Resolutions

Verse of the Day:

Philippians 3:13-14

Brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us to.

When I think of all the things that have happened in the past year, I am amazed at how much I have grown up and changed and where His plan has taken me to.  We can never really what God has planned for us in just one short year of our lives, but so far He has never ceased to amaze me!

Although our plans don’t always go as we would like them to and God throws us curveballs when we least expect it, it is important to look into the future and think where we want to be next year at this time.  What do you want to do differently in your life in 2011?

I am an avid blog follower, and I found this great advice on another blog that I’m going to steal – giving them due credit of course. J Anywho, the guy who writes this blog focuses on how to write New Year’s resolutions that are SPECIFIC, MEASUREABLE, ATTAINABLE, RELEVANT, and TIMELY – all characteristics of a great resolution.  I highly suggest checking out his blog for a better idea of what he means.  (http://www.lifeteen.com/blog/make-2011-better-a-teenagers-guide-to-crafting-a-new-years-resolution)

A resolution in any area of your life is a great way to start the year, but I challenge you to make a spiritual resolution.  This could range from praying more to going to church on a regular basis to starting a prayer journal.  Anything that will bring you closer to God.  It’s just important that it is something that will be meaningful to YOU. You will be amazed at where these actions will take you.

Where do you want to be in your relationship with God on December 31, 2011?

The Simple Truth:  Setting goals to improve your relationship with God will improve everything in your life.

Pray:

Lord, help me to grow much closer to you in this coming year.  I trust you with my life and I know the plans You have for me are so much better than any I could ever make myself.  Amen.

Peace, love & prayers-

K

Honor Yo' Father and Yo' Mother

Verse of the Day:
Sirach 1:6

He who respects his father will life a long life; he who brings comfort to his mother obeys the Lord.

The older we get, the more we realize how ridiculously awesome our parents are. As kids/teenagers, we were never really too upset with any of our parent’s rules, but even the rules that they did have, we understand now. Our parents have always (even when we didn’t realize it) been a powerful example of what it means to be great people, as well as great Christians. 

Our mom constantly gives her time and energy to organizations and events that we were/are involved in. She is always chaperoning dances, volunteering for committees, or encouraging us to have friends over to visit. She has made all of our friends feel welcome and like a part of our family for many years. She has been like a ‘second mom’ to many of our friends, and we feel lucky that she cares so much not only about us, but about the people we care about too. We think this is a great example of how to be a loving, accepting, and giving Christian figure. 

Our dad is the greatest man we’ve ever known. He is an amazing example of what it is to ‘live the faith’ and he does it in a way that never forces it upon you, but silently encourages it. It has always been routine in our house to go to church every Sunday, pray before each meal, and just live our lives with Christian values. We attribute a lot of that to our dad being such a committed man of Christ.

The Simple Truth: Even though you might not realize it now, God has blessed you with great parents. They might be parents that show you to live in the faith, or they might be ones who struggle with their beliefs. Either way, it is part of His great plan.

Pray:
Lord, help me to respect my parents, even when it is hard. Help me to appreciate the things they have done for me and to know I will have great rewards for living Your Word. Amen.


Peace OUT,
K & Lo

The Power of Prayer

Verse of the Day:

Mark 11:24

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

I keep a prayer journal. Basically, every night I just write my prayers down and leave it at that. The reason I started keeping a journal was because I wanted to see how God was working in my life by looking back and seeing what I had prayed for in the past.

I have this friend. I wouldn’t say she was on the wrong path, but she was not exactly heading in the right one. I could tell she had lost her faith and that she was struggling with things in her personal life. I didn’t really know what do to about it, so I just decided to pray.

One night, I decided to look through my journal and see what God had done. I kept seeing my friend’s name. I read things like “Help her find her way” and “I pray she finds trust in You”. I didn’t realize how much I had been praying for her. I didn’t think much of it, and that night I prayed for her again.

The very next day, she came up to me in class. She asked me to go to church with her, and if she could be added to my list of cell phone contacts that receive Bible verses from me every night. A huge smile spread across my face. First of all, I was extremely excited for her. Secondly, I had just witnessed first-hand the power of prayer.

Prayer works. Give it a try.

The Simple Truth: God answers our prayers. It may not be right away, but He has a plan up His sleeve. Prayer is a powerful thing.

Pray:

Lord, help  me to not give up on my prayers even when they don't seem like they're working right away.  Help me to be patient with You and your plans, and to do my best to be an example to those around me.  Amen.

Peace, love & prayers-

K

God's Medicine

Verse of the Day:

Proverbs 4:20-22

My child, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh.

