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) Ā 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 ofĀ 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 areĀ 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:Ā
Your name, city, verse (written all the way out), reference, and translation.Ā
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 citizensĀ with the saints and members of the household of God.”Ā 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 householdĀ all we’ve got. Christ is so altogether worthy.
Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! One last thing before I say Go!Ā 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 upĀ on the SSMT informational comments. Ā 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. Ā I know it’s a bit complicated at first! Hang with it!Ā So sorry for your extra trouble!
Hey, I am so glad you’re doing this with us. So much love to you.
OK, GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Codie, Loudon, New Hampshire. “Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.” Proverbs 31:25. ESV
La Teisa Crockett Bedford Heights, OH “The joy of the Lord is my strength.” NEH.8:10 (WEB)
Ronelle Neill Sioux Falls SD ” No dear brothers and sisters I have not achieved it, but I focus on one thing. Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.” Phillipians 3:13 NIV
Kathy, Conway, SC. “You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail”. Proverbs 19:21 NLT
Holly Barrett, Crossnore NC
“I’m asking God for one thing, only one thing:
To live with Him in His house my whole life long.
I’ll contemplate His beauty;
I’ll study at His feet.”
Psalm 27:4 MSG
Kerry Lewis ,Durham NC
And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. 1Tim 1:14 (KJV)
Yay, another NC-gal!!
Ginny Bunn, Grayson, Georgia
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding,
In all your ways acknowledge Him and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6 NASB
Jan Rolan in Salt Lake City, Utah
And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:8. (NIV)
ShaNada Williams, Birmingham, Alabama
“O God, you are God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land, where there is no water.” Psalms 63:1 ESV
Kiri Smith, Doncaster UK
I pray that He will give light to the eyes of your hearts, so that you will understand the hope to which He has called you, what rich glories there are in the inheritance He has promised His people, and how surpassingly great is His power working in those who trust in Him. Ephesians 1:18-19 Complete Jewish Bible
Tshaka; Overijse, Belgium
Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.
Isaiah 43:18 NIV
Beth Stone, Deltona, FL 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 English Standard Version
Sonya Perkins, Locust Fork AL ~ She opens her mouth with wisdom, and loving instruction is on her tongue. Proverbs 31:26
Michelle Kukshtel, Warner Robins, GA
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and exhorting one another with all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, all with grace in your hearts to God.” Col. 3:16 NET
Kelly Bickley, Brunswick, OH
“Renew the thinking of your mind by the Spirit and clothe yourself with the new person created according to God’s image in justice and true holiness.” (Ephesians 4:23-24; CEB)
Valerie Maddox, Dayton, Texas “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” Philippians 2:3-5 NLT
Sarah, Springfield, Ohio:
John 15:4 – New Living Translation (NLT)
“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.”
Terry Felix
Washington, IL
And the one sitting on the throne said, āLook, I am making everything new!
āRevelationā¬ ā21ā¬:ā5ā¬ NLT
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2nd Corinthians 5:17
Laura M
Shenyang, China
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-25 NKJV
Nicole Kelly, Rowlett, Texas, “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.” Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV
Sara Martin ~ Houston, TX ~ But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14, NIV
Lindsay
New Waverly, Texas
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (āHebrewsā¬ ā12ā¬:ā1-2ā¬ NKJV)
Lynn Nickoley, Dyersburg, TN
“For we are sojourners before Thee, and tenants, as all our fathers were; our days on the earth are like a shadow…” 1 Chronicles 29:15 NASB, The Open Bible Edition
Angela, Amarillo, TX
He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. Colossians 1:17 NASB
Dianna, Caracas, Venezuela, 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.
Sharon Bowie, St. Louis, MO
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Christ Fulfills the Law. Matthew 5:16 NKJV
Brannon Edmonds, Lexington,SC
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me! And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the son of God-who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galations 2:20 (ASV)
Ann Elise, Leawood, Kansas
āForget about whatās happened;donāt keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. Iām about to do something brand-new.Itās bursting out! Donāt you see it? There it is! Iām making a road through the desert,rivers in the badlands. Isaiah 43:19, The Message
I chose the same one!
I needed to hear this one, thank you! May use it for my next verse š
Cathy Kelly, Chicago, Illinois “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth.” āJamesā¬ ā5ā¬:ā17ā¬ ESV
Ginger Lowe
Wetumpka, AL
The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. Ps. 16:6 HCSB
Lydia Quillin, Creighton, MO: “Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all my days were written in Your book and planned before a single one of them began.” Psalm 139:16 (HCSB)
Tina Teutsch, Flower Mound, TX
The LORD says, āForget what happened before, and do not think about the past.Look at the new thing I am going to do.It is already happening. Donāt you see it? I will make a road in the desert and rivers in the dry land. Isaiah 43:18-19 New Century Version (NCV)
Kim, Fredericksburg, VA – “I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell all of your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.” Psalm 9:1-2, NIV
Linda Proffitt, Louisville, KY; He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (āMicahā¬ ā6ā¬:ā8ā¬ ESV)
Mindy from Austin, TX – “Blessed are those who strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.” Psalm 84:5, NIV.
Sara Altmyer, Gulf Shores, Alabama
“But you will not leave in haste or go in flight; for the Lord will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard.” Isaiah 52:12 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.” Jeremiah 29:11.
PhyllisAdelle Sherer, South Carolina
Peggy Sweeney, Tampa, Florida “And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then He who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through His Spirit who lives in you.” Romans 8:11 HCSB
Teresa Davis,Loogootee, Indiana
“God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God”. 2Corinthians 5:21
Ann, Springboro, Ohio. “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, (āRomansā¬ ā3ā¬:ā23-24ā¬ NKJV)
Jamie Wagner, Billings, Montana: “But clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ and forget about satifying your sinful self.” Romans 13:14, NCV
Lori Long, Oil City, PA. “But forget all that-it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do a brand-new thing. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness for my people to come home. I will create rivers for them in the desert!” Isaiah 18-19 (NLT)
Maureen Erickson, Antigua, Guatemala. “Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.” Psalm 141:3 NIV
Miranda Coker, Kirkwood, MO “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:14 NIV
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:17
Barb, Des Moines, IA “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJ)
Cassie Roth, Tunnel Hill Ga
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old is passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV
Julie Wagner, Nederland,TX. “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” Psalm 119:11 NIV
Phoebe Cunningham, Tucson, AZ.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3 NIV