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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi! This is Sally Retz from Smithville, NY
“But, forget all that-it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. 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 43:18-19 NLT
“And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we asked of Him.” 1 John 14-15 ESV
Mary Kathryn, Marshall, TX “For I know the plans I have for you, says The Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
My husband wants to do this with me (!!!!) and asked me to post his verse too: TJ, Marshall, TX “Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted throughout the earth.” Psalm 46:10 NIV
Aimee Craig, Southaven, MS ~ The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Deuteronomy 6:2-26 ESV
Haley
Russellville, AR
“They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.” (â€Psalm‬ â€112‬:â€7‬ NIV)
Punky Tolson, Dallas, Texas “For God did not give us a Spirit of fear but of power and love and self-control.” 2 Timothy 1:7, NET
Proverbs‬ â€16‬:â€3‬ NIV
Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.
Lisa Deering, Linden MI
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
James 1:12 (NASB)
12 Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
Pam M. Campbellsburg,In. Then the Lord answered me and said: Write the vision and make it plain on tablets. That he may run who reads it. Habakkuk 2:2 NKJV NSFL
Iowa, Louisiana In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
John 1:4 ESV
Catherine from Centreville, VA
She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come. Proverbs 31:25 (NIV)
Irene Ford, Lexington, SC –
O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. Psalm 63:1 NKJV
Psalm 19:14 May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight, oh Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
Jamie from Ooltewah, Tennessee
[5] Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; [6] in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight …
Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV
Nancy, Vancouver, WA USA;
Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!
Psalm 100:1(NKJV)
Krista Wilson- Roanoke, VA
Blessed is she who has believed that The Lord would fulfill His promises to her. Luke 1:45 NIV
Ronda Smith from Marion, IN “This is what the Lord says-your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.” Isaiah 48:17 NIV
Lauran Bunting -Dayton, Ohio-
Galatians 1:10 NIV
Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.
1 Corinthians 10:13(NIV)
No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
Joanna Goforth
Lee’s Summit, MO
Teach me your way, O LORD,
that I may walk in your truth;
unite my heart to fear your name. Palms 86:11 ESV
Mandi Autry, Edmond, OK… Matthew 5:16 NASB… Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
Laurie Hairston, Marietta, GA
“The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17 NIV
Samantha Rodriquez, Fort Hood, TX
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 NIV
Elizabeth from Birmingham, Al:
He who has an ear let him hear what the spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone, which no one knows but he who receives it. Rev. 2:17 NASB
Janet–Chicago, Il
1 John 4:12 (NIV)
No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
Give me understanding, that I may observe Thy law, and keep it with all my heart. Psalm 119:34
NAS
McDonough, GA
The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still. Exodus 14:14 NIV
Psalm 62:8
Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.
Psalm 62:8
Lourdes Minor, Decatur, Georgia “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah‬ â€29‬:â€11‬ ESV.
Emilie
Eaton, IN
Isaiah 43:18-19 (CEV)
Forget what happened long ago! Don’t think about the past.
I am creating something new. There it is! Do you see it? I have put roads in deserts, streams in thirsty lands.
Laura, Keller, Texas
“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
Lauri, Nashville, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:1-2 (NIV)
Marilyn A., Piedmont, Oklahoma
Isaiah 14:18-19 (NIV)
18 “Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
19 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.
Wendy Neal, Colorado Springs, CO. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6 NIV
Karin, Aston, PA
“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”
Colossians 2:6 (NIV)
Twyla Davis, Bladenboro, NC “Likewise the Spirit helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” Romans 8:26, NKJV
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 It’s leaves are always green Is has no worries in ayeat of drought and never fails to beat fruit. NIV. Jeremiah 17:8
Mindy – McDonough, GA
Isaiah 43:18-19 “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.
Heather, Dahlonega, GA
The Lord appeared to me from afar saying, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you with loving kindness.”
Jeremiah 31:3 NASB
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
Rachel Bergeron, Mascouche (QuĂ©bec, Canada) “Ainsi, que vous mangiez, que vous buviez, bref quoique vous fassiez, faites tout pour la gloire de Dieu.” 1 Cor. 10.31 semeur, french
Barbara, Lakewood, CO
“Because he bends down to listen,
I will pray as long as I have breath”
Psalm 116;2 (NLT)
He listens not only to the words I speak but reaches deep into the center of my heart! I Will Pray!
April Roark-Crowley,Texas-Proverbs 19:21: Many are the plans in a person’s heart,but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.
Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity…
Titus 2:7 ESV
Diane Windle, Oshkosh WI Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Psalm 90:1 NIV
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8(NIV)
Amy Allen, Wooster, OH “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
Donnie
Hereford, Tx
If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John 8:31-32 NKJV
Stacy, Taylor,TX
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, Holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship.2)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 Gods will is-His good, pleasing and Perfect will.” Romans 12:1-2 NIV