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. 1901
    Anne from KC says:

    On the glorious splendor of your majesty and on Your wondrous works I will meditate. Ps 145:5

  2. 1902
    Phyllis, Flower Mound TX says:

    “The Sovereign Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.” Habakkuk 3:19

  3. 1903
    Angela from Round Rock says:

    Ephesians 2:8-9
    New International Version (NIV)

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

  4. 1904
    anne from KC says:

    The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and abounding in mercy and lovingkindness. Ps 145:8

  5. 1905
    Susan says:

    from Round Rock, TX

    We live by faith, not by sight.

    2 Cor 5:17 (NIV)

  6. 1906
    sandyinleander says:

    “The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, And he who begets a wise child will delight in him.” Proverbs 23:24 NKJ

  7. 1907
    Kim H - Austin says:

    Proverbs 16:9
    “in his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.

  8. 1908
    Yescenia says:

    Come, let’s shout praises to God, raise the roof for the Rock who saved us! Psalm 95:1 NIV

  9. 1909
    Earlene Brewer says:

    Oak Ridge, Tennessee

    They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint! Isiah-40:31

  10. 1910
    Melanie Johnson says:

    My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. John 15:12 NIV

  11. 1911
    Terri Schuchardt says:

    Luke 2:52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.

  12. 1912
    julie williams says:

    Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV 1984

  13. 1913
    Jennifer says:

    Round Rock, TX

    NLT James 5:16
    Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

  14. 1914
    Ashley Foster says:

    Ashley Foster from Evans, GA:
    Human pride will be brought down, and human arrogance will be humbled. Only the LORD will be exalted n that day of judgement.” Isaiah 2:11 NLT

  15. 1915
    Phyllis, Flower Mound, TX says:

    “My God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Phillipians 4:19 HCSB

  16. 1916
    Gloria says:

    Psalm 37:23 “The steps of a good man are ordered of the Lord: and He delighteth in HIs way.”

  17. 1917
    Darlene says:

    Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.
    IPeter 5:7

  18. 1918
    Barbara, Bakersfield CA says:

    Psalm 145:5 NIV
    They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty and I will meditate on your wonderful works.

  19. 1919
    Angela from Round Rock says:

    Romans 3:23 (NIV) “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

  20. 1920
    Danielle says:

    Isaiah 43:18(NCV)The Lord says, “Forget what happened before, and do not think about the past.

  21. 1921
    Tanzy Taylor says:

    Tanzy
    Coweta, Ok. June 1st

    If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
    James 1:5 NKJV

  22. 1922
    Tanzy Taylor says:

    Tanzy
    Coweta, Ok June 15th

    How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!
    Psalm 139:17 NKJV

  23. 1923
    Anne from KC says:

    One generation shall laud your works to another and shall declare your mighty acts. Ps 145:4

  24. 1924
    Susan Bryan says:

    Susan from Round Rock, TX

    Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

    Psalm 100:4 (NKJV)

  25. 1925
    Earlene says:

    In this world you will have trouble. But take heart!I have overcome the world” (John 16:33) NIV

  26. 1926
    Anne from KC says:

    In Him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the spirit. Eph 2:22

  27. 1927
    Fontaine Lake Charles, LA says:

    1Thes. 4:15-18 NIV
    15 According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God,and the dead in Christ will rise first.17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.

  28. 1928
    Carol says:

    Austin Deut.33:12, “The beloved of the Lord dwells in safety. The High God surrounds him all day long and dwells between his shoulders”

  29. 1929
    Kim H. Austin Texas says:

    Romans 5:20
    ” The more we see our sinfulness, the more we see God’s abounding grace.” The Living Bible

  30. 1930
    Teresa Berry says:

    Teresa, Granite Falls, NC
    The LORD is my shepard; I shall not want. Psalm 23:1 KJV

  31. 1931
    Debbie Scherrer says:

    Debbie, Sevierville TN
    I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I put my hope. Psalm 103:5

  32. 1932
    Melanie Johnson says:

    Do not be anxious about anything, but in every thing, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of Goda that transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Phil. 4:6-7 NIV

  33. 1933
    Mary Calvin says:

    Mary in Austin: Ephesians 4:29 (NIV) Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

  34. 1934

    Luke 1:53
    “Lord, you fill the hungry with good things!”

  35. 1935
    Terri Schuchardt says:

    Habakkuk 3:19 The Lord is my strength ,my personal bravery,and my invincible army: he makes my feet like hinds feet and will make me walk (not stand still in terror,but to walk) and make spiritual progress upon my high places of trouble suffering or responsibility. Amplified Version

  36. 1936
    Yescenia Wohlford says:

    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)

  37. 1937
    Nancy Upton says:

    Nancy, Dallas, TX
    Be still and know that I am God

    Psalms 46:10 (NIV)

  38. 1938
    jane bailey says:

    When I am afraid, I will trust in you.
    PSALM 56:3 niv

  39. 1939
    Jane bailey says:

    Jane, Gadsden, AL.
    When I am afraid,I will trust in you.
    Psalm 56:3

  40. 1940
    Jennifer says:

    Round Rock, TX

    Deuteronomy 30:19 NLT
    Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!

  41. 1941
    Angela from Round Rock says:

    Romans 6:23 NIV – For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

  42. 1942
    Yescenia says:

    So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16 NIV)

  43. 1943
    Barbara from Bakersfield says:

    I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. John 15:11 NIV

  44. 1944
    Laura Hoffman says:

    Laura, Denver, NC
    Hosea 14:8 NLT
    I Am the One who looks after you and cares for you. I Am like a tree that is always green, giving my fruit to you all through the year. (#15!)

  45. 1945
    Ashley Foster says:

    from Evans, GA; “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Matthew 5:8 NAS

  46. 1946
    Melanie Johnson says:

    Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus! 1 Thess. 5:16-18 NIV

  47. 1947
    Kim H- Austin Texas says:

    Psalms 103;1-2 NKJV
    Bless the Lord… who forgives all your iniquities.

  48. 1948
    Mamie says:

    Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for that is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
    1 thessaloninans 5: 16-18

  49. 1949
    Phyllis, Flower Mound TX says:

    “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort.” II Corinthians 1:3

  50. 1950
    Fontaine Tabor says:

    Luke 16:9 NIV
    I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

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