Siesta Scripture Memory Team 2013 Instructions!

Hey Siestas!  We’re two weeks out from our big launch and, based on the number of people who got Siesta spirals -not to mention those grabbing their own – we should have one titanic team!  May God get much glory! (If you’re interested in a spiral and have yet to purchase one, click here for the details.) Numbers are nothing if they don’t translate into fruit displayed in our lives but if we truly decide to live out the words that are going to live in us, remarkable things are in store for the Kingdom of Christ among us.

Here is everything you  need to know about how to participate in the 2013 Siesta Scripture Memory Team!

First, a few things up front since many people joining us have no previous interaction here:

*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. If you don’t know Him, we’d love for you to stick around and get to know us and see if anything around here draws you. Everyone is welcome. Here’s a bit of our back-story on the weird name: When we first began the blog, 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. (For you newcomers, Ephesians 6 calls the Word of God the “Sword of the Spirit.”) 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 saw stacks and stacks of Siesta Scripture Memory Spirals being stuffed into envelopes for shipping, it hit me with fresh impact. What if thousands of women really did memorize 24 Scriptures in 2013?? What are the implications of that? What kind of repercussions might that have in our personal lives and our homes? That’s worth getting riled up over. SO, 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. Just throw in a can of jalapenos and grab a tortilla chip.

*Very often you will see me refer to SSMT. Just so nobody’s confused from the start, that is an abbreviation for “Siesta Scripture Memory Team.” If you’re not participating in SSMT, please know 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 2013, 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 2013. 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: “But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.” 2 Thessalonians 3:3 ESV

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. THIS ONE IS KEY! 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 on January 17-18, 2014 which is the biggest blast ever. I’m telling you about it now so that you can have it for a little extra incentive. Our main incentive is the will and good pleasure of God, of course, but He Himself authored great celebrations in His Name so feel free to be excited at the thought. Also, I want you to have plenty of time to start saving your money for your transportation and hotel. We do not charge for the event. Your entrance fee is your well-used spiral. By the way, we hope to have Travis back again to lead us in worship and Amanda, Melissa, my whole LPM staff and volunteer team will be there  to serve you.  Here’s how you qualify throughout the year:

*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, 2013)

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. I may sound like a broken record but you have to let me say it again as we embark on this wild journey together. 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.

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1,641 Responses to “Siesta Scripture Memory Team 2013 Instructions!”

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Comments:

  1. 1101
    Meryl says:

    “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long, and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3: 17b-19 NIV

    • 1101.1
      Cheryl says:

      I missed Feb 1 and Feb 15. 2 entires for Feb. 2013

      1 Corinthians 7, 13-14
      If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever,and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the un believing wife is made holy because of her husban.

      Colossians 2.1
      If you then have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

  2. 1102
    Darlene says:

    Darlene, Pittsfield, NH

    Search me, O Lord, and know my heart;

    Try me and know my anxious thoughts.

    Psalms 139:23 (NASB)

  3. 1103
    LINDA ANN says:

    He who receives you receives Me, and he who recieves Me receives Hime who sent me “He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; nad he who receives s righteous man in the name of a righteoud man shall receive a righteous man’s reward and whoever in the name of a diciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward. Matthew 10:41-42
    NAS

  4. 1104
    Lorraine says:

    Lorraine,Ontario,Canada;
    You are me refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word. Psalm 119:114 NIV

  5. 1105
    Janet Tuckerr says:

    Janet from Fairhope, Alabama
    “Love The Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength”

    Mark 12:30

  6. 1106
    Rayellen says:

    “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will act.”
    Psalm 37:5 (ESV)

  7. 1107
    Rayellen says:

    “If the Lord delights in a man’s way, he makes his steps firm.”
    Psalm 37:23 (NIV)

  8. 1108
    Mimi says:

    Mimi from Alpharetta, GA

    Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him! Isaiah 30:18 NIV

  9. 1109
    Laura says:

    Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

  10. 1110
    Sandy Jamrog says:

    Sandy from New Market, AL …Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4 NIV (will be doing extra, I’m behind!)

  11. 1111
    Shirley says:

    Shirley from Reidsville, NC

    2 Thessalonians 3:3 NIV

    The Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.

  12. 1112
    Misti says:

    Misti, Lubbock, Tx
    Philippians 4:6 NLT
    Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray
    about everything. Tell God what you need,
    and thank him for all he has done.

