*Updated to add Maryland. (So sorry, Maryland! I don’t know how that happened. I cut and pasted the names of all 50 states and only removed Delaware! We had Maryland a number of times! Wouldn’t have overlooked you for the world! – Beth) And it looks like we have a brand new Siesta from Delaware joining us! Welcome, Jill/Crew of 5 For Jesus! – Amanda. ALL FIFTY STATES! YAHOO-JAH! To God be some mighty BIG GLORY!
Well, Siestas, you did it. You left Amanda and me slack-jawed! Weād hoped for a diverse groupā¦but never in our wildest dreams would we have imagined! In the terrific words of Luke 24:22 (ever so slightly out of context), āā¦our women amazed usā! I feel so many things but at the top of the list, I feel wonder. Wonder toward a God who perfectly timed an information age in the latter days of His Kingdom calendar where the testimony of His Son could be transferred and shared in seconds by people so diverse and distant, their paths wouldnāt cross in a lifetime. We are one tiny blip on the pinhead of the World Wide Web. Imagine what really might be happening out there in the Name of Christ! So many dark and deadly contacts happen on line but if we only knew what God Himself was bringing together, weād fall to our faces with praise. I am simply astonished.
SO, with ecstatic joy, I present to you tastes of Siestaville! (Drum roll pleaseā¦)
First, hereās where you live:
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont (I kept saying out loud, āCome on, Vermont! I know you can do it! Sign in!ā You could have heard me shout all the way to your great State when I finally saw you!)
Virginia
Washington (The numbers of you totally blew my mind! Way to show up, Northwest! Weāre so honored your aboard!)
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
Can you believe your eyes??? We came within an inch of having Siestas in every single State of the US. Is there any chance Delaware answered the roll call but I missed your darling self? Let us know!
And, how about outside the US? Iāve got to begin with a HUGE SHOUT-OUT to our Siestas in Canada! I could not believe how many of you make up our blog town! And considering all our Southern figures of speech at LPM, way to persevere! We are the better for you, Canadian Siestas! You are treasured here. Keep your comments coming.
And outside the US and Canada, letās hear it for Siestas who live inā¦
Amsterdam, The Netherlands (Several!)
(One wrote in to tell us that, yes, she really is a Dutch Siesta who has to work extra hard for unity amid that MUCH diversity! I loved it.)
Bosnia
Brazil
Central Asia
China
Germany
Ireland
Italy
Japan
Malaysia
Mexico
Mozambique
New Zealand
Philippines
South Africa
Taiwan
United Kingdom
(Some are missionaries or serve in the military while some are actual citizens of that nation.)
We are honored to have the spiritual feeling of being right next door to one another in real time through faith, through prayer, and the love of Scripture. Thanks go to so many who persevere many regional and cultural differences to stay connected!
Now, are you ready for where you go to church? Hold on to your chairs. This may have stunned me more than our locations. Joyfully, we had numbers of Siestas representing most of them:
Anglican
Assembly of God
Apostleās Churches
African Methodist Episcopal
Baptist (Freewill, Southern, Independent, Missionary. You name it. Iām not saying a word. Iām just grinning. Anyway, itās fair to make fun of your own self. I told AJ that my eyes fell on one called āAngier Baptist Churchā and I thought it said, āAngrier Baptist Church.ā I was taken aback. So glad my contact had just slipped a tad on my eyeball.)
Beit Yeshua Messianic
Many independent Bible churches
Calvary Chapel
Catholic
Many independent community churches ā Charismatic and Non-charismatic alike
Church of God
Covenant Church
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Church of Christ
Emergent
Emergent-ish (Made me smile)
Episcopal
Evangelical Free
FCCM (Fellowship of Connected Churches and Ministries)
Foursquare
Friends Church (Quaker)
House Churches
LDS
Lutheran
Mennonite and Evangelical Mennonite (So many! What a joy!)
Messianic Jewish
Methodist
Nazarene
Presbyterian (PCA, EPC, etc.)
Missionary Alliance
Pentecostal Holiness
Reformed
Seventh-day Adventist
The Salvation Army
Vineyard
Willowcreek Association Churches
Wesleyan
(I tried so hard to fasten my eyes to each entry and include every single denomination. If I overlooked one, it was truly an accident.)
