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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Katherine, Owensboro, Kentucky
In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before
and wait in expectation.
Psalm 5:3
NIV
Tina Hall, Montgomery, AL. “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice– the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.” Romans 12:1 NLT
Jenna Hodgins Santa Rita, Guam God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. Ephesians 2:8-9 NLT
Anita and daughter Shelby (11), Morristown, TN.
Anita’s verse: 27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. 28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. 29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.
Romans 8:27-30 NLT
Shelby’s verse: And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”
Esther 4:14b NIV
This is our first year with Siesta – we are so excited about it!
Jo Anne Melton, Chicago
God can do anything, you know–far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams.
Ephesians 3:20 (MSG)
Debbie -Washington, WV The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18 NIV
woodstock, GA
For this reason also, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.
Colossians 1:9-10 NASB
Sloan
Atlanta, GA
I have pitched my tent in the land of hope. Acts 2:26, The Message
Sonya Dickerson, Chesterfield, VA. “But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
Sonya Dickerson, Chesterfield, VA. “But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8, NIV
Lynda, Boiling Springs, SC. ” Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” Philippians 4:6 HCSB
Sarah Chappell, Roanoke Virginia. “Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him.” 1 Corinthians 7:17 ESV
Christine W. – Accokeek, MD
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” -Galatians 5:22-23, NIV
Angela, Monroe, GA
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.” Isaiah 43:18 NIV
Kim B. Cave City, AR But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, decieving your own selves. James 1:22 KJV
Peggy,Ozark,AR
I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from where shall
my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven
and earth.
Psalm 121:1&2
Megan, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
“Great peace have they who love Your law, nothing shall offend them or make them stumble.” Psalm 119:165 AMP
Denisha Bonds, Boynton Beach, FL: “Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.” Proverbs 31:25 ESV
Christie, Ocean, NJ: Isiah 55:11 (NLT)
It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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. Philippians 4:6-7
Marcie Concepcion, Burke, Va. “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” Romans 8:5-6 ESV
And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:
Cathy Clark
Umatilla, FL
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.
Colossians 3:16a
Venita Lyons, Springfield, IL. New to Twitter and SSMT so if I’ve duplicated I apologize. Ps. 91:2 I will say of the Lord “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” NIV Life Application Study Bible
Guard your heart with all vigilance, for from it are the sources of life. Proverbs4:23
Kathy Darnell from Princeton, Texas.
The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands
the foolish one tears hers down.
Proverbs 14:1 NIV
Jill, Oak Ridge, TN
“so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” Colossians 1:10 ESV
La Porte City, IA
“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.” Psalms 143:8
This is the day The Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.
Kathy- Orlando, Florida
“The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
but will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV)
Amanda Nashville, TN
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.” Psalms 32:8 NIV
Jess – Telford, PA
Starting the year off with this goal:
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Romans 12:2 NLT
For God gas us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. ESV
Help me to use my gifts and not give in to fear. Fear does not come from the Lord. I want to use the tools God has given me to overcome fear and be a stronger person.
Psalm 143:8
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. (â€Psalm‬ â€143‬:â€8‬ NIV)
Reply
Tiffany E. – Nampa, ID
ESV- “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ she is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
Gayle Hershberger, Uniontown, Ohio. “Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires” Romans 8:5 NIV
Sabrina Smart, Winder, Georgia
“But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.’ Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me.”
II Corinthians 12:9 (HCSB)
Lisa: Boonville, NC: Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah. Psalms‬ â€62‬:â€8‬ (NASB)
Janice Parent, Waynesburg, KY
For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. Isaiah 43:19 NLT
Memphis, TN John 14:27 Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Your heart must not be troubled or fearful. Holman Christian Standard
Pam, Chiangmai, Thailand
The faithful love of the Lord never ends!His mercies never cease.
Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.
Lamentations 3:22-23
Alethea Keegan, Mission Viejo, CA
Matthew 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough troubles of its own. NIV
2 Timothy 4:7New International Version (NIV)
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
Joanne Delanoy, Leduc, Alberta, Canada “Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says The Lord, who has compassion on you. NIV
Anita Siecker, Purcellville, VA
Not to us, Lord, not to us
but to your name be the glory,
because of your love and faithfulness.
Psalm 115:1 NIV84
8 Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; For in thee do I trust: Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; For I lift up my soul unto thee. Psalms 143:8 (NAS)
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” Galatians 4:22-23 NKJV
Karen, Houston Texas
For I know the plans I have for you, declares The Lord, plans to prosper you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11
Vanessa York, Cape Coral, Fl. ” The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand. Psalm 37:23-24 NKJV
Marie Kistner Brooklyn Park, Minnesota “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians‬ â€4‬:â€6‬ NIV
Do not conform any longer 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