Scripture Memory Team Verse 8 – April 15, 2015

April 16, 2015 10:28 AM 0

10292544_713027298804447_2891017255611194206_n

I am moving along in my journey of participating with the SIESTA SCRIPTURE MEMORY TEAM 2015! The verse The Lord led me to for this go-round is from the New Testament Book of JAMES, my husband Gary’s favorite book of the Bible. One of the best Bible studies I’ve ever completed was entitled JAMES: MERCY TRIUMPHS by author and teacher Beth Moore [her ministry, Living Proof Ministries, is also the founder/sponsor of the Scripture Memory Team].  I remember my friend and partner in women’s ministry at Second Baptist Church, Cindy Schult, saying, “I feel as if we are leaving behind a dear friend,” when we completed the study on that last night. It was a tremendous study and we all learned so much. Here is my memory verse from the 19th verse of that first chapter, taken from the Amplified Bible.

James 1:19 – Amplified Bible (AMP)
Understand [this], my beloved brethren.
Let every man be quick to hear [a ready listener],
slow to speak,
slow to take offense and
to get angry.

I had a friend send me a tweet regarding this verse saying “this is a hard one to live by.” A text conversation with another dear friend earlier yesterday shared the same sentiment when I texted her the verse. Let’s break it down:

QUICK TO HEAR [A READY LISTENER]
I am not quick to hear because I often find myself formulating my response to the person talking to me rather than really listening to them. I am over 10 months into my new position and I’ve had to do a lot of listening, more than ever. So it’s safe to say I’ve listened more than talked…at least while I’m at work. True. It’s been hard for me because I am a talker…but I have learned that it takes practice and concentration and intention to really listen. It’s actually hard. Sometimes I want to say, “if you only knew how much I really wanted to say when I was listening…”  I attended a women’s ministry leader’s retreat called “SELAH” this past January 23-24 in the North Georgia mountains. The main speaker gave me a great takeaway. She said we need to W.A.I.T.  Stop and wait and ask yourself, “Why Am I Talking?” W=Why A=AM I=I T=TALKING? Get it? So I typed it out and taped it to the bottom of my computer monitor. It is a trigger for  me when I see it to stop and W.A.I.T. if need be! And it often is!

IMG_9434

SLOW TO SPEAK
If you are practicing the “W.A.I.T.” [Why Am I Talking] discipline, then you are going to be slow to speak. I’m asking the Lord to keep me from the habit of thinking I must say something on every subject and on every occasion. Give me ears to hear and a heart to just listen…and listen well.

SLOW TO TAKE OFFENSE AND GET ANGRY
The only way to handle being offended and getting angry is by walking daily in the power of the Holy Spirit. It is difficult and only comes about by much prayer. I also believe that growing older and acquiring the wisdom that accompanies aging is a benefit! You’ve seen more and just know when to “pick your battles.”  And always, above all – we must put on love.  Being Christ-like in our response when offended will bring much harvest if the offense is one concerning our faith. I Peter 3:15 talks about always being ready with a response that is gentle and courteous.  If the offense is personal it may be harder especially if it involves your family or friends. The best response is a soft answer and avoidance of anger.

Well, this is a great verse and I pray one that will settle deep in my heart. So now, I’m going to sign off so I don’t have to say, WAIT …”Why Am I Typing?” 🙂

GRANJAN

Share
April 16, 2015 10:28 AM 0

Scripture Memory Team Verse 7 – April 1, 2015

April 6, 2015 11:19 AM 0

10292544_713027298804447_2891017255611194206_n

Easter is my favorite celebration on the calendar. As we can see in the beauty of Springtime, there is new life everywhere. Easter means everything to all believers in Jesus Christ – our HOPE for Everlasting Life – found only through Christ and His glorious resurrection from the dead. So I chose this verse:

1 Peter 1:3 (HCSB)
Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
According to His great mercy,
He has given us a new birth into a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead

When I read “according to His great mercy,” I am gripped with thankfulness. Mercy, so underserved – so freely given. New Birth – Living Hope – what great words in this verse! We had a glorious time of worship at my home church yesterday – my husband leading in worship, my son Jonathan participating by leading in worship during the song “Forever.” He did the speaking part like Isaac Wimberley did in this video below:

Hope you all had a wonderful Resurrection Sunday and will continue to enjoy the PROMISE of I Peter 1:3 every day!  This is the LINK FROM LIVING PROOF MINISTRIES with a word from “our sponsor” 🙂 Mrs. Beth Moore.

