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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lindsey Motes, Abilene, Texas “Those who spare the rod of discipline hate their children.
Those who love their children care enough to discipline them.” Prov 13:24 NLT
Kristie S., Discovery Bay, CA “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger” James 1:19 NIV
Kim Elliott, Cleveland, GA
Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I sould go, for to you I lift up my soul. Psalm 143:8 ESV
Wendy Follis, Houston. Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name. Psalm 86:11 ESV
Barbara Ordner, Houston , TX
This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24 ESV
Linda Feurt Goodman Mo Put on the whole armor of God , that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Ephesians 6:11 NKJV
Amy, Murfreesboro,TN
John 1:4-5 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. John 1:4-5 NIV
Caroline Auvil- Huntington, WV
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.” (NIV)
Tammie Gitt from Carlisle, PA
So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this,
“Cursed are you above all livestock
and all wild animals!
You will crawl on your belly
and you will eat dust
all the days of your life. (Genesis 3:14 NIV)
Phillis from Shelby, NC. “And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:8 (also referenced in New Testament in Hebrews 13:5) New King James Version
Lisa Stephenson, Muncie, Indiana
Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
“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.”
Brytanie Holbrook, San Diego, CA
Col. 3:12-14,MSG
So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without It.
Stacy from Searcy, Arkansas
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” John 1:5 (NIV)
Christi Zylstra, Grand Rapids, MI
Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. Luke 1:38 NKJV
Jess Isler, Atlanta GA.
“Everything in the world is about to be wrapped up, so take nothing for granted. Stay wide-awake in prayer. Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything.” 1Peter 4:7-8 (MSG)
1 thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what life ahead, I press on toward the goal…. Philippians 3:13
Shannon in McKinney
Proverbs 3:5-6
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” (NIV)
Kathy from Wichita, Ks
“Now listen daughter, don’t miss a word … the king is wild for you. Since he’s your lord, adore him.” Psalm 45:10-11 NIV translation
Morgan Guest, Athens, GA, “Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:5-7 ESV
One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek, inquire for, and insistently] require: that I may dwell in the house of the presence] all the days of my life, to behold and gaze beauty [the sweet attractiveness and delightful loveliness] of Lord and to meditate, consider, and inquire in His temple.
—Psalm 27:4
2 Corinthians 5:17
This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life has gone; a new life has begun.
I need to start my year off trusting the Lord fully!
“You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you. Trust in the LORD always, for the LORD God is the eternal rock.”
~ Isaiah 26:3-4, NLT
Kate Barney, Buford, GA
God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
Psalm 46:5 (ESV)
Shawn, Tega Cay, SC
Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust Him, and He will help you. Psalm 37:5 NLT
Louise Blount, Colorado Springs, Colorado. “Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap. As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mothers womb, so you can not understand the work of God, the maker of all things”. Ecclesiastes 11: 4-5 NIV
“This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.”
This helped me turn my sour attitude around. When I woke up and went to bed I said this verse.
Emily Johnson- Maumelle, AR
Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding.
—Proverbs 3:5 NIV
Mary from Renton, WA Jeremiah 29:11
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord. “Plans to prosper and not to harm you, plans for hope and a future.”
NIV Women’s Devotional Bible
Amanda Allen, Prior Lake, MN
Philippians 3:12 ESV
Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.
Hannibal NY
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. Hebrews13:8 NLT
April from Stanley, NC- I posted my verse yesterday morning, but don’t see it on here. Maybe I didn’t do it right, so let me try again. ” For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Jeremiah 29:11
Michelle Ziegler, Encinitas, CA. “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
Stephani Penn, Granite City, Illinois “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” Psalm 43:19 esv
Don’t revel only in the past, or spend all your time recounting the victories of days gone by. Watch closely: I am preparing something new; it’s happening now, even as I speak, and you’re about to see it.
Isaiah 43:18-19a
Beth – Komoka, ON
Isaiah 43:19 ESV
Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
Sheri Larkin, Rogers AR, In every situation take the shield of faith, and with it you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 2 Cor. 6:16 HCSB
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
Lisa Long, North Bay, ON, Canada “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (NIV)
Peggy Sue, Spotsylvania, Virginia… Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” (NIV)
Romans 12:2
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
Joyce Ludewig, Billings MT
Do not conform 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
Donna Lamon Aberdeen, MD.
Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.
2 Thessalonians 3:16
Psalm 119:76 May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to your promise to your servant.
Mieneke Klapwijk, Nijkerk, Holland.
Ik dank mijn God altijd voor u, omdat Hij u in Christus Jezus zijn genade heeft geschonken. Door Hem bent u in elk opzicht rijk geworden. Alles wat u zegt en al uw kennis bewijst dat het getuigenis over Christus bij u verankerd is. En hierdoor ontbreekt het u terwijl u op de komst van onze Heer Jezus Christus wacht, aan geen enkele gave van de Heilige Geest.
1 Cor. 1:4-8 NBV
Whitney, mobile, alabama “and He who was seated on the throne said, “behold, I am making all things new.” Rev 21:5a ESV
Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16 NIV
I have no greater joy than to know that my children are walking in the truth. 3 John 4
My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Ps.121:2
Kelli Bourgeois Duncan, SC I have set the LORD always before me because He is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Psalm 16:8 (NKJ)
LenaMae deWolfe, Columbia, South Carolina”
“Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God” Psalm 43:5 (NIV)