Siesta Scripture Memory Instructions

Hey, Sweet Things! I hope you had the sweetest Christmas day. You guys had such special traditions. I loved picturing many of you yesterday doing the very things you described. Yolanda, I keep thinking about you coming from a sharecropper’s family and getting to pick out anything you wanted from the grocery store at Christmas. That you got the okra and your brother got the cool whip made me so happy. What a culinary pair. I hope so much I’m remembering those details right! If I’m butchering your story, correct me and forgive me.

Our family had such a great day! We stretched from a 22 month-old to two nearly 80 year-olds. We read the Christmas story together, prayed as a family, and tore into presents of all shapes and sizes. I was so whipped by late last night that I almost couldn’t make it to the mattress but the Moores, Jones, and Fitzpatricks had indeed celebrated the birth of Christ and shared much joy and laughter. And food. God lent me the cooking gift for 24 hours and my meal was so stinking good that I kept wanting to high-five my own self. Every time the conversation went to something else, I tried to subtly steer it back to my miraculous kitchen extravaganza and how it all came off at the same time. These are Christmas miracles, people. Not pearls before swine at the Moore house.

I don’t have a single picture to show you right now because I never picked up my cell phone. Melissa took great pictures with an actual camera but those will have to be uploaded. We’ll get them to you soon. So many fun things happened yesterday but I’ll mention the one that still had me tickled when I got into bed last night: Jackson’s first shot at karaoke. I got him a Phineas and Ferb Karaoke Machine and his parents thought it best not to get it out of the box until they got home at a later hour. Amanda videoed his debut last night and texted it to me on my I-phone. I’ve watched it over and over. I sent it to Travis and he had the good sense to love it, too. He thought maybe he noted a worship leader in the making based, I believe, on Jackson’s enthusiasm for the craft rather than his actual pitch. It is so hilarious and endearing that I can hardly stand it. Of course, little Miss is right up in his business but he occasionally acquiesced and put the microphone up to her mouth. She, too, sang with considerable gusto. The two main words of the kids’ song were “born again” (really LOUD) so the karaoke experience was the richer for its fine theology.

OK, I promised myself I wouldn’t do this because I need to stick to the task at hand and keep this post very focused so that we can direct people back to it in the future. SO, on with our important purpose: how to participate in the 2011 Siesta Scripture Memory Team! Here are a few things to know up front:

*For you new comers, “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. When we first began the blog several years ago, 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’re a really long line of women standing shoulder to shoulder with our swords drawn. And we don’t draw our swords to wound people, to convict our family members (God’s job) or to cut off the ears of our hearers. We draw our swords to fight the good fight of faith. While I was helping stuff Siesta Scripture Memory Spirals into envelopes on the 22nd, I said to my coworkers, “JUST THINK, what would happen if 6000+ women really did memorize 24 Scriptures in 2011?? What are the implications of that? What kind of repercussions might that have in our personal lives and our homes?” And we got all riled up. You bet this is a team. Don’t be too cool for it. Remember, God’s Spirit is a fire. If we’re too cool, we can’t help but quench it. If cheesy works around here, we’re not ashamed.

*Very often you will see me refer to SSMT. Just so you’ll know, that is an abbreviation for “Siesta Scripture Memory Team.” I also want the rest of you to keep in mind 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.

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 2011, you will find a post by 8:00 in the morning where I will ask for your memory verse and give you mine. This will begin New Year’s Day. You are committing to 24 Scriptures in 12 months. In previous years, I’ve found this to be a very doable pace. 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: you’re going to be meditating on something: unforgiveness, toxic memories, misery, lust, greed, dissatisfaction, jealousy, competition. Choose Scripture! Christ Himself said as a man thinks, so is he. He also said His words are spirit and life. This is work worth doing, Sweet Thing. 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.

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 wimpy 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, 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 from Houston, Texas: “Forget about what’s happened! Don’t keep going over old history. Be alert! Be present! I’m about to do something brand new. It’s bursting out. Don’t you see it? There it is! I’m making a road in the desert and rivers in the badlands.” Isaiah 43:18-19 The Message

(That was my first Scripture from last year so I wrote it from memory. If you choose that one, you better double check it. It’s at least 95 per cent accurate…I think. Yep. Double check it.) 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 other’s 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. 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 welcome to share mine. I will always include it in the post. 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 own 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.

