Finally!!!!!!!!
Are you ready, Sisters? Do you hear me cheering?? I have never been more excited about doing this.
I am on the verge of doing about 10 backward flips on my hardwoods. I said on the verge. Not quite doing it. Well, I’m doing it in my heart. That counts for a lot around here.
SO LET’S DO THIS THING! Now, promise me this! Promise me you will read this entire post before you leave a single comment. I know you’re about to burst and I am, too, and, for that reason, I’ll keep it as short as possible. It’s so important that we get our ground rules firmly established so that we’ll have a fabulous experience. Remember, hundreds of our participants this time around are brand new so let’s make sure everybody’s on the same page.
A few things you absolutely MUST KNOW:
*Your comment to this post is your official registration onto the team. Everybody starts at Verse 1 no matter when they begin the process. (Word gets around and we often still have people joining in with us even in March and April. We don’t mind how late they begin as long as they can catch up, memorize their verses, and document each one of them on the proper post as an official participant.) This launch post will remain right here in this January 1st 2013 slot all year long and each new person will need to make her first entry here. This is how we track who signed up when we get to the end of the year and it’s party time.
*Your comment must be strictly limited to the following 5 pieces of information: name, city, verse, reference, translation. I’ll say it slower now for those brand new to the process:
Your name (or first name if you prefer), city. Your verse for that two-week period written all the way out, the reference for it (where it is found in the Bible: Book, chapter, verse) AND the *translation you’ve taken it from.
(*For instance, is the Bible you’ve pulled the passage from a KJV, an NAS, HCSB, NIV or NLT? Or is it The NET Bible, The Message or another similar version? The translation almost always appears on the outside spine of a Bible. If not, you will find it on the first few pages. If you’re looking on line, you’ll get an option to choose a translation. Do so as it speaks most clearly to you. We aren’t fussing over translations here in our memory work. You also do not need to stick with one version throughout.)
Just those 5 pieces of information! They will comprise every comment to this post. And the moment you start scrolling through all of them, you’ll see why. Page after page after page after page of Scripture and each one telling a reader exactly where to find it. It is the most powerful sight to behold. This invites people who are not participating in the memory work to reap tremendous benefits by just reading the comments and taking strength from verses they may not have known existed. This way it has the potential to bless our whole community or any weary visitor to our blog. I’ve been in crises before and gotten on the comment pages and scrolled from Scripture to Scripture and practically wept with relief and fresh courage or revelation. That’s why it’s best to keep the SSMT comments as succinct as possible. If you’ve got an exclamation in you that you just can’t hold back, you can occasionally make the briefest comment like, “I really need this one!” or “I’m sharing so-and-so’s verse” but, please, no more than that.
Comments other than the verse-entries on the 1st and 15th of each month can’t be approved. I’m so sorry and I hope you’ll understand. Thousands of us will be doing this together so the moderation process is monumental from the administrative side. The verses will be all Lindsee and I can handle in the comments for our two SSMT days per month. Keep in mind: NONE OF THESE INSTRUCTIONS PERTAIN TO THE OTHER BLOG POSTS HERE AT LPM. We will be completely free to do our regular thing on all other posts! The really stringent rules are only for the 1st and 15th of each month in 2013 and in reference to Siesta Scripture Memory Team. I hope that makes sense!
*Your comment may take 24 hours to get moderated (or posted if you’re new to the blog process) and sometimes a bit longer if it falls over a weekend. We try our hardest to stay up with it but on those days when 500+ come in at once, it’s quite a task! But we love it! It just requires a little patience on all sides! Before you assume that your entry somehow vanished and you’re tempted to write it again, give it one full day and see if it shows up. Keep track of what time you posted it and double check the comments around that same time. The accidental repeats make it much harder to track participation through the course of the year so always double check. If you don’t find it a day later, by all means, post it again!
*Remember that you get to choose your own verse! That’s really important! The ease with which you can memorize a verse is greatly impacted by how much it means to you. The more you need it or want it, the more you’ll absorb it. If you come up dry at times, no problem! You can either share my verse or another in the comment line that really speaks to you.
*PRAY that God will bless you in this endeavor and will enable you to memorize His Word! Ask continually throughout the entire year! When I get stuck and frustrated that I can’t get my words in order, if I’ll stop what I’m doing and ask God to supernaturally infuse me and help me to concentrate, you would not believe how quickly a breakthrough will come.
Are you about to stuff a sock in my mouth?? I’m about 2 seconds from stuffing one in my own mouth. Melissa gave me two new pair of boot socks for Christmas so at least I have fresh choices.
All right, already! Here goes mine! In honor of our process ahead and how willing the Holy Spirit is to help us…
Beth from Houston Texas, But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. John 14:26 NIV84
Here’s one more alternative if you’ve never memorized it for a new year! I just love it for January 1st:
You crown the year with Your bounty, and Your carts overflow with abundance. Psalm 65:11 NIV
May God’s grace abound to you, Sweet Thing. WELCOME! We have such a fabulous challenge ahead of us. GOD, GRANT US YOUR GOOD FAVOR!
So…what are you waiting for??? SIGN IN WITH VERSE ONE!
