Hey, everybody! You are in the exact right place to submit your Verse 2!
This is such a fun first for SSMT! Remember in the SSMT informational post when I told that, while I’ll still be doing all the SSMT posts on the 1st of every month, the one on every 15th would be written by various sisters in our blog community? Welcome to the first one! It took me about 5 seconds to decide who we should ask to kick off our SSMT guest posts. My beloved friend, Jan Morton, has been an active member of this community from its inception. I fell in love with her by watching her interact with countless women in the comment line, ministering to them and encouraging them and mothering them and making them laugh. And through that connection, we became personal friends. Our SSMT guest bloggers throughout 2015 will be from various age groups but this one happens to be right at my age and in a very similar season in her personal life and serving life. Those of you who have been around a while know that Jan Morton became so dearly loved in this community that we early on named her the “Mayor of Siestaville.” So, without further hesitation, please grant me the honor of introducing you to one of the mightiest women in the faith that I know. Jan, we are so honored to have you host us today! Thank you for investing in us!
Happy 2015 Siestas! This is such a privilege for me to share with our SSMT. I adore this community! My name is Jan Morton. I’m a pastor’s wife from Georgia. [I am also “GJ” for Gran Jan/Georgia Jan.] I’ve been married to my husband Gary for 37 years. Only 20 years old when we got married¸ we were way too young but who knew? ☺ We have two grown married sons, two sweet daughters-in-love, and 5 delightful grandchildren ages 6, 4 ½ , 4 ½, 2 ½, and 17 months – Gran Jan’s JOY! I love gardening, singing in choir/praise team, reading, quilting, and serving in the women’s ministry of my church. I work in our local school system (26 years now) as the Administrative Assistant to our Superintendent. A new ministry I’m involved in at my church is called Taste & See, a mentoring, encouragement time for women. Cooking and conversation! We get in the kitchen and wonderful things happen. Isn’t the kitchen a great place to gather? It is at the Morton home!
Ecclesiastes 3:1 “For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven.” ESV
The word says: For everything [it says everything], there is a season and a time for every matter/purpose/activity under heaven. Everything – the entirety of; a great deal, especially of something very important, EVERYTHING!
God has been drawing me to the theme of seasons, and that is what I want to share with you today. All of life relates to seasons. The beauty found in the four seasons of a calendar year to the seasons of our lives. I’m in the season of life known as the empty nest. Just me and my man like when we had “only just begun.” I’m loving this season, especially being a grandmother. Looking back as a 57 year old woman can do…I can truthfully say I’ve learned in every season of my life. I pray to grow old gracefully and stay relevant and young at heart.
What is your season of womanhood right now? Are you in SPRING – a young woman in school or just beginning a career or education or newly married? How about SUMMER – in the “zone” raising children or building a career or marriage? Maybe you’re in AUTUMN – children grown, and you may be looking toward retirement? Or perhaps you find yourself in WINTER – your senior years as a woman, perhaps a widow, reflecting on past seasons and all that God has brought you through.
WHEREVER YOU ARE, BE ALL THERE. This is what God is showing me because in the busyness of life I can easily lose focus. Don’t be longing for another season and miss what’s going on around you now. This deception is one of the biggest lies of the enemy of our souls; the distraction and discontentment with where we are today. Embrace your season: SEASON – SAVOR EVERY AVAILABLE SENT OPPORTUNITY NOW! Some are more enjoyable than others, sure they are! Just as changes in seasons bring mosquitoes in summer or storms in winter, there are extremes in our lives. Some of you empty nesters may suddenly find yourself caring for both your grandchildren and aging parents. Some of you young women may be longing for marriage. Some of you stay at home moms or single moms may have to go into the workforce for a season to pay the bills. If our entire lives were one continuous season we wouldn’t have the changes we desperately need to help us grow. As much as I love to garden, if every day were spring or summer, I wouldn’t have autumn to harvest, or winter to dream and plan.
This old gal has learned some things in 57 years of seasons:
• Our constant, never-changing, faithful Lord Jesus is with us in every SEASON, in everything.
• Sometimes seasons overlap – in fact, several might descend on you at once. Sometimes joy and sorrow meet in a season.
• You may think springtime has come, but unseasonal cold snaps may occur and you better be ready. Memorizing God’s Word is a lifeline.
• Ask God to give you a strong focus in your season today and receive it as the gift it is, embracing the wonder. God will provide your daily bread.
“Which is the happiest season of life?” was asked of an older woman. She replied: “When spring comes, and the flower buds are breaking through I think, ‘How beautiful is spring.’ And then when summer comes and covers the trees with heavy foliage and singing birds are among the branches, I think, ‘How beautiful is summer.’ When autumn arrives with golden fruit, and the leaves bear the gorgeous colors, I think, ‘How beautiful is autumn.’ And then comes winter, and there is neither foliage nor fruit, and I look up through the leafless branches as I never could until now, and see the stars shining in God’s home.
Embrace whatever season you are in now. RIGHT NOW. Don’t long for another season. I know the days may be long, but at my age, the years seem so short. So wherever you are, be all there. Because of Jesus, one day we will be “SEASONED TO PERFECTION” and live with Christ for eternity. Let’s get there one day at a time and savor our seasons as God wills. Because He has made everything beautiful in its time. (Ecclesiastes 3:11).
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OK, ladies! It’s me, Beth, again. Submit your second verses! Remember to limit your comments to these 5 pieces of information:
Name, city, verse, reference (where it is found) and translation.
Here’s mine!
