Posts Tagged ‘Scripture Memory 2013’

Newer Entries »

2013 Siesta Scripture Memory Team: Verse 4!

February 15th, 2013 Beth
Tags: Tags:
Posted in Scripture Memory 2013

Hey, Everybody!

I just loved Lindsee’s previous post! Didn’t you? (Oops, I know better than to ask a question on SSMT day that might tempt you to answer with more than your verse. So scratch that. But at least know that I’ve been heavily into writing lately and am almost desperate for Siesta interaction. We’re going to need a livestream soon and for my sake much more than yours.)  I love some occasional randomness here on the blog. Well, I actually love it more often than occasionally. But I appreciate it most of all when random and awkward meet in the hall and hold hands like seventh graders who think they’re in love. Now we’re talking. Random doesn’t get better than that. And we got some mighty fine random awkwardness out of those lists.

But, alas, today is not random. Today is for taking the next big step in our life-thriving, heart-guarding, mind-saving journey of memorizing 24 Scriptures in 2013. Wooooohoooooo!

I am a little tickled over the verse I’m about to share with you because I really like to offer one up that many of you could consider as a selection in case you’re drawing a blank.  I give that process thought every single time I write an SSMT post and have for each year we’ve practiced it. It’s the least I can do as your resident Siestaville rally girl. This time I just couldn’t make it happen, however, because I’m memorizing out of the Book of Jude and I need to proceed to the next verse. So, with seriousness and focused intention plus a side order of mild amusement, I offer you my official 2013 SSMT Verse 4:

Beth, Houston. But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you.” Jude 1:9 ESV

What??!? That’s not the exact verse you’ve been longing to memorize? It’s not like I read your mail?? Finding out what happened to the body of Moses has not been your latest Scripture obsession?? This may be the first time – lo these many SSMT years – when no one opts to jump with me into my selection. You’ve got to admit it’s gloriously intriguing though. I’m totally taken with it and have been reading through a commentary as I’ve proceeded in the memorization. Jude is short on words and wild as a bucking bronco in a cramped corral on themes. Don’t dream of suggesting that the verse has little relevance for us. When the enemy is harassing you, just try occasionally saying out loud with lungs full of faith, “The Lord rebuke you” and see what happens. And I’m going to see what happens, too, because I’ve never diligently gone for that approach either. I don’t have many conversations with the enemy and I hope you don’t have an overabundance of them either. Our dialogues need to be directly with God who triumphs over every principality and empowers us with His Spirit and shields us with His hand. But I do indeed at times voice rebukes and occasional directives for him to get out of my yard and away from my family. In Jesus’ Name.

Over the last decade or so, I’ve switched from saying “Get behind me, Satan” when I feel like he’s hard at work around me and messing with my loved ones to “Get behind JESUS, Satan.” Jesus is the one who coined the command in Matthew 16:23 and I’m not at all sure it’s the same ballgame with the same outcome when we repeat the words like we have the exact level of authority. Anyway, I don’t especially want Satan working behind my back. Do you? I want him behind Christ’s. With Jesus in between the two of us, we find safety.

OK, Sisters! Let’s hear your verses! Name, City, Verse, Reference and Translations please! I love you so much. I’m honored to journey with you on this adventure Home.

 

 

Share

A Little Blog FAQ

February 7th, 2013 Lindsee
Tags: Tags: ,
Posted in Uncategorized

You can always find a good balance of fun and serious on this blog, but every now and then, you’ll find a little business (or maybe we should label it housekeeping) mixed in, and today is one of those days.

The beauty of SSMT is that we’re all memorizing scripture together and holding each other accountable and we have a ton of new siestas joining us! God alone be praised. However, if you are new to the blog, or joining in SSMT for the first time, I can see how you could get a little overwhelmed or stressed out if you’re unclear how to navigate the blog. My inbox is currently flooded with emails regarding all things blog FAQ.  So in one fell swoop, I’m hoping to help each of us out.

To our veterans, if you see a question I failed to mention, feel free to chime in on the comments. And to our new friends, I hope this post will be both informative and encouraging to you!

