Hey, Everybody! Drumroll please! Welcome to the 2017 Siesta Scripture Memory Team! The entry of your Verse 1 selection acts as your registration. Please read this brief post before you leave your comment so you’ll know exactly how to do it. We are not legalistic about much around here but I am a drill sergeant about the precise way we accept comments for SSMT verse entries. One perusal through the first several hundred comments and you’ll understand why. It’s such a powerful sight you will almost want to cry. Or shout. Or throw your head back and howl your loudest hallelujah. It just all depends on how you process a fresh glimpse of divine revelation. You’ll have before you a feast spread out lavishly on a huge banqueting table.  Keeping the comments to the bare minimum makes Scripture itself stand out on the page. If we add a lot of other verbiage to the comment, the verse is more likely to get lost in it.
Not only will your soul be fed by the entries of others, you’ll discover verses you didn’t even know existed and get ideas for future selections. Any time you can’t decide what verse to memorize, jump on the comments and see what resonates with you. Any time you feel bone-dry or downcast or distracted or discouraged or just plain directionless, open up the comments on any SSMT post and behold the words of the Lord. It’s so powerful I could slap my desk thinking about it.
OK, this is how the information should appear in your comment:
Name (first is fine), city: verse, reference, Bible translation.
(Don’t forget your translation! People love knowing exactly which translation your selection came from.)
So you’ll have a paradigm for how it looks, here is my entry for Verse 1 and you’ll see at the end of the post where I made a slight little addition to add some soul-deep conviction if you wish:
Beth Moore from Houston Texas: “Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon our beloved fellow worker.” Philemon 1 ESV
You get to choose your own verse according to what you need most right now, what resonates with you in your present circumstances or what God just simply seems to land you on. This year I feel like He’s leading me to use my 24 entries to memorize the one-chapter book of Philemon. It contains 25 verses but the last one is easy so I’ll throw it in with my 24th verse as my final entry. I’ve done stacks of spirals full of unrelated Scriptures for my memory work in previous years. Other times I’ve done several different chunks or one solid chapter. There is no wrong way to do it. It just all depends on what the Holy Spirit seems to be energizing us to do. If something about chipping away at one chapter through the course of the year rings your bell, you are so welcome to join me or you can look through the Scriptures and choose a different chapter of similar length. I so loved memorizing Psalm 25 several years ago. I recited it as recently as yesterday. It has 22 verses ready to go if you’d like to consider it. You’d only need to tag on 2 separate verses after you memorized the psalm to fulfill your 24-verse goal. Jude is another one-chapter book I memorized. It contains 25 verses but I will warn you in advance, take that one on only if you like a challenge. It is pretty wordy.
Let’s just add two little words this time to the front of the entry of our first verse: I commit! And go right ahead and add that exclamation mark at the end of it for the sake of some very appropriate enthusiasm. What you’re about to do bears FRUIT. God’s Word does not return empty. He sends it forth with accomplishing power and divine purpose. That’s worth anticipating with excitement. (In fact, Isaiah 55:11 is a fabulous Scripture to memorize if you’re still searching for a great launch verse.) I think we ought to add those two little words because I keep reading how allergic we’re growing culturally to making commitments of almost any kind. I’m sure you’ve read the same thing. But here’s the deal. We will never be mighty servants of Jesus Christ, alive and awake in the Holy Spirit, bringing glory to God the Father all while standing against evil rulers, powers and principalities without commitment.
Ain’t happenin’.
Nothing was tentative to those early New Testament believers about following Jesus. They didn’t fulfill their callings by being scared of commitment. They gave Him their lives. They bore His name. They testified to the death. Let’s do this thing, Sisters. Let’s do it deliberately. We’re not destined to be weak-willed women. We’re called to be stunningly strong willed about God’s will. So, here’s my official entry for verse 1 of the Siesta Scripture Memory Team challenge of 2017!
I commit! Beth Moore from Houston Texas: “Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon our beloved fellow worker.” Philemon 1 ESV
Your turn, sisters! Try to make each of your entries within 24-48 hours after the posts go up around the 1st and the 15th of each month. Also remember not to worry if you don’t see your comment posted for a day or so. Wait a while before you post the same verse a second time. We moderate all comments to filter through spam and trash and general nastiness so the process can take a little time. Here we go! I’m beside myself with joy. Thank you for the privilege to store up the very words of God with you. They are life and breath to us. Iron in our blood. Steel in our bones. So much love to you.
I commit! Shelly Elston, Portland, OR
“To you, I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens.”
