Siesta Scripture Memory Team 2015 Instructions and Spiral Information!

HEADS UP, SCRIPTURE MEMORY PARTICIPANTS!!! IF YOU’RE ON THIS POST TO READ THE INSTRUCTIONS, YOU ARE IN EXACTLY THE RIGHT PLACE SO PROCEED WITH CONFIDENCE! ****BUT!!! IF YOU ARE REGISTERING AND MAKING YOUR FIRST 2015 ENTRY WITH VERSE 1, PLEASE GO TO THE JANUARY 1ST OFFICIAL LAUNCH POST! THAT’S WHERE VERSE 1 GOES! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR COOPERATION WITH THE DETAILS INVOLVED. SO MUCH LOVE TO YOU!

 

Hey Everybody!

We are revving up around here for SSMT 2015! The Scripture memory team we host and support every other year is the most extensive thing we do around here on the LPM blog so you can know that you are the size of an airbus on our ministry radar right now. We are elated about the year we have ahead and believe with all our hearts that God finds tremendous delight in this group of diverse women banding together to memorize His Word. Here is everything you need to know about how to participate in the 2015 Siesta Scripture Memory Team! Please be sure you make it all the way to the bottom of the post where you’ll find the information about our matching spirals.

First, a few things up front since many people joining us have no previous interaction here:

*For you new comers, an explanation of the name is in order. “Siesta” is just an endearment for “Sister.” There’s no club to join and no person you need to become. If you’ve trusted Jesus as your personal Savior, you’re a sister in Christ. If you don’t know Him, we’d love for you to stick around and get to know us and see if anything around here draws you. Everyone is welcome. Here’s a bit of our back-story on the weird name: When we first began the blog, it never occurred to any of us how much we’d come to love each other. As the community grew closer and closer and the participants more and more familiar with one another, one of you asked what name we should call each another. I tried to say, “I’ll tell you what we are: We’re sistahs!” but spell-check switched it to “siestas.” It stuck and that’s been us ever since. We even liked the thought that its actual meaning is to take a nap. We’ll know we’ve been a place of divine intervention if we’re a respite from the female competition and clatter out there. Only Jesus can give us that kind of relief in this exhausting culture.

*We call this a Scripture memory “team” because that’s exactly what we are. We cheer each other on, hold each other accountable, and urge one another to make it to the goal – 24 verses systematically memorized in 12 months – through a process that requires significant practice.

*Very often you will see me refer to SSMT. Just so nobody’s confused from the start, that is an abbreviation for “Siesta Scripture Memory Team.” If you’re not participating in SSMT, please know that we don’t limit the entire blog to our Scripture memory participants. It has a big presence on here because it’s twice a month but we still do lots of other things. Please don’t feel left out or forgotten.

*Why 24 verses? In previous years, we’ve found this to be a very doable pace: 1 verse every 2 weeks. If you do much more, you’ll tend to fall behind and not retain. If you do much less, the impact is negligible. You really can do this. So many of you will surprise yourselves with what you’re capable of doing in the power of the Spirit. Yes, it takes work but it’s tremendously fulfilling and the results are nearly immeasurable. Look at it this way: we’re going to be meditating on something: unforgiveness, toxic memories, misery, lust, greed, dissatisfaction, jealousy, competition. Let’s choose Scripture instead! Christ Himself said as a man thinks, so is he. He also said His words are spirit and life. This is work worth doing, Beloved. Never – NOT ONCE – have I ever known anyone to get to the end of a Scripture memory commitment and say that it didn’t make any real difference. Not a single time.

OK, NOW FOR THE INSTRUCTIONS. You can cut and paste these somewhere if necessary. Here’s how it will go:

1. On the 1st and 15th of every month of 2015 starting on New Year’s Day, you will find a post by 8:00 in the morning asking for your memory verse, suggesting one if you’re drawing a blank, and encouraging you in your process. In past years I’ve written all the posts myself but I thought maybe this year we needed to do something to shake it up a bit and make it extra-fun. I’ll still do all the posts on the 1st but the entries on the 15th will be written by a cross section of women from this community who’ve been asked to guest post. That means that, over the course of the year, you’ll hear from 12 of them. They’ll tell you a little bit about themselves, share the verse they’ve selected for that round, and why they chose it. We’ve also asked them to supply us with a picture so you can have a face to go with each name.