Medicine is pretty awesome. When I have a headache, it’s always relieving to know that I can take some Advil and the pain will go away. When we’re sick, most of the time the doctor can prescribe us something to help us overcome an illness, and in a couple of days we feel fine. But medicine isn’t any good unless you take it. You could go to the doctor, get some medicine, and return home and set the medicine on your nightstand right next to your bed. And then you could grow sicker. You might call the doctor and say, “I don’t understand. I got the prescription, I paid money for it! Why doesn’t it work? I’m getting worse.” The doctor might ask if you’re taking it according to the directions. You might say, “Well, no. But I’ve got it right here in the bottle by my bed!”

The medicine won’t work if it’s in the bottle. It’s gotta be inside you.

The same thing goes with God’s Word. It won’t work if your Bible is sitting on your nightstand next to your bed. It won’t even work just because you read it, or memorize a few lines of scripture. It’ll work when you get it inside of you, to your heart. When you meditate on it and act on what his Word says.

The Simple Truth: Just like medicine, God’s Word will not work until it is inside of you.

Pray:

Lord, help me to read your Word and to take it all in. Help me to take Your medicine of the Bible on a daily basis and to really meditate on it.

Let your light shine.

-Lo

Treasures

Verse of the Day:

Matthew 6:19-21

“Do not store up for yourselves treasure on earth, where moth and rust destroy, where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where moth and rust to do not destroy, where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will also be.”

There is always a lot going on during the holiday season… family get-togethers, church services, presents, Santa, delicious food, cookie baking, etc.  And when you talk to people after Christmas, I think one of the first questions you probably get asked is “What did you get?!”  We place A LOT of focus on the items that we receive as presents, earthly things.  How often do we ask someone how it was to spend time with their family? Or how their Christmas church service was?  Probably not as often…

 This year I found myself treasuring time with my family, church services, and long talks with my cousins, aunts and uncles, and grandparents more than I ever had years before.  Although I’m thankful for all the presents I got, I would trade them any day of the week for time with my family and a baby boy being born to save the world from sin.  My treasure this year was not in my presents, but in my family and my faith.  And that is where my heart is now more than ever.

The Simple Truth: I can’t think of a better way to put it and I think Jesus will be okay with me stealing His words… “For where your treasure is, there your heart will also be.”

Pray:

Lord, thank You for a wonderful Christmas and for sending Your son for me.  Help me to remember what is important during this season and keep my heart in the right place.  Amen.

Peace, love & prayers-

K

A Helping Hand

Verse of the Day:
Luke 6:38


For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.


I was having a very busy day. I went to school, went straight to babysit for 2 hours, then rushed to a voice lesson and then had to straight to mock trial practice. After my voice lesson, I was running short on time and I was super hungry for dinner. There is a boy, let's call him Jack, who needed a ride to mock trial. I had two options. 


1) Call Jack and tell him I couldn't give him a ride and stop at Subway to get a sandwich.
OR
 2) Give Jack a ride and go hungry.


I decided to help Jack, despite my hungry stomach. When I pulled in his driveway, he came out his front door, carrying two brown bags. When he got in my car, he handed them to me.


"I thought you'd be hungry, I knew you usually don't have time to eat on Mondays. My mom and I packed you a  dinner" 


It was the best packed dinner I HAVE EVER HAD. A PB & J sandwich, celery, yogurt, Mountain Dew, green tea, cookies, and craisins. All of my favorites. To top it all off, his mom gave me $25 for driving Jack around.


Here's the lesson. I had a choice to make, and I decided to help out Jack instead of getting a Subway sandwich. When I made a decision to help someone, I got out even more than I could ask for. 


The Simple Truth: You will get rewarded for putting others needs before yourself.

Pray:

Lord, help me to put others before me and to realize that helping people out will give me great rewards. Help me to make the right decisions on a daily basis.

Let your light shine.

-Lo

MERRY ALMOST CHRISTMAS!

The Relationship Triangle

Verse of the Day:


Ecclesiastes 4:9-12


Two are better than one, because they have good return for their work:  If one falls down, his friend can help him up.  But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!  Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.  A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.  


Sooo I have heard this verse at pretty much every wedding I have ever been to.  But I feel like it is something that we can all apply to all the relationships in our lives.  Two ARE better than one.  It's great to have a friend, sibling, boyfriend/girlfriend, or another person along with you on your life journey.  And if you fall down or they fall down, the other person is there to be the strong one and help the fallen friend up.  But the part of this that really stands out to me the most is 'A cord of three strands is not quickly broken'.  The three strands obviously being the two people and God.  I truly believe (and have experienced) that a relationship with God in the center is a more fulfilling and meaningful one.

I heard an analogy once about a triangle and a relationship.  I feel like this lovely illustration I did explains it pretty well.  ;)  But the moral of it is that if God is at the focal point of your relationship (any type of relationship at all), and you and the other person are both moving toward God, you will consequently grow much closer to each other at the same time.  Neat thought, huh?