OK, I think that’s enough to get us prepared for January 1st. Now, let me tell you well in advance how to qualify for our Siesta Scripture Memory Team Celebration mid-January of 2012. (I’m writing this from my home on Sunday evening and I forget exactly which weekend in January 2012 we scheduled it. I’ll double check and let you know shortly so you can save money for your transportation and hotel. We do not charge for the event. Your entrance fee is your well-used spiral. By the way, Travis is planning to be there again to lead us in worship and my beloved LPM staff and daughters are looking really forward to it, too.) Here’s how you qualify:

*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.

*Be prepared to say any 12 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, 2011)

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

I want to tell you something before I sign off. You have impacted my walk with Christ. This community has given me encouragement when I was nearly down for the count. I am more disciplined because you are here. You make a difference in my life. You make me think, and laugh, and study. You offer me company when I am lonely. You stir me up to love and good works. You are used of God in my life to make this hard world a better place.

That’s what Siestaville is for. Women walking alongside women on our way Home, stirring up excitement toward that great day. SSMT is just 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.

Your blog mama loves you.

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2,602 Responses to “Siesta Scripture Memory Instructions”

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Comments:

  1. 1801
    Debbie Scherrer says:

    Debbie, Sevierville
    When I called You answered me. You made me bold and stout hearted.

  2. 1802
    julie williams says:

    4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.[a] 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Deut 6:4-6 NIV

  3. 1803
    Jill says:

    Jill, Crystal Springs, MS
    Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.
    1 Chronicles 16:11 (NIV)

  4. 1804
    Debbie says:

    Debbie, Crystal Springs, MS
    Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.
    1 Chronicles 16:11 (NIV)

  5. 1805
    Teresa Berry says:

    Teresa Granite Falls NC
    I WILL bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. Psalms 34:1 KJV

  6. 1806
    Terri says:

    Proverbs 31:25 Strength and dignity are her clothing and her position is strong and secure: she rejoices over her future(the latter day are time to come,knowing that she and her family are in readiness for it)

  7. 1807
    Barb Meadows says:

    Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. Psalm 27:14

  8. 1808
    Yescenia says:

    We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
    2 corinthians 10:5 NIV

  9. 1809
    Kim H from Austin says:

    “Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations.”
    Romans 4:18 NIV

  10. 1810
    Emily Gruetzmacher-College Station, TX says:

    “But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD,
    I wait for God my Savior;
    my God will hear me.”
    Micah 7:7
    NIV

  11. 1811
    Darlene Webb says:

    Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before you! Is 64:1

  12. 1812
    Ashley Foster says:

    Ashley from Evans, GA
    “Show us Your unfailing love O LORD, and grant us Your salvation.” Psalm 85:7 NLT

  13. 1813
    Beth Cunningham says:

    April 15, 2011 memory verse – My internet doesn’t work when it rains and it was raining yesterday. Sorry it’s late. My husband passed away 1 year ago on April 14, 2011 and this verse kept coming into my mind when I was trying to stay composed.

    KJV John 11:35

    Jesus wept.

  14. 1814
    Kathy says:

    Kathy West Milton,

    Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpul for building others up according
    to thier needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

    Ephesians 4:29 NIV

  15. 1815
    Cathie says:

    Psalm 37:28 (NIV)
    For the Lord loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. They will be protected forever.

  16. 1816
    Melanie Johnson says:

    Sorry to post late, I was on a retreat and it was my birthday! Sweet blessing from God!
    “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” John 15:11 NIV

  17. 1817
    Jen says:

    Round Rock, TX

    Proverbs 12:15, NLT
    Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others.