2.You are to enter the verse you’ve chosen to memorize for that two-week period within twenty-four hours of the post going up. I’ve been asked many times if it’s okay if you’re late supplying your verse and, yes, of course it is, but try to avoid doing it often. The people who make it to the very end of the year are overwhelmingly those who stay up with it month to month. Please know up front that one of the important parts of this process is the exercise of self discipline. This culture is mass producing self-indulgent narcissists. Year-long commitments like these that require punctuality and focused energy push back on that degenerating trend. All that to say, please don’t drop out if you get behind. I just want you to know that this will be much more successful if you treat it as a real, live commitment you are willing to work hard to keep.

3. When you clock in with your verse those two times a month, keep your comments limited to your name (first only if you prefer), city, verse and translation. Long comments on SSMT days are no-no’s. It won’t take you long to figure out why we maintain that rule. Wait till you see the powerful sight of hundreds if not thousands of verses flowing down the comment stream. It is a gorgeous sight. When you’re having a bad day, all you have to do is scroll down a few hundred of your sisters’ Scripture selections and I promise you, you’ll get a word. It’s a very powerful thing. Here is a sample comment:

Beth Moore from Houston, Texas: “May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy.” Colossians 1:11 ESV

Always add your translation because so many of your sisters will want to know where you found the wording for your entry. One of the great impacts of this process is how much we reap from each others’ selections. Often you’ll see a sister say, “I’m doing the one so-and-so did last time!” (Yes, you can make a comment that brief. Those can be fun. Occasionally you’ll even see someone write, “For the sake of my marriage, I’ve chosen to memorize…” That’s okay, too, but try to keep it very succinct.)

4. THIS ONE IS KEY! As often as possible, choose a verse that means something to you in your present season or circumstance. This is the reason why we don’t all memorize the same Scripture. We’re not all going through the same things. The more you let God lead you to verses that direct you or edify your soul in your present circumstances, the more He will renew your mind toward your challenges. This is a huge part of 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 where we’re told to demolish strongholds and take our thoughts captive to Christ. If you don’t have a verse on your mind or you’re drawing a blank when the 1st or 15th rolls around, you are more than welcome to share the selection offered in the post. That’s one reason it’s there. You might also look at a few of the comments and see if one of theirs resonates with you. I say this next part with a grin: try to refrain from memorizing Scriptures that you think your spouse or your children need to learn. Memorize what you need to learn. That means do your best to avoid jotting your verse on a stick note and planting it on your bathroom mirror where your man can see it and repent of his sins. He probably won’t because he’s got your game. I bet you can guess how I know that.

5. I strongly recommend that you stick with only one verse to memorize each time. (This is just a recommendation and not a rule. You’re free to do whatever works for you.) Keep it simple and meaningful. (If I were addressing you live, I’d have you repeat that sentence back to me so just go ahead and say it out loud in order to nail it down. That sentence could be your best friend through this process.) If you do too many verses or get too complicated, you will soon be overwhelmed and want to drop out. Better to do 24 simpler verses over a 12 month period of time than a chapter over the first month then quit. We want this to be a discipline we practice for the rest of our lives. Think marathon. Not sprint.

6. Either shortly before or after making your entry each 1st and 15th in the blog comment, write the verse by hand in your spiral. (Again, that’s a recommendation and not a rule. I’ve discovered that there’s something about writing it with your own hand and picturing it later in your own handwriting that helps it sink into your memory bank. I’m not entirely sure why.) Take that spiral with you everywhere you go. Read it and read it and read it and read it. Do mental gymnastics with it. Flip that baby over and over. Many women have told me along the way that they’re not good at memorization and I truly understand that. I also beg to offer two responses: First, that may change. Give the Holy Spirit a chance to do something brand new with you. Second, even if you don’t get your verses down word for word, you are still meditating on them as you read and reread them. You still, thereby, accomplish one of the most important goals: captivating the mind to Christ. You just can’t lose on this one. Either way, it has a powerful effect.

