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.
After being inspired by my 4yr old daughter’s ability to memorize all of Luke 2:8-11 for her preschool Christmas program, I’ve decided to do this, and am so excited to see what it does in my life. Looking forward to it!
Looking forward to getting started on Jan. 1st. I’m a Women’s Ministries Director at a church in Fort Wayne, IN and am inviting the women in our church to participate as well! Praying that God will work in it in amazing ways!
Oh I’m really excited (and a little nervous) about 2011 SSMT! What a wonderful way to begin the new year!
I’m really excited about this. I can’t wait – I’ll have to get my own spiral though :). I may not be able to post exactly on the 1st and 15th, because I don’t have internet at home currently and will have to wait until I’m at work. But I WILL write the verse down on the 1st and 15th on the dot and work really hard to memorize them all! I’ve been looking forward to this for months now.
Can’t wait! I’m getting some friends together from church so we can motivate and encourage one another.
Excited
And I love YOU, Siesta Mama! I’m looking forward to it! But you know that because I already told you about my obsessiveness over my spiral!!!! I apologize if my spiral isn’t worn by January 2012! By the way, in just a couple of weeks (January 7-9, 2011) I will be going to the first Ladies Retreat I have ever been able to go to since we started going to BBF (Bridge Bible Fellowship) in 2009! The theme is “Mythbusters: Exposing The Lies, Revealing The Truth” or something like that. I got the basic idea anyway! And of course, this is always something I need! And just think in this Mythbuster nothing will explode! So my men will not want to come! That’s good, cause they won’t be allowed!!!
So EXCITED!!! I can’t wait. Memorizing Scripture with you, my best friend, and all of the other Siestas is awesome and there is nothing like it!!!! Have my spiral and I’m ready to go.
So excited and ready to stay on track this time! I really want to come to the event next January! During the last one I was a little busy…having a baby. 🙂 I’m going to go pick my first scripture right now!
Very excited–and convicted (because I didn’t do anything on memorizing for 2010! REALLY hoping I can do the SMMT weekend in 2012, will have to see what the Lord has in store as it gets closer! Love you blog/Siesta Mama! Happy 2011! 🙂
You have no idea how excited I am for this. Praying for year-long sustainability…
What a wonderful way to start a new year!!! I am so pumped about memorizing verses. I need that “brain food” really bad!!
Love you, Beth, and thank you for sticking with us!!
I’m in, and I’m so excited!
Too many verses to choose from!
And a brand new spiral just waiting to be written in?!
Ahhh!!!
So stinkin excited about doing this with you all!!!! This is my key to continued FREEDOM!!!!!
Bethany
I am very excited to join you in the SSMT. I ordered 2 spirals, one for myself, and another for my 7 year old daughter. I have recently begun writing down verses for her to memorize and think that she will be excited about it too!
I thought you might be tickled to hear such a young girl using God’s spiral idea to hide His Word in her heart!
I enjoy getting to know all of you in 2011!
Tanya –
LOVE the idea of doing this with your daughter! Mine little girl is only 3, but hey, in four more years…
so excited to participate:)
Right back at ya miss Beth.
I’m looking forward to getting started with the memory verses. I failed big time at this the last time…but,I’m giving it another try.
Be talkin’ to ya.
:~D
Can’t wait to begin in a few days! I’m picking my scriptures now!! 🙂
Eeeeek and SQQUEEEAAALLL!! I’m absolutely beside myself to have the opportunity to hide more of God’s Word in my heart with this wonderful Siestaville. I’ve got my spiral in hand, and ordered one for my best friend, too. We’re both on board and can’t stop squealing! For HIS Name and praise, sweet Beth. His alone!
Can’t wait to get started! I already made my sprial!
I didn’t do as well as I had hoped for the first time but I was faithful and wrote them but I am ready to learn some new ones.
How exciting! I’ve not done this before but am looking forward to it. Just passed along to some other siestas I think may be interested! Now to get a spiral ready… 😉
One of my best friends told me about this. I am praying to be able to follow through. Her and I are going to hold one another accountable. VERY excited to get God’s word in my heart.
I’ve also downloaded a flash card app for my iPhone!!!
This is brilliant! I didn’t know such a thing existed. I’m off to find it and download immediately. Thx, Siesta!
I’m SO pumped! I’m horrible at memorization- I even struggle with my kids birthdays (no condemnation ladies….:) but through Christ I will do this….hummm maybe Philp.4:13 will be my first memory verse! Grin:))
I am SO IN! Can not wait to do this with my Gap Sisters! We need this little kick in the rear-view-mirror! YAY!
So excited about this! Giving it a try in 2011!