We Sing Hallelujah, the Lamb Has Overcome,

GRANJAN

Share
April 6, 2015 11:19 AM 0

Scripture Memory Team Verse 6 – March 15, 2015

March 16, 2015 3:13 PM 0

10292544_713027298804447_2891017255611194206_n

Proverbs 8:10 (NLT)
Choose my instruction rather than silver,
and knowledge rather than pure gold.

I love this verse, I love the Proverbs. My  husband has been reading through the Proverbs on a daily basis for many years, over and over each month. He always reminds me that never once do you read in Proverbs about people being “too quiet,” but there are plenty of passages with warnings for the wisdom in guarding your mouth and zipping your lips (my wording there). So this go-round I wanted to choose a verse from Proverbs and this one means so much to me for two big reasons right now, today. First, I want to be a wise woman of God. To be wise I know I need to receive instruction from God. That instruction is found in the pages of His Word, the Bible. The next reason is a song I’ve been rehearsing for about a month now. It’s a new beautiful arrangement of a timeless song. Our choir will be singing it this coming Sunday, March 22! I am going to be singing the solo. George Beverly Shea who traveled and sang with the Billy Graham Crusades sang this song all the time. It references that silver and gold mentioned in Proverbs 8:10. It’s an old song written in 1922 by Rhea A. Miller entitled, “I’d Rather Have Jesus.”

I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold;
I’d rather be His than have riches untold;
I’d rather have Jesus than houses or lands;
I’d rather be led by His nail-pierced hand.

Chorus:
Than to be the king of a vast domain
Or be held in sin’s dread sway;
I’d rather have Jesus than anything
This world affords today.

I’d rather have Jesus than men’s applause;
I’d rather be faithful to His dear cause;
I’d rather have Jesus than worldwide fame;
I’d rather be true to His holy name.

He’s fairer than lilies of rarest bloom;
He’s sweeter than honey from out the comb;
He’s all that my hungering spirit needs;
I’d rather have Jesus and let Him lead.

 Blessings to you today,

GRANJAN

Share
March 16, 2015 3:13 PM 0

Scripture Memory Team Verse 5 – March 1, 2015

March 1, 2015 9:07 PM 1

10292544_713027298804447_2891017255611194206_n

My heart has been stretched with emotional swings this weekend…sorrow from the sadness of a funeral to the joy of a wedding, both events within a few hours yesterday and all with people we’ve known and loved for many years at our home church, Second Baptist, Warner Robins.

We began Saturday morning by attending the funeral of Dirinda Maxwell, a precious 51-year-old woman and friend who lost her battle with cancer. Her service was a true celebration of her life and the confidence that it truly was well with her soul. Dirinda was a cheerful and content woman of faith. Her funeral began with the congregation singing “10,000 Reasons – Bless the Lord,” and ended with “I Will Rise.” Pastor Mike Dorough shared a verse that had blessed Dirinda on her journey the past few months. I immediately knew it was going to be my memory verse for this post today.

Nahum 1:7

The Lord is good,
A stronghold in the day of trouble;
And He knows those who trust in Him.

Here is the link to the Living Proof Ministries post for the Scripture Memory Team, Verse 5 from Beth Moore.

The wedding of Nick and Hannah Prieto was beautiful. Nick is a young worship pastor that we’ve been blessed to know almost his whole life. My husband Gary prayed a blessing over them at the wedding. It brought back so many memories of our wedding. I was a young girl marrying a music man too and I didn’t know much of anything except that I loved him and wanted to spend my life with him. Now almost 38 years later we’ve had a great day at church, he’s still leading worship and he’s still my music man and I still love him with all my heart. God is so good to me.

Love and prayers for the Maxwells and the Prietos tonight. God knows those who trust in Him.  Nahum 1:7

GRANJAN

Share
March 1, 2015 9:07 PM 1

Scripture Memory Team Verse 4 – February 15, 2015

February 16, 2015 8:31 PM 0

10292544_713027298804447_2891017255611194206_nI love the memory verse I have chosen this go-round. In fact, just last week I shared it with a woman at work via email. I was congratulating Lisa Hill on her new job as the Assistant Principal at Bonaire Middle School.  Lisa she said she was going to memorize it too. I shared with her that this passage from Isaiah 33:6 had been a source of strength and encouragement to me when I began my new job in the Superintendent’s office last June first. I needed it again this past week and felt impressed to add it to my Scripture Memory Team list of verses.