Now, for a few special accolades:
Three of my favorite church names:
2nd Runner up: Calvary Chapel Pearl Harbor (Is that cool or what??)
1st Runner up: Raccoon Creek Baptist Church, Georgia (Me and Beanie could both go there! She loves dinner on the grounds after service!)
Grand Prize: Bar-None Cowboy Church (in Texas, of course) āNluvwhim,ā please contact the LPM office with your address and request your prize. Yes, Iām serious.
Hereās a titanic WAY TO GO on all those Scriptures and Scriptural concepts! WOW! According to one of our Siestas, Proverbs 3:5-6 was the one most often repeated.
My favorite unfamiliar one:
Psalm 45:1 from āThe Messageā: āMy heart bursts its banks, spilling beauty and goodness. I pour it out in a poem to the king, shaping the river into words.ā Gorgeous!
Gutsiest entry: āWorshipboy Tom,ā a proud husband of a siesta! You are a real man indeed! 2000+ Siestas take off our sombreros to you! And then we’re putting them right back on because we have hat-hair. And we hate hat-hair.
Most impressive entry: āKingschild,ā mother to over 60 foster children. In unison, 2000+ Siestas and I say of our Siesta-hood, āWeāre not worthy!ā
A few private messages from me to a couple of you: Angela, thank you for your courage. You are welcome here! Firecracker, I am honored to be your servant. Log on any time.
TO ALL OF YOU: AMANDA, MELISSA, THE LPM MINISTRY STAFF AND I HAVE NEVER BEEN MORE HUMBLED TO SERVE YOU OR MORE AWED BY GODāS GRACE TO US THROUGH YOU. THANK YOU A THOUSAND TIMES OVER FOR ANSWERING THIS ROLL CALL AND FOR BEING PART OF A COMMUNITY THAT HAS LITERALLY BECOME ONE OF MY FAVORITE AVENUES OF MINISTRY EVER. (Since I gave up my aerobics class, as a matter of fact. Grin.) ALL OF YOU ARE JOYFULLY WELCOME HERE!
May the Name of Jesus wave like a banner over this community and His lavish love be our calling card.
With a whole new appreciation,
Beth
Amanda,
Your Mom has to have a sore back, I read 99.9 percent of these and my left arm is extremely irritated from holding down the curser on my laptop to move to the next extry. Enjoy the cup of COMFORT beverage while soaking in LIVING WATER!!!
Last night was our first night of Stepping UP! 14 of us!!!
WAY TO GO SIESTAS!
Lovingly,
Yolanda
Beth, I tried to report in but I am computer challenged and I never found my entry. But—-praise Him! Isn’t it amazing! I love your southern humor. I haven’t heard the “slack-jawed” term in so , so long!
Bless you LPM staff and Bethie! I can’t wait until San Antonio in August! Yaaaahooooo Jah!!!!!
Sharron in Alabama
Beth, Amanda, Melissa–honestly, this touched me more than any other post. It’s such a sweet “peek” into what heaven will be like and such a beautiful picture of what the family of God is really all about. You are so right: with all the ugly things the enemy does with online communities, this is such a Christ-honoring use of technology–bringing people together in the unity that is ours in Jesus Christ alone. I am so glad He put this idea in your heart. Have a super weekend–us GA girls are gearing up for more snow and can hardly stand it; we are so excited!
How AMAZING!!!
Think we could all get together for a picnic!!??
Blessings,
Karla
Beth –
I wanted to mention a web site written by a bible class leader at the church I grew up in.
I thought you’d enjoy and get a kick out of it. (unless you hate limericks)
http://www.biblebuslimericks.com/
His class goes through the entire bible and he has a limerick for every part. They are really amazing.
Enjoy!
Blessings,
Karla
(***obviously, I’m not expecting you to post this comment since it has nothing to do with the post, but I had to share and didn’t want to tie up the contact form from people who have a genuine need.)