How do I join SSMT?

I am so glad you asked! We are so glad you desire to be a part and we invite you to join us! To “sign up” all you need to do is enter the scripture you’re committing to memory on the 1st and 15th of every month on our blog. At the end of the year, that will total 24 verses. You are welcome to enter your first verse on January 1st by clicking here.

Or, you are welcome to hop in on the next SSMT post. They will always be titled “2013 Siesta Scripture Memory Team: Verse ___”

Also, by clicking on this link, you can retrieve every SSMT post so far. You can also find this link on the right hand side column under “Links” labeled, “Siesta Scripture Memory Team 2013”.

How do I leave a comment?

To post a comment, scroll down until you find the post you want to comment on, click on the little brown box to the right hand side that states the number of comments on that post so far, then go to the end of that post (after any other comments that show) to “LEAVE A REPLY”. You will see 4 boxes: Name (required), Mail (email address), Website (NOT REQUIRED), then the final box is where you type in your comment. Click “SUBMIT COMMENT”. When you click “Submit Comment”, you should see a message that says “Comment awaiting moderation.” This means that you did everything right, and now you are just waiting on one of us to approve your comment. No need to worry if your comment doesn’t immediately show up. During SSMT, if you could give us at least 12 – 24 hours to moderate comments, that would be so helpful.

How do I sign up for the SSMT Celebration in January?

Great question! We ARE having a SSMT celebration next January, however, details and registration for that will come towards the end of this year. So until then, all you have to worry about is memorizing and entering your scripture in on the blog.

Can I log my SSMT verse for a friend and me?

Our goal here for SSMT is to just be an encouragement and have a little accountability with our sisters, and a few brave brothers. With that said, if you’re friend has no access to the Internet and cannot login on her own, you are certainly welcome to do that for her. However, please do it under two different logins, not under the same comment. Does that make sense? We wouldn’t want anything to hinder anybody from joining in.

I can’t find my comment, did I do something wrong?

I can’t imagine searching through thousands of comments to find my exact one, however, I totally understand that you would because I’d be the same way. Grin. By far the easiest way to find your verse is to note the time you submitted it.  (Adjust your time to our Central Standard Time.) Just know that once you press “submit comment”, you will see the message saying your comment is awaiting moderation. Rest assured, you’ve done it right! Now you just get to wait on us. That is the message you want to see after you submit!  Also, because I’ve been asked, there is no way to receive a message that your comment has been approved. This is where you’ll have to practice a little bit of faith!

How do I subscribe to get the blog delivered to my email?

If you go the blog homepage, which you are currently on if you’re reading this, look to the right hand side column, and you’ll see a button that says “Receive this feed via email”, click on that and it will take you through the very easy process of getting this blog emailed to you each time there is a new post.

I recently got a new email address. Can you cancel my old email address and have the blog sent to my new one?

Your email is not stored with Living Proof, so if you would like to change the address that your LPM Blog RSS feed comes to, you will need to click “unsubscribe” at the bottom of your RSS feed email, and then re-subscribe with your new email. (See previous question.)

Is replying to the RSS feed email the same as leaving a comment?

I absolutely see what you’re saying here, but unfortunately, it is not. If you get the blog post sent to your email account, you have to personally click on the title of that post so it can take you to the live blog post itself and leave a comment that way. I typically get about 100 replies to RSS feeds in my email inbox, and I have a feeling that might be why some of you are having trouble finding your comment among the thousands. If you replied to an email, your verse was not received. Unfortunately, your comment is most likely floating out somewhere in the cyber world. If you are new to this and you hear this one thing, I think it will make both of our lives a thrill! I know how confusing it can get.

How can I download the SSMT app?

You can click and find the app here for all Apple products.

And click here to download for all Android users.

You can also download them using your phone or by searching “BethMooreLPM”.

What do I need to do to qualify for the SSMT Celebration next January?