God is my CONSTANT source of stability. When everything around me was changing and I needed stability – God provided just what I needed in the most perfect way – abundantly giving me safety and wisdom right on time when I asked Him for help with a new task. He will do the same for you. Ask Him in faith and believe Him to be your constant source of stability too. 

Isaiah 33:6 – NET
He is your constant source of stability;
he abundantly provides safety and great wisdom;
he gives all this to those who fear him. 

The link to the Living Proof Ministries post can be found HERE.

GRANJAN

Share
February 16, 2015 8:31 PM 0

Scripture Memory Team Verse 3 – February 1, 2015

February 1, 2015 9:27 PM 0

10292544_713027298804447_2891017255611194206_n

I am thrilled to be part of the Scripture Memory Team with Living Proof Ministries in Houston, Texas.  The post from Beth Moore for “verse 3” can be found HERE.

My verse for February 1 is from Colossians, chapter 4, verse 2, the English Standard Version:

Continue steadfastly in prayer,
being watchful in it with thanksgiving.

The Amplified Bible says to “be earnest and unwearied and steadfast in your prayer [life], being [both] alert and intent in [your praying] with thanksgiving.” I love this verse and pray it will soak in deep and that I will be unwearied in praying. Praying is hard work and takes time and discipline. The rewards are more than we can even imagine, that’s why the enemy does everything to keep us from praying.

This morning my Pastor, Dr. Jim Perdue preached on prayer. His text was Luke 18 on the parable of the persistent widow.  It’s been a great day with a PRAYER emphasis.  

Then I saw on Twitter yesterday that the new movie from the Kendrick Brothers (who brought us Courageous, Fireproof, Facing the Giants) is due out soon. It is called “The War Room,” and yes…it’s on prayer. The amazing young Bible teacher and writer Priscilla Shirer has a leading role. Here is a clip:

It is going to be great. I’m already looking forward to the impact it will have on the Kingdom of God to unite the Body of Christ. Let’s be praying! And remember, nothing is too small to bring to God in prayer. He is a God of details and He designed us, so He knows. Just talk to Him and be faithful in doing so. 

GRANJAN

Share
February 1, 2015 9:27 PM 0

Scripture Memory Team Verse 2 – January 15, 2015

January 19, 2015 2:37 PM 0

10292544_713027298804447_2891017255611194206_n

 My verse for January 15th is from Ecclesiastes 3:1 (ESV):

“For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven.”

In late December of 2014 I received an email from Living Proof Ministries about participating as a guest blogger on their website as part of the Scripture Memory Team for 2015. I was thrilled and excited and everything in between! I began to pray about what God would have me share and He led me to the theme of seasons, which has been a constant in my life for quite a while now. It’s the beginning of a new year and I had been reading through Ecclesiastes in my devotional time in the mornings.  Below is a copy of the post from the Living Proof Ministries website, and the link to the post is HERE.  The beginning portion is from Beth Moore and then I share my guest post below. I pray God will use His Word to strengthen your life. 

Hey, everybody! You are in the exact right place to submit your Verse 2!

This is such a fun first for SSMT! Remember in the SSMT informational post when I told that, while I’ll still be doing all the SSMT posts on the 1st of every month, the one on every 15th would be written by various sisters in our blog community? Welcome to the first one! It took me about 5 seconds to decide who we should ask to kick off our SSMT guest posts. My beloved friend, Jan Morton, has been an active member of this community from its inception. I fell in love with her by watching her interact with countless women in the comment line, ministering to them and encouraging them and mothering them and making them laugh. And through that connection, we became personal friends. Our SSMT guest bloggers throughout 2015 will be from various age groups but this one happens to be right at my age and in a very similar season in her personal life and serving life. Those of you who have been around a while know that Jan Morton became so dearly loved in this community that we early on named her the “Mayor of Siestaville.” So, without further hesitation, please grant me the honor of introducing you to one of the mightiest women in the faith that I know. Jan, we are so honored to have you host us today! Thank you for investing in us!