Oh I can’t wait for this! I can’t wait, I can’t wait, I can’t wait!!!! My beautiful daughter Abbi and I are going on this journey together and we both jumped in the air when our manilla envelope with our official 2011 spirals came! Did I say I can’t wait? 😉 Praise the Lord for what He’s about to do!!!
I can’t wait for January 1st. It’s a NEW start on life for me and this is something I have always wanted to do. Looking forward to January 2012, the Celebration!! See you there 🙂
This is Stacia T. from Keizer OR. I am so excited to memorize 24 verses in 2011! I cannot wait to get my spiral to get started. Love all you siesta’s!
Stacia
Ready to get started. Let’s go!
Vicki, Paducah, Ky, So excited to memorize scripture, ready to commit to something life changing, 2011 is going to be an amazing year!
Have any of my Siesta Sisters worked on the Bible Study “When Godly People do Ungodly Things”? I was thinking of doing it for my next study, we just completed Esther.
Which Beth Moore Bible Studies did you like the most?
What are some things you learned from it?
I did this several years ago in Florida. Very powerful, and gave me a new appreciation for those who’ve had major struggles in their ministries and/or walks with Christ.
Joyce,
I did “When Godly People do Ungodly Things” last year. It’s a 6-week study. I did the study because I wanted to understand why I had gone through such an intense season of sifting right after I had experienced a spiritual high with hosting the 2008 silmulcast at our church. The study really helped me heal, believe that I could never go so far from God that I couldn’t come back home, and be more wise to the enemy’s traps and schemes.
God has always been faithful to lead me to the right study at the right time and I believe He’ll do the same for you. Only He knows what “story problems” will be coming into your life that will help you to apply what you are learning.
Laura K in SD
Hi Joyce,
I’ve now done a few of Beth Moore Bible studies (and have other studies,including the one you are considering doing, on my book shelf ready to go!). My favorite studies are the ones where you study a whole book or a portion of the Bible (i.e. Stepping Up (Psalms of Ascent), Daniel, Esther and Revelation).
I studied the book of Revelation on my own using my own resources, so when the Revelation study came out I got a lot out of it. Some members complained that the study went too fast and did not go into enough depth. They said they did not get as much out of that study as out of the other studies.
It is difficult to put into words what I “learn” because it is more of an experience of meeting with God and I know that He is ministering to me on a deep level.
I have done “Breaking Free” and the last study I completed was “Believing God.” I must say, I wasn’t prepared to go delving into my past and found it quite painful. Fortunately, I had an emergency situation crop up that gave me a break in between. But in doing all of Beth’s timelines, I was so amazed to see how God has been with me even since birth.
Right now I concentrating on Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) as we are doing the book of Isaiah. I find the major prophets a major challenge, so I am mainly concentrating on this study right now.
I recently found out about a study called “Experiencing God” by Henry & Richard Blackaby and Claude King. The format is very similar to Beth Moore studies. They have a book and a workbook. I understand there are also DVDs, but I can’t afford them. (I’ve only done four days of the workbook, so it is too early to tell what this study will bring.)
Anyway, this is probably a lot more than you wanted to know! 🙂
God bless,
Trudy
Alberta, Canada
Joyce,
I did this study in the fall of 2007. I had a friend in MOPS tell me that she really enjoyed Beth Moore’s Bible studies. So, I signed up for the next one being offered at our church, which was “When Godly People do Ungodly Things.” It was my first group Bible study as opposed to a Sunday School class.
In the first half of 2007, my husband and I began “doing” Dave Ramsey’s “budget,” after we read The Total Money Makeover. Looking back, I see that He “cleaned up” our finances during the first part of 2007.
In the second part of 2007, God began “cleaning up” our spiritual lives. There are a few things I remember most from this study.
1. Pay attention to what you’re filling your mind, body, soul and spirit with, be it through your eyes, ears, smell: what goes in, must come out.
2. Secrets are very dangerous. If you’re doing or thinking something that lead you to think you can’t share it with anyone because of what “they” will think, TELL SOMEONE you can TRUST! That is a red light that Satan is trying to convince you no one will understand, so you must keep it to yourself.
3. Beth shared a story about 2 fences, one her own and one she read about in a magazine. Both fences appeared to be strong, but one day they came falling down. When the fence in the magazine fell, a lion came into a woman’s yard and began eating her favorite horse. (She raised horses, or maybe it was ponies, and her neighbor had exotic animals, hence the lion.)