This is my favorite LPM blog entry to date!! I’ve felt a little down lately because very sad and difficult circumstances in my life in the last few years have caused some former friendships to fizzle (although I think God was just doing a little house cleaning with my life) and I’ve been throwing some pity-parties for myself about not having women friends around much anymore. I’ve asked God for new friends. This blog is a good jumping off point for allowing friends back into my heart, so thank you for its existence.
Have a great weekend!
lovelovelove
Marni
Thank you dear Beth. I’m thrilled and honored to be a part of Siestaville! I’m in wonder over you…like a little kid in a candy store (or Mexican restuarant or Starbucks in your case š You have such delight in this and us and you took so much time to catalog all of us. God loves us so dearly and you’re a vessel for that love and care. Thank you, we love you! In His Glorious Name, Kim in PA
Makes you think about what crazy family antics you share next, huh? Oh Beth (and thank you JESUS, Amanda and Melissa, too), what a ministry you have here. Roll call was the just the tip of the iceberg.
Melissa, are you SURE, we can’t do a sit down reception for all of us?
Seriously, it makes me think oddly enough of a mission trip to Romania where I was sitting LITERALLY in a pig pen with chickens and cabbage plants worshipping Him. Same God. Same Spirit. Same Son. EVERYWHERE. Even here. Oh, I’m just a’bustin’ with joy Siestas and I love you all.
Hey Ya’ll,
I’m one of those gals from Washington well I still think of myself as a Southern from North Carolina. I was bummed God sent us here, but have been surprised how many women in our church have done your studies. I was going to educate them about you, so I don’t have too. God sent my husband and I here for a reason, but he never fails us, so we’ll learn to love it. My other church back in NC loves your studies so much as well,and all the women new women who have come out to join studies and what the Lord has done in their lives.
Just wanted to say that this blog has been very positive for me and thousands of others as well and it doesn’t matter who we are and where we are from we all have a common goal ” The LORD” It sure was so neat to see who comes to this blog and where they are from. It’s very humbling and awesome to see. Thanks again for all your ministy does and what God is doing in all our lives. OUR GOD REIGNS.
Blessings Sarah – prayer warrior
ps: A neat story I wanted to share with you. About a month and a half ago I saw the blurbs on the internet about Fully Alive with you and Betty and James Robinson, and wanted to get the series to listen too, but felt I was not suppose to get it. (I was thinking well I must be feeling wrong, it looks so good why would I be feeling that) The next Sunday at church a gal there who I don’t know really well came up to me and said she wanted to give me something for Christmas. She said I know you like Beth Moore so I want to give you the video tapes of Fully Alive. I just stood there and cried and she looked at me like what is this gals problem. I had told her during the week I had seen this on TV and wanted to get it and felt ZI wasn’t suppose to. See God knew this would happen. Well what do you expect he knows everything. What a blessing.
I’m enjoying the series so much.
LOve ya!
Abby, I believe the word you’re lookin’ for is “slack-jawed.”
Yes indeed! That’s just what God does!
I have to say I feel very humbled too, to be a part of such a diverse and loving group of women (and man). Thank you for doing that. The world is really a very small place when you see we all fit in the palm of God’s hand.
It’s so easy to think that all God’s people look and worship and talk like the ones we’re in church with every week, which can kinda decieve a girl into thinking the Kingdom might be a little ho-hum. But this roll call? Nothing ho-hum about it!! How awesome to see the tremendous number of different backgrounds and traditions worshipping the very same Awesome God! Heaven will be a BLAST! Thanks Beth, Amanda, Melissa and everyone at LPM for everything you do and for this spectacular little blip on the pinhead of the internet! Such a fabulous slice of heaven on Earth! Christine in SoCal
Your comments were closed before I could respond but you’ve another group of “siestas” in BC Canada. We are starting the Stepping Up study next week, having been blessed beyond measure by “Believing God” before Christmas. Thanks for being God’s agent in helping us to know Him better and to trust Him fully. The 5 precepts of the shield of Faith are seared in our hearts.
Thank you.
Bev in Rosedale BC
What a blessing! I was just asking my friend for prayer because I have been going out of my mind crazy with children. (I run an in home daycare)
The real reason I feel this way is because I need my womens bible study to start!(not until February) It can be so isolating for a “social” kind of gal to be home with so many kids and no adult (women) conversation. Well, after reading these posts I just feel a new sense that I really am not alone. Thank you Beth, Amanda, and all your staff for this blog. Some days it is what helps me feel sane again!