To qualify for the celebration next January, Beth has asked us to log in to share our verse on the blog the 1st & 15th of every month, a minimum of 21 out of 24 times throughout the year. You are welcome to go back and post your verses to each week. We are very encouraged by you all!

I think that’s a wrap, folks! Thank you for being patient and gracious with us. We consider it a great privilege to love and serve you all. Seriously. Feel free to leave any question I might have not addressed in the comments. That way if someone has the same question as you have, we can all read it!

Oh, and just for fun, as I was about to publish this post, I decided to share a picture with y’all I snapped on Tuesday before Bible study. I happened to be the only one in the sanctuary for about ten minutes and it felt like the calm before the storm. The blog has felt a little bit like that this week, eh? A little quiet? We do apologize. But know that while it may be quiet, we’re thinking of you guys 24/7.

We love y’all so much.

Share

2013 Siesta Scripture Memory Team: Verse 3!

February 1st, 2013 Beth
Tags: Tags:
Posted in Scripture Memory, Scripture Memory 2013

Hey, Everybody! Welcome to Verse 3! One month down, only eleven more to go! I say that with a grin because I don’t want it to fly by. There are stressful aspects to what we’re doing here on our team because victory is labor intensive and demands focus and discipline. You can’t really cheat at your memory work. I mean, either we take the time for the constant repetition until it’s embedded underneath that skull of ours or we don’t. But, at the same time, it’s also rejuvenating, don’t you think? And fun? And, admit it, the team aspect of it is glorious.

In fact, I hope God is using this whole process to bring some of you back to life. I’m picturing all of us women like that valley of dry bones in Ezekiel 37. Scattered in that broad dell of ours are skeletons of dead-tired, depleted girls from all over the United States and in at least a half dozen other countries. Thousands of us. The breath of God’s words falling on us, rattling our bones, wrapping us with new wine skins, filling our lungs, and beginning to raise us to our feet: a mighty army brandishing Swords. (Eph. 6:17) We use these swords to battle darkness and not one another. We are not Peter who, in an impulsive fury, left poor Malchus with one less ear in John 18:10. There they were, in the most critical moment in human history thus far and Jesus had to stop what He was doing and stick the man’s ear back on the side of his head. (Luke 22:51) Enough of this! Jesus commanded. The people around us who we are called to reach and serve in Christ’s name are not drawn to weapons and shredders but they are indeed drawn to courage and valiance and gracious strength. A well-trained soldier knows who his enemy is and who his enemy is not.

I’m looking forward to your verses! I am starting some memory work out of the one-chapter book of Jude today. I find this verse fascinating because the inspired penman really meant to write his audience about one thing when God sidetracked him to another. These dimensions of divine inspiration make my mind spin. I love thinking about it. Here goes mine:

Beth, Houston. Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. Jude 1:3 (ESV)

Contend for the faith. Lord, show us, teach us, equip us, fill us, and anoint us with holy affection, sound minds and doctrine to contend for the faith. Show us how to fight for our faith without wounding and scarring the people we were called to influence in the process. This can get tricky. Show us how it’s done.

I’m honored to serve you, Sisters, and to draw swords with you in this battle against the blackest darkness. Built up in Christ by the breath of the Spirit, focused and deliberate, we can be a mighty army.

OK, let’s have it. Your names, cities, verses, references, and translations.

Live and love well out there today, you hear?

Share

2013 Siesta Scripture Memory Team: Verse 2!

January 15th, 2013 Beth
Tags: Tags:
Posted in Scripture Memory

We’re off and running, Sweet Things! And 11,000 strong!!! Oh, how I pray that God will grant us the divine favor and indwelling power to keep it up month after month and finish 2013 in the multiple thousands. What joy He and we would have! For now, we take it step by step, one verse at a time. Don’t get caught up wondering how in the world you’re going to memorize 24 verses when you’re having a hard time memorizing the first one. That will sink your Scripture memory boat for sure.

