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.
I watched last year, but I am jumping in this year! I am so excited…going to buy my spiral today. I had the one you made in my cart the other day and got sidetracked. So my Walgreens one will have to do. The trip in January sounds amazing! I have been reading the blog for at least 3+ years, only commented a few times. Participated in one summer bible study with a women in another state via-email. Still think about her:) Thank you Beth for all you do, I get so much encouragement from this blog. I am 32 and 2 of my closest friends have dissapeared in my life. One I have had since I was 13. Our relationship has never been the same since we went to a Deeper Still event where you talked about being “punked”, well 2 weeks after she told me she had been “punking” me and secretly living a life of sin! It has been awful…Im 32 had a best friend for life I thought, and now at my age I dont even know how to make “new” friends! My relationship with my Savior is strong but I still long for earthly true Christian women relationships…you know?? Well this has turned into longer then expected. Looking forward to this challenge…LETS DO THIS SIESTAS!!!!
I am doing a “test post”! I have been following your blog for…forever….and have never posted! I am participating in SSMT and am soooo excited! And, to be honest, a little nervous. You know that discipline thing you talked about? That is really hard for me…God help me. Looking forward to Jan 1, 11! (Now, let’s see if I did this right.)
In His Grip,
Kelly
Hi Kelly!
I have been reading this blog for a while too but have only recently begun posting…I look forward to seeing what verses you choose as we all embark on this journey together! God bless you in this new year!
Amanda
OH I am SO ETERNALLY EXCITED TO GET IN ON THE SSMT THIS YEAR! I know this is what God is using to help me reach that next level of self discipline. Thank you Blog Mama and most of all, THANK YOU FATHER!
I’m so excited about this! This is a great way to stay motivated to the end. I can’t wait until this time next year! 😀
Love, love, love getting started again…I’m so excited! I have my spiral and am ready to go.
I pray for more fruitful lives as we digest His word! Lord, do something MIGHTY with your girls! B
I can’t wait for this years SSMT to start. This will be my third year memorizing scripture. We had a group of about 20 within God’s GALS memorizing scripture this year.
A number of us got together and ordered the spirals. I can’t wait for them to arrive.
Happy New Year to all!
Blessing & Honor,
Mary Ann Holton
Woodbury, MN
I’m so stoked to memorize scripture! I believe God even gave me my first verse to memorizie. “Teach me to do Your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.” Psalm 143:10 NIV
Yay! May 2011 be a year of new hearts, new spirits, and renewed minds! I know that I need all three.
God bless your beautiful women!
So excited to do this again! Praying the miraculous over this precious exercise.
What a great way to start 2011! Count me in! This will be a challenge. I pray that I am up to the task. I have my own spiral and ready to go.
One word – EXCITED!!!!! 🙂
I am really excited to be a part of this Siesta Scripture Memory team! I watch Beth every Wednesday on “Life Today” and the posts on this blog are really inspiring to me!!
Scripture memory is under utilized in many of my Christian circles, and am hoping I can be an inspiration not just for myself but for others. Thanks so much! I am looking so forward to this!
Looking forward to doing this again.
I wasn’t as consistent about it this last year… accountability is huge for me!
It has been way too long since I’ve made memorizing scripture a priority. Thanks so much for the accountability and especially the encouragement! I didn’t participate in 2009, so I’m assuming I will just reply to your post on the 1st and 15th, Beth(?). Happy New Year, Siestas!
I’m in again! Dailey Rae is now nine years old and has told me that she will let “me know” before the 1st if she will participate again. 🙂 I am praying that she will.
My spirals came on Christmas Eve!!!
Tracy L.
