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. 4001
    Nona, from Poplar Bluff says:

    Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Ps. 51:10 NIV

  2. 4002
    Meredith Norris says:

    Meredith Norris Ballentine South Carolina
    I trust your plan for my life You promise to work all things for my good and your glory Romans8:28

  3. 4003
    Nona, from Poplar Bluff says:

    Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Ps. 51:10 NIV

  4. 4004
    Barbara D. Ann Arbor, MI says:

    SEEKING PEACE!
    “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)

  5. 4005
    Amy Mitchhart says:

    Amy Mitchhart, Dripping Sorings Texas she is clothed in strength and dignity and she laughs without fear if the future. Proverbs 31:25, NLT

  6. 4006
    Jill from Kodak, TN says:

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

  7. 4007
    Cathy says:

    Cathy, Lake Mary, FL
    Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Matthew 5:6 NIV

  8. 4008
    Nona, from Poplar Bluff says:

    Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Ps. 51:10 NIV

  9. 4009
    Gail says:

    Gail, from Hammond, LA
    “May the words of my heart and the meditation of my soul be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.”
    Psalm 19:14 NIV

  10. 4010
    Janna says:

    Janna from North Carolina: “blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill His promises to her.” Luke 1:45 NIV

  11. 4011
    Sharon Hanna says:

    Sharon Hanna, Irmo, SC Psalm 1:1-3 “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.” NASB

  12. 4012
    Meg says:

    Meg from Indianapolis. Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing, Proverbs 12:18, NIV

  13. 4013
    Michelle Brownell says:

    Michelle Brownell, Sturgis, MI

    Be still and know that I am God, I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!

    Psalm 46:10 NKJV

  14. 4014
    Mariane Huckleberry, Indianapolis, IN says:

    Your words were found, and I ate them,
    And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart;
    For I am called by Your name,O Lord God of hosts. Jeremiah 15:16

  15. 4015
    Sheryl E says:

    NASB:
    Deuteronomy 6:5
    You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.

  16. 4016
    Margaret says:

    Margaret Lake Lure, NC Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

  17. 4017
    Carolyn B. says:

    Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9 ESV

  18. 4018
    Beverly Harris says:

    Vero Beach, Fl

    Isaiah 50:4 (NIV)
    The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructive tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen as one being taught.

  19. 4019
    Bobbie says:

    Bobbie from Denville,NJ

    Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God,that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.
    1 Peter 5:6&7 (NAS)

  20. 4020
    Sandy says:

    For we are God’s masterpiece, He has created us anew in Christ so we can do the good things that He planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10 NLT

  21. 4021
    Michelle says:

    You have made my heart beat faster, my bride. You have made my heart beat faster with one look from your eyes. Son of Solomon 4:9 (New Life Version)

  22. 4022

    Wanda Williams, Fredericksburg, TX
    James 1:2-3 NASB
    “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.”

  23. 4023
    Denise,Jensen Beach, Fl says:

    As it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. Phil. 1:20 ESV

  24. 4024
    Cheryl says:

    “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV Fully rely on God- no matter what is happening in your life-

  25. 4025
    Kayla Hickman says:

    Kayla,

    28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
    Matthew 11:28 NIV

  26. 4026
    Dian Helgerud says:

    Dian Helgerud, Orlando, Florida
    “Above all be careful what you think because your thought control your life” Proverbs 4:23 ERV This is a great way for me to to start the NEW YEAR!

  27. 4027
    Valerie Nance says:

    Valerie from Cadillac, MI. “If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom.” James 3:13 NLT

  28. 4028
    Rachel Bowser says:

    Philippians 2:3. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, in all lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves. NKJV

  29. 4029
    Karrie Doll says:

    Numbers 6:24-26 (King James version)
    The Lord bless thee, and keep thee:
    The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
    The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee and give thee peace.

  30. 4030
    stacey says:

    Stacey Hillsdale, Mi
    Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him amd he will make your paths straight
    Proverbs 3: 5-6

  31. 4031
    Liz Payne says:

    Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
    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.

  32. 4032
    Elizabeth Van Rooy says:

    God’s phone number: Jeremiah 33:3
    Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know

  33. 4033
    Deneen Horne says:

    Deneen Horne, Jacksonvile, Florida.
    fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (‭Isaiah‬ ‭41‬:‭10‬ ESV)

  34. 4034
    Leeta says:

    “You have shown me the way of life, and you will fill me with the joy of your presence.” Acts 2:28 NLT

  35. 4035
    Christi says:

    Christi, Waynesboro Pa –For we are God’s masterpiece, He has created us anew in Christ so we can do the good things that He planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10 NLT

  36. 4036
    Carol says:

    Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV) You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

  37. 4037
    Tonya says:

    1Peter 5:6,7
    6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time.
    7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
    Ohio

  38. 4038
    Paula says:

    Paula Hoff, Stewartstown, PA

    Isaiah 43:19 NIV
    See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

  39. 4039
    Cymric Keith-Yarbrough says:

    Cymric- Shawsville,VA
    Fear thou not; for I am with thee, be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee;yea I will help thee, yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
    Isaiah 41:10 KJV

  40. 4040
    Cynthia Hatfield says:

    Be still and know that I am god: I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth Psalms 46:10 NIV

  41. 4041
    Donna Lawson says:

    Joshua 3:5
    Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.

  42. 4042
    Sherrie Speller says:

    Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God,that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.
    1 Peter 5:6&7 (NAS)

    Sherrie from Snohomish Washington (working through slow healing process)

  43. 4043
    Corene Hawes says:

    I John 5:14-15 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. ESV.

  44. 4044
    Kari says:

    I lift my eyes to the hills.. Where does my help come from? My help comes
    From The Lord, the maker of Heaven and earth,

    Psalm 121:1-2. NIV
    Kari
    Imperial, MO

  45. 4045
    Niki Doubet says:

    “but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah, 40:31 NIV)

  46. 4046
    Robin says:

    I am the Good Shepherd and I know and recognize My own, and My own know and recognize Me
    John 10:14 AMP

  47. 4047
    Becky-Cheryl Hershberger says:

    Exodus 15:26 (NIV)

    26 He said, “If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.”

  48. 4048
    Linda Doane says:

    Linda Doane, North Chesterfield, VA

    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

  49. 4049
    Jo Jo says:

    Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Ps. 51:10 NIV

  50. 4050
    Shawna Wilson says:

    Shawna Lubbock TX
    “May you be strengthened and with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy.” Colossians 1:11 ESV

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