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) 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:
Your name, city, verse (written all the way out), reference, and translation.
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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Proverbs 3:6
Lisa from Robertsdale, AL
“Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways when they carry out their wicked schemes.” Psalm 37:3-7
Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. Prov 16:3. NIV
Heatherly, Massachusetts, Isaiah 30:15 ESV
For thus said the Lord God , the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” But you were unwilling,
Keri Lynn, Macon, Ga “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7 NIV
From Rio Vista Texas
Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean :
Wash me, and I shall be whiter then snow.
Psalms 53:7
Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. NASB
Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through him who gives me strength.
I have recently been going through alot of medical issues and i use this verse to get me through…Thank you Jesus
“So he replied to the messengers, ‘Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.'” Lk 7:22
This was Jesus’ response to John’s question of who he was. Jesus quotes Isaiah’s prophesy in 35:1-7 of the wonder that would come when God rescued Israel. This is a great prophesy of a time bigger than a new year.
Beverly’s 1 John 3:16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. ESV
Lucy’s Psalm 45:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. ESV
But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31 NIV
Elisa Harness, Springfield MO New King James Version (NKJV)
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one![a] 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Allyson and Laurel Ann Elkins, Hamilton, TX
Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Matthew 22:37-39 NIV)
Rhonda Anderson, Harlan, IA
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Phil 4:8 ESV
I love that verse!
Leonora
Picayune, MS
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)
Kim Morton, Carrollton, TX Ephesians 4:29 NKJV “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.”
Kendra, Fort Collins, CO
“He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:37-39 (HCSB)
Kim, Cheyenne, WY. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice. And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. Ephesians 4: 31-32 (KJV)
Rebecca C. from Toledo, Ohio.
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)
WOW! I love the way the NLT states this verse. Romans 12: 1-2 are verses that I totally cherish! -)
I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 NLT
Beth Buzzello-Northridge, CA
This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Romans 3:22-24 NIV
NLT Mark 11:25
But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.”
Ashley, Atlanta, GA “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the the law of sin and death.”
Romans 8:1-2 TNIV
Leah in Camden, Arkansas
Psalm 101:2-3a
“I will behave wisely in a blameless way. Oh, when will You come to me? I will walk within my house with a blameless heart. I will set nothing worthless before my eyes…”
Pam Jackson, Blue Springs, MO “My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments,” Proverbs 3:1 ESV
Lori B. Holidaysburg, Pa
Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. 1 Peter 5:7 (NLT)
Betsy Haines, Greenfield, IN
For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7
Pikeville TN.
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. John 10:10 KJV
Robin Taylor Wiggins MS
I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God. Bend down and listen as I pray.
Psalm 17:6 (NLT)
From Virginia
Isaiah 30:21New International Version (NIV)
21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”
Nikole, Cadiz, KY
Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12, NIV
Kim from Hickory,NC
2 Corinthians 3:5
Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing of as of oursleves; but our sufficiency is of God; KJV
Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; Psalm 1:1 NKJ
Corinne in Chehalis, Washington
Carolyn Harper, Conroe, TX – “She extends her hand to the poor, and she stretches out her hands to the needy.” Proverbs 31:20, NASH
Doris, Rineyville KY
Acts 20:24(NIV)
However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.
Karen Horyna, El Dorado,KS
“No eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for those who love him.”
I Corinthians 2:9 NIV
God is our refuge and strength, an everpresent help in trouble. Psalm 46:10 NIV
Thank you God for always being my refuge!!
Jennifer, Chattanooga,TN
1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him. NKJV
Colossians 1:27 NET
God wanted to make known to them the glorious riches of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (!) Michelle O, Grandview, Tx
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. (James 1:22 ESV)
Megan Greenwood, Youngsville, NC
“Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.”
Psalm 34:14 ESV
Natalie El Dorado,KS “I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me for I have redeemed you.” Isaiah 44:22 (NIV)
Kelly, Emma (age 6), Eva Kate (age 10)-Versailles ky
Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. His love endures forever. Psalm 136:1 niv
Sarah Schartz, Claflin, KS. “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
Psalm 73: 26
Debbie, Warrensburg, MO – Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 (NIV)
Joyce Smith, Mount Juliet, TN… My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; He is mine forever. Psalm 73:26 NLT
Lindsey ~ Campbell Hall, NY
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (Romans 5:1-5 ESV)
(Verse 1 this week)
Amy, Portland, Michigan, “Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.” 1 John 5:21 NIV
Betsy,Greenville, SC “”For we are God’s masterpiece.He created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:10 NLT
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so no one can boast. Romans 2:8-9 NIV