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.
Well…you’ve convinced me Beth! Or, rather, the Holy Spirit has!! I’m in!!! When I first heard about this…being a very new Siesta, I thought…no way!! This is tooooooo stressful! But, I have to say, it sounds like fun and I love the idea of looking down at all the scripture posts and laugh at the idea that Satan is absolutely fuming right now!! Can’t wait! I’ll go out and choose a fun and colorful spiral today!! My scripture for last year: “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things that you do not know” (Jer. 33:3 NIV) is coming to pass! He is!!Awesome!!
Thanks for sharing Jer. 33:3 Maureen! That hits home with me a lot today…I think that verse’ll help me transition into this new year! 🙂
Really looking forward to this, but I’ve got a question that probably makes me look like an idiot, and I’m really hoping to get you to answer- How do you keep verses in your brain that you memorized long ago? It seems like I can only temporarily keep them in my brain, and I can never seem to remember the reference! Do you go over every verse you’ve ever memorized on a daily basis or something? Is there a kink in my brain? Please help, because knowing this about me really makes me hesitate to want to join again, and I know it was really a blessing last time. (though I can’t fully remember most of the verses I memorized or where they came from.)
Thanks
Sasha
It must be a Holy Spirit thing. Don’t feel stupid, I feel the same way at times too. Keep plugging along.
Probably the same thing happens to most of us but one thing I learned a long time ago is this: I write and say the Scripture reference at the beginning and at the end of the verse. It really helps, but still I forget also. But it’s in there anyway, whether I can retrieve it or not!
Hi Sasha – no kink in the brain – as the Navigators scripture memory training says – repeat, repeat, repeat, since we have a “great forget-tor” that wants to help us forget scripture (satan surely would rather we remember a recipe or tv show plot!)
I feel your frustration, but rest assured it’s still in there! And the Holy Spirit will help you remember – check out John 14:26 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, … He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all the things I said to you”
One thing I learned that really helps – say the verse address, say the verse, then repeat the verse address. Over and over.
And – in times of trouble, Spirit will bring up what you have studied even if you don’t think you remember it!
Join in and be blessed Siesta 🙂
I can tell you what I do. When I memorize it
I try to remember what was going on around
me at the time, what was happening in my life,
Or song I was listening to…
I also have remembered Phil 4:4-7 forever bc
I had a friend say to me
read it. Repeat it. Meditate on it. Visualize it.
And keep doing this until u memorize it.
I visualized the beach and I’ve never forgotten
It since! Hope it helps!
I also underline sometimes:
I will capitalize what I underline:
“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)
There is also a “memorization” app
by Lifeway:)
When I did this last time (sort of with the group last time) I went through the alphabet, which gives me at least a place to start thinking of the verse….
Like.. God is Able……. Maybe it would help you too. I went through the concordance looking for words and verses. We see how I do this year – it may be Zechariah says… 🙂
Sasha,
I have trouble with remembering the references, too. I had convinced myself I couldn’t memorize them, which is just a smoke screen from the enemy.
Here are some tips I learned 2 years ago from some friends who learned them through the Navigators. They have really helped me:
1. Write a hint on the back of the card to remind you of which verse it is so you don’t have to look at it to get started. Example – for Psalm 103:8 the hint is “the character of God”.
2. When I write out the verse, I try to divide each line into a small phrase of words that fit together well when you say them out loud. If possible, I try to keep it to a max of 5 words per line.
3. Our brains memorize by associating something new with something we already know. So if you take a small section, like one line, and say it 5 times, then try to say it from memory. Then take the next few words or line and do the same. Before you go on, “chain” those two sections together until you can say them together 5 times without a mistake. Then gradually add new sections to the “chain”. (I teach piano lessons and this works great for music, too.)
4. When you say the verse, first say the reference, then the verse, then the reference again. This way, you say the reference twice as often which helps you learn it easier.
5. Meditate on the verse. It is easier to remember as it becomes more personally meaningful to you.
6. Pray the verse into your life.
7. To learn it completely, review it every day for two months. Then go to once a week until it is solid. Then review it at least monthly after that. If you forget it when it is in the monthly category, put it back into the daily / weekly until it is solid again.
Hope that is helpful!