The Simple Truth:  If God is your center, your relationship will be stronger.

Pray:
Lord, keep Your love, grace, and forgiveness at the center of all my relationships and help me to grow closer to others around me by growing closer to You WITH them.  Thank You for blessing me with faithful people to surround and influence me.  Amen.

Peace, love & prayers-
K

Every Little Thing is Gonna Be All Right

Verse of the Day:

Matthew 6:34
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Does he like me? Am I wearing cute enough clothes? Will she be mad at me tomorrow? Will she think I'm stupid?

Did I study enough? I wonder if I got an A. Do you think my parents will kill me if I don't get higher than a B? What if I don't get on the honor roll?

Where am I supposed to go to college? Did I apply to the right schools? How will I know which school to choose? How far away from home do I want to be?

Did I get everyone on my list a Christmas present? Will they like their presents? Will so-and-so be upset that I didn't get them anything? Do I have time to go shopping tomorrow?

If you're like me, you're a worry wart.
Guess what?
You don't have to be. God tells us straight up that we don't need to worry. He's got us covered.

So, the next step is to take all of those things that worry you and lay them down at the foot of the cross. Jesus will totally help you out. He's got your back.

The Simple Truth: Worrying about things will not help us. Lay your fears about tomorrow down to Jesus. Every little thing is gonna be all right.

Pray:

Lord, help me not to get too caught up in the worry of every day life. Help me to know that you will help me with my struggles and that you already know what tomorrow brings for me. Help me to come to you whenever I have fear or doubt or worry, knowing that You will help me.

Let your light shine.
P.S. HAPPY CHRISTMAS BRAEK! :)
-Lo

A Social Network Christmas

Verse of the Day:
Hebrews 13:8


Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Nick and I (mostly me, of course) were Facebook creeping at lunch today and we found this video.  It is literally the story of the birth of Jesus, just told as Facebook statuses, wall posts, and all that.  We laughed through most of it, but at the end realized that it IS the exact story.  Pretty cool stuff.

A Social Network Christmas

The Simple Truth:  The story of Jesus (just like Jesus Himself!) will never change.  It doesn't matter if it is told through words, pictures, or Facebook.  God sent His Son to be born and to eventually die - just for us.

Peace, love & prayers-
K

I Will Follow You

This is an AWESOME song. Listen to the words. It's about following Christ. Enjoy :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnwz3xx_yGs

Why do you doubt?

Verse of the Day:

Matthew 14:28-31

“Lord, it it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

“Come,” He said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.  But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

Immediately, Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” He said, “why did you doubt?”

We all probably know the story of Jesus walking on water.  I actually didn’t know until I read this a couple days ago that Peter walked on water (for a little while at least), too.  Peter puts his trust in Jesus by telling him that if Jesus says it is him out there that he will walk out to him.  Jesus reassures Peter that it is Him and Peter starts walking toward Him, but as soon as the wind starts to blow, Peter’s faith is shaken.

How many times do we do something like this? 

1.       Think about starting something new and scary and ask God if He will be there for us our new path (maybe walking on water? ;)

2.       Actually start the something scary trusting that God is right there with us.

3.       Venture out a little further on our journey (possibly slightly unsure of our steps…).

4.       Spot something that makes us nervous (like some scary wind).

5.       And doubt that God has our back anymore.

I know I have gone through those steps many times.  I don’t give God the trust He deserves even though He promises never to leave me.  His hand will always be there to catch us, even when we DO doubt.  We’re lucky people.

The Simple Truth:  Even when we doubt, He NEVER lets us fall.

Pray:

Lord, help me to trust You when I am setting out on new adventures.  I know You will always be there for me even at times when it feels like the whole world is against me.  Amen.

Peace, love & prayers-
K

Open Doors

Verse of the Day:
Jeremiah 33:3

Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.

So, I went to my voice lesson the other day, just like usual. I pulled up the the back parking lot and headed for the door. The door is always locked. Week after week, it is always locked. So, as my usual routine goes, I called my voice teacher to open the door for me. He didn't answer. I called him two more times. No luck. Shivering in the December air, I headed back to my car and drove around to the other side of the building where there were doors that were actually open, and ended up being 5 minutes late to my voice lesson. When my half hour lesson was done, another girl came in right after me. I asked her if she had to go all the way around the building, like I did, to find an open door.

"No," she replied. "The back door was open today!"

Yep. I was so sure that the door was locked that I didn't even TRY to open it. Turns out, it was open the whole time.

Relating this to God. Sometimes I feel like I have to pray a certain way at a certain time, or go to church so many times a month, or go to youth group, and do all of these extra things to get God's love. But the thing is, there are opportunites right in front of us to love God. We don't have to take the long route. We can get to God's love easier than that, just how I could have gotten to my voice lesson without that whole other pointless detour.

