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. 4201
    Malinda says:

    Job 23:14 NIV

    He carries out his decree against me, and many such plans he still has in store.

  2. 4202
    Anita Towns says:

    Eagle Hill,Alberta Canada

    But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you. Matthew 6:33

    I chose this verse as this is my New Year’s resolution – to put Jesus first in every area of my life. I want to know Him and love Him more. More importantly I want to BECOME MORE LIKE HIM!

  3. 4203
    Terisa says:

    Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (‭Ephesians‬ ‭3‬:‭20-21‬ NKJV)

  4. 4204
    Julia says:

    Julia, Gorinchem, Netherlands
    Mijn plan met jullie staat vast, spreekt de HEER. Ik heb jullie geluk voor ogen, niet jullie ongeluk: Ik zal je een hoopvolle toekomst geven. Jeremia 29:11 (NBV)

  5. 4205
    Vicki Clanton says:

    I follow close to You;
    Your right hand holds on to me.
    Psalms 63:8 HGSB

  6. 4206
    Danielle says:

    God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.
    Psalm 46:1 ( NLT)

  7. 4207
    Vicky, Parker, Texas says:

    Psalm 90:12 ESV So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.

  8. 4208
    Lynn says:

    isaiah 43:19. Nkjv
    Behold I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

  9. 4209
    Karen, Beaumont, TX says:

    Philippians 4:8 NIV

    Finally,brothers(sisters), 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.

  10. 4210
    Carol Arviso says:

    Carol Arviso,Hollister,Ca,Ps.121:7 NIV

  11. 4211
    Rachel Gainey says:

    Rachel Gainey from Trenton,FL
    “whatever you do,work at it with all your heart,as working for the Lord,not for human master’s.” Colossians 3:5 NIV

  12. 4212
    Vicky, Parker, Texas says:

    Col. 3:17 ESV And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jedus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

  13. 4213
    Wim says:

    Exodus 33: 19 NBV (Dutch)

    Hij antwoordde: ‘Ik zal in mijn volle luister voor je langs gaan en in jouw bijzijn de naam HEER uitroepen: ik schenk genade aan wie ik genade wil schenken en ik ben barmhartig voor wie ik barmhartig wil zijn’.

  14. 4214
    Lois says:

    Lois from Prospect Heights, IL:

    “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.” Deuteronomy 29:29 (NIV 1984)

  15. 4215
    JackieFR says:

    Plano, TX

    The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart – These, O God, You will not despise. Psalm 51:17 NKJV

  16. 4216
    Elizabeth Melcher says:

    Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Romans 12:12 (ESV)

  17. 4217
    Traci Wimer says:

    “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.” John 15:16 NKJ

  18. 4218
    LaDonna says:

    Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. Hebrews 3:12-13 NKJV

  19. 4219
    TJ from Clinton, OK says:

    You crown the year with Your goodness,and Your paths drip with abundance. ~Psalm 65:11 (NKJV)

  20. 4220
    Debby Reedy says:

    Finally, brothers and sisters, 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 NIV

  21. 4221
    Lori Mcwhinney, Loveland, CO says:

    For I know the plans I have for you says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster. To give you a future and a hope”. Jeremiah 29:11. NLT

  22. 4222
    Linda A. Hammett says:

    Linda Hammett from Wake Forest, North Carolina says
    “Then you will know the truth , and the truth will set you free.”
    John 8:32(NIV)

  23. 4223
    Alison Wills says:

    Alison Wills, Cropwell, AL, “A gentle answer turnns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger”, Proverbs 15:1 – NIV

  24. 4224
    Gayla says:

    And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. Ezekiel 36:26 NLT

  25. 4225
    Sara says:

    Sara, Las Vegas

    For I know the plans I have for you says the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans for hope and a future.

    Jeremiah 29:11

  26. 4226
    Linda A. Hammett says:

    Linda Hammett from Wake Forest, North Carolina says
    “I have set the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be
    shaken.”(Psalm 16:8(NIV)

  27. 4227
    Venus Mohler says:

    Venus Kent, Ohio
    Rev 21:4 and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. NKJV

  28. 4228
    Tracey Hoehn says:

    Tracey Hoehn Gallatin, TN “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Colossians 3:17 NIV

  29. 4229
    Gina says:

    gina, Laguna Niguel, CA

    “Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another and the LORD listened and heard them; so a book of remembrance was written before Him. For those who fear the LORD
    and meditate on His Name. They shall be Mine, says the LORD of hosts.”
    Malachi 3:16-17a ESV

  30. 4230
    Mary Evans says:

    Mary Evans, Jackson, MS
    “Watch the path of your feet and all your ways will be established.” NAS

  31. 4231
    Lee Ann Kelley says:

    Lee Ann Kelley, Fairhope, AL “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Matthew 5:16; NIV

  32. 4232
    Beth Bellow says:

    Beth Bellow, Houston, Tx–NIV — psalm 139:1-2
    1 O LORD, you have searched me and know me.
    2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
    you perceive my thoughts from afar.

  33. 4233
    Rhonda Haake, Jefferson City, MO says:

    Be joyful because you have hope. Be patient when trouble comes, and pray at all times. Romans 12:12 (New Century Version)

  34. 4234
    Donna says:

    Donna, Camden
    “And this is my prayer; that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ–to the glory and praise of God.” Philippians, 1:9-11 (NIV)

  35. 4235
    kinaya says:

    Thankful for this!

  36. 4236
    Tina Tang says:

    Phillipians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

  37. 4237
    Sondra Teague says:

    Sondra Teague , Jonesboro, AR–Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. James 1:17; NKJV

  38. 4238
    Angela says:

    Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7, ESV)

  39. 4239
    Mayra says:

    PSALM 19:14
    May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer Psalm 19:14 NIV

  40. 4240
    Norma says:

    Norma form Cootamundra,Australia. Romans15:13 Our God of Hope fills me with JOY and Peace in believing by His Spirit and I will abound in hope!!

  41. 4241
    Lori says:

    Lori Reed, Neosho, MO
    “But they delight in the law of The Lord, meditating on it day and night.” Psalms 1:41 NLT

  42. 4242
    Rebecca Tabor, Columbus, IN says:

    Starting a day late, sorry!

    January 1st, 2015

    “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
    Galations 2:20 NLT

  43. 4243
    Cheyene Marsh Kirksville Mo says:

    “For the highway of the upright turns aside from evil, he who guards his way preserves his life”.
    Proverbs 16:17 ESV

  44. 4244
    Wendy Soeder says:

    Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalms 37:4(NIV)

  45. 4245
    Teri says:

    I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13 (NIV)

  46. 4246
    Sheryl says:

    1 Corinthians 13:2 Suppose I have the gift of prophecy. Suppose I can understand all the secret things of God and know everything about him. And suppose I have enough faith to move mountains. If I don’t have love, I am nothing at all.
    …Lord, show me what “your love” looks like.

  47. 4247
    Rita says:

    You are my friends if you do what I command. John 15:14 (NIV)

  48. 4248
    Sue C. says:

    “You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.” Psalm 32:7 NIV

  49. 4249
    jaime lester says:

    “Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity” -Proverbs 21:5 NIV

  50. 4250
    ingrid caballero Miami, FL says:

    Isaiah 41:10(NIV)
    So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.I will strengthen you and help you;I will uphold you with my righteous right hand

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