 

NOW, about that spiral! In years past, we’ve created them here at Living Proof and shipped them to those who ordered them. But, to our slack-jawed surprise, last time we did it, 10,000 women signed up and nearly all of them ordered spirals. My beloved (SMALL!!!) staff and hardworking volunteers filled every one of those orders over about a 10-day mad-dash and, though they never lost their smiles, it flat-out nearly killed them! We are just too small a staff to handle that many orders. HOWEVER!!! We MUST have matching spirals! So, here is the perfect solution. Watch this tutorial and you’ll see how quick and easy it will be to prepare your spiral:

 

 

There are two sizes to choose between for your spirals.  Click on the size cover you would like to print for yourself then adhere it using any of the methods we suggested. You can certainly use regular printer paper but cardstock works perfectly:

siesta_5x3_final_new

5×3
6×4

 

OK, I think that’s more than enough to get us prepared for January 1st but I so hope you’ll go ahead and get our huge wrap-up celebration on your radar because we want you to know how to qualify and plan to be there! It is the biggest blast ever.

Our Siesta Scripture Memory Team 2015 Celebration will on January 16, 2016. I’m telling you about it now so that you can have it for a little extra incentive. Our main incentive is the will and good pleasure of God, of course, but He Himself authored great celebrations in His Name so feel free to be excited at the thought. Also, I want you to have plenty of time to start saving your money for your transportation and hotel. We do not charge for the event. Your entrance fee is your well-used spiral. By the way, we will have Travis back again to lead us in worship and Amanda, Melissa, my whole LPM staff and volunteer team will be there to serve you.  Here’s how you qualify to attend the celebration:

*Clock in by first name and city at least 21 out of 24 times. (But please make your goal 24 out of 24!) Let me reiterate that you can be late with your entry on a 1st or 15th of any month but, by the end of the year, there has to be a record in the comment sections of you signing in at least 21 out of 24 times on a SSMT post. Make sense? Please give us 24 hours to post your comment before you assume it got lost. We still moderate all comments and the amount we get on SSMT days necessitates a slower pace. Thank you for your cooperation!

*Bring your spiral to the celebration. Again, that’s your ticket in.

*If you’re planning to come to the celebration, be prepared to say any 10 of your 24 memory verses to another Siesta (of your choice) during the designated time at the celebration. (We get in pairs.) Some of you will be tempted to let this be a deal breaker but don’t back out! Siestas are really sweet and patient with each other and we are notorious for giving each other hints. We can even act out charades if necessary. If you’re one of those who genuinely struggles with memorization, just tell your memory buddy up front and she’ll give you all the grace you need.  Tell her the gist of the verse as accurately as you possibly can. She’ll be able to tell that you are well acquainted with it and that the goal was accomplished even if you can’t say the verse word-for-word.

*Register for the event when the time comes. (December 1, 2015)

Whew! Have I exhausted you?? I’ve worn myself out. Sorry this is so wordy! We just want to answer as many of your questions up front as possible.

I want to say something to you before I wrap up this diatribe: this community means something to me. I love it because I love you. I think about you on an ongoing basis. So does my staff. You are a huge part of this ministry. Thank you for the privilege to serve you and to embark on another wild journey with you. May Christ find such delight here that He astonishes us with His presence, favor, and power.

So, welcome to Siestaville: women walking alongside women on our way Home, stirring up excitement toward that great day. SSMT is one way we do that. AND IT’S A WHOPPER. Let’s do it, Sisters, starting this coming January 1st! I’ll talk to you again about other things before then but I don’t want the New Year to take you by surprise.

I love you.

Beth

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Comments:

  1. 9151
    Melissa Dukes says:

    Augusta, GA.
    “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
    ‭‭John‬ ‭16:33‬ ‭NKJV

  2. 9152
    Linda says:

    Ephesians 1:17-19

    I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, would give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the perception of your mind may be enlightened so you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the glorious riches of His inheritance among the saints and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power to us who believe according to the working of His vast strength.