Beth’s fence fell down (there was no blood shed) because of tree roots. As a line of trees had grown over the years, the roots gradually decreased the stability of the fence. What was going on under the ground was not noticed until the fence became unstable. Even as I type this now, it makes me consider how the smallest things now might affect the future. How often do we say, “Just this once won’t hurt.”?
This was a bit longer than I anticipated, but the lessons I learned from that study still help me to stay focused on the Lord today. In fact, I often find myself seeing evidence of what happens when we don’t take heed of the things I mentioned both in my own life and in others, including my children.
I’ve also been learning that we all share the same inner struggles. Instead of hiding them, I’m free to share them with other moms, thanks to Jesus. When I share, it opens the way for God to work through me. What an awesome thing! I get the most joy out of being used by Him, even when it means admitting my own faults and weaknesses!
May you bear fruit for Him, whatever study you choose, Joyce.
Tanya
I’m pumped! I’ve been meaning to make scripture memorization more of a priority and it’s as if God lead me to your blog a month or so ago to get the ball rolling. I have my spiral and I’m ready! Thank you, Beth, and friends!
I can not wait! I so love the Lord and already told my hubby he has to take vacation so he can bring me to the great SSMT gathering!!! Love you so much Beth!
I am so excited and have found so much encouragement reading your post, Beth, and the comments!! I can’t wait to read them all!!!
His,
Shari
I am so excited, my sweet daughter gave me a Siesta Memory Spiral for Christmas, saying there wasn’t anyone she had rather take this journey with. This made a Mama very happy.
SO excited for the scripture memory for 2011 – ordered spirals for myself, my mom, and sisters and my 10 year old twin daughters! So ready to hide more of God’s word in my heart and to participate with all of you and my family!
Luain
Amarillo, TX
We will be in the mountains on a family ski trip on January 1st. I probably won’t have internet access, but I will post my Scripture when we get home on the 2nd. I’m ready!!!
Thank you so much for sending the spirals so quickly. You certainly got a lot of orders! I am sending one off to Malawi. I am just praying that it takes less than 2 months to get there!
I can’t wait till January 1. Have my spiral and ready to go!
So excited and slightly nervous…my memorization skills have slipped a little, but I’m asking for God’s help!
I can’t wait to see what God is going to do in 2011!
Hey there, Hi there, Ho there !
I have been looking forward to this new Siesta Scripture Memory Team almost all year long ! However, I think the concept of a TEAM of us all trying to memorize God’s precious Word together is the key to it for me … TEAM = “Together Everyone Achieves More” !!!
And, yes, I am an elementary school teacher. However, I have been “working for the Lord” so far this school year, as JOBs are almost impossible to come by here in this former General Motors [GM] “town” [we are 60,000 population, but I like to call it a “town” anyways] 🙂 Anyhow, finding a “teaching job” in this area has been ridiculously impossible… I interviewed for teacher’s aide/para-educator positions, and apparently they were not meant to be for me right now. So, I have been teaching kids 2-3 days per week at a place called a “Christian Home-schooling Center” about an hour from home, but am only getting paid gas money from the “Ark Center”. However, the good Lord has provided me a wonderful to stay overnight while I am there for FREE, so God is indeed good ! I am able to teach children, which is my passion [and may be “my calling”, too; but only the Lord knows that for sure]. And, I get to teach the kids about God there, too, which I could never do when I taught in public school . . . 🙂
In Christ’s Love,
Jennifer O.
Janesville, Wisconsin
Jennifer, I LOVE your ‘tude, girl friend! You sound PUMPED!!! I praise God for the ways He is providing for you. I am certain He is using this season of life to grow you and prepare you for the future. “For I KNOW the plans I have for you,” says the Lord!
Wow! I am overwhelmed by the sincerity of all of the comments. What an awesome, supportive group of women! Beth, what an inspirational gift you have! I can’t wait to begin this journey.
I’m so excited to be checking in and saying I’m coming with you (again) and I’m bringing a group along. 🙂
Praise and anticipation….I’ve already got January all picked out!!! Can’t wait to fire away on the first!
Praise Him!
I have never done something like this before but I am going to give it a try.
SOOO EXCITED!! I just got my spiral in the mail!! WOO HOO! 🙂 I absolutely love getting packages in the mail — especially when they come from Beth Moore!!
Got home from our Christmas vacation and my spiral was here waiting on me. Just can’t wait to do this again! 🙂
I am so excited!!!!
Oh this post gave me the warm fuzzies…I’m so excited to start this, and so very encouraged by all of the information here. I’m going to remember to “Keep It Simple Sweetie”…=D. Oh and I FOUND by wonderful spiral notebook from you all, on my desk buried in a pile of Christmas envelopes and calendars! So now I’m really ready for 2011!