Laura in SD
So incredibly helpful!! Thank you for the amazing encouragements, ladies!
sasha, i know you wrote this several days ago but just in case you’ll see this… i have the same trouble w/ references. this time i’m writing the reference on the front side of the card, then flipping to the back side w/ the passage. i’m hoping that will help. i also noticed that i really remember those at the beginning of the year b/c i would always start there when reciting. i’m not sure there’s a good way to help with that since you get much less time w/ say december 1 & 15 passages but i’m going to start in the middle sometimes when reciting. maybe that will help?
either way, hang in there. some of the truths may not roost in our heads forever, but i pray they are taking deep root our hearts. 🙂
Hey Beth, just curious…what happened to your gravatar picture of you and Keith?
I am so excited about this that I can hardly sit still typing. I’ve got a few friends and my mom to join in on the fun and I’ve got my verse already picked out. This coming year I have only a few resolutions that I truly hope to stick with. Reading the entire bible from Jan thru Dec, memorizing 24 scripture and starting my Zumba exercizing back up, lol! I’ve got a two and one year old to keep up with, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to get mind, body and spirit in shape, lol! Anyway, I can’t wait to see everyone’s verses and how they are gonna feed my soul!!! Happy New Year Siesta’s!!!
I’m planning to read the Bible all the way through, too, Mary Anne as well as SSMT! Can’t wait to get started!
I, too, will be starting the One-Year Bible on the 1st, and I will be doing the SSMT as well. It’s going to be an incredible year!
This will be my first time participating in the SSMT and I am very excited!!
I am just completing my first year of reading through the Bible and it was awesome. I followed an online teaching by Wendy Pope from Proverbs 31 and it was life changing!! I will start again on January 1st 2011. Having the online community really helped with accountability. You all might want to check it out since you are planning on reading through the Bible too…
I can’t wait to see what impact memorizing scripture has on my life!!
I’m so excited about SSMT starting up again. Because of our family circumstances, I have been pretty isolated and not able to actively participate in any local fellowship groups. The connection offered by the Siestas blog and the SSMT have been a tremendous blessing for me.
We serve an amazing God Who abundantly meets our needs! I can’t wait to write that first verse in my Siesta spiral and begin this new year writing His word on my heart, along with all of you, my fellow Siestas.
Lori
Pine Island, MN
I heard Dr. Ed Young in Houston once say something like this: Memorizing scripture is like pouring water into a wicker basket. The basket wont hold all the water, but the water will make the basket clean.
I used that idea as encouragement whenever I think I can’t possibly remember it all.
Thank you for this, Kathy. I LOVE being included in this..but had concerns about my 80 yr old memory . You helped me already,Siesta!
That is the best news ever!!! Thank you!!! I’m in.
That’s awesome! Thanks for that image.
Kathy, I have never heard that but it makes such good sense…I will remember that:-)I need my basket cleaned!
Leann (Alabama)
Kathy-
Love, love, love this!!!! I’m with Lemonade Makin Mama and have always had a hard time remembering things long term. Keeping the idea that my “basket” will be clean is such a great encouragement!
Thank you!
Kimberly
Alexandria, VA
Kathy, thanks for sharing! You just helped me make up my mind to commit to this 100%! That is a precious truth for sure.
Perfectly lovely analogy! Bless you and Dr Ed.
“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.”
Amen, Amen, Amen.
Sometimes I believe our self- indulgent culture has made us the most weak, wiennie warriors when it comes to the spirtual battles we are facing. My boss calls the sword of the spirit an assault weapon on steroids, one that many of us leave sitting by the door. I know for me, I am getting ready for battle Siesta’s!! I know some areas I will be working on this year, and feel such hope that we have a God that gives us the tools and Grace to survive and thrive.
Love everyone of ya’ll.
I have been looking forward to beginning this since October. I have been so inspired by this blog that we began our own Women’s Ministry Blog on our Church’s website. Our church is small and very young in the Lord so I have felt lead to use this Scripture Memory in our Blog this coming year as well. (hope that is okay?) I can’t wait to see what God does not only in me but in the lives of our women at our church. We are also going to be using your Retreat in a Box for our retreat in April, so looking forward to that as well. Thank you for the inspiration and the motivation to keep moving forward in the Lord.
Blessings to you,
Tammy
I am so excited to start this process and be on the SSMT! I got to research and pick out my first verse now. I can’t wait to grow closer to the Lord in this new year.
I am so excited to get started!! I can’t wait to see the changes that memorizing scripture and taking my “every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Cor 10:5) will create in my life this upcoming year. I am definitely going to try to encourage my other girlfriends, and the young girls I mentor in our youth group, to join me in this. Thanks for the thorough instructions, Beth! Bless you and your team for making the spirals…I can’t wait to receive mine!