GaJan-Dec2014Happy 2015 Siestas! This is such a privilege for me to share with our SSMT. I adore this community! My name is Jan Morton. I’m a pastor’s wife from Georgia. [I am also “GJ” for Gran Jan/Georgia Jan.] I’ve been married to my husband Gary for 37 years. Only 20 years old when we got married¸ we were way too young but who knew? ☺ We have two grown married sons, two sweet daughters-in-love, and 5 delightful grandchildren ages 6, 4 ½ , 4 ½, 2 ½, and 17 months – Gran Jan’s JOY! I love gardening, singing in choir/praise team, reading, quilting, and serving in the women’s ministry of my church. I work in our local school system (26 years now) as the Administrative Assistant to our Superintendent. A new ministry I’m involved in at my church is called Tasting Grace, a mentoring, encouragement time for women. Cooking and conversation! We get in the kitchen and wonderful things happen. Isn’t the kitchen a great place to gather? It is at the Morton home!

Ecclesiastes 3:1 “For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven.” ESV

The word says: For everything [it says everything], there is a season and a time for every matter/purpose/activity under heaven. Everything – the entirety of; a great deal, especially of something very important, EVERYTHING!

God has been drawing me to the theme of seasons, and that is what I want to share with you today. All of life relates to seasons. The beauty found in the four seasons of a calendar year to the seasons of our lives. I’m in the season of life known as the empty nest. Just me and my man like when we had “only just begun.” I’m loving this season, especially being a grandmother. Looking back as a 57 year old woman can do…I can truthfully say I’ve learned in every season of my life. I pray to grow old gracefully and stay relevant and young at heart.

What is your season of womanhood right now? Are you in SPRING – a young woman in school or just beginning a career or education or newly married? How about SUMMER – in the “zone” raising children or building a career or marriage? Maybe you’re in AUTUMN – children grown, and you may be looking toward retirement? Or perhaps you find yourself in WINTER – your senior years as a woman, perhaps a widow, reflecting on past seasons and all that God has brought you through.

WHEREVER YOU ARE, BE ALL THERE. This is what God is showing me because in the busyness of life I can easily lose focus. Don’t be longing for another season and miss what’s going on around you now. This deception is one of the biggest lies of the enemy of our souls; the distraction and discontentment with where we are today. Embrace your season: SEASON – SAVOR EVERY AVAILABLE SENT OPPORTUNITY NOW! Some are more enjoyable than others, sure they are! Just as changes in seasons bring mosquitoes in summer or storms in winter, there are extremes in our lives. Some of you empty nesters may suddenly find yourself caring for both your grandchildren and aging parents. Some of you young women may be longing for marriage. Some of you stay at home moms or single moms may have to go into the workforce for a season to pay the bills. If our entire lives were one continuous season we wouldn’t have the changes we desperately need to help us grow. As much as I love to garden, if every day were spring or summer, I wouldn’t have autumn to harvest, or winter to dream and plan.

This old gal has learned some things in 57 years of seasons:
• Our constant, never-changing, faithful Lord Jesus is with us in every SEASON, in everything.
• Sometimes seasons overlap – in fact, several might descend on you at once. Sometimes joy and sorrow meet in a season.
• You may think springtime has come, but unseasonal cold snaps may occur and you better be ready. Memorizing God’s Word is a lifeline.
• Ask God to give you a strong focus in your season today and receive it as the gift it is, embracing the wonder. God will provide your daily bread.

“Which is the happiest season of life?” was asked of an older woman. She replied: “When spring comes, and the flower buds are breaking through I think, ‘How beautiful is spring.’ And then when summer comes and covers the trees with heavy foliage and singing birds are among the branches, I think, ‘How beautiful is summer.’ When autumn arrives with golden fruit, and the leaves bear the gorgeous colors, I think, ‘How beautiful is autumn.’ And then comes winter, and there is neither foliage nor fruit, and I look up through the leafless branches as I never could until now, and see the stars shining in God’s home.

Embrace whatever season you are in now. RIGHT NOW. Don’t long for another season. I know the days may be long, but at my age, the years seem so short. So wherever you are, be all there. Because of Jesus, one day we will be “SEASONED TO PERFECTION” and live with Christ for eternity. Let’s get there one day at a time and savor our seasons as God wills. Because He has made everything beautiful in its time. (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

GRANJAN

Share
January 19, 2015 2:37 PM 0
« Previous Page
Next Page »