The Simple Truth: God's love is ready and available to us. We don't have to take a bunch of twists and turns to find it.

Pray:

Lord, help me to realize that You are ready to talk to whenever I need You. I do not need to pray a special way, or go to church a special number of times, or go to my youth group to get Your attention. You love me no matter what, and Your love is always ready, right in front of me.

Let your light shine.
-Lo

(P.S. Sorry about the no-blog thing yesterday, it's been a busy week!)

l-o-v-e

Verse of the Day:

1 John 4:19

¹⁹We love because He loved us first.

Love.  What a wonderful word.  Love is talked about all over the Bible.  Like seriously, I looked it up and it’s mentioned 697 times.   

There are many different kinds of love in our lives.  Love for your family, love for your friends, romantic love, love for God.  I could go on.  All of these loves are similar, but they have their own qualities as well.  What it really comes down to is that the people you love are YOUR people.  They are the ones you would do anything for and the ones your life would be so different without.  And we feel like this and love this way because He loves us this way.  We’re HIS people.  The ones He would do anything for.  The ones He would send His only Son to save.  The ones He so desperately wants to live in Him.  It is in love, earthly love or divine love, that we can experience all that God has to offer us in this life.

‘Love opens people up to each other and ultimately opens them to God.  Love causes us to experience the divine gift that others are to us.  It causes us to trust the world a bit more.  If we open ourselves up to love, then we are more ready to accept the divine presence that comes hidden in others, a presence that, perhaps, we have also hidden from ourselves.  We become more open to God, and consequently, all things become possible.’ – (Donna Freitas & Jason King - Save the Date)

The Simple Truth: God = Love, Love = God.

Pray:

Lord, thank You for all the love in my life.  Help me to see You in everyone I love.  I know that I know how to love only because You’ve showed me such a great example.  Amen.

Peace, love & prayers -

K

Justin Bieber Prays

I love Justin Bieber a little more than I should at 21 years old.  You can find me dancing to his songs with my roommates on a weekly basis.  Embarrassing, I know.
I came across this video and it made me love Biebs even more than I already did.  I think seeing celebrities who have kept their faith, care about those less fortunate than themselves, and aren't afraid to make a song that won't be played at the next high school dance are celebrities worth looking up to.

Justin Bieber - Pray

Happy weekend! :)

Peace, love & prayers-
K

Working Hard

Verse of the Day:
1 Timothy 4:7-8

On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

I just got back from the boys basketball game, and they WON! And it was a super awesome/intense/cool game to be at! I was so impressed with the guys and how hard they worked. Then it occurred to me...

They didn't get that good overnight.

In order to get that good, they worked. They worked really hard too! They practice every day after school for four hours. Sometimes even in the mornings. They memorize plays, they lift weights, they spend time together to develop team chemistry. They spend so much time into playing basketball, and the outcome is success.

I think for everyone there is something that we are really dedicated to, whether it's basketball, band, student council, or getting good grades. Working really hard and keeping discipline help us reach our goals in those areas. Think about if we had that much dedication and put that much time into our relationship with God. The outcome, success.

The Simple Truth: If we put more time and energy into our relationship with God, the result would be awesomeness.

Pray:

Lord, help me to realize that while things like basketball, theater, and school are very important, my relationship with You is also important. Help me to discipline myself so that I can become closer to You.

Let your light shine
-Lo

Guard Your Heart

Verse of the Day:

Proverbs 4:23

²³ Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

Guard my heart, huh God?  This sound difficult…

I’ll be the first to say that I haven’t always been the greatest at guarding my heart, and I also haven’t always treated others hearts with the respect they deserve.  When I was in middle school, I remember being ‘that girl’ who had a different boyfriend every week, and I loved it.  Boys liked me!  Silly reason to feel valuable, but gimme a break – I was in middle school. ;)  Once I got to high school, things got slightly more serious and I found myself having some control over other people’s hearts, and giving them some control over mine. And there were times that I didn’t guard my heart well enough, and I got hurt.  In college, it was the same story.  Only things were even more serious.  And I got even more hurt.  From all of this, I’ve learned that first and foremost, I need to fill my heart with God.  He will allow someone to fill my heart if its right and I trust that if it isn’t right, He won’t let them in. 

Right now I have this padlocked and dead bolted door on my heart.  It’s possible I am guarding it a little too closely.  When you make mistakes and let people into your heart who shouldn’t be there, that can happen.  But God is showing me a lot and I completely trust that He will open the door soon. 

The Simple Truth: There IS someone out there who your heart doesn’t need protecting from.  Trust God to lead you to that person.