PS. I thought you guys might find it a bit amusing that I brought in the first 300 comments in the CAR on the way to the airport to catch my Atlanta flight for Passion 2013. Laughing. You keep your blog mama busy. I love you so!
Tags: Scripture Memory 2013
Isaiah 45:8 NIV
You heavens above, rain down my[Your]righteousness;
let the clouds shower it down.
Let the earth [my children’s hearts] open wide,
let salvation spring up,
let righteousness flourish with it;
I [You], the Lord, have created it.
Nancy from Dyersburg, TN – God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline. II Timothy 1:7 NIV
Doreen from Menomonee Falls, WI
Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease.
Lamentations 3:21-22 NLT
Beth, Mansfield, TX- Remember that I have commanded you to be determined and confident! Do not be afraid or discouraged, for I, the LORD your God, am with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9 GNT)
Because I choose to walk humbly this year:
“He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,[a]
and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8 ESV
Oops! I’m from Stoughton, MA.
Lynn, Pflugerville,Tx
Proverbs 3:5&6 HCSB
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; think about Him in all your ways,and He will guide you on the right path.”
D’Anna Nowack from Kilgore, Texas
4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. on the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 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 Cor. 10:4-5 (NIV)
Vickie from Wichita, KS
For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. Isaiah 43:19 NLT
Michelle from St. Louis, Mo
So let us seize and hold fast and retain without wavering the hope we cherish and confess and our acknowledgement of it, for He Who promised is reliable (sure) and faithful to His word. (Hebrews 10:23 AMP)
Nancy from Evansville, Indiana
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12: 21 NIV
Kristi Carroll from White Pigeon, Michigan: “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me,” Psalm 51:10 NIV
Ruth Cherry, Royse City Texas
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”
Psalms 119:105
NIV
Pam, Corydon, IN “We can make our own plans, but the Lord gives the right answer.” NLT
Nicole from Marietta, Georgia
Finally, brothers, 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. Philippians 4:8 NIV84
Kristi, Piedmont,AL, “Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time.” Jonah 3:1,ESV
Cassandra from Marienville, PA
“You crown the year with Your goodness, and richness overflows wherever You are.”- Psalm 65:11 (God’s Word Translation)
Melissa, Locust Grove, GA
Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you;
your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. Isaiah 26:8 NIV 84
Melissa Albertson, Easley: “He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.” Ps. 1:3 NKJV
Sandra from Torrance California
Rejoice in hope, endure in suffering, persist in prayer. Romans 12:12 NET
Dianne from Florida
Lord, “increase our faith!”
Luke 17:5
Beckie from Florence, SC
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.
Rev 22:17 NIV
Gail from Fort Worth, Tx
“Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup, you make my lot secure.” Ps 6:5 (NIV)
Jenny, Brookville, OH “Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” Mark 10:27, NIV
Kim, Petersburg, VA
“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation.”
Isaiah 12:2, ESV
Robin, Noblesville, Indiana
This is my command – be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9, New Living Translation
Ginny Wilson from Ooltewah, TN
“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”
Romans 12:12 ESV
Cheryl of Titusville, FL
“Happy is a man who finds wisdom and who acquires understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and her revenue is better than gold. She is more precious than jewels; nothing you desire compares with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left, riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant and all her paths peaceful. She is a tree of life to those who embrace her, and those who hold onto her are happy.”
Proverbs 3:13-18 HCSB
Bonnie from Huntsville, AL
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life. Revelation 22:17 NIV
Donna from Arab, AL Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. 1Timothy 4:7 NIV
Sarah
Gainesville, Ga
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23 NIV
Esmé Brown from Memphis, TN
Teach me you way, oh Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.
Psalms 86:11 NIV84
Heather, Andersonville, TN. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of deer, he enables me to tread on the heights. Habakkuk 3:19 NIV
from Mooresville NC
Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.
Romans 5:1-2 NLT
Thank you Em for telling me about this!!!
Diane, Corbin KY, Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Matthew 11: 28-30 ESV
And The Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water whose waters do not fail. Isaiah 58:11, ESV
Kristi from Albuquerque, NM
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is anything excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. Philippians 4:8 NASB
Laura. Huntington, WV
Psalm 139:23-24 NLT
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
Marilyn DeCoursey from Rochester Hills,MI
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.’
Philippians 4:6-7 NLT
Nancy from Birmingham, AL
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV)
Melissa from LaGrange, GA,
“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 NIV
Heather, London, ON Canada “You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” Psalms 16:11 NIV
Charlotte Skadal, Houston, Texas
Passionately encouraged by the teachings of our Siesta Momma:
“As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”
2 Timothy 4:5, ESV
Indianapolis, IN
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:13 NIV84
Philippians 1:6 ESV
“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
Jane
Carrollton KY
Mary,Lilburn,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 a hope and a future, NIV,Jer 29:11
Melanie E. – St. Augustine – Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life. Psalm 143:8 NIV
Nicole from Perth, Australia
Because of the Lord ’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22, 23 NIV
“do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests but also to the interests of others .”. Philippians 2:3-4 NIV
Kelly from Petrolia, Ontario
“All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers,and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.”
1 Peter 1:24-25 ESV
Erin from Chicago:
You will keep in perfect peace
all who trust in you,
all whose thoughts are fixed on you!
Isaiah 26:3 (NLT)