Songtime Radio has released an interview with Matt Rehrer, author of Redeeming Memory: How God Transforms Memories from a Heavy Burden to a Blessed Hope.
Matt Rehrer
Defining memory remains elusive, perhaps due to its constant employment. Memory operates unnoticed until it begins to fail (like in dementia). The human memory requires no on and off switch or manual to operate. Webster’s Dictionary defines memory by its function, to retain and recollect. Similarly, science defines memory as a cognitive system with a focus again on functions such as encoding, storing, and retaining information over periods of time. When asking a typical person to define memory, many might think of studying for tests in school or in trying to find lost car keys. These definitions all collectively focus on the functions of memory but fall short in truly defining the essence of memory. In an attempt to further define memory, here are three categories to help: a gift, a craft, and a marvel.
This book is written for Christians who suffer knowingly or unknowingly from the heavy burdens of memory. These burdens, like bitterness or shame, afflict you with seemingly endless reverberations in your thoughts. Do you ever wonder if the vicious cycle will ever end? Will the repeating loops ever be broken? Perhaps you are like me and did not recognize the influence of memory in these unrelenting miseries. This book examines memory through the prism of the gospel to find hope in the midst of misery. Through God’s redemptive plan, memory transforms from a millstone to a milestone. God removes the burdens of memory and enlivens hope in His redemption.