24

So last January, I signed up for SSMT 2011

(Seista Scripture Memory Team)

Beth Moore and the girls over at LPM,

invited us to memorize Scripture with them,

at the rate of two a month,

on the 1st and 15th.

So I KNEW that this was for me.

I did this in 2009, but I didn't finish strong at all.

I was not happy about that.

But this year, I knew that God would have me try again.

Anytime you can hide His Word in your heart,

is a good thing.

So I started January 1st,

and here it is December 18th,

and I'm so happy to say,

I now have 24 verses memorized and hidden in my heart.

Memorizing Scripture has changed me.

I say my verses every night after we go to bed and our nestled in for the night.

Generally, I have said my verses listening to my husband

breathe sweetly next to me,

and often our Sir Cuteness has lent his sweet breath to my Scripture memorization as well.

It has been life changing for me.

I have had a tough year.

Not gonna cover it over with smiley faces and fancy words here.

It.has.been.tough.

And as we come to the end of 2011,

and as I keep saying my memory verses every night,

I see God's hand in it all.

And I am so grateful.

SO.GRATEFUL.

He has led me and guided me,

and for all my mistakes and failures,

He has loved me.

And loves me still.

It is truly AMAZING!!!

So what I would like to do is type all 24 verses from memory.

To the Praise and Glory of His Name!!!!!

1st:

Psalm 27:13-14

"I am still confident of this,

I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.

Wait for the LORD,

be strong and take heart,

and wait for the LORD."

2nd:

Psalm 46:10

"Be still and know that I am God.

I will be exalted among the nations.

I will be exalted in the earth."

3rd:

Isaiah 26:3

"Thou wilt keep Him in perfect peace

whose mind is stayed on Thee,

because He trusteth in Thee."

4th:

II Corinthians 7:10

"Godly sorrow brings repentence that leads to salvation

and leaves no regret,

but wordly sorrow brings death."

5th:

Ephesians 1:4-5

"For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world

to be holy and blameless in His sight.

In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ,

in accordance with His pleasure and will."

6th:

Jeremiah 32:17

"Ahh Sovereign LORD,

You made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and out-stretched arm.

Nothing is too hard for You."

7th:

Psalm 112:7

"He will have no fear of bad news,

his heart is steadfast,

trusting in the LORD."

8th:

Jonah 2:8

"Those who cling to worthless idols

forfeit the grace that could be theirs."

9th:

Philippians 4:13

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

10th:

Matthew 5:14

"You are the light of the world.

A city on a hill cannot be hidden."

11th:

Psalm 57:7

"My heart is steadfast O God,

my heart is steadfast.

I will sing and make melody."

12th:

Ephesians 1:7-8

"In Him, we have redemption,

the forgiveness of sins,

in accordance to the riches of God's grace that He lavished on us

with all wisdom and understanding."

13th:

Hebrews 7:25

"Consequently, He is able to save to the uttermost

those who draw near to God through Him,

since He always lives to make intercession for them."

14th:

John 6:44

"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them.

And I will raise him up on the last day."

15th:

Exodus 14:14

"My LORD will fight for you.

You need only to be still."

16th:

Colossians 1:17

"He is before all things and in Him all things hold together."

17th:

Joshua 1:9

"Have I not commanded you?

Be strong and courageous.

Do not be frightened;

Do not be dismayed.

For the LORD you God is with you wherever you go."

18th:

Psalm 37:5-6

"Commit you way to the LORD.

Trust in Him and He will do this:

He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn;

the justice of your cause like the noon day sun."

19th:

I Peter 1:3-4

"In this you greatly rejoice,

though now for a little while,

you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.

These have come, so that your faith,

of greater worth than gold,

which perishes though refined by fire,

may be proved genuine and may result in praise , glory and honor,

when Jesus Christ is revealed."

20th:

Ephesians 3:16

"I pray that out of His glorious riches,

He may strengthen you with power,

through His Spirit,

in your inner being."

21th:

I Peter 3:3-4

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment,

such as braided hair,

and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.

Instead,

it should be that of your inner self,

the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet Spirit,

which is of great worth in God's sight."