Richlands, NC
Tracy!!! My siesta on the E. Coast. I am so happy we are doing this again and I LOVE DR’s comment…hope she gets back to you soon. I’m praying Emma will do it with me, too…we’ll see. 12 is proving to be a hard age for her…soooo hoping God works it out for me to be in Houston again!
xoxo
Ladies,
Memorize scripture and it changes your life! Go to Houston and you end up with BFF’s forever! Melissa, Diane and I didn’t even MEET each other in Houston but found each other on FB after (mostly because they wrote me to tell me how absolutely precious my daughter who was 7 at the time was! She memorized with me during the last SSMT and we went to Houston together and Beth loved all over her. And she is very cute and sweet but that’s another conversation…)SSMT event. WE LOVE EACH OTHER AND ENCOURAGE EACH OTHER AND HOLD EACH OTHER ACCOUNTABLE!!! Simply because of Jesus! And this dang blog! hahaha
So drink the Kool-Aid! Jump into this challenge with both feet. Your efforts will NOT return void.
Dear Jesus,
Thank you for each of these women. May your Holy Spirit OOZE from the pages of our spiral notebooks. May Your words transform 2011 so that we are women of faith, women of truth, and women of love – no matter what is going on in our lives. We praise you for equipping Mama Beth and her team to serve You. We claim ahead of time every BLESSING that you pour out on us in 2011 and we promise to stand steadfast on Your Word. In your precious and mighty name…Amen.
Tracy L.
Richlands, NC
Tracy,
I love your prayer. Thank you on behalf of all of the siestas.
I remember you and your precious daughter well (although from a distance). I hope Dailey Rae decides to join in again – she is so precious!
Look forward to seeing you in January 2012.
elaine in new orleans
Your Dailey Rae is absolutely adorable and I’m hoping she’ll memorize her scriptures and come with you in 2012!! I was so impressed that she was there last year, it was such a blessing to see her taking part in our SSMT.
I have been reading Siesta comments and the blog for over a year or two. I am ready and led to jump in with the Scripture memorization! I can’t wait!
Do we buy the spiral notebook from this blog??
Thanks!!
You can order them online through the Living Proof store: http://www.lproof.org/store/search.asp?searchtext=spiral
Hi Beth. I was looking for the scripture memory tutorials and the link is bad…I think the tutorials would be really helpful for the new Siestas (and the rest of us as a refresher).
Thanks and love ya bunches!
Sooz
So glad you are doing the SSMT this year. I did it the first year with you and continued on last year by myself and memorized Psalm 139. It was perfect just for ME!! I have tried to encourage(beg!) my Sunday School class ladies to join along and not much luck. However, I started a blog in August and guess what? I feel compelled to encourage SM for 2011 and will follow your same format(1st and 15th) for those who click on. I frequently comment on your inspiration and impact on my Christian growth and cannot tell you how much you have taught me. This blog of mine is such a fruit of that growth! thanks so very much for all you you do and mean to me. I love you so much!!
I can’t wait to get started! I tried to keep going last year after the first SSMT and it was much harder to keep up alone-girls we need each other! I need you!
I am so excited to be joining the family of “Siestas.” Thank you for reminding me to Love God’s Word and your inspiration not only to memorize it but to apply it to my heart. Can’t wait to get started ! Love and prayers for your sweet family and your awesome minstry.
Amber in Cape
VERY EXCITED…I’m NEW here!! 🙂 I can’t wait to be a ‘regular’ siesta!! YAY to the new year!! :0)
I received my spirals on Christmas Eve. What a present.I can’t wait for Saturday Jan 1st! I have been praying for Holy Spirit guidance on my verses. I even bought 2 extra spirals and am inviting my two best friends to join me. So glad to be joining the SSMT in 2011.
Can’t wait to start! Haven’t ordered my new spiral yet, but I will soon! Looking forward to another year of memorizing Scripture with the Siestas!
I can’t wait to start the scripture memory this coming year. I started it the first year it began and never followed through. I’m really excited to be doing it with a new friend of mine, Natalie. Our friendship has been an unexpected blessing straight from the Lord. We’ve known each other through a mutual friend for about a year but this past November God dropped her in my life and I know we will be life long friends.
It’s such a great story I have to share.