Hi Siestas!! I hope you’re all doing wonderfully today. 🙂
My beliefs have been in shambles for quite some time…I can’t shake the belief that there is a God (nor do I want to!), but everything else surrounding that belief is a complete mess. I definitely want some answers, some proof to myself, that this core belief that won’t leave me alone is really true. (Which to me, the fact that that feeling of God won’t leave me alone is a pretty dang good start…) I want to dig into anything and everything I can find about God and really start to figure it all out, really find the answers I need. So this scripture memory idea seems like the perfect place to start. 🙂
I struggle with my self worth and my mind so much. Every time I notice something that someone does that I don’t agree with, I have to turn it around on myself and ask if I do that, if I have room to talk about that. (The whole remove the plank from your own eye first idea…) But because of this, all I seem to do is keep everything to myself and beat myself up. Which definitely isn’t helping.
So I’ve decided my project for 2011 is to work on my inner self. I need to find out exactly where I stand, exactly who I am. Or at least make some good progress. 🙂 Since those are sort of life long endeavors! lol I’m going to be reading more books, doing more thinking and more blogging to get those thoughts out of my head and into some sort of understandable order. I’m going to be figuring things out and starting to become a lady I can be truly proud to be, the one I see visions of in my head that I know I’m so far away from. And I have a feeling that the SSMT and the wonderful community here might just help me get there. 🙂
That is so great to hear, Linda! I think we can all relate to what you are saying…we are all on a journey of discovering more about God and who we are in Him. I can’t wait to see how scripture memorization is going to alter my life and all of the siestas in this community. I pray that God blesses in all you do and seek this year…He is an overwhelmingly faithful, beautiful, loving, understanding, forgiving, GOOD, compassionate, and SO much more, Saviour.
I’m so excited! And I needed that post today. I’m exhausted, lonely, very sick, & overwhelmed. And thinking about this next year with my Siestas and then the celebration makes me giggle. Yesh, I love this place!
Thank you for making this adventure seem doable for those who have previously struggled to remember scripture. I’m that girl ~31 year old girl ;)~ and I delight to begin this experience! I can’t thank you enough Beth for your loving encouragement!
It touches my heart so deeply Beth that even though I have never met you, I can still feel your compassionate love for me as your sister in Christ….and this only deepens my understanding of how much my Heavenly Father loves me! Thank you for helping me to see that!
Just spent time with Jesus~ I need to focus this year on the struggle I have of holding on to Jesus in a specific area. I struggle with this notion that I am going to fail Him royally in certain areas and instead of holding on to Him, I let the fear of failing Him keep me from Him. Wrong in everyway and yet, for some reason, I get stuck here almost EVERY time. I want to type in Capital letters this is the year….how does the saying go? The Buck stops here. and even then the fear of failure entangles me. So, I am pausing and asking Jesus to type this with me. Even if I memorize 11 verses instead of the recommended For me, (So Help me if my theology is Wrong… ) it is more important to walk this with Him and learn more about His character and How He views walking the journey with His daughter Kimberly than it is how many verses I learn. Now with that said, I also believe that He has given me everything to meet the goal set before me. K, I just babbled a storm… Yeah, a two edge sword. with memorization comes the amazing ammunition to penetrate the slithering lies of the enemy. K, Lord, You and Me…. we’re going to memorize some verses…. Hand in Hand!
Kimberly,
I can so relate to your struggle with failing Him and letting the fear of that failure keep you from Him. I realized yesterday that the enemy keeps whispering that I will fail at this, so why even try. As I was praying yesterday about if God had the SSMT for me this year, Philippians 4:13 came to mind: “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” So I have decided that everytime the lie that I will fail at this comes into my mind, I will stop right there and fight the enemy with this verse.
Praying for you,
Carrie
Just wanted to share a treasure of how north Alabama was blessed to get a white Christmas! (only one other time in my life has this happened and it was only a sprinkle) As I have been pondering and treasuring more this Christmas than I ever have, (thanks to your challenge about how Mary did this) God put the icing on the cake with such a treasure when we woke to a white Christmas. I couldn’t help but think of your story from Deeper Still in B’ham… “Whiter than Snow, LORD, Whiter than Snow, LORD!” Thank God for his precious Son who washes us whiter than snow….the ultimate gift!!!
