Siesta Scripture Memory Team - Verse #3

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I can hardly believe that it is already time to memorize our THIRD verse of scripture in the Siesta Scripture Memory Team challenge for 2011.  There are so many verses that I want to commit to memory this year, but for some reason I had a hard time settling in on one for this week.

Last night as I was reading, I ran across this passage in Malachi and I felt like this was the ONE that I was supposed to choose for my SSMT Verse # 3.

Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, 
and the Lord listened and heard.  
A scroll of remembrance was written in His presence 
concerning those who feared the Lord and honored His name.

Malachi 3:16 (NIV)

How awesome is this!  When I am boasting in the Lord with a friend over a cup of coffee, writing a post on my blog, sending an email, or speaking with a girlfriend on the phone - the Lord stops what He is doing and pays attention to what I am saying! He listens and He hears and His heavenly "secretary" is recording the "minutes" from my conversations in a "scroll of remembrance".

I want that heavenly "secretary" to have "writer's cramp" from having to write so quickly to record all of my conversations that honor the Lord! 

The Message puts it this way  -- the names of the God-fearers were written down, all the names of those who honored God's name.

I don't know about you, my sweet friends, but oh, how I want my name to be written among the God-fearers and those who bring honor to His name!

When I live my life in reverence and awe of who He is, He stops what He is doing and listens in to my conversations! Isn't that amazing!

When my life honors God, He keeps a historical record of my conversations in a scroll of remembrance that is being recorded in His presence!

Oh, Lord...how I pray that my life would bring honor to Your name and that there would be PLENTY of stuff to write in your scroll about me!

Interruptions...or Divine Appointments?

This past Thursday morning, as I was having my Quiet Time with the Lord before leaving for work, the Holy Spirit impressed upon me during my prayer time to pray that I would be an encouragement to someone that day that needed encouraging. The last thing that I wrote in my journal that morning was asking God to bring someone across my path that day that I could be an encouragement to.

Shortly after arriving at work, I placed a call to a business colleague and God CLEARLY answered that prayer.  He had me call a person I had not spoken with in at least 3 months and this person, on this very day, was dealing with extreme loss, grief and pain and just needed a "shoulder to cry on" and a listening ear.   God had scheduled a "Divine Appointment" for me!

I had an opportunity to share the love of Jesus and the comfort of the Holy Spirit to this person experiencing so much hurt and pain in her life right now.  I was filled with compassion and my heart broke as she shared with me the circumstances that she was currently facing in her life.

Have you ever had a coincidence that was so special that you felt like God was in it?

I believe many times those "coincidences" are divine appointments -  "meetings" which are God led or inspired.

God is Sovereign. He is all-knowing and all-powerful. He knew that on this very day that this person would need a call from me...to listen to her, cry with her and most importantly, covenant to pray for her. He knew that I ALSO needed this appointment! The more that I shared with her about my faith...the more MY faith increased!

I couldn't help but wonder about how many appointments that God may have orchestrated for me in the past that I was "too busy" to see.  


Those divine appointments that I may have viewed as "interruptions" to my already busy schedule. 


Those situations that came across my path that I ignored because I didn't have time to "get involved".

As I thought about this encounter throughout the rest of the day, the Holy Spirit convicted me of the times that I have not allowed my daily life to be led by the Spirit.  I was challenged to slow down long enough to see, REALLY SEE, the people He has placed in my path; people that need to experience the love and compassion of Christ.  To take a second look at the "interruptions" in my schedule and see possible divine appointments orchestrated by my Heavenly Father.

I was reminded of the lyrics to a popular Christian song by Brandon Heath:

Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me Your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me Your love for humanity.


Give me Your arms for the broken hearted
The ones who are far beyond my reach
Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me Your eyes so I can see.


I pray that, as I go about my daily life, that I would be sensitive to the divine appointments that God, in His Sovereignty, has arranged for me. I know that if I am willing to be led by the Holy Spirit, GREAT things are possible!

Make me willing, Lord....


Give me YOUR eyes....
                                       YOUR heart....
                                                                 YOUR arms....    
                                                                                            Give me YOUR love, Lord! 

Siesta Scripture Memory Team - Verse #2

In 2009, I joined the Siesta Scripture Memory Team (SSMT) for a one year plan of scripture memorization with Beth Moore. God used His Word to speak to my heart in amazing ways that year!

I have been looking forward to the beginning of 2011 so that I could make another commitment to memorize 24 passages of God's Word over the next 12 months. I found in the year 2009 that the accountability of memorizing scripture with other ladies was such an encouragement.

