Hey sweet siestas!
How much fun is this? Can we all just stop for a minute and thank our beloved leader, Bible teacher and yes, friend, for spurring us on in this world of scripture memory? I fail every time on my own. We need our people to conquer this task, don’t we? I’m good for a couple of months and then I flat out quit and blame it on something other than myself. But, I won’t quit if I have y’all! I’m thankful for this community. I’m thankful for the accountability. Memorizing scripture has transformed my heart and mind…the Word is living, and we have the privilege to breathe it in when we open those sacred pages and be changed from the inside out.
Something that I have done as I have memorized scripture is to write a brief synopsis of why I chose the verse on the back of the index card. I also date it. At the end of the year, it’s so powerful to go back and read a mini-journal of God’s faithfulness and the journey you’ve taken together that particular year. Go back and do that if you haven’t done it already. I’ll bet it won’t take you long to recall why you picked a particular verse. It will be a sweet gift to read through at the end of 2015.
Ok, my name is Fran Thomas and I’ve been married to Chip for 21 years! That’s crazy to me! I swear I’m still 30-something. We have 3 teenage boys. That’s another kind of crazy! Our oldest is 18. (Insert tears of high school graduation, starting college and hoping you can cook and do laundry on your own) It’s nuts, y’all. Savor the moments, mommas. It flies.
We are living life in Jackson, TN, and I love our community of people here. I work at Union University, teach college girls on Sunday mornings, sing in the choir, and serve with our jail ministry at Englewood Baptist Church. I am also a partner in a non-profit ministry with my two best friends, Christy and Robyn, that we founded called “More than a Mission Trip.” Our heart is missions in every form and fashion. Our heart is for the lost, the saved who are lost, God’s precious people at the ends of the earth and those who are around the corner. Our desire is to encourage other women to serve God locally and globally…there is no better time than NOW to love, obey and serve Him with all we have! We can’t question or delay what God clearly calls us to do.
So how appropriate for me to choose a verse that has me in a season of being scared to death of what God has called me to do. Would this be the Christian “pot calling the kettle black” or what? I like safe and comfy just like you do. It’s predictable and doesn’t make my stomach hurt. I know the scriptural promises from Him, but there is simply something terrifying about taking new steps with Him after a season of predictability. *sigh*
So, we press on, sisters. We believe Him and take Him at His word. I’m doing this even with the butterflies alive and churning about! Unfortunately, I think I have an unbelief issue right now, but I’m choosing to believe Him for this season because He is able! He is faithful… Me? Not so much. He never fails. NEVER.
“But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.” James 1:6
I don’t want to doubt or be tossed around because of my unbelief. I want my feet to be steady and secure in Him, His voice, and His direction. I really want to believe Him and trust Him even with these butterflies during this new season. I don’t just want to say, “Yes, Lord I believe you,” but it only be a temporary belief or trust. We’ll start strong and then fade, don’t we?
Lord, help my unbelief.
It’s easy to say, “Sure, I’ll get out of the boat, and walk toward Jesus,” but it’s a whole other thing to actually put the feet into motion, isn’t it? Let’s not be tossed around, sisters. Let’s walk by faith and take Him at His Word. Let’s choose to believe Him girls!! Declare it even when we don’t feel it. We’ll begin to believe what we know and speak over that situation. Let’s declare the Truth that we are hiding in our hearts.
Y’all are such a blast! Hang in there and march on strong and steady because we are MORE than conquerors! We CAN do this because He WILL show us the way! He will NOT leave us! He WILL show Himself faithful! He has good plans for this season! He will NOT harm us! And on and on and on the promises go. Declare them. Believe them.
It’s such an honor to journey alongside you. I will be your biggest fan and cheer you on like nobody’s business. Fix those pretty eyes on Jesus and let’s run our race well. I’m praying for us all. I desperately need Jesus and His Word.
Love y’all,
Fran
Linda Spahr in Lusby, Maryland
1 Corinthians 9:23 NIV
I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.
Susan Bradenton, FL
Surely God is my salvation;
I will trust and not be afraid.
The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song;
He has become my salvation.
Isaiah 12:2
Meredith, Virginia Beach, VA
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Ephesians 4:31-32
Martha Buckner, Brentwood TN
Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude. Colossians 2: 6-7 NASB
Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. Ephesians 4:3 NLT
Sandra, Rock Hill, SC
He must become greater; I must become less.
John 3:30 NIV
Jenni, Elk Grove, CA, “And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and enable your servants to speak your word with all boldness.” Acts 4:29 (NABRE)
P.S. Fran, I took your advice and wrote a short description of the reasons for selecting each verse and plan to continue to do this for future entries as well. Great suggestion! Thanks!!
Lacey D.
Oakwood, OH
Isaiah 40:8 ESV
The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God will stand forever.
