Hey Siestas!
Can you fathom that we are on our 10th memory verse??? Good grief! 2011 is almost halfway over! Amanda and Curtis just got Jackson’s preschool graduation pictures and we all nearly flipped. It is the cutest thing ever, especially with that missing front tooth. His ceremony is in a few days but the little blue cap and gown just about put all of us over the edge. We will have a kindergartener next year and a mighty fine one at that. It just sails by. And how well many of you know.
I am getting lots of questions about whether or not we’re having Siesta Summer Bible Study. I want to say yes so badly. I have tried to turn this puzzle piece every conceivable direction to see how it would fit on the table. Between SSMT every 1st and 15th, the summer Living Proof Lives, the final Deeper Still, and, probably the biggest factor of all, the complete James manuscript due date at the end of summer, I just can’t make it work and still be a wife, mom, and active Bibby. I also don’t have my faithful blog master, Amanda, here to assist me with all that summer Bible study entails right now. I am, however, presently thinking of some ways that we can hold one another accountable to stay in the Scriptures this summer and also give you the opportunity to connect with other Siestas who want to do some of the same studies. Stay tuned for that. For now, I’ll joyfully recommend to you two that I’ve done this Spring:
Duty or Delight by Tammie Head (Many of you will remember getting to know this brand new author in April through our blog video. She is dear to me and will no doubt become dear to many of you.)
Brave by Angela Thomas (Angela is a gifted teacher and writer and I try not to let anything she offers sit on the bookstore shelf for long before I bag it and read it. I’m almost finished with this study and have been tremendously blessed by it.)
Both of those women love Jesus and communicate His Word beautifully. And you know how I feel about Priscilla Shirer and everything God uses her to bring to the table. You’ll never miss on her. Man, I wish we could do one of their studies the traditional way in Siestaville this summer but sometimes we realize that even another good thing is perhaps the wrong thing for now. If the Lord is willing, we’ll definitely do a study our usual way next summer on the off year from SSMT.
OK, young ladies, how about that 10th verse?? NO DROP OUTS!!! This verse is trying to leap off the page at me this time around and not so much for my own plight right now but for some people I really love:
Beth, Houston, Texas. “The Lord is near the brokenhearted; He delivers those who are discouraged.” Psalm 34:18 The NET Bible
Praise You, Lord. You are so faithful. Close in on those who are brokenhearted and hold them in Your healing grasp. Deliver the discouraged in such dramatic ways that You alone get the credit. We exist here in this blog community to give You glory, Lord. Come and get it. Our eyes are to the skies.
Kim Loveland, Co
You will keep in perfect peace, him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Isa. 26:3
Rosalye
Vicksburg, MS
I will try to walk a blameless path, but how I need Your help, especially in my own home, where I long to act as I should.
Psalm 101:2
TLB
Donnicia /Raleigh, NC
2 Corinthians 5:17
(New International Version 1984)
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
Nicole, Winnipeg, MB 1 Peter 4:10 NIV
Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.
Wahpeton ND
I life up my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip – he who watches over you will not slumber, indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
Psalm 121:1-4 NIV
“I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises.” -Psalm 34:1
Amanda Taylor Edmond, OK
Tanya, Valley Center, KS
“Then [Ezra] told them, Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet drink, and send portions to him for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. And be not grieved and depressed, for the joy of the Lord is your strength and stronghold.”
Nehemiah 8:10, Amplified
Annabel, Valley Center, KS
“Work at everything you do with all your heart. Work as if you were working for the Lord, not for human masters.”
Colossians 3:23, NIrV
Angie, Toronto.
The Lord is near the brokenhearted; He delivers those who are discouraged.” Psalm 34:18 The NET Bible
Freida,Chatham, LA “But Thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory and the lifter of mine head.” Psalm 3:3 KJV
Brenda, Denton,Tx: “The Lord is near the brokenhearted; He delivers those who are discouraged.” Psalm 34:18 The NET Bible
Barb- Chiang Mai, Thailand
“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
2 Corinthians 4:18 (NIV)
Jaclyn, Houston. “Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.” Psalm 37:5-6 NIV
Becky, Temecula, CA
Proverbs 10:19 NIV
“When words are many, sin is not absent, he who holds his tongue is wise.”