22th:

Ephesians 1:17

"I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ,

the Glorious Father,

may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation,

so that you may know Him better."

23th:

Philippians 4:4

"Rejoice in the LORD always,

I will say it again Rejoice.

Let your gentleness be evident to all,

the LORD is near."

24th:

I Peter 4:8-9

"Above all, love one another deeply,

because love covers over a multitude of sins.

Offer hospitatilty to everyone without grumbling."

*****

Okay, so there are my 24 verses, and I have to tell you that all of those were from memory EXCEPT for the last one.  I am still memorizing this one, so I had to look it up.  I didn't quite have it all right.

So what about 2012?

Well, I will be memorizing Scripture, two a month, just like this year.

I can't imagine not doing it now.

It has enhanced and enriched my life so much.

I love y'all so much ~~ 

Duty or Delight and SSMT ~~ Let's Chat shall we?.........

As summer approached, I knew I wanted to start a Bible study and thought that I would do the Bible study through the LPM Blog, but they announced that they would not be doing one this summer because of their schedule and SSMT, but did list two studies that they might have done.

Well, I decided to do one of those studies on my own and since I had already read about Tammi Head's study, "Duty or Delight" I decided to do it.

And can I just say, I have no prior knowledge of the beautiful Tammie Head, but girls (and boys) this is one WONDERFUL - BEAUTIFUL - DEEP - DEEP - DEEP - HEART CHANGING STUDY!!!

If there is anything that will cause me to fall right into guilt and condemnation (and yes I know what Romans 8:1 says ~~ it is just one of those things that this girl's heart deals with ~~ the enemy knows where to strike, doesn't he?)  guilt over not spending enough time in the Word and prayer - missed opportunities to share about my Jesus - dealing with a teenager that is running - guilt, guilt, craziness and more guilt.   So in drops Tammie Head and this study, and did you catch the by-line?  "knowing where you stand with God"

That right there gets an AMEN from me!!!

I am just wrapping up week one and can I just say........okay wait a minute, let me just let you hear from Tammie:

"Spiritual performance can wear a person out.  Not even the best of us can stay "on" all the time.  The beautiful news is that God didn't save us so we would keep Him happy.  He saved us for soul-satisfying intimacy."

Can I get a serious AMEN?!!  I mean seriously!!  How many of us feel like we have to "perform" and then when we don't we feel guilty about our failed "PERFORMANCE"?  Oh my stars ~~ 

I am just in week one and already marking my book right on up.........this is a GREAT study!!  There are weekly Confidence Boosters in the form of Scripture and week one was "You are Chosen" with the Scripture being Ephesians 1:4 and since I have already memorized it as part of SSMT, I decided my SSMT for this time will be the verse for week 2. 

Which is the Confidence Booster "I am Redeemed".

Now before I get to the Scripture, I'd like to invite you to join in on this Bible Study over at Woman's Bible Cafe.  Here is the link.  http://www.womensbiblecafe.com/2011/06/duty-or-delight-bible-study-starts-july-11-2011/

It starts on July 11 for six weeks on Mondays, so go to that link to join us in this wonderful study!!

Now onto Scripture:

I must tell you, that I'm just LOVIN' SSMT this year. 

Having Scripture permeate my daily life has been life changing for me.

I say my Scripture every night when I lay my head on my pillow.  It has been a wonderful time with the Lord all year!!!  I know every night, I will be going to bed with Scripture going through my heart and it has been so helpful to my daily walk with the LORD.  I love Him so!!!

My Scripture is:

Ephesians 1:7-8 

"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding."

This Scripture is so moving to me and such a deep reminder of the redeeming power of Christ through God's grace.  It just touches me in a deep place. 

So will you join me and others in the pursuit to know God better through His Word.

I'd just love it if you would.

Have a Blessed day ~~

The Rest of the Story and SSMT #10

I told y'all about Dak's Baccalaureate and how the speaker gave an altar call. It was hands down THE BEST Baccalaureate messages I have ever heard. She was so focused and knew exactly what God wanted to say and she delivered it beautifully.

She gave the altar call in such a way that she asked you to pray the Salvation prayer after her if you needed to and then tell someone after the service.