I make you this promise based on my experience and the experience of many others: the more you memorize, the more you’ll get the hang of it. I was going to say that the more you memorize, the easier it gets but it’s not easy and that’s part of what makes it such a victory to celebrate with Jesus. I do believe I can tell you with confidence, however, that your tenth verse will very likely be easier to memorize than your first one. By that time, you’ve quit letting your nay-whining old nature tell you that you can’t do it and you shouldn’t have even tried. A big part of the battle in the first month is simply telling that self-destructive echo in our heads to shut its mouth. It’s replacing “I knew I couldn’t do it” with “Oh, yes I can. I can do all things through Christ.”

Persevere! Let’s not be quitters! God would rather us make it to the end of the year still stumbling over some words than throwing our hands up and quitting at the first imperfect recitation. Even if we don’t get our verses down perfectly, the pursuit itself is the very art of meditation. Nothing about it is a waste of time. Just think of how it helps to break the mental loop of rehearsed offenses. We’re going to be fixated on something. That’s how our minds often work. But we get to choose what.

So, right now say verse 1 out loud the very best you can.

Tremendous job. Now, let’s add our second one to it.

I totally love my verse this time around! It came up in my Scripture reading during my quiet time early Sunday morning. Here it goes:

Beth, Houston. All your children shall be taught by the LORD, and great shall be the peace of your children.” Isaiah 54:13 ESV

Isn’t that fabulous? I’m choosing this verse specifically so that I can turn it into intercessory prayer. Mind you, I’m not “claiming” it like I’d be apt to do with a promise more clearly obvious under the New Covenant. I’m reluctant to claim the fulfillment of a promise made straight to Israel for myself or people in my world unless I know that we have a coinciding New Covenant promise.  I’d have to see consistency to pray it as one fervently counting on it. Isaiah 54:13 carries obvious elements that are very consistent with the promises of Christ to us. He promised that the Holy Spirit will teach us all things and He blatantly gave us His peace but where I’m asking God to do an Isaiah 54:13 work in my family is the emphasis on ALL my children. I want every single one of them to be students of Christ Jesus, to love His Word and His ways with a passion beyond the natural realm, and for His peace to be great upon them and contagious. If you’ll look in the Scripture’s context in Isaiah 54, especially in verses 11-17, you’ll see that V.13 is within the promises God made specifically to Israel and scheduled for fulfillment in a time yet to come. So, no, I’m not claiming it, so to speak, BUT, I am indeed asking for it. That’s fair game.

God is not obligated to say yes to promises like those in Isaiah 54 this side of His Kingdom’s full revelation but, as I persevere in prayer and faith, He will indeed hear me and I believe be pleased that I had the boldness to pray it. He is not blessed by our small, vision-bare petitions anyway. I’ve thought for a long time that God would rather hear His children voice outrageously large prayers of faith even if He has to say no on occasion than hear our pale, timid, tepid requests for things He’s already given us anyway. For instance, if we belong to Him in Christ, He is indeed going to “bless us” and “keep us.” So, I’m adding Isaiah 54:13 to my spiral and planning to reword it often into a request. I’m going to take the risk that He may indeed perform generational miracles with a family tree sprouted from the soil of disease and brokenness. Make us oaks of righteousness, Lord,  for the display of Your splendor. (Isaiah 61:3)

This I know for sure: we often have not because we ask not. (James 4:2)

I love something else about Isaiah 54:13. I love that the word translated peace in English is the word “shalom” in Hebrew. The Hebrew word blows the doors off of our usual concept of peace. When I ask God for great peace to be upon my children, I have no interest in a trance-like state of passionless nirvana. I want God’s brand of peace: lively, vivacious. Here’s what the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament has to say about it:

“The general meaning behind the root š-l-m is of completion and fulfillment—of entering into a state of wholeness and unity, a restored relationship.”