Kelly in South Arkansas
“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
Amy Toney, Houston TX: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you. Again I will build you, and you shall be rebuilt.” – Jeremiah 31:3-4 NKJV
Sandy – Dodge City, KS
The soothing tongue is a tree of life,
but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.
Proverbs 15:4 (NIV)
Karen Penn, Sturgis, MI If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself”, you are doing right. James 2:8 NIV
Lindsey st. Augustine, Florida, “for the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joint and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12 NIV
Carol Cottrell Tucker, Georgia
And what ever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not to men
Col3:23 NKJV
Norman, OK
And the glory which Thou gavest Me I have given them; that they may be one as WE are ONE.
John 17:22. (KJV)
Lisa from Rootstown, Ohio. Micah 6:8 NIV. “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
Jamie, Dallas, TX. But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9 NIV
Ella Roemer, Gillespie, IL
“I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.”
Matthew 5:18 (NIV)
Melody S.
Forest City, IA
Philippians 4:6 (ESV)
do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer & supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Kerry, Nederland TX
They themselves will be wealthy, and their good deeds will last forever. Light shines in the darkness for the godly, they are generous, compassionate and righteous. Psalm 112:3-4, NLT
Lori, Toledo
“Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Your law.”
Psalm119:18 ESV
Angie Hill,
Jasper, Alabama
“Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.”
Psalm 141:3 NIV
Yates Center, KS
“And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.”
James 3:18 NLT
Cheri Bunch
Louisville, KY
“And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” James 3:18 ESV
Cheri Cochran from Frisco, TX
“…in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”
Romans 8:4 ESV
Cece, Gilbert, AZ
“casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7, (NASB)
…and His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength He exerted when He raised Christ from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms,
Ephesians 1:19-20 NIV
Ellen, Fort Worth TX
Who is like the wise man? Who knows the explanation of things? Wisdom brightens a man’s face and changes its hard appearance. Ecclesiastes 8:1 NIV
Vicki, Merriam, KS
Psalm 103:5,6
who satisfies you with good
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
The Lord works righteousness
and justice for all who are oppressed.
Jennifer O. Corpus Christi, TX
He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Col. 1:17 NIV
August 15, 2015
Aransas Pass, Texas
“I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” Psalm 4:8 NIV
Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer;
listen to my plea for grace.
Psalm 86:6 ESV
Michelle O’Banion, Grandview, TX
He himself is before all things and all things are held together in Him. Colossians 1:17
(What a great scripture to wake up to today – as we “release” the 2nd of our young men to college. One freshman, one sophomore and one more to go before we’re official empty nesters in 2 years!! <3 bitter~sweeeet <3 ) the days are long and the years are short….. 🙂
Cecelia Stewart Tustin, CA
Be still before The Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.
Psalm 37:7 NIV
Dana, San Angelo, Texas
“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” Psalm 19:14 (ESV).
Janine – Corona, CA
The GOD who made the world and everything in it is the LORD of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And He is not served by human hands as if He needed anything, because He Himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.
From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth, and He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. GOD did this so that men would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.
For in Him we live and move and have our being.
Acts 17:24-28 (NIV)
This may be more than I can bite off, but I couldn’t leave out a single word. All glory to GOD!!
Dale Dyer, Georgetown, OH
…and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:11 ESV
Linda Smith. The Woodlands, TX
James 1:6 (NIV)
“But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.”
Stephanie from Houston, TX: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” James 1:2-3
Karen, Lynnwood, WA
“He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”
Colossians 1:17 (NIV)
Heidi, Daphne, AL
“Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21 – KJV)
Karen Stark
Tallahassee, FL
6 that the next generation might know them,
the children yet unborn,
and arise and tell them to their children,
7 so that they should set their hope in God
and not forget the works of God,
but keep his commandments;
Ps 78:6-7 ESV
Janet from Midlothian, Texas
“Did I not tell you,” replied Jesus, “that if you believed, you would see the wonder of what God can do?”
John 11:40 Phillips
Noreen
Calgary, AB
“Always keep yourselves untied in the Holy Spirit, and bind yourselves together with peace.”
Ephesians 4:3 (NLT)
Kelly Elliott, Jackson, TN.
Ephesians 4:29 (ESV)
“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.”
Rhonda H Wade
Buchanan GA
Philippians 4:6-7 NKJV
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Aubrey Eubank Palmetto GA
Proverbs 13:20 CEVU
Wise friends make you wise, but you hurt yourself by going around with fools.
August 15, 2015
Iris Stinson, Carlisle PA
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
James 1:27 (NIV)
Sally from Sturgis, MI
My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline,
and don’t be upset when He corrects you.
For the Lord corrects those He loves,
just as a father corrects a child in whom he
delights.
Proverbs 3:11-12 (NLT)
Laura, Englewood, Co
For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith, without works is dead. James 2:26 NET