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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Teri Krezdorn, Salem, SC
“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” – Psalm 73:26 (NIV)
Tricia Long, Topeka, KS
“I cry aloud to God, and He will hear me. I sought The Lord in my day of trouble. My hands were continually lifted up all night long; I refused to be comforted.”
Psalm 77: 1& 2, Holmon Standard
Isaiah 61:1 NIV
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.
Marengo,IL
Michelle, Airdrie, Alberta, Canada
“At the Lord’s command they encamped, and at the Lord’s command they set out. They obeyed the Lord’s order, in accordance with his command through Moses.”
– Numbers 9:23 NIV
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Proverbs 4:23
The word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
Hebrews 4:12 NIV
Jennifer Frisbie, Jefferson City, MO
See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. (Colossians 2:8, NIV)
Cindy Dicharry,Prairieviile LA
The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, But everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty. Proverbs 21:5 ESV
Sarah McGuire – Orangevale, Ca.
“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
Shanna Fretwell, Batesville, Arkansas
Philippians 2:3-4 NIV
3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
Shannon Serrano, Silver Spring, MD
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Romans 12:2 NASB
Jeannie-Jacksonville, FL , Isaiah 40:31 KJV
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; they shall walk and not faint.
Carol Allison – Birmingham AL
“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
Anne Acker – Johnson City, TN
Romans 12:2 (ESV)
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
For the foolishness of God is wiser than the man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength. 1 Corinthians 1:25
Katherine, Grand Rapids, MI
“I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With Him at my right hand I will not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure”
Psalm 16:8-9 NIV
Janet Faucher, Phoenix, AZ
“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”
John 15:5 (NIV)
“Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last,and the Living One. I was dead, but look — I am alive forever and ever” Revelation 1:17b-18a Holman Christian Standard Bible
Erin, Canyon, Texas
The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. – Zephaniah 3:17, ESV.
Susan, Beaverton, Oregon- Hebrews 11:1 NIV Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
Marina McClure, Olathe, KS “Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble.” Psalm 119:165, ESV
“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”
1 Peter 5:7 (NIV)
Lori Willey, Minneapolis, MN
Go on up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!”
Isaiah 40:9 ESV
Niki Richardson, Knoxville, TN — “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” Prov. 31:8-9 NIV
Debbie Kilgallin, Rochester, Minnesota
But you have received the Holy Spirit, and He lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what He teaches is true—it is not a lie. So just as He has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.
1 John 2:27 NLT
Lori D, Elk Grove, CA “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.” Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
Honor the Lord with your possessions And with the first of all your increase so your barns will be filled with plenty And your vats will overflow with new wine. Proverbs 3;9-10. NKJV. I think this something we all need to remember and focus on in this world of wants. I know the more I try to make things happen without first giving I fail to meet my obligations. Even when I didn’t have enough the Lord has blessed me to get by when I paid my tithes.
Julie Kunz, Seattle, WA.
“For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”
Hebrews 12:11 English Standard Version(ESV)
Isaiah 26:3-4 Living Bible (TLB)
3 He will keep in perfect peace all those who trust in Him, whose thoughts turn often to the Lord! 4 Trust in the Lord God always, for in the Lord Jehovah is your everlasting strength.
“O Lord, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress.” Is. 33:2
NIV
Florence, SC
Debbie Boatright, Decatur, TX: Because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan. (â€Ephesians‬ â€1‬:â€11‬ NLT)
Angelina Blass from Ankeny, Iowa. “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. 1 John 3:1 NIV
Jill, Spokane, WA
Philippians 4:5-6, New International Version (NIV)
“Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
Alesha Culp- Creswell Oregon, “You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” 1 John 5:4 NASB
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Philippians 4:13 New King James Version (NKJV)
Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow! For when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. James 1:2-4 NLT
Morgan from Franklin, IN
“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.” Hebrews 10:23 NIV
May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us;
establish the work of our hands for us—
yes, establish the work of our hands. Psalms 90:17 NIV
So Each time he said ” my grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So Now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses so that Christ can work through me. 2Corinthians 12:9 NIV
Karen S, Yorba Linda, CA
Isaiah 41:13 “For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.”
Robin, Oak Harbor, Washington. James 1
1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations:
Greetings.
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. New International Version (NIV)
I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Psalms 34:4 NIV
Jo Ann Palacios Big Spring, Texas
“But as for you, contuine in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you those from which you learned, And how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus 2 Timothy 3:14-15 (NIV)
Ashley Johnson, Kannapolis, NC “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.” (â€Philippians‬ â€4‬:â€6-7‬ NIV)
“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)
Candi Beemer, South Lyon,MI
“Mary committed these things to memory and considered them carefully.”
Luke 2:19 Common English Bible CEB
Nancy Conway from Las Vegas, NV
“The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.” NLT
I have resurrection power, through Jesus, living in me. Dreams, relationships, abilities that the world says are dead can be brought back to life. Nothing is impossible with God.
Tillie, Spring Branch, TX
“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.”
Isaiah 26:3 NKJV
Marsha Sullivan, Louisville, Kentucky. “I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” Psalm 119:10-11 (NIV)
Jessy T., Houston, TX
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 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. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the door posts of your house and on your gates.” ~Deuteronomy 6:5-9~ NKJV