Pray:

Lord, help me to not be reckless with people’s hearts and lead me away from people who may be reckless with mine.  I know You have a great plan for me.  Fill me with You and help me to guard my heart with all I have.  Amen. 

Peace, love & prayers-

K 

"I'll go with you"

Verse of the Day:
Matthew 28:20

And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.

It's a comforting thing when we face something difficult and a person says to us, "I'll go with you." Whether it be a doctor's appointment, or a difficult talk, or a new experience. Actually, it's nice to have someone say "I'll go with you" even when it's not serious. I have a friend who always has to have someone dish her tray with her at lunch, go to the bathroom with her between classes, and go to basketball games with her. We all like the company. And let's face it, we feel a little more confident about what we're doing if we have someone right along side us to support us.

Guess what?

God is with us. All the time. In every situation. Right along side us. He tells us in Matthew 28:20, I am with you always. THAT'S SO COOL. Although we may not feel his physical presence, it makes a difference to remember that wherever we are, God is there with us. He tells us, day after day, "I'll go with you"

The Simple Truth: No matter where we go, no matter what we do, God always tells us that he'll come with us.

Pray:

Lord, help me to remember that you will always be with me wherever I go, in every situation. Give me comfort to know that you will guide and protect me all the days of my life.

Let your light shine.
-Lo

Hurt & Healing

Verse of the Day:

John 9:1-3

¹ As Jesus went along, He saw a man blind from birth. ² His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”  ³ “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.

This weekend I was blessed to have a 6 hour round trip car ride with two of my favorite people I have met in La Crosse.  These two people have had more influence on me and who I am right now than most of the other people who have come in and out of my life.  Anyhow, we got into a great conversation about getting hurt by others and enduring that struggle.  One or the other of these friends, sometimes even both together, have helped me through many of my difficulties in the past year, and it got me thinking about the people that God brings into our lives. 

In this verse, Jesus heals the blind man and probably proves Himself to many of the people watching that He is the true Healer.  Sometimes I think that God allows us to go through difficult situations to prove to us that He WILL take care of us when we’re hurting.  And although we can’t see the healing He does like the blind man witnessed it, He sends people into our lives that are able to repair us through Him – even if they don’t know that’s their purpose.  God knows what He’s doing when He allows pain and struggle in our lives.  I can look back on my past year and realize that I wouldn’t be as close to these friends as I am right now if we hadn’t all gone through situations that we needed each other to make it through.  They probably don’t even realize how much they have impacted and healed areas of my life. Sometimes God sends us down some crazy paths in order to get us where we are meant to be.

The Simple Truth:  God allows us to experience pain and suffering.  But He also sends amazing people into our lives with a purpose.

Pray:

Lord, thank You for all the struggles I have gone through and the people in my life who have made me the person I am today.  Help me to look for Your purpose in all of my difficulties, as well as all my relationships.  Amen.


Peace, love & prayers-
K

Contentment

Verse of the Day:
Ecclesiastes 1:9

What has been done is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun.

NEW! IMPROVED! We often see these two words in many ad campaigns. No matter how good a product already is, sooner or later it'll be even better. When I was 10 years old, I thought it was SO COOL to have a portable CD player. I took it to school and listened to it, brought it with me on road trips, and basically thought it was the best thing I owned. A couple years later, everyone had an mp3 player. I thought to myself..now I want one of those! After I got an mp3 player, I saw everyone with iPods, and I thought to myself, now I want an iPod! They're WAY better than an mp3 player! Now I have an iPod, but it's really outdated. Now those iPod Touches look pretty awesome to me...

You get the picture.

The writer of Ecclesiastes invites us to just enjoy what we have now. Sometimes it's hard, when we see someone with the latest BlackBerry or the newest Uggs. We want new things. But a real gift is being thankful and content with the things we already have.

The Simple Truth: Improvements to earthly items will always be done, but we should be content with what we already have.

Pray:

Lord, help me to be content with my life. Help me to praise and thank You for the things you give me every single. Help me to not get caught up in wanting the latest item.

Let your light shine.
-Lo

Let Your Light Shine

Instead of a verse of the day, I have a quote of the day.

It's deep, and true.

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves. Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us, it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

We are children of God.

The Simple Truth: Let your light shine, it'll help others do the same.

Pray:

Lord, help us to live as Your children. Help us to let our light shine on a daily basis to let others do the same. Help us not to play small and insecure in this big world.

Let your light shine.
-Lo

Who am I living for?

Verse of the Day:

John 5:30

³⁰ By myself I can do nothing, for I seek not to please myself but Him who sent me.