Beth Moore, Houston, Texas. “In Him the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.” Ephesians 2:21-22 ESV
I love you guys!
Megan S.–Kansas City, KS
Romans 15:13 NIV
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Christine; Accokeek, MD
“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” – Ephesians 4:29 NIV
(I almost decided to do it in the ESV, but decided on the NIV since it was closer to what I’m used to hearing.)
Trish M, St. Louis, MO “And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God.” Ezekiel 11:19-20 ESV
Emily Brown; Painesville, OH
See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. -Isaiah 43:19 (NIV)
Rachel R, Owensboro, KY
Is. 58:11 (NIV)
The Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a sun scorched land and He will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.
Erin, Lubbock, TX
Ecclesiastes 5:10 NIV
Whoever loves money never has enough, whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless.
Stephanie Rose, Keller, TX,
Psalm 28:7 (NIV) The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.
Shaci-Aztec,NM
10 I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. (Psalm 119:10 NIV)
Sue from Nashville TN
He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does The Lord require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?
Micah 6:8 NKJV
Jennifer Fike, Melbourne, FL
Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the patterns 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
Cindi White
Smyrna, Georgia
“and whenever you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear this command behind you: “This is the way. Walk in it.”
Isaiah 30:21 HCSB
Marcy Hoffpauir, Oklahoma City, OK
Romans 12:12 NIV
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
Leslie Bowman, Riverton, Kansas.
“He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, and he set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.” Psalms 40:2 (NASB)
Lauren Unger, Steinbach, Manitoba, Canada
“Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” – Ephesians 6:7 NLT
Terry Bremer, Fanhoes, Portugal. “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”
Melissa, Fort Worth, TX “They are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. God presented Him as a propitiation through faith in His blood, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His restraint God passed over the sins previously committed. God presented Him to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be righteous and declare righteous the one who has faith in Jesus.” Romans 3:24-26 HCSB
Allison Brown, Midland, TX
Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every Circumstance. 1 Corinthians 13:7
LaToshia – Charleston, SC
For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. (Hebrews 12:11 ESV)
Heather Plis, Charleston, SC. “(S)He will not fear bad news;(her)his heart is confident, trusting in the LORD.” Psalm 112:7 Holman Christian Standard
Whitney Payne, LaGrange, GA – The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position. But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower. For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich man will fade away even while he goes about his business. James 1:9-11 NIV84
If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? (1 John 4:20 NLT)
Cathy R. Corona, Calif
Psalm 18:1-2 (NIV)
I love you, Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God is my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
Angela Kim, Ashburn, VA:
Ephesians 1:18-19a
“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.”
Denise Wickline, Dallas, TX
When I said, “My foot is slipping,”
your love, O Lord, supported me.
When anxiety was great within me,
your consolation brought joy to my soul.
Psalm 94:18-19 NIV
Rachel, nashville, TN, Ephesians 6:10 finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power
Karen L.Cookeville,TN.
Habakkuk 3:19 NCV
The Lord GOD is my strength. He makes me like a deer that does not stumble so I can walk on the steep mountains.
Beth Ingram, West Des Moines, IA
Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us, for we have endured much contempt. We have endured much ridicule from the proud, much contempt from the arrogant.
Psalm 123:3-4 NIV
For I, the Lord your God,
hold your right hand;
it is I who say to you, “Fear not,
I am the one who helps you.”
Isaiah 41:13 (ESV)
Rachel, Clawson MI
The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
2 Corinthians 10:4 NIV
Give thanks to the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples,proclaim that his name is exalted. Isa. 12:4 ESV
Hannah Osborne, Arkadelphia, AR
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Eph 2:10 ESV
Cameron Dorton, Maumee, Ohio
Psalms 23:1-3
The LORD is my shepherd ; there is nothing I lack ; He lets me lie down in green pastures ; He leads me beside quiet waters; He renews my life. HSB
It is for freedom that Christ set us free. stand firm, then, and so not let yourselves be burdened again with the yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1
Amy Oesterreich, Crown Point, Indiana.
“For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one.” Romans 12:3 HCSB
Shirley Barry, Mooresville, NC
Proverbs 31:30
Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
Karen, Jacksonville, FL
the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel that has come to you. Colossians 1:5-6a NIV
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” I John 1:9 NIV
Jennifer, Dallas, TX
Romans 8:38-39 ESV “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Let no corrupt 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.
Eph 4:29
Celina Hailey
Victoria
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. (James 1:17, NKJV)
Patti Egbert, Brush Prairie, WA
“The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:14 (NIV)
Charlotte Pickle, Amory, MS
Matthew 22:37. NLT
Jesus replied,”You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.”
Kris Strombeck, Selma, IN
Psalm 46:10 Be Still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted from the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. KJV
Rachel Nation, Cape Girardeau, MO.
“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)
Mary, Westfield, NJ
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.”
Colossians 3:16 (NIV)
Becky, Lawrenceville, GA
Psalm 9:10 And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee. KJV
Ephesians 3:14-21.
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
It’s quite a chunk, but nothing to lose and lots to gain 🙂
Jeanette Blevins, Crescent, OK “For you bless the righteous O Lord; you cover him with favor as with a shield.” (ESV)
Oooops, this is Psalm 5:12
Jessica Rust, Bellingham, WA
Colossians 3:3-4 For you have died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. NIV
Susan Goodwin Elwood, KS
Psalm 117 O praise the Lord, all ye nations; praise him all ye people. For his merciful kindness is great toward us and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever. Praise ye the Lord. Psalm 117 KJV