So after the service we set at the beautifully decorated tables and ate and fellowshipped and then Dak was ready to go, but I knew I needed to meet the speaker. So I found her and headed her direction.

She was so nice and really sweet, but a focused lady on her Jesus. It.was.beautiful. SHE.was.beautiful. I told her how Dak and I read Psalm 139 on the first day of school and how this just put a beautiful bookmark to his High School career. God is so good!!!

Then as I was standing there a young man came up and spoke to the speaker. He was in the 6th grade and had given his heart to Christ during the altar call. AWESOME!!!

I was so excited for him and gave him a hug and told him that he'd just made the best decision he would ever make. He looked at me and saw a kindred spirit....a fellow Christian. It was a beautiful moment.

Since that moment to this, God has been reminding me of that moment. The look that sweet Blair gave me. The moment that meant something to him from someone he didn't know, and yet he knew. In Christ he knew me and I knew him and we will be in heaven together, me and this young one. Beautiful moment and one that I will remember.

God keeps reminding me that I am Light. You are Light. If you are in Christ, You Are Light!!

So for my memory verse this time God led me to:

Matthew 5:14 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden."

He has been reminding me who I am in Him, but also that others are watching and that it is important how I act and what I do. Others can see Christ in us, we must remember that. We truly are the light of the world if Christ is in us and He is the hope of glory and we can give that hope to others. I'm so thankful for that reminder.

Love y'all so much ~~

SSMT #9 ~~ I'm a little late....

As you all know, I am busy with a certain teenagers end of High School career, culminating in graduation on Monday evening at 8:00 PM (CST). Be still my heart. Yes my emotions are little raw right now, but I am so happy to be in this stage of life as well. It is so exciting!!

Well, Sunday was the 1st of May and I've been thinking about what verse I should commit to memory this time, but I just couldn't quite land on the right one. Ya know, you just feel it on the inside when it is the one for the season your in.....

The verse that kept coming to mind was "nothing is impossible with God", because girls, I've got some serious issues that are impossible as far as man goes, but NOT as far as God goes. There is just so much that I can't do, but God can do all things, so I thought that was the verse, but then God started dealing with my heart about just what I could do....

Well, Philippians 4:13 tells us EXACTLY what we can do......

So I'd kind of landed on it and then I went to RJ's blog this morning and saw a very inspiring video and at the end of it was this verse.

So my verse for this time is:

Philippians 4:13 (NKJV) "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

You should take 2:39 and watch that video. WOW!!!

Love you so ~~

Update on Mom and SSMT #8

WOW it has been a fast moving and changing few days. On Thursday, my baby sis and I took my mom to her new oncologist. The Oncologist mom has had for years retired, and so we have a new one. Dr. W is so sweet and from Johannesburg, South Africa and has a lovely accent. We really like her. While we were there, they did the routine blood work, weight and vitals, and found that mom's heart was only beating 40 beats per minute. Of course, this was very concerning as it was a new symptom. So in a whirlwind of events, she was admitted to the hospital. I stayed with her the first night, expecting a pacemaker surgery Friday morning, but at about 10:30 PM the nurse came in and said that mom was in A-Fib and that she had called the cardiologist and our primary care, because her blood pressure had also gone through the roof, but her heart was still only beating between 38-44 bpm. It was so strange. Well, the doc came in the next morning and said that they were holding off on the pacemaker until they got the test results back from the echocardiagram. He told us her AV node was plaqued and that may require a new valve, which would have not been good at all, as that is open heart surgery. But he came in later and told us that the AV node had changed (in two years), but at this time would not require surgery, but would continue to deteriorate. But we deal with now right? Yep, so we did and she was taken into surgery about 4:40 pm on Friday and the pacemaker was put in, and her heart immediately responded and is now beating between 60 - 70 bpm. That is good news, but the best news in all this came yesterday when the PA came in and told us that the pacemaker was also taking care of the A-Fib so no blood thinners right now. YAY!!! So happy!! Well, for a month someone will have to stay with her 24/7, and as a family, we are working this out, so if you don't see me a lot on here for a little while, know that I miss you and love you and will try to keep you updated and post some fun graduation happenings. And we'd sure appreciate your prayers for our sweet mother Christine, and also for us, her kiddos, my brother Rusty and sisters Rhonda and Dena and myself for wisdom and strength. We get along really well, and for that I am so thankful. We are all on the same page with mom's care, and know that we may have to make some hard decisions regarding that, in the not so distant future. But we are holding on to the One who loves us the most. ************************************************** Well, Friday was also the 15th and time for a new SSMT #8. WOW!! Well, I had another verse picked out, but it just doesn't seem like the one for this time. And the LORD has laid this verse on my heart for some time and I've quoted it right along with my other ones now for weeks, so time to make it official. Jonah 2:8 "Those who cling to worthless idols, forfeit the grace that could be theirs." Thank you so much for your sweet comments and prayers. They are of great strength to me right now. Love you so ~~ Oh one more thing..... do you remember my SSMT #7 "(She) He will have no fear of bad news; (her) his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD." Yep He knew exactly what I would need. Love you so ~~

