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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Deb N. Anchorage, Ak.
Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Trisha Stern, Colgate, Wisconsin
Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Sue Jantz from Broken Arrow, OK Romans 15:13 ” Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” NAS
Tracey Fulton, Mocksville, NC
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
NKJV
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Jonna Meyer from Fair Oaks, CA.
Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his plan” NIV
Philipians 2:3 NLT
Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.
Carly Zeltwanger
Carmel, Indiana
“So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” John 13:34-35 NLT
Jennifer Moore- Clermont FL
Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity; I have expectantly trusted in, leaned on, and relied on the Lord without wavering and shall not slide.
Psalm 26:1
Linda Hughes ~Greenville, SC~ 1 Peter 5::6-7
Humble yourselves therefore, under the mighty hand of God
So that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties
On him because he cares for you.
Gina McQuillen
You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts you
Isaiah 26:3
“But above all pursue his kingdom & righteousness & all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33 NET
Jeanne Barr St. Petersburg, FL
“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” Jeremiah 29:3 NIV
Sandra Hagy – North Tazewell, Virginia
Therefore my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
1Corinthians 15:58 NIV
Murfreesboro, TN
God’s word is alive and working and is sharper than a double-edged sword. It cuts all the way into us, where the soul and the spirit are joined, to the center of our joints and bones. And it judges the thoughts and feelings in our hearts.
Hebrews 4:12
NCV
Deanna Estes, Lexington,KY
“Have I not commanded you? Be stong and courageous!
Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord you God is with you
wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 NAS
Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity
and passing over transgression
for the remnant of his inheritance?
He does not retain his anger forever,
because he delights in steadfast love.
Micah 7:18 ESV
Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will reap a crop of my love; plow the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and shower salvation upon you.
Hosea 10:12 TLB
Kansas City, Missouri
“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10 (NIV)
Laura Wyrabkiewicz Ida, Michigan
The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
Isaiah 58:11 NKJV
“(Now) we have this (hope) as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul (it cannot slip and it cannot break down under whoever steps out upon it–a hope) that reaches farther and enters into (the very certainty of the Presence) within the veil, where Jesus has entered in for us (in advance) a Forerunner having become a High Priest forever after the order (with the rank) of Melchezedek.” Hebrews 6:19-20 (AMP)
Brasov, Romania
Eph.3:20,21
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,
to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (â€NIV)
“Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth.” 1 John 3:18
Glenda Troy, OH. Go Bucks!
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
Galatians 6:9ESV
Psalm 139:2 You know when I sit down and when I stand up, You understand my thoughts from far away. Holmes study Bible
Summer Brunty, Bristol, TN
And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:13 NKJV
Kimberly Miller, Leachville, AR “That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:5 KJV
Nancy. Redkey
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Hebrews 12:1. NIV
Psalm 28:7-8 KJV
7 The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and i am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will i praise him.
8 The Lord is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed.
Cynthia Woo, Millbrae, CA
“For if you forgive others their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you.” Matthew 6:14
Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania
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
Melinda Sue Kimble, Nashville, TN
Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. Psalm 63:3-4 ESV
The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit Proverbs 15:4
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 NASB
Hendersonville, TN
And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 NET
Anne Malone, Plano, IL. 1 Corinthians 10:31, NASB: Whether, then, you ear or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
The Armor of God
10 Finally, be strong in the Lords and in his mighty power.t 11 Put on the full armor of God,u so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,v but against the rulers, against the authorities,w against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.y 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God,z so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist,a with the breastplate of righteousness in place,b 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.c 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.e 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit,g which is the word of God.h
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.k With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Ephesians 6:10-18
Anne Dennis, Fort Wayne, Indiana
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Isaiah 41:10 NIV
Brenda Nottestad, Bismarck, ND. II Cor. 10:4-6 NKJ “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.” NKJ
Debbie Evans,Hendersonville,TN. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ. Colossians 3:3
Tina Edwards; Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
Second verse: Colossians 3:17 ESV
“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
Christy, Georgia
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Philippians 4:6, NIV)
Catrina Marshall, Ft Worth, TX
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
Ephesians 4:2
Isaiah 44:22 “I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me,for I have redeemed you.” NIV
Tracey Rogers, King George, Va
And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive them so that your Father in heaven will forgive you your wrong doings Mark 11:25 HCSB
Vanessa Peacock Augusta, Georgia
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
Amy, Oneida, TN
“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; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
Isaiah 40:31 KJV
Tina Hudson
Perth Western Australia
Col 1:9-10
“We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding , 10 so that you may walk worthy of the Lord , fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God .We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding , 10 so that you may walk worthy of the Lord , fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God .”
Charlotte Heisel, Modesto, CA
Isaiah 33:2 (NLT)
But, LORD be merciful to us for we have waited for you. Be our strong arm each day and our salvation in times of trouble.
Amanda Lee Broadhead
Mendenhall, Mississippi
James 1:2-3
“Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.”
And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Galatians 6:9 NKJV