It means to be intact, healthy, sound. It means wellness of soul. It conveys the idea of God prospering His child. He describes His peace like a river: moving and running. His peace is no pond. I read the verse first out of The NET Bible that sits open on my desk at home. Isaiah 54:13 is worded this way on its pages: “All your children will be followers of the LORD, and your children will enjoy great prosperity.” Right that moment I jotted the verse down in my journal and, under it, asked the Lord (with enough zeal to imprint it on the next page) to prosper my children and their children and their children and their children in the way that really matters: grant them lives that bear much fruit – I said MUCH FRUIT –  for THIS is to our Father’s great glory. May they blatantly show themselves to be Christ’s disciples. (That’s John 15:8 and, if you haven’t memorized it yet, it is a must! Prioritize it early on in your year if God causes it to leap off the page with you.)  With all my heart, I want God to use this lineage He is redeeming to prosper His Kingdom.

So I am really fired up about my verse for our next two weeks and hope to still be saying it and praying it for the next generations of this family line when I’m about to see Jesus. If you don’t already have a verse selected, you are welcome to share it and make it your own with Jesus. Choose any verse that He’s using to speak to you right now. Remember, that’s what will make it stick to your ribs. It needs to mean something to you!

Hit it, Girls! Remember! Only your names, cities, verses, references, and translations! You are stellar, Sisters. I love you so much.

Edited to add: Information on how to download your Android or iPhone application!

I know many of you have been asking if we are going to have an app this year for your smart phones, and we have both good news and bad news. The good news is YES, we ARE! We have created an app for both Android and iPhones. The bad news is, the Android app is ready for you, but if you would be so patient with us, we’ll have the iPhone app ready for you in about five or six days. Does that sound good?

So, excuse me while I get technical for just a minute!

For those of you that still have the old application on your phone (and this goes for both Android and iPhone users), you would most likely have received a notification about the availability of this new one, but if not, and you are currently using an android, simply click here to download the app. (This link is for Android users only.) Android users, if you’re having issues with this link (and it’s currently working fine on this end), you can search “Living Proof Ministries – Scripture Memory Team – 2013” in your phone under applications. (I have very little knowledge about Android phones, so forgive me if my wording is wrong.)

When the iPhone app is ready, I’ll update this post for those of you who would like to download it with all the instructions you’ll need. However, I do know upfront you’ll be able to find the app in the iTunes store via your phone or computer.

Once you have the application, it is very user friendly. You’ll be notified the 1st and 15th of every month with the new blog post that will land in your application (you will only be notified if you have turned on notifications for this specific app), you can share the post, and then you can also store your memory work in there. It will also act like your spiral. You may want to use both your spiral and the app to have on hand in case you lose one or the other!

I hope that helps! Doesn’t this make it so much more fun?

Share

2013 Siesta Scripture Memory Team: Verse 1!

January 1st, 2013 Beth
Tags: Tags:
Posted in Scripture Memory, Uncategorized

Finally!!!!!!!!

Are you ready, Sisters? Do you hear me cheering?? I have never been more excited about doing this.

I am on the verge of doing about 10 backward flips on my hardwoods. I said on the verge. Not quite doing it. Well, I’m doing it in my heart. That counts for a lot around here.

SO LET’S DO THIS THING! Now, promise me this! Promise me you will read this entire post before you leave a single comment. I know you’re about to burst and I am, too, and, for that reason, I’ll keep it as short as possible. It’s so important that we get our ground rules firmly established so that we’ll have a fabulous experience. Remember, hundreds of our participants this time around are brand new so let’s make sure everybody’s on the same page.

A few things you absolutely MUST KNOW:

*Your comment to this post is your official registration onto the team. Everybody starts at Verse 1 no matter when they begin the process. (Word gets around and we often still have people joining in with us even in March and April. We don’t mind how late they begin as long as they can catch up, memorize their verses, and document each one of them on the proper post as an official participant.) This launch post will remain right here in this January 1st 2013 slot all year long and each new person will need to make her first entry here. This is how we track who signed up when we get to the end of the year and it’s party time.

*Your comment must be strictly limited to the following 5 pieces of information: name, city, verse, reference, translation. I’ll say it slower now for those brand new to the process:

Your name (or first name if you prefer), city. Your verse for that two-week period written all the way out, the reference for it (where it is found in the Bible: Book, chapter, verse) AND the *translation you’ve taken it from.