One of those from Washington State!
Kari
Yes and Amen,
All Honor and Glory to Him who is able to Unite His Children. Thank you Beth and LPM for allowing all of us siesta’s to be apart of this and see with our own eyes How Glorious our Lord Jesus is.
I feel so grateful to be a part of this, and so blessed to be able to identify with and pray for my siesta’s. It is a overwhelming feeling to love those you haven’t met, and to feel the love that unites through Jesus, He truly is the Lover of our Souls.
A shout out to the siesta’s that will be in San Diego, CA to receive a word from our Beth. It would be wonderful to meet you. If you are interested please feel free to contact me via email.
[email protected]
God bless and keep each of us as we strive to worship Him with all that we have.
Love
Celeste
Beth
Thank you for Seistaville and all the beautiful people who blog there. When I read other blogs I feel like they are letters from family,(the Jesus Family). And as for Angie thanks for sharing this with us. Every Monday is fast and prayer day, we will lift Wanda up in our prayers for a completion of Gods work in her life. Beth make sure the mother stand first again at Melissa’s Wedding
Judy With Him
I only check in every few days so I missed the roll call. Love the idea. Love reading the posts! God bless!
name: Kelly
age: 30
children: 2
church: Tulsa Bible Church (non-denominational)
location: Broken Arrow, OK
Verse: 1 John 4:7-12
I’m extraordinarily moved…THANK YOU for giving us an opportunity to introduce ourselves to each other, and for allowing God to work through you and LPM in such amazing ways! Does God not just blow you away?
I wish I had posted originally! However, I did notice a lack of Orthodox Christians (or churches) on the list. I was raised Ukrainian Orthodox, but now attend an Anglican church in Garland, Texas (Christ the Redeemer). Does that count? š
Bless you for this blog!
This taste of heaven leaves me longing for more!
Thanks to Beth and the LPM staff for allowing the Son to shine through this otherwise dreary winter day!
The roll call of Siestas brought sunshine to a very dreary work week in my life. Thank you, Beth, for a great idea and for taking the time to tally and give us your thoughts. Thank you, AJ, for starting this 13 months ago. So glad that God gave you this idea š
I feel that the blog time and kinship is a blessing and am so thankful that you let us be in your LMP loop. It’s a blast!
Many smiles, Jill
I too echo the comments that the Roll call was amazing. I’m not a frequent commenter, but an avid reader, and I could not stop coming back to see who else might be added. I think my husband at times thought I was crazy!
But some great lessons are here:
I think it can give us all an appreciation for Heaven. For the Father’s love for us and care for us. It can be a call to prayer as some are hurting. It is a call to praise as many offer thanksgiving. And I think it also is a call to live…we have opportunities each day (most of us inside our own homes) to practice the truths we have learned, to remember what is ours in Christ Jesus, to pray and praise and to wait with great anticipation the coming of Christ and the celebrating that will ensue with ALL of those who call on His name.
May all of us be found faithful…by the great grace of the God we serve….
Many thanks to you Beth for your reading and tallying this week and your faithful living day in and day out that you allow us to be a part of.
Blessings,
Corrie
I have to say that I was obsessed with the role call…….think I read almost every entry cheering the number on past 2,000. I LOVE that 2,000 plus women come to this website for a good solid “Jesus” message with some good girly shoe advice thrown in.
Thank you!!
God is so very awesome!
My heart is full of praise to our Father of unfailing love for the encouragement that I find in my Siestas here in Siestaville.
I missed the roll call, but was blown away by the results. I read the blog from someone in my hometown of Lititz, Pa. who I have never met before….and the blogs from a few in Okinawa, Japan where I lived for a few years. I also lived in Texas 3 times so I DO understand the need for good Mexican food. š
Here is my favorite truth at this time in my journey of faith:
Isaiah 57:15 & 18 “For this is what the high and lofty One says – He who lives forever, whose name is holy: “I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrit and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite… I will heal him; I will guide him and restore comfort to him.”