I’ve tried a few times to live by myself, to take over my life and put God on the backburner.  Without going into detail, I’m just gonna say it didn’t work out very well.  I’ve heard many speakers say that when they’ve tried to take their own paths they have been left with a God-shaped hole in their heart, and I can totally relate to that - because I’ve learned that I CAN do nothing by myself.  I feel empty and I don’t have a direction.  The point is, when I try to live by myself, I am definitely not living to please God.  I am living to please myself.  When I live to please God and I do the things that I know He wants me to do, say, and believe, I am happy.  There is no God-shaped hole in my heart.  I am good to people and I feel like my life is going in the direction I want it to be going in.  And it’s all because of a simple reason.  I AM LIVING TO PLEASE HIM.  Living for God isn’t easy, and I think that the decision to follow Him is one that you have to remake every morning of your life, but I can’t think of one day that it wasn’t worth it.

The Simple Truth: A life lived for God isn’t always fun or easy, but when you’re living to please Him, it’s impossible to go wrong.

Pray:

Lord, help me to recommit my life to You every day.  I know that by myself I can do little, but with You by my side I can accomplish great things.  Amen.

Peace, love & prayers-

K

What is the most I can do?

Verse of the Day:
Matthew 16:24

Whoever wishes to follow me, let him deny himself and take up his cross.

I've been working a lot on attitude lately, which is hard for me (for those who don't know me, I am actually quite the pessimist). But looking at this positively really truly does make your day go a lot smoother. Whenever I'm getting down on myself or on others, I think of this verse. I don't know why, it just gets me thinking about Jesus and all he did for me. It also gets me thinking of how I can do things for others.

Jesus never said "What's the least I can do and still bring salvation to the whole entire world?". Instead, he asked "What is the most I can do?". He gave up his life for us! With a positive attitude and this mentality of "What is the most I can do?", we're bound to make a difference in someone's life.

Especially in this holiday season, ask yourself, "What is the most I can do?". Maybe you can give up a couple Christmas presents this year and put the money toward buying toys for other kids who can't afford them. Maybe you can volunteer somewhere to package food for underprivlaged areas. So many options! What will do you?

The Simple Truth: Jesus did so much for us. He sacrificed is own life. What can we do for others?

Pray:

Lord, help me to be considerate of others and to ask myself regularly what I can do to improve someone's day. Help me make sacrifices, like You did on the cross.

Let your light shine.
-Lo

We're backkk!

Verse of the Day:

James 1:19

¹⁹ My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.

We are back in action.  Expect a much more consistent blog from now on. J

I love this verse.  Mostly because it is so clear how you can apply something like this to your life.  And even though really does sound hard to live like this on a daily basis, I think we would be amazed at how things would change if we did.

Be quick to listen:  I actually really do like to listen to people.  But sometimes, I just want to tell my story or give my advice!  I consciously have to think about the fact that I need to be focusing on what the person who I am talking to is telling me.  It is easy to get distracted thinking about what you want to say next or even with other things going on in your head, but listening to someone and focusing on them and only them is an amazing gift that you can give a person.

Be slow to speak:   I have trouble with this a lot.  Something comes to my mind, and I want to say it immediately!  A lot of times I don’t completely think through what I am saying, and after it comes out of my mouth I want to just shove it back in.  Especially when you’re having a conversation with someone who wants your advice, being slow to speak and thinking through what you say is extremely important.   When God suggest we are slow to speak, I think He wants us to evaluate how much it is going to help the person or the situation. 

Be slow to get angry: People are going to hurt us.  People are going to do things and say things that we wish they wouldn’t.  But hurt is just a part of life.  When we are angry with someone, we are making life harder for ourselves and for that person.  I am nowhere near perfect, but I’ve learned that holding grudges is never worth it.  I try my hardest look at the situation from the outside and be able to either forgive the person, or be able to talk over a solution with them.  God doesn’t want us to spend our time being angry and bitter toward others.  We’re all in this together.  God gave us other people so life would be a little easier to get through.

Pray:

Lord, please help me to follow Your advice every day that I live.  Help me to think through my thoughts and actions and be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.  You are a great God.  Amen.

Peace, love & prayers-

K

You Can't Earn Grace

Verse of the Day:

Ephesians 2:8

⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this is not from yourselves; it is a gift of God.

In our lives, we constantly have to earn things.  I work hard and put a lot of time into school so I can earn good grades.  I have a job so that I can earn money and eventually buy the things I need.  I respect and listen to my parents so I earn their trust.  I try to be professional to my professors so I earn their respect.  I feel like I am always trying to earn all of these, plus more, things in my life.   But here’s some great news.  WE DON’T HAVE TO EARN GOD’S GRACE!  He tells us right in this verse, it’s a gift from Him.  There is nothing we can do to earn or deserve it.  It’s just ours. 

When we realize that God has given us this glorious gift not because we earned it, but solely because He loves us so very much, it makes it easier to give up our lives to Him and follow Him in everything we do.  By being willing to accept God’s grace, we are giving ourselves the fuel we need to obey and love God with everything we have.

