WELCOME, EVERYONE, TO THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF THE 2015 SIESTA SCRIPTURE MEMORY TEAM!
WOOOOOOHOOOOOO!!!
Allow me to introduce myself to you as your fellow sojourner for the next 12 months and your official cheerleader. It will be my pleasure to remind you often that, in Christ Jesus, you most certainly CAN be victorious in this adventure of the faith, this challenge of the mind and this discipline of the Spirit.
Nothing we’ve done on this blog since its inception has seemed to attract more outrageous favor from God. We are convinced that He loves it. God never misses a single individual going to the work of memorizing His Word but imagine His delight when a huge community of tremendously diverse women in age, background, and worship tradition band together in a pilgrimage of faith. You don’t have to stop and wonder if it’s God’s will for His words to abide in you. The Word of God alive, active, and abiding in us speaks to us, shields us, warns us, strengthens us, sanctifies us, equips us in our callings, and directs us in our decision making. It sharpens our insight and improves our discernment. It makes us wiser and, let’s be bold enough to say, even smarter. Our brains were hardwired to flourish across the board when nourished by the Scriptures. Above all else, Scripture abiding and thriving in us builds up our faith, for “faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17) Â And, Girlfriend, we want to be women of faith. That faith erupts into works that were planned for each of us before the creation of the world. (Ephesians 2:10)
OK. I want to get right to it before I lose some of you so that no one will be unclear about the protocol.
The entry of your first verse is your official registration for SSMT (Siesta Scripture Memory Team). Everybody who joins us needs to start right here in a designated comment to this exact post. Even those who may jump in with us a couple of months late who are willing to work double-time to get it all done will start right here.
For a quick recap of our objective: Remember, we are committing to the memorization of 24 verses in 12 months. Two a month. We each get to select our own verses to align with our personal needs and challenges. Choosing a Scripture that resonates with you is immensely helpful in the memorization process. If you have trouble coming up with one of your own, you can always share mine or look through the other entries for ideas. You’ll find your SSMT posts right here on the blog at 8:00 AM on the 1st and 15th of every month in 2015. [Under the LINKS section listed on the right hand side of our blog home page, you will find all SSMT posts will store together for easy access. See “Scripture Memory Team 2015”.] If you haven’t had a chance to read all the instructions and hear about our end-of-year celebration, please go back and read the informational post then return to this spot. Questions unanswered here are answered there.
One of the most important things for you to know from the top is how to arrange your comment with the verse you’ve selected. We limit each comment to this information:Â
Your name, city, verse (written all the way out), reference, and translation.Â
SO, here goes mine! I’m obsessed with the Book of Ephesians right now so much of my memory work will probably come from those pages.
Beth Moore, Houston, Texas. “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.” Ephesians 2:19 ESV
We’re fellow citizens with the likes of Peter and John and James and Stephen and Paul and Timothy and Barnabas and Joanna and Susanna and Lydia and Tabitha and just try counting all the Marys. We’re fellow citizens and members of the household of Middle Eastern believers confessing Christ in hostile climates, of Chinese believers meeting in house churches, of Eastern European believers finding hope in the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have brothers and sisters in Thessaloniki, in Paris, in Belfast, in Riyadh, in Copenhagen, in Calgary, and Rome. We – right here in this community – are sisters to a household of God that stretches across this globe, saved by the blood of Jesus Christ alone. By grace through faith. “It is the gift of God, not the result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) That’s what makes us family. We, beloved sister, are in gorgeous company. Let’s give our time on this planet as part of this household all we’ve got. Christ is so altogether worthy.
Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! One last thing before I say Go! Don’t panic or jump the gun and post a second time if you don’t see your verse published soon. I will be moderating all these launch comments by myself because I don’t want my staff to have to work on the holiday so I beg your patience. I’ll be hard at work on it but it will take me a while to get them all posted. As a rule over the next 12 months, only post a second time if it’s been 48 hours since you left the comment and you still don’t see it.
****I noticed that some of you posted verses earlier than this post was published and they came up on the SSMT informational comments.  I should have doubly emphasized what time the posts will go up each round: 8:00 AM, each 1st and 15th. So sorry if I did not make that clear enough! If you submit your verse earlier than that, it unfortunately appears under the wrong post and, the way blog moderating works, there’s no way for us to transfer the comments over. If you left your 1st verse under any other post than this one, please add it here as well. This is the official registration post.  I know it’s a bit complicated at first! Hang with it! So sorry for your extra trouble!
Hey, I am so glad you’re doing this with us. So much love to you.
OK, GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gina from Missouri says:
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
NIV Jer 33:3 ~ Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.
Glenda, Winston Salem, NC, Every day I will bless you and I will praise your Name forever and ever. Psalm 145:2 NKJ
Tatiana Cavarretta, Boca Raton Florida.
But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13
Karen Stark, Tallahassee, FL
For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things and in him all things hold together. Col. 1:16-17 ESV
Philippians 4:4-7 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Mei, Easley SC:
His splendor covers the heavens,
and the earth is full of His praise.
His brilliance is like light;
rays are flashing from His hand.
This is where His power is hidden. Habakkuk 3:3-4 HCSB
Carmen Baerg, Largo, FL
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Thy faithfulness.” Lamentations 3: 22-23 ESV
Carrie Coleman Canoga Park, California
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38&39 KJV
Karen Coppley Winston Salem NC Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old is passed away; behold, the new has come. 2Cor 5:17 ESV
Giovana Cavarretta, Boca Raton, FL, “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. (â€Psalm‬ â€91‬:â€14‬ NIV)
Amy Dendy in Mize, MS. “Create in me a clean heart, O God, renew a loyal spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10 NLT
Psalm 100:1-4 Shout for joy to the Lord all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us and we are His, we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. (NIV)
Lisa B, Onalaska, And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. Ephesians 3:18 NLT
Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
Colossians 3:17 NASB version
Bolivar, MO
Nancy Coffey, Barboursville, WV
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV
Jane, Richmond, IN – “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” Philippians 2:13 (NLT)
Psalms 27:4 ton
The one thing I want from God, the thing I seek most of all, is the privilege of meditating in his Temple, living in his presence every day of my life, delighting in his incomparable perfections and glory. He is worth pursuing!
Ann Pensacola, Florida
“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
Lu, Raleigh NC
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (Col. 3:16 ESV)
But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace, To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood. Galatians 1:15-16 KJV Rhonda Burke, Leonard, TX
Jen Wilson, WA State
Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else. 1 Thessalonians 5:15
Lee from Gilbert, AZ: “I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life.” (Deuteronomy 30:19-20 NIV) My word for 2015 is CHOOSE.
CeCelia Ray, St. Louis, MO “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it.” 2 Timothy 3:12-14
Tanya Inman, Killen, AL. “Create in me a new heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10 (ESV)
Elizabeth Behling. Florence, South Carolina
“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 ESV
Courtney Kelly, Starke, FL
Psalm 4:8
“I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.”
Lenore Mauser Bakersfield, CA 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. Phil. 4:8 NIV 1984
Stephanie Beauchamp, Houston, TX
You are my hiding place, You will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. Psalm 32:7 NIV
Christina Ehemann, Little Rock, Arkansas
“And it will be said in that day, ‘Behold, this is our God for whom we have waited that He might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited;let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.’
Is 25:9 NASB
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5 ESV
Gwen Ward, Auburn, Alabama
Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. (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.)
Isaiah 43:18(&19), NIV
Mila Kenton, Ohio
God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him. There is no judgement against anyone who believes in Him. But anyone who does not believe in Him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. John 3:17-18 NLT
Nikki L, Littleton, CO
“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the rock eternal.”
Isaiah 26:3-4 NIV
Lori R., Knoxville, IA
But you, O Lord are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. Psalm 3:3, ESV
Ruth….Sarnia
Ephesians3:20 [The Passion Translation] Never doubt God’s mighty power to work in you and accomplish all this. He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination! He will outdo them all, for His miraculous power constantly energizes you!
Lisa, Pensacola, Fl
1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
Karen Watson, Nashville, TN “But wisdom is shown to be right by the lives of those who follow it.” Luke 7:35, NLT.
Felisa Sipe,Bear Creek,N.C. Behold ,I am doing a new thing! Now it springs forth;do you not perceive and know it and will you not give heed to it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:19 Amp.version
Brianna Watt, Harder Heights, Texas.”But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV
For my life is spent with grief,And my years with sighing,My strength fails because of my iniquity,and my bones waste away
Psalm 31:10
NKJV
Felicia Bess, Richmond, TX. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13
Mollie, San Augustine, Tx
Jeremiah 29:11
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.
Cymric Keith-Yarbrough, Shawsville, VA
“Fear thou not;for I am with thee, be not sidmayed;for I am thy God: I will strenghthen thee; yea I will help thee, yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my rightousness. Isaiah 41:10 KJV
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that he exists and that he reward those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)
You dear children are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 1 John 4:8 NIV
Garricyn Richert, Woodland, Ca
“Where there is strife, there is pride, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.” Proverbs 13:10 NIV
Psalms 51:10-13 NLT
Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. Then I will teach your ways to rebels, and they will return to you.
Kristie King, Beech Bluff, TN. The Lord will fight for you; you must be quiet. Exodus 14:14. HCSB.