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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Catherine, Sterling, KS: Phil. 3:13-14:
“No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven.” (NLT)
“So we do not lose heart, though our outer self is wasting away our inner self is being renewed day by day” 2 Corinthians 4:16 ESV
Amy, Baileyton Alabama, Therefore there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1 NASB
Linda , Harrisonburg, Virginia
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus , his Son, purifies us from all sin. I John 1:7 NIV
Christine Palmer, Alaska “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
Marit Agterhof, Haarlem, The Netherlands: “U allen die door de doop Ă©Ă©n met Christus bent geworden, hebt u met Christus omkleed.” Galaten 3: 27 NBG
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgive each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Eph. 4:32 NIV
Psalm 51:10
Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mothers womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
Psalm 139:13-14 ESV
Gayle, Atkins Arkansas. ‘Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.’ 1 Corinthians 9:24 ESV
Hi Gayle! I guess you could call us neighbors. I live just down the road in Pottsville! 🙂
Burke, VA. “Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.” Romans 6:8 NIV
Garden City, Kansas. “Do not be anxious about anything but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:6 NIV.
Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me,for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. Psalm 25:4-5 NIV
Rissa Larson. Clarksville, Tennessee
“Creat in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence
or take you Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit , to sustain me.”- Psalm 51:10-12 (NIV)
Karen Chancellor from Austin, Texas. “You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.” Romans 2:1 NIV
Jessica Guffey, Chattanooga, TN
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
Hebrews 4:12 ESV
Mandy, Columbia,SC
I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work,and meditate on your mighty deeds. Psalm 77-11-12 ESV
Jeremiah 2:25a, “Slow down. Take a deep breath. What’s the hurry? Why wear yourself out? Just what are you after anyway?” (MSG)
Amy H. from Hampton, TN “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
I like this verse so well, Amy, that I think I will make it my second verse this month! Thank you!
Kansas City, Mo
“The person who knows my commandments and keeps them, that’s who loves me. And the person who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and make myself plain to Him John .14.21.msg
Brenda Perez, Stephenville, TX
Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you.Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life. Psalm 143:8 NIV
Man,WV.
“The Lord is my light and my salvation;whom shall I fear?The Lord is the strength of my life;of whom shall I be afraid?Psalm 27:1 KJV
Tammy, Collinsville,MS
“The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.”
Proverbs 15:4 NIV
You are my hiding place. You protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. Psalm 32:7
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.”
Isaiah 41:10 NIV
Melissa Imhoff, Cedar Springs MI
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 43:19 NIV
I like your first choice, Melissa! That is the verse I chose as well. However, because verse 18 is short and easy, I included it as well. 🙂
Thou will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord forever: for the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength.
Isaiah 26:3,4
Pushkala, Louisville, KY 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. Jer 29:11 NIV
Zechariah 8:13
Just as you, Judah and Israel, have been a curse among the nations, so I will save you, and you will be a blessing. DO NOT BE AFRAID, BUT LET YOUR HANDS BE STRONG.”
Laurie S., Omaha, Nebraska, “Be still, and know that I am God;” Psalm 46:10 (NIV)
Jerrianne, Lakewood, CO
Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand new. It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it? There it is! Isaiah 43:19 The Message
Amy, Columbia, TN “He dies for lack of discipline, and because of his great folly he is led astray.” Proverbs 5:23
Heather S., Lincoln, NE “Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” (â€Luke‬ â€1‬:â€45‬ NIV)
Philippians 4:8
Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever isnoble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about such things.
Denise Wilkin
The Woodlands, Texas
1 Thessalonians 1:4 HNV
We know, brothers loved by God, that you are chosen.
I would personalize this with sisters, my name or your name
Lori, Gig Harbor, Washington
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old is gone, the new is here!
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)
Kathryn Luedtke,Sherwood Park, Alberta “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:19 NIV
Melody from Perdido Alabama: Psalm 51:9. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Niv
Julie Garro, Mansfield, Texas Zephaniah 3:17 (GNT) The Lord your God is with you;
his power gives you victory.
The Lord will take delight in you,
and in his love he will give you new life.[a]
He will sing and be joyful over you,
1 Peter 3:15 Through thick and thin, keep your heart at attention, in adoration, before Christ Jesus your Master.
Barbara Quackenbos, Chesapeake, Virginia. “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.” 2 Corinthians 10:4 ESV
Becky Corvi from Battle Ground, WA.
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope”…Jer 29:11 NKJV
Jennifer Schroeder, New Prague, MN. 1 Corinthians 10: 31- So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. (NLT)
Michele Snyder, Rupert, Idaho
Isaiah 43:18-19 (NKJV)
Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. 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.
Jenn from Savage, MN: Romans 8:37-39 (CEV) In everything we have won more than a victory because of Christ who loves us. I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love-not life or death, not angels or spirits, not the present or the future, and not powers above or powers below. Nothing in all creation can separate us from God’s love for us in Christ Jesus Our Lord.
Hi Jenn- I saw your post a couple after mine and noticed that you are my neighbor (we are in New Prague). Hope to see you in Houston!
Jolinda Drake, Kearney, NE
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John10:10 NIV
Julie Rabe, Columbus, Ohio-
“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.” (â€I Peter‬ â€1‬:â€6-9‬ NKJV)
Beth Mcquikin, Waterloo NY
Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the Lord
shall renew their strength; they shall mount up
with wings as eagles; they shall run and not
be weary; and they shall walk,and not be
faint. KJV
Lynell Horn from Kirbyville, Texas
January 1, 2015 at 4:15 pm
Being confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6 NKJ)
Lisa, Morning View, KY
Hebrews 4:16
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.