So.....On January 1rst, I decided to join the Siesta Scripture Memory Team again this year. I've got my spiral bound index cards and and I am already on my second entry for 2011. 

The verse that I have chosen for my memory verse for January 15th is:

Ah, Sovereign Lord, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm, 

NOTHING is too hard for YOU.

Jeremiah 32:17 NIV

I listened to this interview yesterday on the LPM Blog and I could hardly believe that in just 1 short month (from Dec. 13 - Jan. 13) LPM has mailed out 8009 Spirals for their 2011 Scripture Memory plan! Isn't that incredible to think that over 8000 people have committed to memorize at least 2 verses of scripture per month over the next 12 months! LPM also has developed an "App" for those of you that are IPhone or IPad users! How awesome is that! So check it out here if you're interested.

And...don't feel like you can't participate because you don't have your cute little Siesta Scripture Memory Spiral. I don't have one of those, either...I am still just using my plain index cards I got from Walgreens. If I end up ordering a "Siesta Spiral", I will just transfer them over to the new "cute" one later.

So...come on, Siestas....won't you join in with me and over 8000 others and commit to hide God's Word in your heart this year? He promises that His Word will NEVER return void, but will accomplish what He sends it forth to do!

Siesta Scripture Memory Team - Verse #1

I can hardly believe that another new year is already here, but I am very excited about what God has in store for me and my family in the coming year.

I really believe that God is going to do some amazing things in the year 2011!

In 2009, I joined the Siesta Scripture Memory Team (SSMT) for a one year plan of scripture memorization with Beth Moore. God used His Word to speak to my heart in amazing ways that year! I have known for some time that I needed to be memorizing scripture again and for awhile now have been looking forward to the beginning of a new year. I found in the year 2009 that the accountability of memorizing scripture with other ladies was such an encouragement.

So.....I decided to join the Siesta Scripture Memory Team again this year. I've got my spiral bound index cards and and I am ready to make my first entry for 2011 with these verses:

So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded, 

YOU NEED TO PERSEVERE so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised. 

Hebrews 10:35-36 NIV

I would encourage any of you that might not have been planning to participate in this to hop over and check out Beth's blog and learn more about the SSMT. 

COME ON...It's not too late to jump in and we'll ALL hide God's Word in our hearts in 2011!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Looking Forward to 2011...

I have never really been one who makes New Year's Resolutions...I guess I just don't like setting myself up for failure. lol   I do, however, try to set some spiritual goals for myself at the beginning of each new year; i.e. Scripture memorization, journaling, Bible reading plans, books I want to read, etc.

I LOVE the idea of having a "fresh slate" every January 1rst.  For the previous year's goals that I failed to reach, I have a brand new opportunity to start over and do better in the new year. For the goals that I WAS able to attain in the previous year, it is a time to reevaluate and "set the bar a little higher" in the new year.

I can hardly believe how fast the year 2010 has gone by. It has been a difficult year, but it has also been one in which I have learned so much and seen God's hand on my life in so many ways.  I would not trade the difficulties of the year for all the life lessons that I have learned through the process.

As I was riding home on Tuesday, I was listening to the radio and thinking about the new year that is right around the corner and some of the things that I hope to accomplish next year.  A lyric to a Casting Crown song that I have heard many times suddenly jumped out at me and I have not been able to get it off my mind.  The lyric was,

"I want to sign Your name to the end of this day, knowing that my heart was true...".  

I couldn't help but wonder how many days in 2010 that I would actually have been able to sign His name to?  


How many days did the words I said and the things I did bring a smile to Him? 


How many days was I His hands and feet to reach a dying world?

Oh, how I want to be able to sign His name to the end of each day, knowing that my heart was true. If I could do that, then 2011 would surely be a year with no regrets and would definitely be my BEST year yet! If I could do that, I would be one step closer to that day when I will hear those words that I so long to hear from Him, "Well done, Thou good and faithful servant".

So for the year 2011, Lord....

May the words I say and the things I do bring a smile to You, God.


May my life be a living sacrifice so that I will be Your hands and feet to a dying world that is very much in need of You.


Give me Your eyes to see the things that I keep missing.


Remove all the distractions that are constantly competing for my attention and keep me focused only on You.


Quieten all the "voices" that are "screaming" at me to listen to them and give me only ears to hear Your still small voice. 


Give me Your love for humanity. 


And this time next year as 2011 comes to a close...
                     I pray that I would be able to sign Your name to it, 
                                                                                  knowing that my heart was true.