  3. 9153
    Samantha Barrack says:

    Samantha from SC says: “For it has been granted to you
    on behalf of Christ
    not only to believe in him,
    but also to suffer for him…” Philippians 1:29 (NIV)

  4. 9154
    Carolyn Dodge, Forest, OH says:

    Exodus 33:14 The Lord replied, “my presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” NIV

    Proverbs 31:30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. NIV

  5. 9155
    Patty Roddy says:

    Patty from Redmond, WA
    Ephesians 3:20 (NLT)
    Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.

  6. 9156
    Lisa Mast says:

    Lisa Mast – Fort Wayne, IN
    Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
    Colossians 3:2 ESV

  7. 9157
    Sandra Hicks says:

    Sandra Hicks, Houston, Tx.

    “…let all be hormonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted and humble in spirit.”

    I Peter 3:8 NASB

  8. 9158
    Janene Ford says:

    Janene Ford, Henley, MO
    “You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea. ”
    Micah 7:19 (NIV)

  9. 9159
    Lois Lorentzen says:

    Isaiah 30:21 (NIV) “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

  10. 9160
    Karla Kincade says:

    Karla Kincade
    Indianapolis, IN

    Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
    I Corinthians 13:4 NIV

  11. 9161
    Deborah Cochran says:

    Proverbs 16:24 NKJV

    Pleasant works are like a honeycomb,
    Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.

    Milan, MI

  12. 9162
    Pam Walling says:

    From Bridgeport, WV

    2 Corinthians 4:16(ICB)
    So we do not give up. Our physical body is becoming older and weaker, but our spirit inside us is made new everyday.

    • 9162.1
      Phoebe Holbrook says:

      As I age this verse becomes more precious and meaningful for me. It’s as if the spirit works in reverse of the flesh! It gets better and stronger as the flesh gets weaker.

  13. 9163
    Trisha Feitshans says:

    Trisha Feitshans, Greenville, OH

    Jeremiah 29:14a (NIV)

    “I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and I will bring you back from captivity.”

  14. 9164
    Brenda Riley says:

    November 1, 2015

    1 Peter 1:3 KJV

    Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant
    mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

  15. 9165
    Renae says:

    Hendersonville, TN
    Wait on the LORD: be of good courage,
    and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait,
    I say, on the LORD. Psalms 27:14 KJV

  16. 9166
    Nancy says:

    “I have loved you with an everlasting love”. Jer. 3:13

    • 9166.1
      Pamela Muncy says:

      Have you by chance read Kay Aurthur’s book ‘With an Everlasting Love’. It is out of print but you can find it used. I highly recommend it.

  17. 9167
    Vicki Creed says:

    Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold new things have come.

    2 Cor 5:17. NASB

  18. 9168
    Terese Kay Black Earth Wi says:

    Terese Kay
    Black Earth Wi

    Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand
    against the devil’s schemes

    Ephesians 6:11

  19. 9169
    Pat Johnson Licking Mo says:

    Philippians. 4-13 KJV. I can do all things through Christ which strenghtenthme

  20. 9170
    Keri Lucy, Conway, AR says:

    Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures through all generations. The Lord is trustworthy in all He promises and faithful in all He does. Psalm 145:13 NIV

  21. 9171
    Susan Kolb says:

    Susan Kolb
    Slidell, LA

    I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving, And will call upon the name of the Lord.
    Psalm 116:17 NKJV

  22. 9172
    Allison Bayles says:

    Katy, Tx
    The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft;hatred, discord, jealousy,fits of rage,selfish ambition,dissensions, factions and envy;drunkeness,orgies and the like.I warn you,as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
    Galatians 5:19, niv

  23. 9173
    Jennifer Perkins says:

    Jennifer Perkins Longview, TX
    “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 2 Thessalonians 5:16-18

  24. 9174
    Jamie Vukelich says:

    Love never fails.
    1 Cor 13:8

  25. 9175
    Mary Bettie says:

    Verse for August 1,
    Mary Bettie, Medina TN
    “This is the one I esteem; he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word ”
    Isaiah 66:2b. NIV

  26. 9176
    Mary Bettie says:

    Verse for August 15
    Mary Bettie, Medina TN
    “Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self control.” Proverbs 25:28 NIV

  27. 9177
    Mary Bettie says:

    Verse for September 1
    Mary Bettie, Medina TN
    “Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is beneficial.
    Everything is permissible for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.
    1 Corinthians 6:12

  28. 9178
    Mary Bettie says:

    Verse for September 15
    Mary Bettie, Medina TN
    “In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,
    And do not give the devil a foothold.”
    Ephesians 4:26-27 NIV

  29. 9179
    Mary Bettie says:

    Verse for October 1
    Mary Bettie, Medina TN
    ” I can do everything through him, who gives me strength “. Philippians 4:13. NIV

  30. 9180
    Mary Bettie says:

    Verse for October 16
    Mary Bettie, Medina TN
    “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world,
    But be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
    Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is –
    His good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2. NIV

  31. 9181
    Mary Bettie says:

    November 1
    Mary Bettie, Medina TN
    “Now these three remain, faith, hope, and love, But the greatest of these is love.”
    1 Corinthians 13:13 NIV

  32. 9182
    Mary Bettie says:

    Verse for October 15
    Mary Bettie, Medina TN
    ” Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is –
    his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2 NIV

  33. 9183
    Kelly McCargar says:

    Walnut Creek, CA

    “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.”

    Ephesians 4:31 (NIV)

  34. 9184
    Kelly McCargar says:

    Walnut Creek, CA

    “Be kind to one another, forgiving each other, just as Christ God forgave you.”

    Ephesians 4:32 (NIV)

  35. 9185
    Jess bucher says:

    Jess Bucher from Valparaiso, IN
    “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”
    ‭‭Psalm‬ ‭19:14‬ ‭ESV‬‬

  36. 9186
    Bert Simpson says:

    I will never forget Your precepts, for by them You have given me life. Ps. 119:93 NKJ

  37. 9187
    Angie Colbeck says:

    “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast.”. Ephesians 2:8-9

  38. 9188
    Berni Isabel says:

    Miami, Fl

    “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”
    ‭‭Romans‬ ‭12:1‬ ‭NIV‬‬
    niv

  39. 9189
    Diane; Emporia, KS. says:

    Job 33:4 (NIV)
    “The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life.”

  40. 9190
    Holly Tabor says:

    Holly Tabor Nixa, Missouri

    10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

    Luke 2:10-11 NKJV

  41. 9191
    Pamela Muncy says:

    Pamela Muncy from Ashland, KY ESV Romans 1:17
    For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

  42. 9192
    Twyla from Cortez, CO says:

    Ephesians 5:1-2 RSV

    1) Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2) And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

  43. 9193
    Phoebe Holbrook says:

    Phoebe Holbrook from KY
    NKJV Colossians 1:10
    That you make walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.

  44. 9194
    Emily Johnson says:

    psalm 25.15.asv
    Mine eyes are ever toward Jehovah; For he will pluck my feet out of the net.

    Oakdale CA

  45. 9195
    Debbie says:

    Debbie from Wooster, OH
    II Peter 1:2
    “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus, our Lord”. KJV

  46. 9196
    Gina from Missouri says:

    “The eyes of The Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry.”
    Psalm 34:15 (NIV)

  47. 9197
    Connie says:

    Connie from Woodstock, GA
    “I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.”
    Romans 7:15 (NLT)

  48. 9198
    Donna Verschoot says:

    Columbia, SC
    I sought the Lord and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.
    Psalm 34:4 NIV

  49. 9199
    Sadie Noyes says:

    Psalm 27:13-14 (ESV)

    I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord
    in the land of the living!
    Wait for the Lord;
    be strong, and let your heart take courage;
    wait for the Lord!

  50. 9200
    Dianne Bonas says:

    II Corinthians 12:9 NIV

    But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

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