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.

Share

2,602 Responses to “Siesta Scripture Memory Instructions”

If you'd like your own pic by your comment, go to Gravatar.com. Click the first button "Get your gravatar today ->", and it will walk you through a simple process to select a picture.

Comments:

  1. 2001
    jane bailey says:

    Proverbs 3:6 NIV

    In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct Thy paths.

  2. 2002
    June McCurley says:

    John 14:6 NIV

    Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

  3. 2003

    All of Psalm 23 in King James (sorry I’m late!)…”the Lord is my Sheperd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though i walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil:for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thous preparest a table before me the the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil: my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.”

  4. 2004
    Terri Schuchardt says:

    Hebrews13:8 Jesus is the same yesterday ,today , and forever.

  5. 2005
    Sandy says:

    This is why you must take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand. Ephesians 6:13 HCSB

  6. 2006
    Anne from KC says:

    For sin shall not any longer exert dominion over you, since you are no longer under the Law (as slaves) but under grace (as subjects of God’s favor and mercy). Rom 6:14

  7. 2007
    Angela from Round Rock says:

    Romans 5:1-2 – Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. (NIV)

  8. 2008
    Barbara from Bakersfield says:

    Psalms 139: 5-6 – You hem me in behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

  9. 2009
    Kim H from Austin says:

    “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

    Hebrews 13:8 NIV

  10. 2010

    John 3:19-20 The Message
    “This is the crisis we’re in: God-light streamed into the world, but men and women everywhere ran for the darkness. They went for the darkness because they were not really interested in pleasing God. Everyone who makes a practice of doing evil, addicted to denial and illusion, hates God-light and won’t come near it, fearing a painful exposure.”

  11. 2011
    Jill says:

    Ephesians 3:20(NIV)
    Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us

  12. 2012
    Debbie says:

    Ephesians 3:20(NIV)
    Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us

  13. 2013
    jane bailey says:

    Jane from Alabama
    Psalm 103:17 KJV

    But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and His righteousness unto children’s children.

  14. 2014
    Terri Schuchardt says:

    Psalm 16:6 Msg The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places,yes, I have a good heritage.

  15. 2015
    Jennifer says:

    Round Rock, TX

    Ephesians 4:26-27 NLT
    And don’t sin by letting anger control you. Don’t let the sun go down on your anger, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.

  16. 2016
    Ashley Foster says:

    Evans, GA: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45 (NAS)

  17. 2017
    Phyllis, Flower Mound TX says:

    “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.” Psa 32:8

  18. 2018
    Elaine M says:

    This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Rom.3:22,23 niv

  19. 2019
    june McCurley says:

    June from Alabama

    Ephesians 2:8 KJV
    For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves:it is the gift of God.

  20. 2020
    Kelly says:

    Kelly, The Hills, TX
    Psalm 141:3
    Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; Keep watch over the door of my lips.

  21. 2021
    Kristi from Paducah says:

    Col 3:14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

  22. 2022
    Anne from KC says:

    Jesus said to them, My food (nourishment) is to do the will (pleasure) of Him who sent me and to accomplish and completely finish His work. John 4:34

  23. 2023
    Marla says:

    He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love
    I John4:8 KJV

  24. 2024
    Jyothi says:

    Jyothi Houston, TX
    And the LORD will continually guide you, And satisfy your desire in scorched places, And give strength to your bones; And you will be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail. Isaiah 58:11

  25. 2025
    Lisa says:

    Lisa, Mauldin, SC
    Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips. Psalm 141:3 (NAS)

  26. 2026
    Angela from Round Rock says:

    Romans 5:5
    (NIV1984)

    5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

  27. 2027
    e. metzger says:

    and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus Romans 3:24

  28. 2028
    Debbie says:

    Debbie, Crystal Springs, MS
    Romans 12:21 NLT
    Don’t ever let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

  29. 2029
    Jill says:

    Jill, Crystal Springs, MS
    Romans 12:21 NLT
    Don’t ever let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

  30. 2030
    Phyllis, Flower Mound TX says:

    “The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you; He will quiet you with his love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17

  31. 2031
    Susan from Waterford says:

    “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever, Amen.” Jude 24&25

  32. 2032
    Kim H says:

    ” Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.”

    Psalms 37:7 NIV

  33. 2033
    Jen says:

    Round Rock, TX

    Ephesians 4:29 NLT
    Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

  34. 2034
    Rebecca Franklin says:

    “No one can serve to masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to hte one and despise the other…” Matthew 6:24 NIV

  35. 2035
    Melanie Johnson says:

    Melanie from Georgetown
    He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him. John 14:21b

  36. 2036
    Terri Schuchardt says:

    Ephesians 3:20 NKJV Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us

  37. 2037
    julie Williams says:

    For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 2 Cor 3:17

  38. 2038
    julie williams says:

    People with good sense restrain their anger; they earn esteem by overlooking wrongs. Proverbs 19:11 NLT

  39. 2039
    Jane Bailey says:

    Jane , Gadsden, Alabama

    Be joyful in hope, patient in afflication, faithful in prayer. NIV Romans 12:12

  40. 2040
    June McCurley says:

    June — Gadsden, Alabama

    John 13:34 NIV

    “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

  41. 2041
    emilee hall says:

    2 Peter 1: 1-2
    Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours: Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

  42. 2042
    Patricia says:

    Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame. ESV Romans 10:11

  43. 2043
    Ashley Foster says:

    From Evans, GA: “The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace because he trusts in You.” Isaiah 26:3 (NAS)

  44. 2044
    Megan, Columbia says:

    For though we live in teh world, we do not gage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not weapons of the world. On the contrary. They have devine power to demolish strongholds.

    2 Corinthians 10:3-4, NIV

  45. 2045

    Weird..I posted on Sept.1st and 16th and neither are there!

    Anyway Sept. 1st was John 14:26 “But the counselor the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you”.

    Sept. 16th was “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.”Psalm 34:8

  46. 2046
    Angela from Round Rock says:

    Romans 5:6-7 (NIV) – You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.

  47. 2047
    Susan says:

    Round Rock, TX

    We live by faith, not by sight.
    2 Cor 5:7

  48. 2048
    Susan says:

    Round Rock, Tx

    Freely you have received, freely give.

    Matt 10:8

  49. 2049
    Susan says:

    Susan from Round Rock, TX

    Every knee will bow to the name of Jesus.

    Phil 2:10

  50. 2050
    Barbara -Bakersfield, CA says:

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

Leave a Reply

To receive a daily digest of comments on this post, enter your email address below: