***NOTE: If you are looking to register your verse 1, go ahead and comment with your selected Scripture on the “SSMT 2017: Verse 1!” post.***
Hey Everybody!
We are revving up around here for SSMT 2017! The Scripture memory team we host and support every other year is the most extensive thing we do around here on the LPM blog, so you can know that you are the size of an Airbus on our ministry radar right now. 
We are elated about the year we have ahead and believe with all our hearts that God finds tremendous delight in this group of diverse women banding together to memorize His Word. Here is everything you need to know about how to participate in the 2017 Siesta Scripture Memory Team! Please be sure you make it all the way to the bottom of the post where you’ll find the information about our matching spirals.
First, a few things up front since many people joining us have no previous interaction here:
*For you new-comers, an explanation of the name is in order. “Siesta” is just an endearment for “Sister.” There’s no club to join and no person you need to become. If you’ve trusted Jesus as your personal Savior, you’re a sister in Christ. If you don’t know Him, we’d love for you to stick around and get to know us and see if anything around here draws you. Everyone is welcome. Here’s a bit of our back-story on the weird name: When we first began the blog, it never occurred to any of us how much we’d come to love each other. As the community grew closer and closer and the participants more and more familiar with one another, one of you asked what name we should call each another. I tried to say, “I’ll tell you what we are: We’re sistahs!” but spell-check switched it to “siestas.” It stuck and that’s been us ever since. We even liked the thought that its actual meaning is to take a nap. We’ll know we’ve been a place of divine intervention if we’re a respite from the female competition and clatter out there. Only Jesus can give us that kind of relief in this exhausting culture.
*We call this a Scripture memory “team” because that’s exactly what we are. We cheer each other on, hold each other accountable, and urge one another to make it to the goal – 24 verses systematically memorized in 12 months – through a process that requires significant practice.
*Very often you will see me refer to SSMT. Just so nobody’s confused from the start, that is an abbreviation for “Siesta Scripture Memory Team.” If you’re not participating in SSMT, please know that we don’t limit the entire blog to our Scripture memory participants. It has a big presence on here because it’s twice a month but we still do lots of other things. Please don’t feel left out or forgotten.
*Why 24 verses? In previous years, we’ve found this to be a very doable pace: 1 verse every 2 weeks. If you do much more, you’ll tend to fall behind and not retain. If you do much less, the impact is negligible. You really can do this. So many of you will surprise yourselves with what you’re capable of doing in the power of the Spirit. Yes, it takes work but it’s tremendously fulfilling and the results are nearly immeasurable. Look at it this way: we’re going to be meditating on something: unforgiveness, toxic memories, misery, lust, greed, dissatisfaction, jealousy, competition. Let’s choose Scripture instead! Christ Himself said as a man thinks, so is he. He also said His words are spirit and life. This is work worth doing, Beloved. Never – NOT ONCE – have I ever known anyone to get to the end of a Scripture memory commitment and say that it didn’t make any real difference. Not a single time.
OK, NOW FOR THE INSTRUCTIONS. You can cut and paste these somewhere if necessary. Here’s how it will go:
2 Options for you!
1. Print your SSMT 2017 cover from home.
(I took this picture with my phone standing on the shore of Galveston Bay, mesmerized by that sky. You can find a lot prettier beaches but I’m not sure our wide-open Texas sunsets can easily be surpassed.)
There are two sizes to choose between for your spirals. Click on the size cover you would like to print for yourself then adhere it using any of the methods we suggested. You can certainly use regular printer paper but cardstock works perfectly:
2. Or, Order the spiral from LPM.
Our Siesta Scripture Memory Team 2017 Celebration will be in January 2018. I’m telling you about it now so that you can have it for a little extra incentive. Our main incentive is the will and good pleasure of God, of course, but He Himself authored great celebrations in His Name so feel free to be excited at the thought. Also, I want you to have plenty of time to start saving your money for your transportation and hotel. We do not charge for the event. Your entrance fee is your well-used spiral. More information still to come.
Whew! Have I exhausted you?? I’ve worn myself out. We just want to answer as many of your questions up front as possible.
I want to say something to you before I wrap up this diatribe: this community means something to me. I love it because I love you. I think about you on an ongoing basis. So does my staff. You are a huge part of this ministry. Thank you for the privilege to serve you and to embark on another wild journey with you. May Christ find such delight here that He astonishes us with His presence, favor, and power.
So, welcome to Siestaville: women walking alongside women on our way Home, stirring up excitement toward that great day. SSMT is one way we do that. AND IT’S A WHOPPER. Let’s do it, Sisters, starting this coming January 1st! I’ll talk to you again about other things before then but I don’t want the New Year to take you by surprise.
I love you.
Beth
I am so excited. I have been doing this every year. Love the cover this year. I’m a beach girl and loved visiting Galveston.
I’m ready to take my first siesta!
I am so excited to do this again, I tried to order the spiral but it was out of stock. Are you getting more in? Also when i tried to print the design to do my own it copied in black and white, not color.
Hi Chris, the spiral isn’t available yet. It will likely be available in a week or two, so just keep checking back. Sorry for the confusion. Blessings to you!
I used to be able to memorize easily, but not any more. I long to be able to do this and complete this successfully! This seems like a great way to enoucourge each other! So happy I found this!
When will the spirals be available for SS MT 2017?
Thanks!
Hi Joyce! It will likely still be a week or two until they are available. Just keep checking this link: https://store.lproof.org/2017-ssmt-spiral.html. Blessings!
I am in looking forward to doing it.
Yay! Can’t wait to get started! Thanks soooo much!
I am looking forward to doing this again!
I am looking forward to being a part of this.
Amy
I have so enjoyed going over and over my memorized verses from 2015 and am looking forward to joining you for SSMT 2017!
Count me in!
So excited! Can’t wait to do this! Will be my third, and each time God has done such a work in my heart!
I am so excited!!!! I have been waiting a whole long year for this! 🙂 I still go over my verses from 2015 and am ready to do it again! YEAH! IT’S TIME!
So excited! I love our SSMT years! I am looking forward to memorizing scripture again with all of you lovely ladies.
I am so excited about the SSMT and am determined, with the hand of God guiding me, to make it to the end of the year with 24 verses memorized. I started out well in 2015 but, sadly, did not meet the commitment I had made.
I cannot wait ,so ready to commit to hiding God”S word in my heart!
Count me in
Looking forward to starting my new year with Scripture Memory team. This will be my second year.
I’m so in! My friend Delores and I did this together in 2015 and it was wonderful in so many ways. Can’t wait to do it again!
God has been working on my heart to memorize scripture & pray them over my children. I cannot think of better timing or a better use of my time in the new year than participating in this & following His prompting! Thank you for putting this together!
I’ve been blessed to participate from the first time. This year I’m challenging my sweet teens in bible study to press hard to meet this goal so I can bring them with me next January!
I cannot wait! I’ve been making my list of verses for 2017…thanks Siestas…what a joy/privilege to journey together! Thanks be to God for His INDESCRIBABLE GIFT!
Can’t wait. I had the privilege to be part of this group celebration in January. Yes, life changing.♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡
Ready to try again.
We can’t wait to start this for 2017! Not sure if we are bringing the motorhome this time or not. 🙂 Thank you all for the effort you put in to help us memorize scripture.
I’m so motivated to have a go. Can’t wait to start.
I’m in!
I’m in!
I am so excited to do this challenge again with all my siesta’s I was strengthened and blessed through this in 2015 while I was in a very hard season but God is good always thank you Beth and team for all you do to lift the body of Christ up!
I am brand new at this (didn’t even know it existed). I saw a tweet from Beth Moore re: memorizing scripture together in 2017… I’m in! God’so been dealing with me for a while about getting His word in me and meditating on it. I am very excited to be doing it in this group!!!
So glad you decided to join us, Laura!
I remember reading about this last year but I was way over committed at the time so I decided not to do it. I don’t have any bible study commitments at this time, however I am super busy in all other areas of my life and feel like I need something to keep me in the word everyday. This is it! I am super excited to be a part of an online community and have the flexibility to be involved whatever time of day works for me. Thank you for this opportunity to try something new and get to know more strong faithful women.
I’m in! I’ve been waiting all year
I ALL in!
I’m in!! I completed it in 2013, and what a blessing it was! I tried again 2015, but for some reason fell behind and just could not get caught up. I have been looking forward to 2017!!
Can. not. wait. I began memorizing His Word b/c of the initial SSMT in 2009; my thick spiral (gift from a sweet friend) now spans 8 years. Absolutely life changing! Thank you all so much for organizing this for us once again. Merry Christmas!
I’m in!
I am so glad you are doing this again. Five years ago a friend introduced me to Siestas and it began a yearly tradition to hide God’s Word in my heart daily. What a blessing it has been as God has used His Word to encourage me through life’s ups and downs and built deep faith in His trustworthiness. Even though Siestas is only every other year, I need this discipline every day! God bless you for helping women grow in Him! Connie Kempf, Eugene, Oregon
With happy tears of remembrance of doing SSMT 2015 for the first time and what it meant to me and excited and looking forward to 2017. My spiral from ’15 stays by my bed and travels with me most trips. It reminds me of those moments when God used those verses to speak His word straight to my heart. Being part of a group, a community of believers, who are seeking Him brings so much support in my life. Thank you for doing this again. It means so much.
Thank you so much for organizing SSMT!! I am so excited!! This will be my 2nd time participating. The first time, I didn’t finish the year, because I had a new baby in October 2015. My goal this time is to finish the year strong with 24 verses memorized.
Blessings!!
I’m excited to join in 2017. I did most of 2015. I’m planning on using the same spiral.
I am looking forward to going and memorizing
Scripture.
I’m in! I’m excited to join in with SSMT again. I left my old spiral bound book that I’d had for years in a hotel this past year. Those verses had gotten me through so many hard times. I went through a major surgery for cancer, then chemo, and between those two things, I struggle with my memory now. When I lost that book, I was heartbroken! Now I’ve been working on getting a new book together, but it’s been slow. I really look forward to memorizing with my “siestas” online!
So stinking excited for this!!!
This has revived my enthusiasm! Thank you so much for doing this–I’m determined to see it through this year and attend the event in 2018!
I’m so excited to start memorizing verses with my new family of sisters. Going to mark my 2017 calendar right now, so I won’t forget. That wouldn’t be a great way to kick off a memory challenge 😉
Oh OKAY – you twisted my arm. I’M IN.
Can you tell me when you will have more spirals in stock?
Hi Megan! Sorry, we don’t have an exact date for you. It will probably be another week or two. Just keep checking our store. Blessings!
We are praying to have an entire group from church join this coming year! So excited! Praying and planning to involve youth! Discipleship in Gospel verses! Thanks Beth and LPL! Please continue to pray! LU ALL! In CHRIST OUR LORD!
Our “Prayer Posse” will be doing this again this coming year. CAN’T WAIT!!!!
So excited to be doing this!!