who this individual was, but he identifies himself as the brother of James. The three names that begin with "J" here are in alphabetical order.

The final book in the New Testament is Revelation. It is John's recounting his experience when he was permitted to see what would happen in the end times. As apocalyptic literature it has a lot of symbolism that will come to light only as the events come to pass.

Putting it all together
Now, it's time for practice. Write the names of the books on a note card you can carry with you. Practice silently when you're between tasks. Say them out loud when convenient.

One memorization tip I picked up in high school is to look to the left and recite aloud seven times the information you want to remember. Use this to memorize chunks of the list of books, eventually putting them all together.

Once you have them memorized, put your knowledge to use regularly by looking up passages and by reciting the books in order. Without exercising those brain cells, your newfound knowledge may not last.