This past November my sweet daddy was in the hospital for heart surgery. Due to complications and his body just being too weak, he never made it out of the hospital. He went to be with Jesus on November 15. Natalie lost her dad in 2009. As soon as she heard about my dad being in the hospital she reached out to me and my sister. She would come and sit with us and keep our minds distracted. We had lots of people loving on us but I think her visits and the time she put in up there meant more to me than anybody. She had been there. She knew what it was like. And after my dad passed away she loved on us some more. She even came to his funeral when I know that her grief was still fresh. It was probably harder for her than anyone else to be there. Yet she came. She has been instrumental in my healing process over the past month. I am forever grateful for her and to God for putting her in my life.
So, I introduced her to your blog and told her about the scripture memorization. I presented her with an index card binder and asked her to do it with me. We are both so excited to grow in our relationship with the Lord as we fill our minds with the Word. And I know that I am excited about how our friendship will continue to grow through this process.
As a kid, I hated having to memorize things in school. I thought it was a pretty serious distraction from the whole point of school – education. In a similar fashion, don’t you think memorizing verses from the bible kind of detracts from your ability to understand it as a whole?
Do you ever sing a song when you are sad, happy, lonely or mad? I do and I never remember the whole song. Doing that with Scripture is much more powerful than that. If you are confronted by a lie from the devil (I’m no good, I’ll never get this right, I am a failure, God doesn’t love me) then having a verse come bubbling up from somewhere blocks those horrible thoughts. Here comes one – I’m no good – and out comes – God knows every hair on my head, He knows my name!! I may not have it memorized correctly or know where to find it but I have by the power of His Word, blocked bad thoughts. Just like a song can do – maybe that makes sense.
What an answered prayer! I prayed on my way to work this morning about a way to get my sight back on Jesus after a crazy holiday season (I know I should have been focused on him all the more at Christmastime, but lets face it, no matter how hard we try, sometimes we do lose sight! Am I right?) Anyway, a FB friend posted the link to this blog and gave me some info about the SSMT. Now, I am so excited to begin (and complete) this challenge! Can’t wait to get started!
I got my spiral!! Yay!!
I just had to share this! I decided last night that I want to join the SSMT and I pulled out my old journal where I have recorded memory verses in the past. I haven’t done one for over a year. 2010 was a VERY HARD year and this last month has been full of anxiety, depression, turmoil…oh it’s been so hard! Anyway, last night I read over all my memory verses and was happy to see I still had them hidden in my heart. This morning, I awoke to the familiar sick, anxious, terrible feeling I’m starting to get used to when I decided to lay in bed and focus on my memory verses. The Holy Spirit came over me and completely took the awful feelings away! The Word is so powerful! I now cannot wait to memorize 24 new verses, I NEED this and I know that it will be so powerful in my life this year. The Word is ALIVE! Praise God!!
We love you back, Blog Mama, and can’t wait to get started!
I am very excited. I am new to this and am thrilled to be part of the family of siestas!
Looking forward to doing this for the first time!!!
I am hoping to participate in the SSM; however it is very difficult for me to memorize scripture, please pray that God will help me with this!!!
I am soooo looking forward to this! I haven’t challenged myself in this area in a while, and had made it part of my 2011 to work on it, so this fits in perfectly! We’re low on funds at our house, so I just got my own spiral, but I know this is going to be great! Thanks for the opportunity from you and your team, Beth!
I keep a spiral notebook with me at all times with some of my favorite verses that I’ve committed to memory and try to share them with friends as often as possible. I’m excited to join SSMT in 2011 and get a fresh batch of verses to focus on and get in my spirit.
The verse you posted as an example from Isaiah 43 spoke directly to me. This has been a really difficult year and though I’ve trusted God to bring me through the trials, I too often look back and dwell on the pain and heartache rather than looking forward to the plans God has for me in the future and the miracles he provided to bring me through. Thanks for the reminder to focus on what’s next!
I’m a SSMT newbie!! I am so excited to get started. I do not have a home computer, so I will be logging in at my aunt’s house or briefly at work durng my lunch hour. More than likely, I will be the siesta that posts late everytime. Sorry……
Amanda in Dover, TN
I almost forgot. I received my spiral on Christmas Eve. Talk about timing, couldn’t have been better.