‘God woos us every day with kindness; He changes our character with the passion of His love.’ – DM

The Simple Truth:  You can do nothing to earn God’s grace.  It’s yours, no matter what you do, because He is crazy about you.

Pray:

Lord, make my heart ready to accept the amazing grace that You offer me.  Thank you for all the gifts You provide for me that I don’t have to earn.  You are a great God.  Help me to continue to make the daily decision to follow You.

Peace, love & prayers-

K

Silence

Verse of the Day:
Job 37:14

"Listen to this; stop and consider God's wonders."

We live in a noisy society. There is noise all around us at all times. The day starts with a loud alarm, then you usually listen to music while you get ready, then off to school where your friends are always talking, then to a sport practice where coaches are yelling, then to dinner where you talk about your day, then you watch some TV and do some homework, and then it's time for bed. Many of us even fall asleep to the TV or to our iPod!

Silence is something that is not easy for us, in my opinion. When there is silence, it signals boredness or something negative. But silence is vital for a good relationship with God and for an intamacy with YOURSELF. I haven't mastered the skill of silence yet, but I'm trying. Whenever I am driving, many times I completely turn off my radio and just spend some time by myself. Sometimes in the middle of homework, I stop and just lay down in silence. It really helps you keep in touch with yourself and silence is a great place to pray.

So, if you're confused, angry, tired, frustrated, happy, excited, grateful...whatever. Come to the silence.

The challenge: 10 minutes a day of pure silence. Ask yourself every morning when you can fit it in your schedule for the day. You'll be surprised at how much you'll appreciate that time for yourself.

The Simple Truth: Silence can help us grow in our faith and help us develop an intimacy with own selves.

Pray:

Lord, help me to realize that silence is not a bad thing. Help me to take time out of my day daily and devote it to You and to myself. Speak to my heart in those times of silence. Amen!

Let your light shine.
-Lo

Our Rescuer

Verse of the Day:
John 1:14


The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

A man was performing a covert operation, freeing hostages from a building in some dark part of the world.  His team flew by helicopter, made their way to the compound and stormed into the room where the hostages had been imprisoned for months.  The room was filthy and dark.  The hostages were curled up in a corner, terrified.  When the men (Navy SEALs) entered the room, they heard the gasps of the hostages.  The SEALs stood at the door and called out to the prisoners, telling them that they were Americans.  The SEALs asked the hostages to follow them, but they wouldn't.  They sat there on the floor and hid their eyes in fear.  They were not of healthy mind and didn't believe their rescuers were really Americans.  

The SEALs stood there, not knowing what to do.  They couldn't possibly carry everybody out.  The man leading the operation got an idea.  He put down his weapon, took off his helmet, and curled up tightly next to the other hostages, getting so close his body was almost touching some of theirs.  He softened the look on his face and put his arms around them.  He was trying to show them he was one of them.  None of the prison guards would have done this.  He stayed there for a little while until some of the hostages started to look at him, finally meeting his eyes.  The man whispered that they were Americans and they were there to rescue them.  'Will you follow us?' he asked.  The hero stood to his feet and one of the hostages did the same, then another, until all of them were willing to go.  All of the hostages safely made it onto American aircraft carriers.  (Blue Like Jazz, Donald Miller)

Jesus became man so that we would be able to trust Him.  He loves His people and cares deeply about us.  The decision to follow Him is very much life the decision of the hostages to follow  their rescuer.  

God is asking you everyday to follow Him.  What decision are you making?

Peace, love & prayers-

K

Selflessness

Verse of the Day:
Philippians 2:4


Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourself.

It is really really easy to think of ourselves before we think of others.  I believe that as humans we are naturally selfish and understandably, we want what is best for us.  This is our life and every one of us wants to be happy, successful, loved - all that.  There are many times that I can think of where I did something that didn't necessarily put someone else in a bad place, but it definitely benefited me more than it did anyone else.  God tells us here that we should be thinking about what is best for others before we think of what is best for ourself.
This brings me to the real point of this blog.  People matter.  Our lives would be nothing like they are right now if we didn't have people to celebrate with and to suffer with.  To love and to appreciate, and to love and appreciate us.  To influence and be influenced by.
If you're constantly focused on yourself and what is going to make your life easier and better, chances are you're not going to be the #1 person that people will want to be around.  But if you're making life easier and better for people around you, you will be someone that other people are drawn to.  People will want to be around you because you make THEM better.  Awesome.

Think about this:
The overwhelming majority of the time I spend thinking about myself, pleasing myself, reassuring myself, and when I am done there is nothing to spare for everyone else.  Six billion people live in this word and I can only muster thoughts for one.  Me.


