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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rockford, IL
Mark 11:23-24 NV
“I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
My mountain is debt.
Hi Luba. This is Joyce Kortze. We were together in a Bible study years back at Heartland. It was exciting to see your name and verse on the blog. 🙂 God bless your efforts!
Carol Collier, Coeur d’Alene, ID
Isaiah 58:11 NCV
The Lord will always lead you, He will satisfy your needs in dry lands and give strength to your bones. You will be like a garden that has much water, like a spring that never runs dry.
Jeremiah 33:3Amplified Bible (AMP)
3 Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, fenced in and hidden, which you do not know (do not distinguish and recognize, have knowledge of and understand).
Jeremiah 29:11 ESV
“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.”
Ryan Andrews from Douglas, Wy
2 Corinthians 3:17
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
You’re a tree replanted in Eden, bearing fresh fruit every month, never dropping a leaf, always in blossom. Psalm 1:3 Message
Dawn Deare from Lafayette, LA
Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression. Psalm 19:13 NIV
Cindy, Wimberley
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9 ESV
Jennifer from Lubbock, TX
“Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new. It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it? There it is! I’m making a road through the desert, rivers in the badlands.” (â€Isaiah‬ â€43‬:â€16-21‬ MSG)
Robin Wickman, Chadron, NE – The Lord is good to those who wait hopefully and expectantly for Him, to those who seek Him [inquire of and for Him and require Him by right of necessity and on the authority of God’s word]. (â€Lamentations‬ â€3‬:â€25‬ AMP)
Romans 5:5 NIV
And Hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His Love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit whom He has given us.
Iam so thankful for the Hope I have in Christ, and that as people may disappoint us God will never disappoint us. He is my Hope.
keshia O, Santee
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Hebrews11:1(NIV)
Annette- Columbus, Ohio
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1 ESV
Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. 1 Corinthians 4:2 NIV
Suzanne Demetriades, Cypress, Texas. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10 ESV
Shawna, Bates City MO, “You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.” Psalm 18:28 NIV84
Terri M. Dawson -Bentonville, Ar.
Hebrews 13:5 NLT
Do not love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God said,
“I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
Ephesians 2:10 NKJV
Mallory P, Jackson, TN
Hebrews 4:16, ESV
“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
Psalm 136:1
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, His love endures forever.
I chose this verse because God is good and He is good ALL the time!
Cheryl Paulsen. Portland, Oregon
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come. (â€2 Corinthians‬ â€5‬:â€17‬ HCSB)
Alisha
Hoschton, GA
The Lord your God, in your midst, the mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will quiet you with His love. He will rejoice over you with singing.
Zephaniah 3:17 NKJV
Sabrina, Portland, OR, Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Phil 4:6 NKJV
Leslie, Christiansburg, VA
“An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above jewels.”
Proverbs 31:10 NASB
Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy think about such things.
Philippians 4:8 NIV
Deana Gordy, Cartersville, GA
Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart; for I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts.
Jeremiah 15:16 NRSV
Tressa, Mobile, AL
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. (â€Isaiah‬ â€43‬:â€19‬ ESV)
“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
Rachael Sol from Marietta, GA
Isaiah 55:2 “Why spend money on what is bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare.”
Jennie Strope, Enid, OK
“For you shall not go out in haste, and you shall not go out in flight, for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard”.
Isaiah 52:12 ESV
Be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ has forgiven you.
Ephesians 4:32 ( NASB)
Deanna Bone, Gilbert, AZ – 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)
“Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees.” Isaiah 35:3 NKJV
38 For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am sure) that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things impending and threatening nor things to come, nor powers,
39 Nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8: 38-39 Amplified version
Sherrie A– Cullman, Alabama. Commit everything you do to the Lord, Trust Him, and he will help you. Psalm 37:10 NLT
Amalia Smith, Lumberton, Tx
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, 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. NIV
Teresa, Walla Walla, Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV
“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 desert and streams in the wasteland.”
Joy Martin, LaGrange, GA
“And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.” Colossians 3:15 NLT
Debra Fuller, Peoria, AZ. ” Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Philippians 4:6 NLT
Nancy Kelly; Sterrett, Alabama.
Isaiah 43:19 NLT
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.
Kaaren R. Columbia, SC
“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
April, Winston Salem, North Carolina A sound heart is the life of the flesh; but envy the rottenness of the bones. Proverbs 14:30 KJV
Barbara Bollman, West Fargo, North Dakota Psalm 29.11 NIV “The LORD gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace.”
Felicia, Fort Pierce FL
And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19 NKJV
“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
Katie Mitchell Jacksonville, FL
1 Corinthians 15:58 NLT
So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immoveable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.
We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death. (â€1 John‬ â€3‬:â€14‬ NIV)
Dana Roberts, McKinney TX
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6 NIV
Robin, Morehead, Ky.
“We have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of His will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding.” Colossians 1: 9 NLT
Jennie Spearin Granite Bay CA
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our Faith. Because of the Joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarded its shame. Now he is seated at the place of honor beside God’s Throne.”
Hebrews 12:1-2 NLT