  18. 1818
    Shandee from Mustang, OK says:

    I love the Lord because he hears my voice and my prayer for mercy. Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!
    Psalm 116:1-2 NLT

  19. 1819
    Leslie says:

    Leslie Knox – Fairhope, AL

    Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth;
    Give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.
    I will praise you O Lord my God, with all my heart;
    I will glorify your name forever. Psalm 86:11-12 (NIV)

  20. 1820
    Susan says:

    Round Rock, Texas

    Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of JOY.
    Psalm 126:5 NIV

  21. 1821
    Bella says:

    Bella from Rochester, Michigan

    Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. PHIL 4.8 NIV

  22. 1822
    Earlene Brewer says:

    “As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.” – Isaiah 66:13 NIV

  23. 1823
    Angela from Round Rock says:

    Mark 10:15 (New International Version, ©2011)
    15 Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

  24. 1824
    Emma - El Paso says:

    I apologize for being so late!

    Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen 1Peter 5:6-11 NIV

  25. 1825
    Megan, Columbia says:

    Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again, “rejoice!” Let your gentleness be evident to all, the Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything. But in everything, by prayer and petition, and with thanksgiving, present your requests before God.
    Philippians 4:4-7 (NIV)

  26. 1826
    Lynette says:

    The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Psalm 23:1 (KJV)

  27. 1827
    Angie from Queen City, Tx says:

    “A beautiful woman without good sense is like a gold ring in a pig’s snout.”
    Proverbs 11:22 NCV

  28. 1828
    nobody says:

    is it too late to start doing this now that you will be 5 months in already?

  29. 1829
    Kathryn bengtsson says:

    Isaiah 58v11
    The lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun scorched land and he will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well watered garden, like a spring whose water never fails.

  30. 1830
    Mandy Cormier says:

    Proverbs 16:3 “Commit your plans to the Lord and they will succeed!”

  31. 1831
    jen mccarthy says:

    Psalm 147:3 (NIV) “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

  32. 1832
    Rebekah, TN says:

    “As for God, his way is perfect: The LORD’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure.
    He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights.” 2 Samuel 22:31-34

  33. 1833
    Barb Meadows says:

    “But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation always say, “The LORD be exalted!” Psalm 40:16 NIV

  34. 1834
    Yeacenia says:

    Job 6:2-3 message
    If my misery could be weighed , if u could pile the whole bitter load on the scales, it would be heavier of all the sand of the sea! Is it ant wonder I’m screaming like a caged cat?

  35. 1835
    Lynette Crocker says:

    Psalm 56:3 KJV – What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.

  36. 1836
    Earlene Brewer says:

    Oak Ridge, Tennessee

    “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.” – 1 Corinthians 2:9

  37. 1837
    Melanie Johnson of Georgetown says:

    Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. Psalm 20: 7 NIV

  38. 1838
    Ashley Foster says:

    Ashley from Evans: “But I do nor consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.” Acts 20:24 NAS

  39. 1839
    Jill says:

    Jill, Crystal Springs, MS
    1 Peter 5:4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. NASB

  40. 1840
    Debbie says:

    Debbie, Crystal Springs, MS
    1 Peter 5:4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. NASB

  41. 1841
    Megan, Columbia says:

    And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. -Romans 8:28, NIV

  42. 1842
    julie williams says:

    Those who obey my commandments are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them, and I will love them. And I will reveal myself to each one of them. John 14:21

  43. 1843
    Terri Schuchardt says:

    Psalm 119:96 MSG I see the limits of everything human, but the horizons can’t contain your commands.

  44. 1844
    Jen says:

    Round Rock, TX

    NIV Philippians 4:4-5

    Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

  45. 1845
    Jen says:

    Psalm 94:19 “When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, your consolations delight my soul.”

  46. 1846
    Angela from Round Rock says:

    Psalm 139:14 NIV – I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.

  47. 1847
    Susan Bryan says:

    from Round Rock, Texas

    I can do everything through Him that gives me strength.

    Phil 4:13 (NIV)

  48. 1848
    margaret barber, montgomery, al says:

    Deuteronomy 31:6

    Be brave and steadfast…the Lord will never fail you or forsake you…Do not fear

    NIV

  49. 1849
    Anne says:

    Ephraim is finished with gods that are no-gods. From now on I’m the one who answers and satisfies him. I am a luxuriant fruit tree. Everything you need is found in me. Hosea 14:8 msg

  50. 1850

    John 10:4 “I am the Good Shepard, I know my sheep and my sheep know me.”

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