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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing;now it springs forth, do not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:18-19.
“To do,what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice. ” Proverbs 21:3 NIV
Georgia Fulenwider, Whitewright, Tx
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV
Susan Douglas Pacific, WA
“If your heart is broken, you’ll find God right there; if you’re kicked in the gut, he’ll help you catch your breath.” Psalms 34:18 msg
Catelin Curnes, Lawrence,KS
“The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17 KJV
Hannah Chatham from Montgomery, AL
1 Peter 5:6-7 (MSG)
“So be content with who you are, and don’t put on airs. God’s strong hand is on you; he’ll promote you at the right time. Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you.”
Tasia Brand from Talihina, OK. “Those who know Your name trust in You because You have not abandoned those who seek You, Yahweh.” Psalm 9:10 HCSB
Elaine W., Poplar Bluff, MO “Sing for joy, O heavens! Rejoice. O earth! Burst into song, O mountains! For the Lord has comforted his people and will have compassion on them in their suffering “. Is. 49:13. NLT
Sherri Huff, Mechanicsville, VA. “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10 NIV
Elizabeth Joy Gainesville FL- Hosea 14:4 I will heal their backsliding I will love them freelyFor mine anger is turned away from him. (KJV)
“I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with Him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with Himself depends on faith. I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised Him from the dead. I want to suffer with Him, sharing in His death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!
Rebekka, College Station, TX, “And I tell you, ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Luke 11:9-10 NAB
Cookie House Grovetown, GA. 2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV Therefore if anyone is in Christ, He is a new creation; Old things have passed away, Behold All things have become new.
I want to join.
Tiffany Fang, Evanston, Illinois. “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:31-32 (NLT)
Jana, Denham Springs, “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive in Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by grace you have been saved.” Ephesians 2: 4-5 NIV
The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. Psalm 126:3 NIV
Jewel Hasek, Lecanto, FL, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 (NIV)
Karlene Marchant, Steinhatchee, Florida 1 Corinthians 15:58-So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless. NLT
Lashea Williams boaz,al
Do not love the world or the things in this world. If anyone loves the world the love of the Father is not in him.
1 John 2:15
Jen Weber, Huntersville, NC: isaiah 43:18-19 MSG “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.”
Laura, Albuquerque, NM “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, being convinced of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1, NET
karla hamrick, owasso, ok 1Thessalonians 5:21Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Kjv
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead 1 Peter 1:3
Kris Kauffman, Middlebury, Indiana
“So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God.
There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”
Hebrews 4;16
Sara Weick, Jonesboro, AR
“When the LORD brought back his exiles to Jerusalem, it was like a dream! We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy. And the other nations said, “What amazing things the LORD has done for them.” (â€Psalms‬ â€126‬:â€1-2‬ NLT)
Leigh Clemmons, Shorter, Alabama – “The LORD is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in him.” Nahum 1:7 NLT
THE Lord himself goes before you He will never leave you or forsake you Do not be afraid do not be discouraged Deuteronomy 31:8
Orange Park, FL And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our suffering, so also you share in our comfort. 2 Corin. 1:7. NIV
AnnaMarie Lohr, Pittsburgh,PA: “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
We must also consider how to encourage each other to show love and to do good things. We should not stop gathering together with other believers, as some of you are doing. Instead, we must continue to encourage each other even more as we see the day of the Lord coming. Hebrews 10:24-25 God’s Word Translation
Nehemiah 12:31 ESV. Then I brought the leaders of Judah up onto the wall and appointed two great choirs that gave thanks. One went to the south on the wall to the Dung Gate.
To me this verse says you can give thanks always..even if you’re on the south wall facing a pile of dung….
He must become GREATER; I must become LESS.
John 3:30 (Niv)
Darla Wondra, Owatonna, MN. “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” (â€1 Corinthians‬ â€6‬:â€19-20‬ NIV)
Lora Faircloth, Fayetteville, NC – You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Isaiah 26:3 NIV
This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24King James Version (KJV)
Luanne Neely, Marshall, TX. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests
of others. Philippians 2:3-4, NIV
Robyn Windsor, Lebanon, MO 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. Ephesians‬ â€3‬:â€20-21‬ NIV
Julie Sherk, Bethlehem, PA. “It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:8 ESV
Cleora,OK
Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life. Proverbs 4:23 NCV
3 My lips praise you because your faithful love is better than life itself!4 So I will bless you as long as I’m alive;I will lift up my hands in your name.
Psalms 63:3-4 CEB
Angie Hardison, Surprise, AZ
Ephesians 3:20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us (NIV)
Jennifer, Asheville, NC
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)
Jeanne Barr, St. Petersburg,FL
“One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek;
that I may dwell in the house of the LOrd all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LOrd and to seek Him in His temple.” Psalm 27:4 NIV
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Psalm 37:7 NIV
1 Corinthians 10:31
31So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. NIV
Deb Treat, St. Joseph, MO. “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.” ESV
Angela Barbee, Lubbock, TX “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
Gina, Kathleen, GA
Psalm 28:7Living Bible (TLB)
7 He is my strength, my shield from every danger. I trusted in him, and he helped me. Joy rises in my heart until I burst out in songs of praise to him.
Jennifer Martin, Dayton, OH “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 the glory..” Ephesians 3:20
Cathy R. Bishop, Pace, FL , “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV (Jesus loves me; a personal relationship with HIM continually-Wow; a grateful heart IN CHRIST thrives and overcomes because of Romans 8:28!)