I can’t wait to start SSMT…have my verses already and am so ready!!!! What a blessing to be a part of this…my first time with all of you Siestas!!!
I haven’t gotten mine yet – but I am excited!!!!! One of my Women’s Bible Study girls is going to do it for the first time. I am so stoked!
Blessings – Siesta OC
PS: The thought of you high-fiving yourself just made me happy!
Beth and Siestas,
I am so looking forward to the 2011 memory verses- thanks for the cute spiral to put them in!
For the first time in 12 years, I am in a relationship- with a godly man- on a Faith-Walk together. I want to keep my eyes on Him every step of the way. I ask for your prayers as we go forth with the Lord in the lead this time around.
My relationship with this blog community is such a blessing to me, ladies!
Love, Blessings, and Happy 2011 to you all,
Fran
Gulf Shores
Dear Siesta Mama,
I’m sitting here reading your blog, and trying to decide if I can commit to this. Our church is reading through the entire Bible this year, and I’ve already committed to that (although I’ve read it through year after year, for many blessed years). Thank you SO much to someone who suggested I keep reading and re-reading the Bible every year! I know the value of Scripture memory, too, and my husband and I even taught Memorize the Word at two previous churches! We saw the power of the Word hidden in one’s heart to change a life. But, sadly, I haven’t kept up reviewing my verses like my husband has. He can pull out his little packs of 72 Scriptures and recite them all word perfect (several packs). BUT THEN you quoted Isaiah 43:18-19 and I knew I was HOOKED!!! That passage spoke directly to us in 2007 when we were making a big decision, and it jumped off the page, just for us! So, OK, I’m in!! And I’ll ask my Tuesday evening Bible study ladies to join me! Thanks for keeping us focused on the word, Beth. Our generation needs this!
I already know my first verse ….. can’t wait!
Hungry for the Word,
Pat
I am so excited for this new year and SSMT! I am so excited to see what scriptures God has hand picked for me for this season. The day before Thanksgiving I was diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma breast cancer and went thru surgery Dec. 23rd, just a few days ago. This is one of the hardest times I have been thru with my family (husband, 12 yr old girl and 7 yr old boy). My heart is broken over this BUT God has been faithful already in taking such good care of me through all of this that we have been thru so far. Our road in 2011 is going to be very rough as we navigate thru whatever treatment options are recommended to me (still waiting for pathology reports from the recent surgery), but I know this time is not going to be wasted. THis cancer was filtered thru MY FATHER’s HANDS before it was allowed to touch me. Doesnt’ make it easy or anything like that, but it gives me hope and that is what my family and I so desperately need this year. I trust Him to bring it to me. He’s alreay put some scriptures before me, so can’t wait to get my PINK spiral filled to the brim with words from my Daddy. Interestingly enough, some of my scriptures from last year absolutely tie in to this diagnosis this year. Didn’t see it then, but boy did God and I am awed that He cared enough to give those to me to prepare me for my “right now”. I have no idea what next January will bring for me and my family, but whether I am able to come to Houston or not, I am going to memorize my 24 as best as I can, depending on how I get thru my treatments, but He already knows it and has grace for me. Bless you Ms. Beth for this blog. I have not posted a lot but really get the sense that I will be in this next year. You are a treasure as well as all my siestas I met last year….praise to our God bc He is always good.
Melissa Lynn, in Concord, CA
Melissa Lyn,
I am lifting you and your family up in prayer. May the Great Physician’s incomparable power( the same power that raised Jesus from the dead) infuse your body eradicating your cancer cells. We have a God who is in the miracle business and I have witnessed it first hand. My mom was unresponsive and in a deep sleep for 3 days in early December and hospice said she was beginning to shut down. Many prayed and she is alert and doing better than she’s done in over a year! It is a Christmas miracle!! May He strengthen and comfort you and inspire you through this scripture memorization.
I too am not real good at memorization anymore. My brain and I have been around for many years now but I am excited to participate in SSMT this year. I received my spiral the day before Christmas Eve. I have already memorized Romans 15:13 just to show myself that with God’s Power I could do this. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Written from memory. God has replaced my doubt with hope that I can do this with the power of the Holy Spirit. Love you all so much!
Way to go, Marsha! That thrilled me.
Marsha,
This will be my Jan 1 verse too!
