Siesta Scripture Memory Team 2015 Instructions and Spiral Information!

HEADS UP, SCRIPTURE MEMORY PARTICIPANTS!!! IF YOU’RE ON THIS POST TO READ THE INSTRUCTIONS, YOU ARE IN EXACTLY THE RIGHT PLACE SO PROCEED WITH CONFIDENCE! ****BUT!!! IF YOU ARE REGISTERING AND MAKING YOUR FIRST 2015 ENTRY WITH VERSE 1, PLEASE GO TO THE JANUARY 1ST OFFICIAL LAUNCH POST! THAT’S WHERE VERSE 1 GOES! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR COOPERATION WITH THE DETAILS INVOLVED. SO MUCH LOVE TO YOU!

 

Hey Everybody!

We are revving up around here for SSMT 2015! The Scripture memory team we host and support every other year is the most extensive thing we do around here on the LPM blog so you can know that you are the size of an airbus on our ministry radar right now. We are elated about the year we have ahead and believe with all our hearts that God finds tremendous delight in this group of diverse women banding together to memorize His Word. Here is everything you need to know about how to participate in the 2015 Siesta Scripture Memory Team! Please be sure you make it all the way to the bottom of the post where you’ll find the information about our matching spirals.

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

*For you new comers, an explanation of the name is in order. “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 cheer each other on, hold each other accountable, and urge one another to make it to the goal – 24 verses systematically memorized in 12 months – through a process that requires significant practice.

*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.

*Why 24 verses? In previous years, we’ve found this to be a very doable pace: 1 verse every 2 weeks. 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: we’re going to be meditating on something: unforgiveness, toxic memories, misery, lust, greed, dissatisfaction, jealousy, competition. Let’s choose Scripture instead! Christ Himself said as a man thinks, so is he. He also said His words are spirit and life. This is work worth doing, Beloved. 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.

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 2015 starting on New Year’s Day, you will find a post by 8:00 in the morning asking for your memory verse, suggesting one if you’re drawing a blank, and encouraging you in your process. In past years I’ve written all the posts myself but I thought maybe this year we needed to do something to shake it up a bit and make it extra-fun. I’ll still do all the posts on the 1st but the entries on the 15th will be written by a cross section of women from this community who’ve been asked to guest post. That means that, over the course of the year, you’ll hear from 12 of them. They’ll tell you a little bit about themselves, share the verse they’ve selected for that round, and why they chose it. We’ve also asked them to supply us with a picture so you can have a face to go with each name.

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 self-indulgent 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 (first only if you prefer), 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 Moore from Houston, Texas: “May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy.” Colossians 1:11 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 others’ 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 more than welcome to share the selection offered in the post. That’s one reason it’s there. 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 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.

 

NOW, about that spiral! In years past, we’ve created them here at Living Proof and shipped them to those who ordered them. But, to our slack-jawed surprise, last time we did it, 10,000 women signed up and nearly all of them ordered spirals. My beloved (SMALL!!!) staff and hardworking volunteers filled every one of those orders over about a 10-day mad-dash and, though they never lost their smiles, it flat-out nearly killed them! We are just too small a staff to handle that many orders. HOWEVER!!! We MUST have matching spirals! So, here is the perfect solution. Watch this tutorial and you’ll see how quick and easy it will be to prepare your spiral:

 

 

There are two sizes to choose between for your spirals.  Click on the size cover you would like to print for yourself then adhere it using any of the methods we suggested. You can certainly use regular printer paper but cardstock works perfectly:

siesta_5x3_final_new

5×3
6×4

 

OK, I think that’s more than enough to get us prepared for January 1st but I so hope you’ll go ahead and get our huge wrap-up celebration on your radar because we want you to know how to qualify and plan to be there! It is the biggest blast ever.

Our Siesta Scripture Memory Team 2015 Celebration will on January 16, 2016. 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 will 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 to attend the celebration:

*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.

*If you’re planning to come to the celebration, be prepared to say any 10 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, 2015)

Whew! Have I exhausted you?? I’ve worn myself out. Sorry this is so wordy! We just want to answer as many of your questions up front as possible.

