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!
Linda, Aurora,Il
Leave your mark. 1 Thessalonians 2:12
Marcy-Euless TX
But he said to me, “‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)
Diane Rippen – Roswell, GA
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 (ESV)
The LORD your God is with you,
He is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.
Zephaniah 3:17 NIV
Amy
Oklahoma City
Isaiah 46:4 (NIV) I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.
Now Faith is the assurance(the confirmation,the title deed)of the things (we)hope for, being the proof of things (we) do not see and the conviction of their reality(faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses)
Heb 11:1
Barbara Garner, Daegu, South Korea
Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
Jer. 29:12-13
Amanda, Ocean Springs, MS
and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.
1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 NIV
But be ye doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
James 1:22 (KJ)
Christy Conway, Holland, MI: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6 NIV
Jenn Nahrstadt, Cumming, GA.
And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord. Luke 1:45 ESV
Diane from Chesapeake, VA.
“Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.
Psalm 25:5 NIV
Susan Clark Norfolk, VA James 2:2 NIV If a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing enters your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in,
Tonya Nelson
Apex, NC
There is an appointed time doe everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NASV)
Melia
Loganville, GA
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Psalm 73:26 NIV
Katie Smith, Fort Worth, Texas
Just as you do not know the path of the wind and how bones are formed in the womb of the pregnant woman, so you do not know the activity of God who makes all things. (Ecclesiastes 11:5 NASB)
Charmaine, Jefferson City, MO
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about those things.”
Philippians 4:8
Michelle Greer SC
And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. (Colossians 3:17 HCSB)
Michael Ann Iverson, Irvine, CA
But, you O Lord, are a shield around me, you are my glory, the one who holds my head high.
Psalm 3:3 NLT
Miranda
Loganville, GA
He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God: this is the gate of heaven.”
Genesis 28:17 NIV
Bethany, Richland, WA
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Philippians 4:6 NIV
Michaela
Loganville, GA
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Matthew 6:33 NIV
Dorla in Lincoln, Ne.
He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will.
Ephesians 1:5 NASB
Kim Morton, Carrollton, TX
Col. 3:12-13
Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, long suffering; bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you must also do.
Amanda Kratz , Malvern AR
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 1 Corinthins 13:4-5
Amy C. Ashland,KY
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. (Psalm 32:8 NIV)
Pat Shake Danville, Il
Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Isaiah 58: 6 NIV
Shannon, SanTan Valley, AZ
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)
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. Hebrews 1:1-2
Stacey Flynn from Charleston, SC
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. James 1:19-20 ESV
Lynn Moquin, Lynchburg, VA
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NKJV
Jan Lackey, Simi Valley, CA
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. but pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
Hana Parr, Gold Coast,Qld – Australia
Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise… Eph 5:15 NIV
Debra P., Kingwood, Texas, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27 NIV
Marie, Kinard FL, Therefore let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace whenever we need help. Hebrews 4:16 NET
Kayla N., Jacksonville, FL., “Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.” (Psalm 116:2 ESV)
Ellen M., Camden, DE
“Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”
2 Timothy 2:22 NIV
Gayla Dean, Fullerton, California. “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” Isaiah 26:3 NLT
Julie, Fort Wayne, In
Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? Matthew 6:27 NIV
Dee Shera – Jacksonville, Florida
“For the spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and self-discipline.”
2 Timothy 1:7 (NIV)
Kathy Hutto, LaGrange, Georgia. “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame, but shame will come to those who are treacherous without cause. Show me your ways, Lord teach me your paths. Psalm 25:3-4 NIV
Lori Krueger, Leawood, Kansas
May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Psalm 19:14 NIV
Dana, Selmer, TN, Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish indefinitely more than we might ask or think. Eph 3:20 NLT
Caryn Brannen, Germantown, Tennessee. “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” Colossians 4:6 NIV
1 Peter 1:24-25 (NASB)
24 All flesh is like grass and its glory like the flowers of grass.
25 The grass withers and the flower falls off but the word of the Lord endures forever.
Kristin Kellett, West Monroe, LA. This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Deuteronomy 30:19-20 (NIV)
In peace I will lie down & sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety. Psalm 4:8 NIV
Debi Nunley-
Shawnee, KS
“I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy”. 2 Timothy 1:3,4
Jody Bowhay, Huntsville AL
NIV Ephesians 3:17b-19
“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God “