Greetings, You Sword-wielding Siestas!
It’s time for Verse 8! Can you believe it? Our Swords are getting sharper with every flip of a spiral! (It’s that kind of thing that Melissa responds to with, “Mom, you’re real sweet.” Translation: “You, Mom, are the Cheese Whiz in every 8 ounce jar.” You have to have some compassion on my girls. They’ve grown up with statements like, “Is your Sword in its sheath or are you using it?” It’s been hard being them. To this day, Travis Cottrell still brings up the fact that, for Amanda and Curtis’ rehearsal dinner at Pappasito’s, I made him help me stuff a piñata with Scripture verses written on little pieces of paper while we were driving from the church to the restaurant. I didn’t even realize it was weird until our next speaking engagement when he laughed until he cried and had to hold his side. He spared me the humiliation in that moment. After all, I was the MOB. The girls do, on occasion, make fun of me but at the end of the scorn, they each usually say something like, “I have never loved you more.” And it’s worth it.
And anyway, they’ve got plenty of their own weirdness. I had to talk Melissa out of having one of her professors do an exegetical explanation of the Trinity as part of her wedding ceremony. (And did I ever tell you that she originally wanted both her dad and me to walk her down the aisle?) And Amanda is more like her mother than she’d ever want to admit. She’s already started some Scripture memory with Jackson. It might not surprise you to know that his life verse is “Children, obey your parents for this is right.”
We’re freaks. Freaks that know their own flesh and don’t trust themselves for five minutes. Each one of us in our own way has proved ourselves stupid. We blow it but we know our way home. I love my family. We don’t let each other take ourselves too seriously.
Back to important things like cheerleading. The way I see it, cheerleaders have to be cheesy. And through our challenging year of Scripture memory, I, Girlfriend, am your (modestly dressed, ever-so-slightly outdated) cheerleader.
So here’s my Verse 8! It’s a 3-verse portion that I didn’t want to split up but, if you’d like to share it, you are welcome to select the one verse that speaks most clearly to you:
“In my anguish I cried to the LORD, and He answered me by setting me free. The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? The LORD is with me; He is my helper. I will look in triumph on my enemies.” Psalm 118:5-7 (NIV)
I LOVE IT! Will that, as my grandmother used to say, cure what ails you or what? Go kick some devil tail. In Jesus’ name.
Let’s hear your Scriptures, your names, your cities and your translations!
I love you,
Beth
Beth V said…
Jeremiah 33:3–
“Call to me and I will answer you. I’ll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own.” (Message)
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
Ephesians 4:32
Linda
Greeley, CO
Jude 24-25 NKJV
vs 24 today
Now to Him Who is able to keep youform stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, be glory & majesty, dominion & power, both now & forever. Amen.
Jamie in Glen Carbon, IL
Psalm 118: 5 – 7
In my anguish I cried to the Lord & he answered me by setting me free. The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? The Lord is with me; he is my helper. I will look in triumph on my enemies.
Linda
East Chain, MN
For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not recieved a spirit of slavery leading to fear again but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out “Abba Father”. The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God and if children, heirs also heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ if indeed we suffer with Him sothat we may be glorified with Him.
Romans 8:14-17
Show Your marvelous lovingkindness by Your right hand, O You who save those who trust in You from those who rise up against them. Keep me as the apple of Your eye; Hide me under the shadow of Your wings.
Psalm 17:7-8 NKJV
Bridget – Phoenix, AZ
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light”.
Matthew 11:28-30 NIV
Erin Morrow
John 15:4 NIV
Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
Tina H. Montgomery, AL
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
Ephesians 4:2&3, NIV
Charity
New Lebanon, Ohio
Working on this one all month…
1 Thessalonians 5:15-18 NIV
15 Make sure that no one pays back wrong for worng, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.
16 Be joyful always;
17 pray continually,
18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me.”
John 14:1 (NIV)
Abby
Littleton, CO
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)
16 Be joyful always;
17 pray continually;
18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
LT in Apple Valley MN
(I thought I already posted this in mid-April but I couldn't find it when I went searching!)
"The Lord is my light and my salvation– whom shall I fear:
The Lord is the stronghold of my life– of whom shall I be afraid?:
Psalm 27:1 (NIV)
Sherry
Springfield, TN
"The Lord is my light and my salvation–whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life– of whom shall I be afraid?"
Psalm 27:1 (NIV)
Sherry
Springfield, TN
Sorry I'm late catching up. I had surgery and have been offline for almost 2 months.
"We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake so that His life may be revealed in our mortal body." 2 Cor. 4:8-11 NIV
Kathy, Austin, TX
Lohri Williams
Plant City
And hope does not disappoint us because God has poured out His love into our hearts by His Holy Spirit whom He has given.