  13. 1113
    Mary schneck says:

    Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16

  14. 1114
    Vicki says:

    Vicki from Wilmington DE,
    “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.” Matthew 5:14 NKJV

  15. 1115
    Linda says:

    And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 NIV

  16. 1116
    Donna says:

    “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24, NIV).

  17. 1117
    Maury says:

    For you O Lord have made me glad by your work, all the work of your hands make me glad. Ps. 92:4 ESV

  18. 1118
    Stacy South Bend, IN says:

    It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans. Psalm 118:8 NIV

  19. 1119
    Ann Pederson says:

    “And the words of the LORD are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times.” Psalm 12:6. NIV

  20. 1120
    Jen True says:

    Jen-Greenfield, IN
    Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.
    Romans 12:9 NLT

  21. 1121
    Patti cocchi says:

    Patti San Rafael, California

    Ps 73:24 ESV

    ” You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory.:

  22. 1122
    Melina says:

    Melina, OKC, OK
    Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. (James 1:19 NLT)

  23. 1123
    Teri, Leander TX says:

    What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?

    Romans 6:1

  24. 1124
    Kathleen Martin says:

    “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;”

    James 1:19 ESV

    Kathleen – Knoxville

  25. 1125
    Gayle Garretson says:

    Gayle Thayer,KS Happy B-day 2me!
    Psalms 90:12. So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

  26. 1126
    Ann says:

    Ann, Mandeville, LA

    Colossians 4:2 (NIV)

    Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

  27. 1127
    Rachel Roy says:

    Rachel from Woodstock, GA.

    No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. (Joshua 1:5 NIV)

  28. 1128

    Phil 4:13: I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

  29. 1129
    Liz Hood says:

    Liz from Ruston, Louisiana

    You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Isaiah 26:3 NIV

  30. 1130
    Carla Rybolt says:

    Be wise in the way act toward outsiders; make the most of opportunity.

  31. 1131
    Sandy Schmid says:

    “My heart may fail and my spirit may grow weak but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.”

    Psalm 73:26 NLT – for February 15

    “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”

    Col. 4:6 NIV – for March 1

  32. 1132
    Julie Dumdei says:

    From Greenville, TX
    Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; (1 Peter 1:22, 23 ESV)

  33. 1133
    Jamie Schiller says:

    “my eager expectation and hope is that I will not be ashamed about anything, but that now as always, with all boldness, Christ will be highly honored in my body, whether by life or by death”

    Philippians 1:20
    CSB

  34. 1134
    Lori says:

    But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father; and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way.

    James 3:8-10,ASB

  35. 1135
    Jada Daves says:

    Romans 1:16 (NIV)
    I am not ashamed of the gospel,because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

  36. 1136
    Shayli (age 11) says:

    Romans 1:16 (NIV)
    I am not ashamed of the gospel,because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

  37. 1137
    Jennifer says:

    For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7 NLT

  38. 1138
    Lindy says:

    Lindy-Auburn, AL

    Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

    NIV
    Phil 4:6

  39. 1139
    STACY says:

    STACY, CHAPIN, SC

    BE MERCIFUL TO THOSE WHO DOUBT. JUDE 1:22 NIV

  40. 1140
    Kathy Watts says:

    Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. NIV Phil 4:6

  41. 1141
    Natalie Bennighof says:

    But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.
    James 3:17, ESV

  42. 1142
    Maria Dinverno says:

    Maria from Detroit

    Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

    Josh 1:8 (NIV)

  43. 1143
    Amy says:

    Amy from Dallas –

    Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

    Phil 4:6

  44. 1144
    Cindi Martin says:

    Take my yoke up and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
    Matthew 11:29 NIV

  45. 1145
    Kim Morris says:

    Kim, Richmond, Tx, “I will give you a new heart & put a new spirit in you; I will remove from your heart of stone & give you a heart of flesh.” Ezek 36:26 NIV

  46. 1146
    Katie Breitenbach says:

    “Do not be anxious about anything. But in everything, by prayer, petition, and thanksgiving present your requests to God.”

    Philippians 4:6

  47. 1147
    Jen dykstra says:

    It shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I was sent. Isiah 55:11

  48. 1148
    Karen Polasek says:

    Isaiah 55:8
    NIV
    “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.

  49. 1149
    Michelle says:

    Michelle Ashburn, VA

    Come close to God, and God will come close to you.

    James 4:8 NLT

  50. 1150
    Jennifer says:

    Jennifer from Fishers

    Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. James 1:22 NIV

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