Psalm 123:1 (NRSV)
I commit! Kathryn from Silver Spring, MD – “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.” 1 John 3:1-3 ESV
I commit! Dawn King from Hamilton, NJ “For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.” Luke 19:10 NLT
I commit! Judy Hans from Allen,TX: ‘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
I commit! Tammy J from Franklin, TN
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine dresser. John 15:1
I commit! Linda Pelham NH
There since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Heb. 12:1 NASB
The grass withers and the flowers fade,but the word of our God stands forever. Isaiah 40:8 (New living translation)
I commit! Amy – Rapid City SD
“But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.”
1 John 2:5-6 NIV
I commit! Betsy Poole from Cleveland, TN: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” John 15:1-2. ESV
I committ! Nancy Borrett , Yonges Island, SC
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1 NKJ
I commit! Carole from Knoxville, TN – “This is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.” -1 John 5:3-4
That’s NIV. Sorry!
I Commit! Mary Beth Estes from Winchester, Virginia- “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.” – Ecclesiastes 3:1 NIV
I commit!!! Brittany Vieyra from Fresno California “A wife of noble character is her husbandĘĽs crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones.”-Proverbs 12:4 NIV
I commit!! Laura from Sebree, KY – “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” -Phillipians 4:6-7 (NIV)
Sugar Land TX
Isaiah 43:2 NLT
When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
I commit! Renee Williams from Slidell, La and Hattiesburg, Ms “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers!” Psalm 1:1 NAS
I commit! Anna from Johnson City, TN: “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
I commit! Sandy Falcone from Norfolk, VA “Forget the former things. Do not dwell on the past. 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 43:18-19
I commit! Melissa Brazier from Lawrenceburg, TN “For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is to us, whenever we call upon Him?” Deuteronomy 4:7 ESV
I commit!! Amy Thomas from Grove City, PA
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.” Philippians 4:4-5 NIV
I commit! Marsha R. Columbia, SC
1.He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
2.I will say to the Lord, “my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
Psalm 91:1-2 ESV
I commit! Abigail from Chattanooga, TN
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Colossians 3:17 NIV
I Commit! Tracie Ashlock from Lubbock, Texas: “I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 NRSV
I commit. Rebekah from King George, VA-
“Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”
-Luke 1:45 NIV
I commit! Rachel from North Alabama,
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;”
â€â€Isaiah‬ â€61:1‬ â€ESV‬‬
I commit! Kim Foley from Arnold, MD “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
Colossians 3:12 NIV
Beth from Bellbrook, Ohio 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
I commit! Dawn Tolley, Appomattox, VA – “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
I commit! Missy from Pierre, SD. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7 New Living Translation
I commit! Dawn Winslow from Clever, MO
“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” 1 Corinthians 15:58 (NIV)
Rita Nelson Splendora,Tx:
I commit! To You o Lord I lift up my soul. Psalm 25:1 NKJV
I commit! Julie in Bentonville “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27 NKJV
I commit!! Stormy Wooldridge, Lynchburg, VA
The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Exodus 33:14 NIV
Lisa Walden – Arlington Texas
Exodus 20: 1-3 NIV
And God spoke all these words: 2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 3 You shall have no other gods before me.”
I Commit! Sonya Dickerson from Chesterfield, VA
“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3 (NIV)
I commit! Whoever says,” I abide in Him,” ought to walk just as He walked. 1 John 2:6 NRSV
Maggie Milligan, Stigler, OK. “Do not judge and you will not be judged; do not condemn and you will not be condemned forgive and you will be forgiven.” Luke 6:37 NIV
I commit. Michele from Zionsville, Indiana- “My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, 2.for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity. (Proverbs 3:1-2) NIV
I commit!!! Tara Cook from Cleveland, Ohio. You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. Matthew 5:13 NIV
I commit! Melanie Uhls from Lexington Kentucky: “The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever.” â€â€Isaiah‬ â€40:8‬ â€NLT‬‬
I commit! Kaye from Athens Alabama.
Blessed are those whose wrongs have been forgiven and whose sins have been covered. Romans 4:7 The Voice
I committ. Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicker stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers. Palms1:1.NIV
I commit! Erica Battenfield, Stigler OK. “Be still and know that I am God, I will be exalted among the nation’s, I will be exalted on earth.” Psalm 46:10
I commit! Susie, Gulf Breeze, Fl
Don’t fear, because I am with you; don’t be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will surely help you, I will hold you with my righteous strong hand. CEB
I commit! April from Christiansburg, VA: “For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 ESV
I commit! CeCelia OConnell from Houston, Texas. “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:31 (NIV)
I commit! Judy from Clay Center, Kansas. But seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33 ESV
I committ. Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicker stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers. Palms1:1.NIV
I commit! Karen E. Greenfield, OH
“But without faith it is impossible to please him:
for he that cometh to God must believe that he is,
and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently
seek him.”
Hebrews 11:6 KJV
I commit! Amanda Aulbach from Austin, TX
“Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song; He also has become my salvation.” Isaiah 12:2 NKJV/ESV