Romans 5:5 NIV
"I delight in you Lord, you give me the desires of my heart. I commit my way to you Lord. I trust in You and you will do this: You will make my righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of my cause like the noonday sun. I will be still before you and wait patiently for you." Psalm 37:4-7
In my anguish I cried to the Lord, and he answered by setting me free. The Lord is with me; He is my helper.
Psalm 118:5-6
Jennifer Wolf
New Braunfels, TX
"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with that you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you: never will I forsake you." Hebrews 13:5 NIV
Caressa Hall
Arlington, Tx.
April 15
I Corinthians 15:10 NLT But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me—and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace.
Eunice Fowler
Iona Station, ON
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.
Eccles. 9:10
Robin
Morehead, Ky.
"In my anguish, I cried to the Lord, He answered me by setting me free. The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid, what can man do to me? The Lord is with me."
Ps 118:5-7 NIV
Beth Schwartz
Lancaster, PA
"…and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade–kept in heaven for you…"
1 Peter 1:4 NIV
Julie Meissner
Tomball, TX
I am an heiress! Thanks for bringing that message to us, Beth!
Psalm 103:17-18 (NIV)
"But from everlasting to everlasting, the Lord's love is with those who fear Him, and His righteousness with their children's children- with those who keep His covenant and remember to obey His precepts."
Leann from Alabama
My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken. Ps. 62:1-2
“For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.â€- Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)
Kenzie Stanfield
Katy, TX
It is better to be patient than powerful; it is better to have self-control than to conquer a city.
Proverbs 16:32 NLT
Stephanie
Lititz, PA
1 John 1:5 NIV
God is Light, there is no darkness in Him at all.
Traci in Franklin, TN
"in the morning you will see the glory of the Lord."
Exodus 16:7 (NIV)
The thief comes to kill, steal, and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.
John 10:10
Jamie H.
Birmingham, AL
Romans 15:13 NKJ
Now, may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, the you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Patti
Statham, GA
"A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If I am the Father, where is My honor? And if I am a Master, where is My reverence? Says the LORD of hosts…" – Malachi 1:6
Emily
Rouge Valley OR
Phil. 3:10 NIV
I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.
"So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."
John 8:36 NIV
Debbie Nix
Dalzell, SC
James 1:13 (NIV)
When tempted no one should say, "God is tempting me". For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;
Valerie
Fultondale, AL
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Psalm 19:14 (NIV)
Missy
Houston
Ok, I am breaking the rules by chatting now but since I am at the end I hope it will be okay. I am a rule-breaker by nature. It's bad, but. I also had my mom walk me down the aisle – half way. My dad walked me half way and then my mom met him in the middle. Anyway. Must be the name Melissa that makes us rebels. Y'all should have named us something nicer, like "Submit" (my mil was doing some family genealogy and there was actually a relative named Submit. LOVE IT.)
It is 1:11am and I am getting SO FIRED UP that I am going to be absolutely exhausted for church tomorrow. It is awesome to 1) list the scripture I already know, I didn't realize how much I had hidden in my heart and 2) see so many verses in the comments that make me go Yeah! I vaguely know that one but I have ALWAYS wanted to learn it right!! Whoohoo! I'm getting me a spiral!!
I originally started playing catchup because I want to go to the thingy in January but now, now I am really psyched.
Thanks.
Love, Mis
PS my word verification below is UNDAM. That is hysterical. Scripture memorization will UNDAM us!!
Don't know if I remembered to post this one or not, so if it is duplicated, I'm sorry.
"Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." Proverbs 22:6
Deena Jefferson
Springboro, OH
Nikki
Santa Rosa,CA
NIV
I Thessalonians 5:23
May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Christina Modesto, Ca
Proverbs 9:10 NKJV
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:7 (KJV)
Fran Dockins
Corryton, TN
Psalm 34:9 "O fear the Lord, you His saints; for to those who fear Him, there is no want."
James 4:10 (NIV)
"Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up."
Anne
Katy, TX
Darcy, Lenoir, NC
II Samuel 22:37
You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn.
Jae, Lenoir, NC
Proverbs 3:2 NIV
for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity.
Darien, Lenoir, NC
Psalm 86:11-13
for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity. I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths of the grave.
Therefore we do not lose heart though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.
For our momentary light affliction is producing within us an eternal weight of glory far beyond comparison.
While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.
For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
2 Corinthains 4:16-18
Psalm 92:4, NLT
You thrill me, Lord, with all you have done for me!I sing for joy because of what you have done.
Rose in Dallas
Romans 5:8
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners Christ died for us."
My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for a man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.
James 1:19-21
NIV
Rhonda
Anderson, IN
Trying to catch up
In my anguish I cried out to the Lord, and He ansered me by setting me free. The Lord is with me: I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? The LORD is with me; He is my helper. I will look in triumph on my enemies.
Psallm 118: 5-7
Verna
Berea, KY