I often read the blog, but have never participated in the scripture memory. Looking forward to planting God’s Word in my heart alongside fellow daughters of the Most High!
“so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”Isaiah 55:11
Stacey, will you sing for me along the way? Hahaha.
love you sweet girl!
Tracy
Oh Tracy ~ it’s been a long time since I sang for anyone (other than my kids). Not sure that would be too encouraging for you! So glad we’re doing this together!
Oh yay! So, I decided to make this a new goal for the new year….I used every excuse in the book to avoid the commitment…oh, I’ll never keep up….too busy at work, too overwhelmed in grad school, too this, too that…and thank-You Holy Spirit! “Oh…Sharoni….grace, grace to it and grace to you!”
And then I also had an “Ah-ha!” moment to aid me with the “remembers”….I shall post the new verse to pop up on my Blackberry (which I lovingly call my crackelberry) daily to see…to read…to say….to remember! And for those two weeks to focus particularly on. Then…I’ll always have them with me in case I should ‘gasp!’ forget my spiral (which isn’t really a spiral but the cutest little notebook that a fav dept store carries).
I have GOD’s Word in my heart…it’s my head I have trouble with! This year We shall focus on that!
Thank-you sweet Beth and loving siestas for the community of encouragement!
Sharoni
Houston, TX 🙂
So excited to try this! Nothing better than God’s Word and having it to renew my mind and transform my thinking! That has been my prayer in December so when I saw this opportunity, it was like an answered prayer! 🙂
Beth – all those “words” encouraged the dickens out of me.
Thank you for taking your precious time to inspire me to jump on the SSMT for the first time. I couldn’t be more pumped and committed. Thanks for pointing out the “pits” that will come along the way. It would be the trip of my life to be in Houston next January – praying that God will make it happen. Going to send out an email to all my girlfriends to try and get them on board also.
Love you siesta mama –
Deb K. from Sterling Hts, MI
I’m so excited! I discovered this blog late in 2009 and didn’t get to participate in the last SSMT and have looked forward to the next one. Glad to have ‘virtual’ siestas doing it together and also gonna to talk some real live siestas into it. 🙂
WHOA! I have never needed a fresh start with Jesus like I need one right now. It seems the harder I pursued Him, the more distant He felt. I am waging a war on the enemy for control over my mind. Please help me pray to stay firm, connected, and close to the Father during this season of scripture memory. I am so excited—Let’s GO!!!!
Beth, I have my spiral. Gave one to each young married daughter and two left to give away I must admit I am very nervous and overwhelmed. Have memorized scripture in my own little world of self but never corporately. Whew. I am scared. Will be praying the Lord does a mighty work throughout this nation as thousands commit to be pushed out of their comfort zone. mainly this siesta in Jackson Missouri !
Oh Beth! I have received my SSMT spiral and ready to go. I am starting with the memory verses form your book “Breaking Free”! I have experienced an especially difficult 2010, but I know that the Lord has a wonderful new beginning for me, and it starts with Scripture memory!! Amen!
Oh, and may I point out the picture of me and my first Grandbaby! Yep, I am the proud Grandma of a beautiful baby girl!!! 🙂
Blessings!
My girlfriend has done this before and can’t say enough about how amazing it has been. . .I need something amazing as I’ve felt “stuck” in my walk for awhile now. I’m looking forward to this journey! 🙂
I wanted to do this during the first time around so I’m very excited at participating this year! I mentioned it to my Mom and now she wants to do it together. : ) I’m amazed to think that after 12 months I could have 24 verses committed to memory.
So excited! I was part of the original SSMT and loved it. I need things like that to keep me motivated and accountable. I’m so OCD that I have to do it! 🙂 Thank you Beth for these types of events, not to mention the Bible studies, that help to keep us going and learning.
I am making scripture memory a priority for me this year and I know just what I need to start on! Can’t wait to see where the Spirit leads……
I am SO excited about the SSMT. I’ve been a avid reader of your blog the last couple of months and have enjoyed every post. A couple of my girlfriends and myself have taken up the challenge and are super excited! 🙂
Laura’s Last Post: Dining In: Better than crack brownies