I want to say something to you before I wrap up this diatribe: this community means something to me. I love it because I love you. I think about you on an ongoing basis. So does my staff. You are a huge part of this ministry. Thank you for the privilege to serve you and to embark on another wild journey with you. May Christ find such delight here that He astonishes us with His presence, favor, and power.

So, welcome to Siestaville: women walking alongside women on our way Home, stirring up excitement toward that great day. SSMT is 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.

I love you.

Beth

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9,767 Responses to “Siesta Scripture Memory Team 2015 Instructions and Spiral Information!”

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Comments:

  1. 6951
    Meghan Vardman says:

    Meghan Vardman
    Cypress,TX

    “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.

    Philippians 4:4

  2. 6952
    Ashley says:

    Ashley, Alexandria, La. “For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.” (‭Isaiah‬ ‭41‬:‭13‬ ESV)

  3. 6953
    Amanda says:

    February 15, 2015
    Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy-meditate on these things.
    Philippians 4:8

  4. 6954
    Susan Margolis says:

    He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice,to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8 NASB

  5. 6955
    Beth Howard says:

    Isaiah 43:2 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”

  6. 6956
    Jenelle Erickson says:

    Jenelle Lake Stevens,Wa Colossians 3:13 NLT Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.

  7. 6957
    Kathy says:

    Philippians 4:6-7 NIV
    “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

  8. 6958
    April Picard says:

    No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends. (‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭13‬ HCSB)
    West Monroe, LA

  9. 6959
    Darcy says:

    Darcy Brown, Spokane, WA

    “To man belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the reply of the tongue. All a man’s ways seem innocent to him, but the motives are weighed by the Lord. Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.” Proverbs 16:1-3 (NIV)

  10. 6960
    Haley thiels says:

    Haley thiels February 15 2015 job pineville la Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me

  11. 6961
    Mary Jo Stayton says:

    Mary Jo, Independence, MO

    For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves;it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 NKJV

  12. 6962
    Rita says:

    Proverbs 3:5-6 KJ

    Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not into thy own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct thy path.

    Rita, Stigler, OK

  13. 6963
    Anne/Anchorage, AK says:

    I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. PS 34:1 ESV

  14. 6964
    Brooke Skinner says:

    Matthew 6:33
    But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.

  15. 6965
    Scarlett Malone says:

    “I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.” Psalms 101:3

  16. 6966
    Dianne Hernandez says:

    Dianne Hernandez
    Lafayette, LA

    The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of the Lord will stand forever.
    Isaiah 40:8. ESV

  17. 6967
    Gwen valles says:

    Gwen valles Fort Collins, Colorado “greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” john 15:13 (ESV)

  18. 6968
    Nancy Ormston says:

    FORT WORTH, TX ROMANS 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

  19. 6969
    Deb Mayer says:

    Deb of Marcus, Iowa

    Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

    Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
    in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

  20. 6970
    Melissa W. says:

    Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in all circumstances. 1 Thess. 5:16-18 NIV

  21. 6971
    Amy Robinson says:

    It is I who sweep away your transgressions for My own sake and remember your sins no more.

    Isaiah 43:25 HCSB

  22. 6972
    Ashley Ehrlick says:

    Ashley Ehrlick; Billings, MT
    NOTE: The Message isn’t my typical memory translation, but I just couldn’t pass this one up…
    “Stay clear of silly stories that get dressed up as religion. Exercise daily in God – no spiritual flabbiness please! Workouts in the gym are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, makeing you fit both today and forever. You can count on this. Take it to heart.” 1Timothy4:7-9 (MSG)

  23. 6973
    Zula Wilson Memphis, TN says:

    The Lord is my light and my salvation whom should I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life of whom should I be afraid?

    Psalms 27:1

  24. 6974
    Susan Harris says:

    February 15, 2015; 11:28 p.m.
    Susan
    “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”
    Ephesians 4:2 (NIV)

  25. 6975
    Carol says:

    Carol, Sheboygan Falls, Wi.

    Psalm 119:10 – 12 NIV

    I seek you with all my heart
    do not let me stray from your commands.
    I have hidden your word in my heart
    that I might not sin against you.
    Praise be to you, Lord;
    teach me your decrees.