Love you dear Siestas!
Susan from Pa.
This is how it is supposed to be! So many Christians are so focused on denomination and we should be focused on Jesus!
Beth thank you so much for giving us this info – you are a major blog maniac!
Love to all you thousands of siestas!
Maybe I will meet some of you in San Antonio! Just got my tickets and my room is reserved! How many days until August?
I remember one of your first posts Amanda that said something about we will see if this is a success. Wow! I think the Lord answered. Success should be spelled u-n-i-t-y.
May OUR Lord richly bless you!
Kristi B.
I think this was so much fun and I think it would be fun to do it again.
Maybe to see occupations next time. We are all so diverse it would be very interesting to see what we all do…
WooHoo . . . I am so pumped to know that no matter where I go if I yell real loud “Is there a siesta in the house!?” Someone is bound to answer . . or at least know what I’m talking about–is there anything better than the community of believers? Praise The Lord!!
I was glad to be able to participate in this and read about most of the siestas. Amanda, I was amused by the secret. Thanks to you, Beth, Melissa and everyone at LPM for all you do.
I noticed a couple posts from Kathy Knoblock and Paulette, if those are my friends from Cuyahoga Falls Oh., Hello! It’s been a while since I’ve seen you. I hope to be back to church soon.
I’m a new blogger and so excited to be part of this community!
Thanks to Ms. Beth, Amanda, and the LPM staff for your dedication to this ministry.
I check the blog during my lunch time at work…totally helps get me over the mid-day hump:)
In Him,
KiKi
Wow!
Kind of a sneak peak to what eternity is going to be like!
blessings!
steph.
Beth,
Just for fun, I started keeping my own record of everyone’s age, denomination, state, etc. (no names, though). I was humbled and touched with each entry I came across, especially for our sweet siestas who said they were “separated” or “divorcing”. My heart just cried out to our God to bless, especially, these women who must be going through so much pain!
However, my eyes started to cross when I reached the 300 mark. When I started, there were only around 600 , so I checked to see if anyone else had logged on. Shocked, I saw the number had risen to over 1200!!! I laughed out loud, threw up my hands and said, “I’m done!”. I loved reading all the entries, but a girls gotta get some sleep!!! (Oh yeah…and do that Mommy/Wife/Housekeeping thang, too!!)
Blessings to all my fellow siestas out there from…everywhere! I am just living life alongside with you (hmm…that sounds familiar ;-D)
Beth, can’t wait to see you in May….just made hotel arrangements for my entire women’s group, we’ve made that weekend our Women’s Retreat. YOU, my dear, are the guest speaker!! Thanks ever so much! We’re so excited!!!!
In Him,
tulip in Idaho
Abundant Life Baptist Church
WOW! WOW! WOW! WOW! WOW! Jesus, YOU rock!!!
Thanks LPM for all the work. Beth, it is MY honor to be a part of the Siestaville blog.
Much love from your Siesta in Lathrop, Missouri
p.s. I missed out on roll call but see that MO was represented.
Oops….I think I cheated Don Piper out of 30 minutes in heaven (from my previous comment)….the book is “90 minutes in Heaven”….I think I might have only given him 60. Anyways….I forgot to also mention that the longer comments on the “Roll Call” made me laugh out loud!!! It is so hard for us women to be concise and I’m sure that it took all of the inner strength we could muster to explicitly follow Beth’s instructions of brevity. Although, I did enjoy reading the comments of those that just could not be constrained!! We are all alike in many ways!!
That was amazing! How did you ever come up with that idea? We may be meeting in cyberspace here in Siestaville now, but can you just imagine the Siesta Convention we’ll all have in heaven one day? The thought of that made me smile. Thanks so much for doing that for us.
Siestas! You are invited to a cybershower for Melissa’s wedding.
Come join us and leave a prayer blessing~
Here’s a link to Lifeway’s Women’s Community…started with Beth Moore’s first on-line Bible study, Believing God.
http://forums.lifeway.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/2866019561/m/358104511
Rock on!! Only God knew.
Praise Him.
