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
Charlotte, Gadsden, Alabama
“And He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 NKJ
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened by a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1 NIV
Judy from Littleton, CO
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
Galatians 6:9-10 NIV
Ronda from Murfreesboro, Tennessee. “And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8 NIV
Emily
Aurora, MO
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. (Hebrews 12:1 NIV84)
Mickie, Arab, AL
A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Proverbs 15:1 ESV
“Return to your fortress, O prisoners of hope; even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you.”
Zechariah 9:12 (NIV)
Kelli Beavercreek, Ohio
Debbie, Gulfport, MS, “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
Ann from Little Rock, Arkansas
Look to The Lord and His strength; seek His face always.
Psalm 105:4 NIV84
Lisa from Marion, IN
“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”
Colossians 4:2(NIV)
Brittany columbia, sc
“Even if my mother and father abandon me, The Lord will hold me close” psalm 27:10 NLT
Brittany. Arlington, TX
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Psalms 19:14 NLT
Gretta from Syracuse, NY
When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise The Lord your God for the good land he has given you.
Deuteronomy 8:10, NIV84
Christy from Texas
“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” II Corinthians 4:18 (NIV)
Tara Nelson from Huntington, WV
Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. (James 1:19, 20 NLT)
Sarah, Moravian Falls
The Land you are…to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleys that drinks rain from heaven. It is a land the Lord your God cares for; the eyes of the Lord your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end.
Duet. 11:11-12 NIV
Jennifer from Dallas,Texas:”You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13 NASB
2012 was a tramatic year … am in the process of
healing. My sweetheart of 50 years went Home to be with
our Lord. The promises of God have never been sweeter to me than they are right now.
Marcia, Pembroke, Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have because God has said, Never will I leave you. Never will I forsake you. Hebrews 13:5, NIV
JoRene from Aurora, IL 🙂
“Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in times to come.” Proverbs 31:25 (KJV)
Amy King
Lutz, FL
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26 NIV
Ellie Michener from Trophy Club, Texas
Deuteronomy 22:4 “Dont ignore your responsibility. If you see that your neighbor’s donkey or ox has collapsed on the road, do not look the other way. Go and help your neighbor get it back on its feet.” NLT
Mimi of Six in Decatur Al
NIV Psalm 51:10-12 10 Create in me a pure heart, Oh God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me.
Teresa, Austin, TX
Colossians 4:6 NIV
Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
Lynn from Lynchburg, VA:
“Lead me in the right path, O Lord, or my enemies will conquer me. Make your way plain for me to follow.” Ps 5:8 NLT
Stephanie from Pickerington, Ohio
“The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”
Zephaniah 3:17 NIV
Cindy from Uvalde, Texas “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27 KJV
Allison from Scottsdale, AZ
You crown the year with Your bounty, and Your carts overflow with abundance. Psalm 65:11 (NIV)
Amanda from Starkville, MS
“She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.”
Proverbs 31:25 NIV
Andrea Henley, New Bern, NC. 2 Cor. 10:3-5. “For though we live as human beings, we do not wage war according to human standards, for the weapons of our warfare are not human weapons, but are made powerful by God for tearing down strongholds. We tear down arguments and every arrogant obstacle that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to make it obey Christ.” NET
Hayley from Ava, Missouri
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
John 8:32 and 36 NIV
Donna Jackson, Scottsboro, Alabama
“I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and the mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him.” Psalm 40:1-3, NIV
Carolyn from Gilbert, Arizona.
“Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.”
Psalm 115:3 ESV
Edna from O’Fallon, MO
“She is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that she does, she prospers.”
Psalm 1:3, ESV (I changed the “he” to “she” 🙂
yay Edna!! 🙂
Trish from Saginaw, TX
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us.
Hebrews 12:1 NLT
“He must increase, but I must decrease.” John 3 :30, NASB — Madeline from Flagstaff, AZ.
Kendra Green of College Station, TX
Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul? Why are you crying the blues? Fix my eyes on God— soon I’ll be praising again. He puts a smile on my face. He’s my God. Psalm 34:5 MSG
Donna from Tyler, TX
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
Carey from Bartlesville OK, Do not let your heart be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me. John 14:1 NIRV
Joni, Littleton CO
“But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit-the Father will send Him in my Name-will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you.” John 14:26 HCSB
Stephanie Corley
Quitman, Texas
“My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only He will release my feet from the snare.” –Psalm 25:15 NIV84
Melissa from North East, MD
“If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.” Exodus 33:13 NIV
Debbie, Lake Charles, LA. Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but  it is the purpose of the  Lord   that will stand. (Proverbs 19:21 ESV)
Vicki Judd
Longview, WA
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9 NIV
denise, asheville, nc
Psalm 103:1-2 (ampl)
Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul; and all that is [deepest] within me, bless His holy name!
Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul, and forget not [one of] all His benefits—
Kim Eshelman Lewisburg, PA
The fear of man is a snare, but the one who trusts in the LORD is protected. Proverbs 29:25 (HCSB)
Jennifer, Huntersville, NC
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Is. 55:8-9 NIV
“Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him” John 14:21 NIV
Sorry I forgot to put from Trenton, Tx!!
Angel, Smyrna, Ga
Not to us, Lord, not to us
but to your name be the glory,
because of your love and faithfulness.
Psalm 115:1 TNLV
Dixie from Platte City, Missouri Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27 NIV