“Search me, O Lord, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” Psalm 139:23-24 NLT
Kierstan
Portland, Oregon
Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;
my hope comes from Him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation;
He is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
My salvation and my honor depend on God;
He is my mighty rock, my refuge.
Psalm 62: 5-7
NIV
Deanna, Frisco, TX – The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2 (NIV)
Psalm 119:19-20, NLT
I am only a foreigner in the land.
Don’t hide your commands from me!
I am always overwhelmed
with a desire for your regulations.
Tanya R. Sierra Vista, AZ
“And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for anyone who comes to God must believe that He exists and that he rewards those who search for Him.” Hebrews 11:6 (NEB)
Bridget, Portland, TX
“Finally brethern, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Philippians 4:8 KJV
Carolyn Oceanside, CA
Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Hebrews 4:16 (NIV)
Shari, Augusta, GA
“Therefore, I urge you brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Romans 12:1-2 NASB
Carla LaFayette, Al.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17
Judy Littleton, NC
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV)
Cardiff, Wales
“Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” Romans 13:14
Kristen Keeling from Monroe, Ga:
“Fools vent their anger, but the wise quietly hold it back.” Proverbs 29:11 (NLT)
Suzanne, Decatur, Texas
“The Lord is near the brokenhearted; He delivers those who are discouraged.”
Psalm 34:18 the NET Bible
Katy, Davenport, Iowa. “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,” Eph 3:14 ESV
Doing this as a passage one verse at a time, at the end it will be Eph. 3:14-21
Good for you, Katy! Taking your time will help it stick. And it’s such a beautiful portion!
Kelly, Corona, CA. “The Lord is near the brokenhearted; He delivers those who are discouraged.” Psalm 34:18 The NET Bible
Kat, Latham, NY ” “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.” ~Luke 12:22b-23
Susan, Lititz, Pa.
“The Sovereign Lord has given me his words of wisdom,
so that I know how to comfort the weary.
Morning by morning he wakens me
and opens my understanding to his will.
Because the Sovereign Lord helps me,
I will not be disgraced.
Therefore, I have set my face like a stone,
determined to do his will.
And I know that I will not be put to shame.”
Isaiah 50:4,7 (NLT)
Marsha, Tucson, Az
Because you are my help,
I sing in the shadow of your wings.
Psalm 63:7 NIV
If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. 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: 26-27 NIV
Becky
Owasso OK
Continuing in Isaiah 40…
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?
Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?
Isaiah 40:12 NIV
Melana Cummings
Sheridan Wyoming
Laura K, Spearfish, SD
James 1:16-18 ESV
Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
Nell, Wichita Falls TX Abbi & Chloe, Wichita Falls TX
Psalm 1:1-3
1 Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the LORD,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
Dianne, Fairfield, CA – Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. – Joshua 1:9 (NASB)
Linda Lexington, KY
Jesus said: My food is to do what God wants! He is the one who sent me, and I must finish the work that He gave me to do.
John 4:34 CEV
Gretchen in Buffalo, NY: “I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises.” -Psalm 34:1
Candace, Colorado Springs, CO
“He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy.” Titus 3:5a NIV
Lisa, Edinburg,TX
” . . .Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. . . The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
Exodus 14:13-14 NIV
Rebekah from Marion, IN: “Then Jesus said, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?'” John 11:40, NIV
Lee Ann, Wewahitchka, FL
“With all prayer and petition pray for at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,” –Epheisans 6:18
Rachel from Ohio
Psalm 19:14 NLT
“May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart by pleasing to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.”
Beautifully stated! Every time I think this verse I think the phrase “from the INSIDE, out”!!
Valerie, Louisville KY
Ps.68:5a NIV A father to the fatherless…
Joelle, Abilene, TX
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:5 (NIV)
Andrea Hart, Orlando FL
Ephesians 6:14-18 NIV
“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.”
My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because our anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. James 1:19-20 (NIV)
Nicole, Stuttgart: “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Colossians 3:12 NIv
Betsy, Katy, TX Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5 NLT
North Palm Beach, FL
Ephesians 1:18-19 The Message
“I ask-ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory-to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing Him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what He is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life He has for His followers, oh, the extravagance of His work in us who trust Him-endless energy, boundless strength!