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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cindy Orr, Dillon, SC. “Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible, but not everything is constructive.” 1 Corinthians 1:23, NIV
Darlene, Brook Park, OH: Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4 NIV
Diane Ellison, Littleton, CO
But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD,
I wait for God my Savior;
my God will hear me.
Micah 7:7 NIV
Kim, memohis, TN
Romans 12:1 So hereâs what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary lifeâyour sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around lifeâand place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Donât become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. Youâll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. Thes message
Hebrews 13:8 (NKJV) – Jesus Christ is the same yesterday,today, and forever.
Karen, Sacramento, CA
“Look, I am about to do something new. Now it begins to happen! Do you not recognize it?Yes, I will make a road in the desertand paths in the wilderness.” âIsaiah 43:19 NET
Charif from Chatsworth, CA
My 1st verse of the year is Lamentations 3:22-23
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Happy New Year!
Carla, Ava, Mo
2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here!
Stacey McAnulty, Belton, TX, Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5 NIV
Jacquelyn B. Aliso Viejo, CA Phil 4:6-7 Be Anxious for Nothing, 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 mind in Jesus Christ.
Gillette Woodward, De Soto, Kansas “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Romans 12:2 NIV
âMay the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.â Rom. 15:13
Murphy, TX
Cheryl, Pryor-OK- “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV
Maryann Clarke, Phenix City, Alabama: ” He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain for the old order of thing is passed away” Rev. 21:4 NIV
Jinja, Uganda
The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.
Psalms 37:23-24 (NLT)
Tammy Decker, Mt Pleasant, South Carolina. – âForget about whatâs happened; donât keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. Iâm about to do something brand-new. Itâs bursting out! Donât you see it? There it is! Iâm making a road through the desert, rivers in the badlands.” Isaiah 43:18-19 MSG
Wendy L., Lancaster, PA. “Set a guard , O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!” Psalm 141:3 ESV
Deb, Lancaster, PA “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreingers, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God…” Ephesians 2:19 NKJV
Herkimer, NY Phil 3:12-14 (NLT) 12 “I donât mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it,[a] but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”
Sorry it’s long but these verses were so perfect for me for this New Year!
Tammy Rude ~Binghamton, NY
Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Proverbs 3:6 NLT
Ann Gardner from North Canton, OH ” For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.” 2 peter 1:5-7
Diane Wilson, Picayune, MS, “Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. This is my command-be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:8-9 NLT
Gina Fernandez, Wilson, North Carolina. “Jesus answered, âIt is written: âMan shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.â” Matthew 4:4, NIV
Robin Sotomayor from Ceres, California
“Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.
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)
Christine Keene, Gilbert, Arizona
John 15: 1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.”
Cathy, California
Instead, let the spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes
Ephesians 4:23 (NLT)
Anna, from Cincinnati, OH.
My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. Psalm 139:15-16 (NIV)
Angela Selzer – Jackson Missouri
I always pray for you and I make my request with a heart full of joy because you have been my partners and spreading the good news about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. Philippians 1: 4-5 NLT
Allison, Little Rock, AR âLook at the nations and watchâand be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.” Habakkuk 1:5 NIV
Kathryn, Oceanside, “I can do all things through Christ which strengthened me.” Philippians 4:13. KJV
Ami De La Rosa, Collinsville, OK “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 NIV
Rita from Manly, IA: “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ESV
Isaiah 54:10
Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you.
this is the NIV
Catie Vela, Lorena, Tx.
Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:19 NKJV
Kelly Westlund; Richland, WA. Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. Isaiah 40:28 NIV
Lindsey Chesser, Odessa, Texas. “Love the Lord all you godly ones! For the Lord protects those who are loyal to him, but he harshly punishes the arrogant.” Psalms 31:23 NLT
Jen Humphreys – Carlton Landing, OK
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. â2 Corinthians 4:7 ESV
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience
Colossians 3:12 ESV
Diane Vaccaro, Fresno, CA
Tanya Whisenhunt, Broken Bow OK
“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 KJV
Heather Miller from Greensburg, Louisiana
“Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven.” Luke 6:37 KJV
“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
She opens her mouth with wisdomâ a lesson of kindness is on her tongue. Proverbs 31:26 TLV
Shannon — The Woodlands, TX
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)
Sonya Burtis, Cullman, AL: Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. Ephesians 4:29 ESV
Amanda Miller from New Philadelphia, Ohio “Careful planning puts you ahead in the long run; hurry and scurry puts you further behind.” Proverbs 21:5 (MSG)
Tracy Morford — Georgetown, KY
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5, NIV
Betty M Voltaire ND Third SSMT!!!
Phillippians 4:1 ESV
Therefore my brothers whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.
Clinton, OK
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Isaiah 41:10 ESV
Teresa Cianciotto, Dickinson, TX
“Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!â Luke 1:45 NIV
Whitney Jarnagin, Russellville, TN. “For nothing will be impossible with God.” Luke 1:37. ESV