  26. 6976
    Kim says:

    If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.
    1John 1:6 NIV

    Oklahoma

  27. 6977
    Teresa L. says:

    Rio Rancho, NM

    5 The Lord is your keeper;
    The Lord is your shade at your right hand.
    6 The sun shall not strike you by day,
    Nor the moon by night.
    7 The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;
    He shall preserve your soul.
    8 The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in From this time forth, and even forevermore. Psalms 121:5-8 NKJV

  28. 6978
    Kathy Harper says:

    Kathy – Farmington, New Mexico You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the Living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. 2 Corinthians 3:3 (NIV)

  29. 6979
    April K. says:

    North Seattle, WA

    “All the kings of the earth
    will give thanks to You, O, Lord,
    When they have heard the words of Your mouth.” (NASB)

    Psalm 138:4

  30. 6980
    Dale ~ Fairhope, AL says:

    “Above all keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.”
    I Peter 4:8 NAS

  31. 6981
    Wendi Klaiber says:

    Wendi from Simi Valley, CA

    Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Ephesians 4:2 (NIV)

  32. 6982
    Dale ~ Fairhope, AL says:

    I Peter 4:8 NAS
    Above all, be fervent in your love for one another, because
    love covers a multitude of sins.

  33. 6983
    Winnie says:

    “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.Matthew 7:7-8 NIV

  34. 6984
    Lisa Jones says:

    Lisa Jones, St. Louis, Mo
    Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.
    1 Cor. 13:7,8

  35. 6985
    Bobbie says:

    Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way. (‭Romans‬ ‭14‬:‭13‬ KJV)

  36. 6986
    Marthe says:

    2/15/2015 NLT
    Zephaniah 3:17 “For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty Savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”

  37. 6987
    Nancy Manion, Wadsworth, Ohio says:

    “The Lord bless you and keep you
    The Lord make His face to shine upon you
    and be gracious to you
    The Lord turn His face toward you
    and give you peace
    So they will put my name on my people and I will bless them.”

    Aaronic Blessing~ Numbers 6:24-26 (NIV)

  38. 6988
    Jacquelyn, Ohio says:

    “I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength”
    Philippians 4:13 NIV

  39. 6989
    Linda Ney says:

    Linda Ney in Gahanna, Ohio

    Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord from the heavens,
    praise him in the heights above. Praise him, all
    his angels, praise him, all his heavenly hosts. Praise
    him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars.

    Psalm 148: 1 – 4 NIV

  40. 6990
    Debbie, East TN says:

    I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Psalms 34:4 NIV

  41. 6991
    Shelagh Garry says:

    My dear friends, stand firm and do not be shaken. Always keep busy working for the Lord. You know that everything you do for him is worthwhile. 1 Corinthisans 15:58 (CEV)

  42. 6992
    Lori Sass says:

    Psalm 33: 20-22
    We wait in hope for the LORD;
    he is our help and our shield.
    In him our hearts rejoice,
    for we trust in his holy name.
    May your unfailing love rest upon us,
    O Lord,
    even as we put our hope in you.

  43. 6993
    Lyndie Metz says:

    Lyndie from Pendleton, IN

    “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.”

    Romans 12:2 NIV

  44. 6994
    Lori Hall says:

    Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. (‭Colossians‬ ‭4‬:‭5-6‬ ESV)

  45. 6995
    Terry Colomba Hardy, VA says:

    May Christ through your faith dwell in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love.
    Ephesians 3 :17

  46. 6996
    Helen Reas says:

    Helen, Plano,TX
    “The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace and remain at rest.” Exodus 14:14 AMP

  47. 6997
    Jo Ellen Chance says:

    Jo Ellen Chance, Shawnee, Kansas
    Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long,and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works.
    John 14:8-10 NIV

  48. 6998
    Ann Hanna says:

    Ann, Pawleys Island

    For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring and my blessing on your descendants. Isaiah 44:3 NIV

  49. 6999
    Samantha says:

    But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.” (‭Exodus‬ ‭4‬:‭10-12‬ ESV)

  50. 7000
    Janice Loven says:

    I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will council you and watch over you.
    Psalm 32:8

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