Howdy Everyone!

I’m Jenn and I get the privilege to serve you through the TV ministry here at Living Proof. It’s a TON of fun! Headphones are often in my ears as I view the messages and my office-mates always want to know what I’m laughing at. Today it was Beth’s snake stick story from the Audacious series. If you haven’t ever watched a show, you are missing a BLESSING. I encourage you to jump on the Living Proof app and listen to some great teaching from the Word. O.K. That was a fun rabbit trail but, I digress.

I’m giddy that I get to share my verse with you. Scripture Memory is hard for me. The struggle is real. Right? I know many of you can relate. I’ve had good intentions and failed so many times. I remember very clearly last summer, Beth recited a beautiful chapter of Scripture from the book of Ephesians. She encouraged the staff to PRAY for a supernatural work of the Spirit to enable us to memorize God’s Word. It was a lightbulb moment for me. I had never thought about praying to ask for God’s help in this area. A few months later, I headed into the Entrusted Bible Study and began to memorize the book of 2 Timothy. It’s been quite a journey that has required the Spirit’s help at every turn. I collided with a Scripture many of you know…here it goes:

Jenn Hamm from Cypress, TX

“For God did not give us a spirit of fear but of power and love and self-control.” 2 Timothy 1:7 NET

Paul was speaking this to young Timothy who was beginning to walk out his calling. One of my kiddos struggles with intense fear and anxiety at times. I wanted to be able to pray this verse over him and teach him to wield his sword. I’m so thankful we serve a God who helps us in our time of need. There’s power when we pray His Word over our loved ones. When we have it memorized, we can use it at any moment. I hope this encourages one of you today. Keep pressing on!

Blessings,
jenn

Beth Moore, Houston, TX

“I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment.” Philemon 10 (ESV) 

Hi SSMT partners! I’m Bailie – the newest and youngest member of the LPM staff.

A few weeks into my time here at LPM, I kept hearing the term “SSMT” being thrown around by my coworkers, and I wondered what on earth are they talking about? And when one of them explained, “Oh, it’s stands for Siesta Scripture Memory Team,” I was even more confused. What’s a Siesta? I thought. Doesn’t that mean “nap” in Spanish? Smile.

So if any of you are new to SSMT, I’m right there with you! Now I couldn’t be more on board with this simple, achievable way to sear God’s Word into our hearts and minds.

Do you have a section of Scripture that you find yourself referring back to all the time? Maybe you leave your little Bible bookmark there or the Lord keeps proving its relevance to you season after season. For me, it’s Hebrews 4:14-16:

 ¹⁴ Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. ¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. ¹⁶ Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

These verses have ministered to me for years. They encouraged me through months of living in a foreign country. They motivated me to get back up and fight when temptation overcame me. They showed me how Jesus is so fully human, truly, He can relate to everything I feel. And they reminded me of my God-given dignity and confidence to approach His throne of grace (thank you JESUS!). I’ve read them so many times, I could give you a great paraphrasing, but I decided it was time to commit them to memory.

Stay strong, Siestas!

Beth, Houston, TX
“For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.” Philemon 7 (ESV)

Can you believe it’s time for verse 6?  Here is mine, and I hope you have a moment to watch this quick video!

^“…and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.”  Philemon 6 (ESV)

You are so very loved.

Hi! I am K-Mac, the 2nd Kimberly M. in the office, hence the nickname. I couldn’t be happier to finally at least sound like I was cool with this name.

I have had the privilege of being a part of Living Proof Ministries in either a volunteer or staff role for about 13 years.  [Every time I have to calculate the years, I think, “How can that be?!” Grin.]

When trying to focus in on what my next memory verse would be, a single verse kept coming to mind: the familiar Matthew 6:33,  Seek first the kingdom of God…  It kept showing up in sermons, in devotionals, on Instagram, at church, etc. so I figured I had better start there, even though it seemed a bit of a cop-out because I already knew the verse. So I started looking up different translations and finally landed on including the little section of 9 verses in Matthew 6 that ends with verse 33.  Having done a fair amount of “casting my cares” (1 Peter 5:7) to God last year regarding anxiety, I was blown away to find this section also addresses anxiety. I guess Jesus and I still have some ground to take in this area. [If you also struggle with areas of anxiety, I highly recommend you watch Beth’s TV teaching called “The Basket Case” on our LPM App, and especially take the time to do the Action Guide once you get to Part 4!] And how fun is this: I just learned that this teaching will re-air on TBN beginning tonight!

I love knowing that what I felt might have been a random selection of Scripture, He has a strategic purpose. And, wow, have I found choosing a portion of Scripture is much easier for my mind to remember than scattered verses!

Keep keeping at it, my SSMT partners!

Matthew 6:25-33 (ESV) – Do Not Be Anxious

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Hey Everyone! Time for our next verse! Queen Esther and I are inching our way through the one-chapter book of Philemon so this puts me on the third verse:

Beth Moore from Houston, Texas: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Philemon 3 ESV

I love, love, LOVE the verse below if you could use a recommendation this time around. I love what it promises. I love its rhythm. I love that it moves from “God is able” to the promise that frail humans like us who trust in Him “will abound in EVERY GOOD WORK.” Abundant life (John 10:10) abounds in good works. That, Darling, will preach.

And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.  2 Corinthians 9:8 NIV

DON’T YOU DARE QUIT!!!!

I love you. I’m proud of you. May Jesus be all over you today, loved ones.

Hey, Everybody! Let’s get some traction on this 2017 Scripture memory action! It’s time for Verse 2! This is the post where you’ll leave your comment with your Scripture entry.

Remember, you get to choose your own verse according to what you need most or what presently lands on your heart with the power of the Holy Spirit. I am committing to memorize the one-chapter, 25-verse Book of Philemon this SSMT year so at times my verse will seem a little random and be an incomplete sentence. Like today. Grin. That can be a challenge for an English teacher by trade.

I’ll always recommend another Scripture that I think makes a fabulous memory verse in case you are having trouble deciding on one. Remember that we strictly limit the comments to our SSMT verse-entries so the entire comment thread is a spectacular stack of little more than Scripture. It becomes such a help to many who are not even part of SSMT but searching for comfort for their aching souls or strength for their faith. Lots of people realize along the way that they can come to these posts and find powerful Scriptures. The majority of people don’t yet know how relevant the Bible can be or how to search the Scriptures for verses that speak to their needs. They don’t realize many of these verses even exist. Our enormous privilege is to put these verses on easy-access display for them and help bridge them over to open Bibles and, if they desire, to the incalculable gain of studying it in-depth.

So that’s enough from BM-Big Mouth. Here’s my entry and below it, you’ll find the verse I’m recommending this time around to those who are drawing a blank.

Beth Moore from Houston, Texas: “and Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church in your house.” Philemon 2 ESV

Recommended verse if you need one:

“And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment,” Philippians 1:9 ESV

I love you guys! Stay with it!

———Quick reminder from LPM——–
You can get SSMT updates with the LPM App notifications!

Here’s how…
-Download the app
-Once you’re in the app, go to the top left corner and tap the 3 horizontal lines, choose Settings, next choose Notifications, then turn on notifications for SSMT 2017. And your done!