Oh, I SOOOO need this! I’m sad to say that I attempted to do this on my own this past year, but without you all’s (uh, y’alls!…) accountability and encouragement I dropped that ball.
My mind feels so broken and beat up that this is going to be just what I need. I’m so excited!
Hugs all the way around!!!
I’m really looking forward to this and praying about what my first verse of the New Year should be. I can’t wait to hear what others are going to memorize too! See you all on the first 🙂
dear Beth,
I participated in your first scripture memory and have to say it was life changing. I continued on at a slower pace this year, but I felt the Lord prompting me to memorize a whole chapter. Of course I’m thinking “oh a nice short Psalm would be good”. Along comes our pastor, Alistair Begg doing a series on Romans 8. He encourages us to try and memorize the WHOLE chapter as he preaches on it. OK Lord I was really looking for a short Psalm! But I took the challenge and although he is done with the series I have memorized the first 15 verses. So with your approval I will continue to memorize my verses from Romans 8 until I am done. thank you for your encouragement,with God’s help it can be done!
i’ve followed your blog around the begining of this year and i love it!
so i want to be a part of the SSMT and can’t wait to see what verses the Lord will open before me!
Thank you Beth for letting God use you to bless so many!
miriam from Vancouver, WA.
I’ll be joining in this year! My spiral arrived; it’s so cute! Looking forward to it! -Lisa
Beth the same miracle happened to me! (Maybe because my 84 year old mother in law was here with us to be my sous-chef!) LOL! Both my Mexican extravaganza on Christmas Eve (for my side of the family kids, and grands) and my traditional Christmas Day meal for husbands side (folks, sis and bro. in law, and cousins), feasted on: Spiral Cut Ham, Corn Souffle, Southern Baked Beans, Au Gratin Potatoes and Party Cole-slaw which came out perfect and on time! (Ahem! We won’t mention calories…) “Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
God has laid it on my heart to do the whole of Psalms 139 for the year 2011. I’m excited. I’ve got my SSMT spiral ready to go. I’m trying to determine if I should do it in King James because of the beat of the verse (iambic pentometer) or in my NASB that is my daily Bible. I’m trusting God to get my 63 year old brain in gear and on point! At least “the addresses” won’t be hard this time round. Also, trusting God to allow me the blessing of attending SSMT event in 2012 in Houston. I’ve got a sneaking hunch, my man will want us to ride it out on the I-10 in our coach, all the way from So. Cal, LORD willing! Anyway, just hoping and dreaming here.
Love and hugs,
Pam H.
Buena Park, CA
I am planning to join the SSMT, along with two of my closest friends. As a first timer at SSMT, I’m a bit nervous. I pray that the Lord would give me the strength to follow through with my commitment. I’m happy to become a Siesta “officially” now, though I have been reading the blog when I can for several years. I can’t wait to become more regular in my reading (and commenting)!
May the Lord bless all of you,
Lydia
I can not wait! I didn’t do as well this year with out the accountability. Doing this in 2009 was one of the best decisions of my life!
Tracy
Fort Mill, SC
Tracy, you are absolutely right about the accountability. I didn’t do as well either without it. The first SSMC was life-changing for me so I am really excited to get started memorizing Scripture with Siestaville.
I hope your day is blessed,
Patti Hayes
That should have been SSMT. I was thinking Siesta Scripture Memory Challenge instead of Team. I think both may be accurate, but if I’m not mistaken the official term is SSMT?
I hope everyone has a blessed day.
Patti Hayes
I can’t wait to get started!! 2011 is a year of new beginnings for me and obeying God’s call to scripture memorization is just one of many things I look forward to. 2 Cor. 5:17 is going to be my first verse in my new, cute, little spiral and I can hardly wait to see what else my God who is able to do immeasurably, exceedingly, abundantly more that I can ever ask or imagine has in store for me. Love you Beth!!
The SSMT from 2009 totally changed my year. Can’t wait for another 12 months of verses….got my spiral, picked out my pen….praying for the verses the Lord needs for me!! Thank you LPM for all the hard work and thoughtfulness put into the gorgeous spiral….will use it well.
Wordy – yes; Worth it? ABSOLUTELY!!
I have felt the Lord require of me to dig deeper into His Word, and the idea of memorizing has been on my heart for some time, but I am almost scared stiff!
I do know that what the Lord calls me to, He will deliver me through, I just find this challenge to be big like a mountain, but then again God made mountain sheep – And He is the Good Shepherd!