(*For instance, is the Bible you’ve pulled the passage from a KJV, an NAS, HCSB, NIV or NLT? Or is it The NET Bible, The Message or another similar version? The translation almost always appears on the outside spine of a Bible. If not, you will find it on the first few pages. If you’re looking on line, you’ll get an option to choose a translation. Do so as it speaks most clearly to you. We aren’t fussing over translations here in our memory work. You also do not need to stick with one version throughout.)

Just those 5 pieces of information!  They will comprise every comment to this post. And the moment you start scrolling through all of them, you’ll see why. Page after page after page after page of Scripture and each one telling a reader exactly where to find it. It is the most powerful sight to behold. This invites people who are not participating in the memory work to reap tremendous benefits by just reading the comments and taking strength from verses they may not have known existed. This way it has the potential to bless our whole community or any weary visitor to our blog. I’ve been in crises before and gotten on the comment pages and scrolled from Scripture to Scripture and practically wept with relief and fresh courage or revelation. That’s why it’s best to keep the SSMT comments as succinct as possible. If you’ve got an exclamation in you that you just can’t hold back, you can occasionally make the briefest comment like, “I really need this one!” or “I’m sharing so-and-so’s verse” but, please, no more than that.

Comments other than the verse-entries on the 1st and 15th of each month can’t be approved. I’m so sorry and I hope you’ll understand. Thousands of us will be doing this together so the moderation process is monumental from the administrative side. The verses will be all Lindsee and I can handle in the comments for our two SSMT days per month. Keep in mind: NONE OF THESE INSTRUCTIONS PERTAIN TO THE OTHER BLOG POSTS HERE AT LPM. We will be completely free to do our regular thing on all other posts! The really stringent rules are only for the 1st and 15th of each month in 2013 and in reference to Siesta Scripture Memory Team. I hope that makes sense!

*Your comment may take 24 hours to get moderated (or posted if you’re new to the blog process) and sometimes a bit longer if it falls over a weekend. We try our hardest to stay up with it but on those days when 500+ come in at once, it’s quite a task! But we love it! It just requires a little patience on all sides! Before you assume that your entry somehow vanished and you’re tempted to write it again,  give it one full day and see if it shows up. Keep track of what time you posted it and double check the comments around that same time.  The accidental repeats make it much harder to track participation through the course of the year so always double check. If you don’t find it a day later, by all means, post it again!

*Remember that you get to choose your own verse! That’s really important! The ease with which you can memorize a verse is greatly impacted by how much it means to you. The more you need it or want it, the more you’ll absorb it. If you come up dry at times, no problem! You can either share my verse or another in the comment line that really speaks to you.

*PRAY that God will bless you in this endeavor and will enable you to memorize His Word! Ask continually throughout the entire year! When I get stuck and frustrated that I can’t get my words in order, if I’ll stop what I’m doing and ask God to supernaturally infuse me and help me to concentrate, you would not believe how quickly a breakthrough will come.

Are you about to stuff a sock in my mouth?? I’m about 2 seconds from stuffing one in my own mouth. Melissa gave me two new pair of boot socks for Christmas so at least I have fresh choices.

All right, already! Here goes mine! In honor of our process ahead and how willing the Holy Spirit is to help us…

Beth from Houston Texas, But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. John 14:26 NIV84

Here’s one more alternative if you’ve never memorized it for a new year! I just love it for January 1st:

You crown the year with Your bounty, and Your carts overflow with abundance.  Psalm 65:11 NIV

May God’s grace abound to you, Sweet Thing. WELCOME! We have such a fabulous challenge ahead of us. GOD, GRANT US YOUR GOOD FAVOR!

So…what are you waiting for??? SIGN IN WITH VERSE ONE!

 

PS. I thought you guys might find it a bit amusing that I brought in the first 300 comments in the CAR on the way to the airport to catch my Atlanta flight for Passion 2013. Laughing. You keep your blog mama busy. I love you so!

 

Share
Newer Entries »