Well, I have dial-up (but I know the Lord hears my prayers anyway!) And for some reason, I could not comment on the Roll Call post. I’m always a day late and a dollar short…as we say here in TN. But for Siestas who always have time to care even when a sister is late:
I’m 27
Married – 2 girls (6 & 2)
First Baptist Church – Clarksville, TN
My favorite truth right now: Now, I want you to know brothers that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. (Phil 1:12) It’s NOT in vain…the pain…it’s NOT for nothing! Praise Him!
This is my first time at blogging! I had to read the directions before I did it! This is so cool! Beth, I just love you so much! I just started doing your Bible Studies about a year ago at a friend’s church and we started with Daniel. We just finished Breaking Free and all I can say is Awesome! At the end of the month we’re going to be starting To Live is Christ. We’re also planning on coming to see you in October in Delaware. I’m from Pennsylvania, so it’s close by!
Blessings,
Jen
It is so cool how God can bring so many different people together into one large group that are connected by their love for him.
He is so amazing!
Oh my goodness, I finally found how to add my comment. I am so Blog challenged. I have been reading this blog for a year and always wanted to convey my love to each person and to you Beth & LPM Staff. God used “Here You Are” to stun and amaze my heart. I am joining the ranks of the other Siestas! Alaskan Rebecca thanking you for sharing Christ’s Love for each of us!
Wow! I am in awe of how huge and diverse this Siestaville is! Praise God and praise you Beth and the LPM staff. I tried to sign in several times that day, but was unable to…glad to see my state of Utah is on the map, though!
Bless you –
Leian in SLC
I don’t know if this will work or not, but Jen Ren in Taiwan: look me up and email me. If anyone else reading this blog knows her, send her my way.
http://www.bathsehbaschildren.blogspot.com
I’m not crazy or anything, I promise! I saw your post on the Blog Roll.
No, thanks to you Beth, AJ, Melissa and all of LPM for all YOU do. I know I would not be where I am today if it were not for you guys!
You are such a mentor to me. Thanks for allowing me to share in your life.
Striving to be more like Him,
Amanda in SC
Hello, Siestas!
There has been an overwhelming joy knowing that God provides the way to connect to other believers around the world to build up one another for His Kingdom. I look forward to hearing how He is working in all of our lives this year in 2008!
In His Grace,
Lea
Beth, Thank you SOO much for the “Roll Call”. It was so much fun and completely amazing!!!! You and Beanie are welcome to Raccoon Creek Baptist anytime. Have a wonderful weekend and get some rest š Its going to snow in GA tonight:) Yeah!!!
Thanks so much for letting us all know how God is working all over the US and throughout the world. I had a hard day today and came home to read this. It filled me with much joy!! Thanks again! Love, Shannon
To Shannon from Harvard, I prayed for your test tomorrow. Bless you for being an “alien” on that campus.
Dearest Beth and Co.,
I am honored to be called a Siesta! I PRAISE GOD for each and every one of you! You are such a blessing! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
You are loved!
Angie xoxo
Thank you for that roll call and showing the results.
I love reading this blog and just laughing out loud and sometimes crying out loud.
Everyone needs a sense of community in their lives. OH what an awesome community of diverse yet unified women there is here. Praise the Lord. I suppose I never thought that as the enemy can use this technology for harm- Our AWESOME God can use it for HIS Glory!
Thanks Beth and the LPM staff for all you do.
You know, I have to ask. I just tuned into this whole blogging thing. What exactly is a Siesta? I always thought it was a nap…which I happen to be a big fan of, but, it doesn’t so much make sense here.
You know, it would seem logically that with over 2,000 responses, one might think, “Why bother answering? There are so many others speaking, my voice will surely not be heard. My comment won’t matter” Yet I felt exactly the opposite about this roll call. I so badly wanted to be included and connected. It makes no sense, yet it is so tue and heartfelt. Must be a God thing.
I also read so many responses that I stopped and prayed for or ached for or rejoiced with or went to check out their blogs and stories. What an incredible blessing. I’ve been reading this blog from the beginning but rarely commenting. One thing I do regularly do, though, is read the comments and follow other ladies’ blogs. Such a blessing. You ladies rock. I’ve never felt so connected to a group of strangers before! š