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.
Hebrews 12:1-2 NAV
Therefore since we have so great a cloud of witness’s surrounding us, let us also set aside every encumbrance and sin which so easily entangle us and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us
Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising its shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Lorri, Fort Worth, TX
NIV
I Corinthians 8:2,3
The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. But the man who loves God is known by God.
Be strong in The Lord and in the strength of his power.
Ephesians 6:10 NRSV
Galatians 1:10 New International Version (NIV)
Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.
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. Jeremiah 29:11
The Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. 2 Thessalonians 3:3 NIV
2 Corinthians 4:7. NIV
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show us that this all surpassing power is from God and not from us.
Luke 23:46 (NIV)
Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.
Ann
Mandeville, LA
One thing I ask the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the House of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. Psalms 27:3 NIV
Kathleen, Knoxville
“Depend on the Lord; trust him, and he will take care of you.”
Psalm 37:5 NCV
Maria from Detroit
Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
John 20:28 (NIV)
“A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.” ESV. Thanks Beth for this one!
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12 (NIV)
Laurie from Marietta, GA
Proverbs 12:15 — The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who listens to counsel is wise. Amplified
Jennifer from Fishers, Indiana
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:3 NIV1984
Patti Cocchi San Rafael Calif.
” May the Gd of Hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
NIV
The verse was from Rom 15:13
sorry!
Proverbs. 5:21 For the ways of man are before The Lord and watches all His paths.
Misti
Lubbock,Tx
I am not saying this because I am in need,
For I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.
Philippians 4:11 NIV
1 Corinthians 2:9 NIV
However, as it is written; No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God as prepared for those who love him.
Oops. Sorry ladies!
No eye has seen, no ear has heard no mind has conceived what God HAS prepared for those who love him.
The message of salvation should be taken from Jerusalem to all the nations: There is forgiveness of sins for all who turn to me. Luke 24:47
I missed March 1 and March 15 – submitting 2 verses
Ephesians 4.5,1-2
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrafice to God.
Peter 2, 1-3
His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain
to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence.
Romans 12, 9-10
Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.
Rachel from Woodstock, GA
Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, (Ephesians 6:19 NIV)
Rita Bristol, Tennessee, NIV 2 Peter 1:9 But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.
Lee-
Romans 15:13 NLT
I pray that God the source of hope will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Nice to see someonelse picked the same verse:In this household we really are standing on the God of Hope…sick daughter for 2 1/2 yrs not able to work/or do anything….waiting for healing…
For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
The Lord will give grace and glory… Psalm 84:11 NKJV
Marla, Bolivar, MO
‘The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that with fills his heart.’ Luke 6:45 NAS
Sue, Standish, ME
“This is the day the Lord has brought about. We will be happy and rejoice in it!”
Psalm 118:24 (NET)
Summer from Oklahoma
Philippians 4:4 (NIV)
Rejoice in the Lord always.
Isaiah 12:2(NIV)
God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid.
Mathew 6:15 (NIV)
But if you do not forgive others their sins, your father will not forgive your sins.
Romans 8:31 (NIV)
What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
Romans 12:2 (NIV)
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is His good, pleasing and perfect will.
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Matthew 5:5 (NRSV)
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Isaiah 55:9, ESV
We give thanks to you, O God, we give thanks, for your Name is near. Ps. 75:1a. NIV
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
Philippians 4:4 NIV
Opal from Odon, IN
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20 NIV
Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord in near.
Philippians 4:5 NIV
He grants a treasure of good sense to the godly. vs 7
Proverbs 2:7 NLT
Washington, WV.
Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. (Galatians 5:1 NKJV)
I Peter 1:9
“…for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world— our faith. (1 John 5:4 ESV)
From Hamilton, Ohio
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 NIV
Three of us …so far have picked the same verse…He is the God of Hope..
Proverbs 3:6
In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Karen..Oconomowoc,WI
A thousand may fall at your side,and ten thousand at your right hand,but non shall come near you..only with your eyes shall you see the reward of the wicked.
Psalm 91;7-8(NKJV)
,
,
Sandee Jasnoski from Wichita, KS.
Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude.
1 Peter 3:8 NLT
Don’t worry about anything instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your heart and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Phil. 4:6-7 NLT
Leisa from Sheridan, In:
Hebrews 12:11 NIV
“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of Gods mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship. Rom 12:1 NIV
“Choose for yourself this day whom you will serve.” Joshua, 24:15
I would like to join.
Am I too late?
Do I need to clock in more than 2 times a month
to catch up?
I can do that, since I have already been
trying to memorize scripture at this late
in life.
Darlene, join us! And just start from here!
April 1st…a bit late
Psalm 103:8-12
8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
9 He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.