I am excited and nervous. I am finding it hard to even write to you, as my heart is pounding through my chest!
What is going through my mind is that anything of value has a cost, and as much as this seems huge, it will be one of the most valuable disciplines that will carry me.
Nervous in Canada, but Excited too!
Lord deliver me through this task!
I am new to this blog. I would love to praticipate in this and be held accountable.
Beth said to: Register for the event when the time comes. (December 1, 2011)
How, where do I register? Is it just a post here saying I want to participate?
I’m so excited about this 🙂
Hey Gang,
I tried this the first time you offered and I set my sights way too high and got discouraged right away. This time . . . simple and short. The word of God is powerful, enough to be able to describe it as a sword and that’s my goal! I love the example you used out of Isaiah and right there and then God spoke to my heart and said to use the Message version to memorize. I’m got a smattering of floaters, multi versions filling my brain, gets more confusing than it should. Thanks Beth for the challenge! I’m looking forward to this!
Blessings,
Mare
So excited to get started! Beth, thank you so much for being not only my blog mama, but also my spiritual mama! You have truly been instrumental in my walk with the Lord. It was your infectious love and passion for Jesus and the study “Believing God” that brought me home to my Heavenly Father. It wasn’t long after that I surrendered to my Lord and Savior at a Living Proof event. Thank you for “being by my side” in a figurative sense along the way. Here’s to the journey in 2011!
Love and Blessings
Any idea when the spirals will be available to order again?
My prayer for this is hearty and deep, “Lord, please transform me through this experience. Allow me to reap the endless benefits of memorizing Your word, Your Heavenly Armor. I ask that you give me the discipline and drive to do this.” Thank you, sweet Beth for doing this. As this will be my first Scripture-memorizing rodeo, I am up for the challenge. Hannah from Ruston soon-to-be Natchitoches, LA.
I am so ready to do this again!!! It really helped me hide more of His Words in my heart when we did this in 2009.
In His Love Forever!
I am looking forward to this. I’ve been away from this blog for a while, so I guess you could call me a prodigal siesta. As a single mom AND full time student, sometimes it’s all I can do to keep my head above water! But I know that this is something I need to do.
Lately the more I press into Jesus and what He wants, the more the word surrender comes up. I have a strong feeling that this will be a huge theme for me this year. Surrendering my dreams and plans for my life in exchange for His infinitely greater dreams and plans for me! I know that 2011 is going to be a life-changing year.
I am sooo excited to do this!!! I need some accountablity to follow-thru…I can get overwhelmed. I can’t wait for my spiral to arrive in the mail and get to memorizing…and then look forward all year to the SSMT gathering. What a blessing! I love you women…eventhough I have never met you I know we are lifting up one another in prayer.
Bless you, Beth Moore! Your impact on this planet is nothing short of astounding and ALL GOD! You and your precious family are so adored. Thank you for your witness.
Here’s to a Joyous 2011!
Shelly
Portland, OR
BETH! I am so excited to start this. I got my notebook in the mail last week and was almost brought to tears. I am so ready to “do this thing!”
I just really appreciate in our instructions you telling us “You really can do this” I needed to hear that. And also for the reminder that “you’re going to be meditating on something: unforgiveness, toxic memories, misery, lust, greed, dissatisfaction, jealousy, competition. Choose Scripture!”
For some reason I have a very obsessive . . . I don’t even know the word. But I obsess on everything. My feelings get hurt, someone is ugly to me, death, everything, I process it and re-process it and it drives me nearly insane! So yes ma’am I am going to meditate this little brain on scripture this year. And I am so grateful for the opportunity to participate in this.
::::Sigh:::: Thank you also for the reminder that I need to memorize what I need to know and darn it. . . can I really not post it on the mirror for my man too? (Giggles!)
A great nugget of wisdom…When someone hurts you, take the lesson, leave the lesion! ~Beth Moore, LPL Irvine CA
I am so excited!
Looking forward to memorizing God’s Word with some Christ-lovin’ women!
Beth,
Thank you for the kind uplifting words to us here in Siestaville. I can’t wait to see what God has in store for all of us this year. As soon as you post the dates for the 2012 SSMTC I plan on reserving my room at the OMNI. They were such gracious hosts last time in 2009 ( even though we had NO water for one night!) Wouldn’t it be great if we Siestas could take over the OMNI? My husband gave me a check for Christmas this year and the memo line said “Kool Aid Fund”. It is his little joke to me that we are like a “cult” but he knows it is only the BEST kind….the kind committed to following Jesus Christ. It was a perfect Christmas gift to me because he knows how important you and this blog are to me because it keeps me close to Jesus. Hoping to see TWICE the number of Siestas in Houston as we had in 2009.
