Hey, Sweet Things!
You guys are so much fun. Thanks for getting excited with us about the app. I’m just thinking about how this whole technology thing was in the mind of God centuries ago when He inscribed His words on the sacred page through the pens of men. Too much to wrap our minds around, isn’t it? He is the One who knows “the end from the beginning,” and “from ancient times, what is still to come.” He says, “My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.” (Isaiah 46:10)
At the moment I’m typing up this post, we have a whopping 9250 entries under Verse 1. Never in my wildest imagination did I picture this. I was pretty blown away by our strong and steady couple of thousand in 2009. Keep in mind that the 9250 is not an exact reflection of participants because there are some replies under comments, like, “I’m copying yours!” and “I’ve never even heard that verse!” I’m not going put a restriction on that because community in Christ is what makes Siestaville work. We do know, however, that way over 8000 are participating because that many women ordered spirals or downloaded the artwork. Others who are participating grabbed their own spirals the easier way from the store. I also want you to picture the many preadolescent girls we have on our team. Don’t you remember loving stickers and pens and school supplies when you were that age? I should have known they’d take to the spirals. Just close your eyes and imagine them reciting some of the verses dearest to your heart. Many of us have lived long enough to know by life experience what they are reciting by faith. It’s such a precious thought to me. They will find Jesus faithful just as we have. Yep, we have junior Siestas but we also have plenty of senior Siestas which delights me just as much. Our joy in standing shoulder-to-shoulder with this mighty band of women is indescribable. I wonder how many football fields we would stretch across. Whew. For just a split second I saw us all in my bright red college drill team uniforms. Scratch that thought.
OK, before I call for your second verses, many of you asked for the exact date of the SSMT celebration next January. I double-checked the weekend with Sabrina and it’s January 20-21, 2012 from Friday evening until Saturday noon. Of course, we’ll get you the proper information starting early next Fall but, if you think you might want to come, put it down on your calendar, start saving your expense money, and plan to memorize your darling little head off. The event itself is our gift to you and your ticket in is your well-used spiral (of either kind).
Are you ready for SSMT Verse 2? I’m giving you a heads-up that I plan to target a lot of James verses this year so, while I’m still going to tell you mine each time, I’ll also suggest a good alternative for those of you who could use an additional idea. Remember! Limit your comments to Name, City, Verse, and Translation. Here’s mine:
Beth, Houston. “My brothers and sisters, do not show prejudice if you possess faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.” James 2:1 The NET Bible
Here’s an alternative I really love and memorized a couple of years ago. My dear coworker, Diane, is memorizing it right now so it’s washing back over my mind:
Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders You have done. The things You planned for us no one can recount to You; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare.” Psalm 40:5 NIV
And that, O Lord, is the gospel truth.
OK, Sisters! Bring on Verse 2!
I pray that Christ is so pleased. I feel in my soul that He is.
Have a great weekend!
Liz, Phoenix
Who can discern his errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.
Keep your servant from hidden sins;
May they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless,
Innocent of great transgression.
Psalm 19:12-13 NIV
Ally, Fort Worth
The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
(Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV)
John 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
Beth – Oak Grove, La
“I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and He heard me out of His holy hill. Selah.” (Psalm 3:4) KJV
Linda in Red River, NM:
“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”. Philippians 1:6 (New Living Translation)
Stella, Los Angeles, CA
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
Philippians 4:6 (NIV)
Mamilinda,Texas,Jesus Look at them intently and said,”Humanly speaking,it is imposible.But not with God.Everything is possible with God”NLT.
Christy T.
Hawthorne, CA
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”
Matthew 6:25-26 (NIV)
Christi
Smyrna, TN
NIV
“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”
KC
Bedford, TX
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16&17 ESV
Hannah – Fort Worth, TX
Isaiah 61:1 (NIV)
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.
Brandy~Aurora, CO
For in this hope we were saved.
But hope that is seen is no hope at all.
Who hopes for what he already has?
But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.
We do not know what we ought to pray for but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.
-Romans 8:24-26 (NIV)
Cheryl – Madisonville, TX
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
Ephesians 4:29
NIV
I wanted to let my Siestas know about another iPhone app to help us memorize our scriptures. I first checked with the LPM blog admin. and she advised submitting the info along with the scripture posts. It’s a free app called ‘Bible Memory Verses’ and it allows you to copy & paste whichever verse you’re memorizing, then creates flash cards, a fill-in-the-blank page, and also has a voice record function so that you can play back anytime. It doesn’t take the place of our spirals and the new Siesta SMT app just created of course, but is another helpful tool to use!
Diane – Cambridge-Narrows, NB, Canada –
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.” (Colossians 1:15) NIV
Val, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
His mercies never come to an end
They are new every morning
Great is your faithfulness
Lamentations 3:22-23 esv
Jessica (North Bend, WA)
“But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in him.
They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.” -Jeremiah 17:7-8 NIV
Leslie- Hickory, NC
Psalms 23:2 KJV
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”
James 1:22
NIV
Kelly – Abilene, TX
Shelly Story, Wausa, Nebraska
Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. 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.
Romans 5:3-5, NIV
Jennifer – Grangeville, ID
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” James 1:27 (NIV)
Teena,Broxton
He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly, Love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God.
Micah 6:8 esv
Julie, Madison, AL
“Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and he will act.”
Psalm 37: 4-5 (ESV)
Jennifer, Colorado Springs, Co -Psalm 27:14 TNIV “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”
Tracy, Medicine Lodge, KS
Psalm 19:14 NLT
May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart, be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
Martina, Roseau, MN
“Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must trun from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it.” I Peter 4: 10-11 NIV
Wendy
Albany, Ga
“If I have the gift of prophesy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 1 Cor. 13:2
Brigid – Johannesburg (SA)
Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for me will save it.” Luke 9:23-24 NIV
Christy, Talking Rock.
He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NIV)
Cendi, Bakersfield, CA
“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” Hebrews 1:3 NIV
Mary, Houston:”Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NIV
Danielle- Chesapeake, VA
They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:23
Melissa, Birmingham, AL “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Phillipians 4:8 (NIV)
Keren~Pikeville,Tennessee
If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another counselor to be with you forever-the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
John 14: 15-17 NIV
Leah Beth – California
For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. – Romans 8:24-25, TNIV
Romans 13:14
“Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.”
Trisha, Midland, TX: “His divine power has given us everything we need for godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 2 Peter 1:3-4, NIV
Charne – Standerton, South Africa. “But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,” declares the Lord, Jer 30:17 NIV
Peggy, San Diego. Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet My unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor My covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you. Isa. 54:10 niv
Chris, Manila. “but I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest possibly, after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified.” NASB
Ellen. Portland, OR. Isaiah 40:29-31. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Julianna (Istanbul, Turkey) Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God…
Philippians 2:14-15a (NIV)
Proverbs 27:17 NIV
As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.
Becky from Alberta
“I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me–watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn how to live freely and lightly.”
Matt. 11:28-30 MSG
The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. Psalm 19:7 NIV
Sam Bernardino, CA
The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. Psalm 19:7 NIV
Sally, Mechanicsburg, PA
Praise the Lord, O my soul. I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
Psalm 146:1-2 NIV
Aimee- Paradise, CA — Phillipians 3:9-11 NIV “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.
Summer, Fuquay Varina, NC
Philippians 2:3 NIV
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.
Nikki, Wasilla, AK – fear not, for Iam with you; be not dismayed for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10, ESV