SSMT #7

So it is Sunday, although it will say April 1 on my post, it isn't. I want to keep it on the right day for organization sake, but it is indeed Sunday =) Either way, it is time for my new verse. I spoke about it a few posts ago and have been thinking a lot about it. So here it is: "He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord." Psalm 112:7 (NIV) This verse also has my word in it for the year; steadfast. So I will be using it in my "One Word" scrapbook as well. YAY!!! So get in the Word. SSMT has been a HUGE encouragement for me. LOVING IT!!!!! Love you ~~

SSMT #6

It is time for SSMT #6. I am learning so much through the memory verses the Lord is leading me to this year. I say them several times every night before bed. I love hiding God's Word in my heart as I drift off to sleep.

My verse for this time was going to be my #2 verse, but God lead me to Psalm 46:10 for that verse, but I knew at some point this would be my verse, and now is the time. I love this verse and I KNOW that God is going to do a work in my heart as I memorize it, all to His Glory!!!!!

Jeremiah 32:17 (NIV) "Ah, Sovereign LORD, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for You."

Love, LOVe, LOVE this verse!!!!!

**********************************

In just a brief update: I am being a good girl and staying off my knee A LOT!!! I am taking it easy. So you know what that means, more scrapbook projects getting done. I'll be sharing some pictures with you tomorrow.

Love you all ~~ Have a Super Blessed Day,

SSMT #5

It is March 1st and time for Siesta Scripture Memory Team verse #5.

These were a set of verses that I memorized last year....well, sort of. Without SSMT I sure was not as diligent as I had been the year before.....not even close!! There were really only three sets of verses that I memorized last year and I didn't memorize them as diligently as I should have. Well the LORD has placed these three verses on my heart to memorize this year at some point, and so today, this first set of verses are from those. God wants me to know where they are and to know them COMPLETELY. I love Him so!!!

So my verses for this time:

Ephesians 1:4-5 "For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love (5) He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will-"

Now that my dear friends, is a mouthful and a heart-full!!! I LOVE these verses and now I will have them memorized correctly and know EXACTLY where they are. (I have a tendency to couple versions together.......like I was quoting this verse "...before the foundation of the world...." that is from the KJV....)

***********************************

I went to the doctor yesterday with my knee and didnt get the news I had hoped for, so after while I will post a knee update.

Have a Super Blessed day,

SSMT #4 ~~ Now if that Isn't Love.....

The ocean is dry.....

There's no stars in the sky.....

And the Sparrow can't fly.....

If that isn't Love.....

Then Heavens a myth.....

There's no feeling like this.....

If that isn't Love.



So y'all remember that old song? I used to sing that quite a bit with my mama at the piano. Sweet memories.






















It is time for SSMT #4, and I must tell you, this is where the rubber meets the road for me.

The Father LOVINGLY gave me this verse last week, remember confession is good for the soul.

As the Holy Spirit was convicting my heart to do the right thing, this verse was in my study of The Tabernacle. I had already written SSMT off to the side even before I knew what last week would hold for me confession wise. Isn't God just amazing?!! He knew I would need this verse last week, and He knew it would be my SSMT this time. He is so cool.