Love,
Linda
No cult. Oh, please, no cult. Just happy fellow-followers of Jesus Christ!
AMEN!
A sorority! We are like sisters in a sorority! I always wanted to be in one.
I am so excited for this! I was so blessed the last time and I probably did everything wrong: passages that were too long, posts that were very late etc, but the challenge was the best thing for me at that time. Because of this, my focus was on the Lord as I started down a very difficult path. I am eager to see where the Lord leads me this coming year. Thanks for the challenge! by the way, here I am saying out LOUD: “Keep it Simple and meaningful!” love u!
Can’t wait to get started on the Scripture memory again!! I’ve not ordered a spiral yet, but as soon as y’all allow us to start ordering again, I will. Until then, I’ll use something else.
God bless you all
Sharon
Pontotoc, MS 38863
Blessings Beth… and thank you! I’m in… though I don’t think I can make it to the SIESTA FIESTA I’m looking forward to memorizing 24 scriptures from your BREAKING FREE book.
So do you have any idea how many scriptures are in there?
47 chapters… hmmmmmmmm… I know that Isaiah 61 is your first one recommended and that’s great because that’s my blog’s verse (since I started blogging)!!! I have the older version that Kindle for PC gave me.
Can I still be a siesta (SSTM) member…even if I can’t come to the celebration? I’m down here south of you, in the land of siesta, Mexico and don’t usually come home to USA except once a year or so… usually summer month.
Last year I failed staying with the FIGHTER SCRIPTURE VERSE program with Bethlehem Baptist church (MN) but if I stuck with their program I would have memorized the Beatitudes and much of Matthew 5, 6…though they did it a verse at a time.
With this in mind, I like that the purpose of the celebration is to share 12 of our 24 verses with a siesta but I think we should have an accountability siesta, for the time in between the 1st and 15th, what d’ya think?
You are an inspiration and this is great motivation to memorize God’s Word… the benefits are so great! I love you and your heart and ministry! I love SSMT! I’m no longer going to just be a lurker reading along, I want to be a part of the team. Thanks for encouraging us, teaching us, and opening the way to follow One WAY, His Truth, His Word.
Mil Gracias… y la paz de Jesucristo from Mexico,
Peggy
There are ten in Breaking Free and they are powerful! By all means, memorize those. Yes, of course, you are completely welcome to be a part of our memory work without planning to come to the celebration. That’s completely optional.
Thank you Beth! It took me a while to get through all these conversations/comments – I didn’t think I was that late in the day 4 pages later… I was thinking maybe I failed moderation because I was too long.
10 Powerful SCRIPTURES! Just what I need! Now I’ll have to choose the other 14 as I read and God leads in BF because I know there are more just in my highlights in chapter 1 and intro. So does Isaiah 61:1-4 count as 1 or 4? (I know I’m kinda dense).
I’m so excited about reading BF and now this. I was just deciding this morning to do the ones in BF and then you popped on with this and I praised God for His quick reply! That’s great confirmation.
Are you sure you can’t have the SIESTA celebration down here in sunny Mazatlan?
Thanks for including me! I need some English speaking friends real bad still grieving the suicide of a Mexican friend from here that I found and life has been real tough, but I’m so thankful for Our Comforter, and a Faithful God, who never leaves me or forsakes me. I really was feeling forgotten and alone/isolated. Blogging and discovering sisters in Christ on line, who led me to you and than I discovered Life Today, and Weds. with Beth have changed my world. Thank you so much, Beth! You’re more than a great mama… you’re a REAL life doll! Have a blessed New Year! ohhh and I went back and read the prayer from 2009 SSMT and I cried and cried. What a real blessing and warrior you are! I also just finished watching you with Alabaster Box… WOW! Deep ministry! Spot on!
Love in Christ,
Peggy
thank you for the Scripture memory challenge
I can’t wait to start SSMT again! And I went ahead and ordered 3 spirals, because I’m believing God for my 10 and 8 year old daughters to do this with me! Thank you for starting this special ministry again!
Good luck Melissa Lynn!! I am so excited about this upcoming year as well!!