So without further ado:



2 Corinthians 7:10 "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death."



Off to the side in my Bible, I have these words written (from a long time ago): "Godly sorrow changes us. (Georgia)" G is my dear friend and at one point she had written this verse in a card for me I'm sure, because she used to send me cards quite frequently, and she'd write a verse in it that she felt was for me at the time, and then I would mark the verse and write her name and words of wisdom off to the side. Notes like this have Blessed me immensely over the years.

That "leaves no regret" was the part of this verse that really stuck out to me last week. God was telling me that Godly sorrow will always bring about repentance that leaves you with NO regret. My heart was so longing for that, and He is faithful. After I repented I felt so clean. Amazing!!

So this verse is near and dear to me of a great lesson learned. Praise You Jesus!!!

So what are your verses? If you aren't memorizing this year, it is never too late to start. You can go here and read all about it and join us.

I Love how the LORD loves on me. He started this post by putting that great old song on my heart. And has reminded me at the end of the post that He loves completely. I am so thankful!

Have a Super Blessed day,

SSMT #3

Well, are you ready? It is February 1. WOW doesn't it just seem like we were celebrating CHRISTmas yesterday? Time sure does go fast!!

Well it is time for our 3rd memory verse for the year. Isn't that fantastic?

This year, God has been putting very familiar verses on my heart to memorize. Why? You might be wondering. Well these are verses that I'm very familiar with and can even recite part or most of pretty accurately, but usually I cannot tell you where they are found, so this year, so far, God is dealing with my heart about seriously knowing His Word; knowing exactly where to find the verses that He has put on my heart over the years. It is truly a transforming time for me.

So my verse this time, He gave me just this morning. I really thought it would be another verse. I had it picked out and everything, but God changed it, just like He did last month. I love that. I know that He is speaking and I am obeying. Beautiful. Obedience reaps beautiful bounty in your life. So here it is:

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee; because he trusteth in Thee.” Isaiah 26:3 (KJV)

I love this verse in the KJV. I always look in many different translations, and God just kept speaking this one to my heart. I love the way it is worded!!

Okay, so what are your verses? If you are not joining us, please consider it. It will change you life!!! God's Word always will!!

You can go right here to learn more.

Oh yeah, they weren't kidding about the blizzard. WOW!!! There is some seriously blowing snow out there. CRAZY!!

Love and hugs,

Siesta Scripture Memory Team - Verse #2

Yep, it is time for a new verse with:

SSMT 2011!!!

If you don't know about it, please visit Beth Moore's LPM Blog right here for more information.

So now it is time for our next verse.

We have new a new verse every 1st and 15th of the month.

I did memorize my verse from last time:

Psalm 27:13-14 NIV

"I am still confident of this:

I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.

Wait for the LORD, be strong and take heart and

wait for the LORD."

And my verse this time is:

Psalm 46:10 NIV

"Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth."

I actually had another verse picked out for this time, but God changed it. Praise His Name!!!

His ways are so much higher than mine.

You may be wondering why such a familiar verse. Well, although as Christians, we probably all know or have quoted this verse to ourselves or someone else, but I believe that God wants me to know where these very familiar verses are.

If asked where it was before now, I would have probably said Psalms or Isaiah, I need to KNOW. And that is what SSMT is all about, knowing the Word of God. So now if I'm asked I can direct that precious one to Psalm 46:10. Isn't that cool?

And the other thing I found out about this verse, as I researched it, was......wait let me back up.....I didn't know that the verse contained the last two sentences, so when I studied this verse I looked at different tranlations and in the KJV it says:

...."I will be exalted among the heathen...."

So I looked up the word heathen and one of the definitions used the word Gentile.

Now just how cool is that?

Now this Gentile, grafted in by grace, is exalting her God, OH YES!!

And I hope you will join me.

One big happy blog world

EXALTING THE GOD OF ALL AND THE KING OF ALL KINGS!!!!

AMEN AND AMEN!!!!!!

You did come here to have church this morning right?!! heehee

Love you all and go get in the Word.

It is SO worth it.