Take some time to think about others today and appreciate all the amazing people you have in your life.

The Simple Truth: People matter.  Serve those around you.

Pray:
Lord, help me to look at others as more important than myself.  It is easy for me to be selfish in so many situations, but show me the way to serve You and others in everything I do.  Amen.

Happiness

Verse of the Day:
Matthew 10:8

"Freely you have received, freely give."

First of all, we just want to say thank you for all of the prayers throughout the last couple of weeks. The power of prayer is amazing, something we have never experienced so much in our lives. We've had a little trouble getting back into the swing of things, so blogs might still not be consistent, but bear with us!


Happiness is something that we all want. All the time. We try and keep our happiness level up, so we are always on a 'happy high'. We find little things to be happy about and we find big things to be happy about. I read this entry out of a book I'm reading, and it really hit me. Think about happiness this way:
 
"I guess it all comes down to deciding how long you want to be happy. If you just want moments of happiness, I suspect pleasure and possessions can satisfy. If you want to be happy for an hour, take a nap. If you want to be happy for a whole day, go shopping. If you want to be happy for a weekend, go fishing. If you want to be happy for a month, take a trip to Australia. If you want to be happy for a whole year, inherit a fortune. But if you want to be happy for a lifetime, find a way to make a difference in other people's lives."
 
Find a way to make a difference in other people's lives. Whether that's picking someone's books off the floor for them or giving them a compliment. God has done SO much for us, we need to pay it forward. That's where the true happiness will come.
 
The Simple Truth: Many things can make us happy, but only for short periods of time. Living God's word and making a difference in other people's lives will give us eternal happiness.
 
Pray:
 
Lord, help me to put others before myself. Help me to do what you want me to do and to positively impact others around me.
 
Let your light shine.
-Lo

God is Good

Verse of the Day:

Revelation 14:13

¹³ Then I heard a voice from heaven say, "Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Yes," says the Spirit, "they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them."

It has been a really rough couple of days for us.  Our grandpa passed away on Friday afternoon from a farming accident.  It is hard to explain both our grief and how blessed we feel so have so many people praying for us and doing other  things to make sure our family has nothing to worry about.  We have truly found the meaning of family and community and realize how blessed we are to have the family we do and to live in a community like this. 

Our grandpa was truly an amazing man who would do anything for anyone.  He would always make sure he was the one in harms way if there was a difficult project on the farm.  He really loved to farm.  We are all finding great comfort in the fact that he died doing something that he loved.  He taught us about what is important in life.  Our grandpa was never concerned with money or having nice things, but always one to lend a helping hand, put others first, and show us how to grow into hardworking and grateful adults.  He had a strong, silent faith that we always admired as we were growing up and we have no doubt that he is sitting with Jesus watching over us right now.  As hard as it is to lose someone who is such a big part of our lives so suddenly, we know that God’s plan is so much bigger and greater than we can ever imagine and know that He will give us all the strength to get through this.

We’re taking a few days off from blogging, but please keep our family in your prayers and remember to count your blessings. 

God is good.

Lauren & Kristy

Team Hoyt

You may have watched this video before, but it's a great one to watch again.  This father/son team is amazing.
Here is their story (the link to the video is after it):

In the spring of 1977, Rick told his father that he wanted to participate in a 5-mile benefit run for a Lacrosse player who had been paralyzed in an accident. Far from being a long-distance runner, Dick agreed to push Rick in his wheelchair and they finished all 5 miles, coming in next to last. That night, Rick told his father, "Dad, when I'm running, it feels like I'm not handicapped."
This realization was just the beginning of what would become over 1,000 races completed, including marathons, duathlons and triathlons (6 of them being Ironman competitions). Also adding to their list of achievements, Dick and Rick biked and ran across the U.S. in 1992, completing a full 3,735 miles in 45 days. 

In a triathlon, Dick will pull Rick in a boat with a bungee cord attached to a vest around his waist and to the front of the boat for the swimming stage. For the biking stage, Rick will ride a special two-seater bicycle, and then Dick will push Rick in his custom made running chair (for the running stage).
Rick was once asked, if he could give his father one thing, what would it be? Rick responded, "The thing I'd most like is for my dad to sit in the chair and I would push him for once."
The 2009 Boston Marathon was officially Team Hoyt's 1000th race. Rick always says if it comes down to doing one race a year he would like it to be the Boston Marathon: his favorite race. Dick Hoyt hopes that he is able to push Rick in the Boston Marathon when he is 70 years old (2011)! Neither Dick or Rick are ready to retire yet.

Think about how much this man loves his son.
Now times that love by some ridiculous number and you have how much God loves you.

Team Hoyt

Peace, love & prayers-
K

Happy weekend!

Discipline

Verse of the Day:
John 10:10

Jesus said, "I have come that you may have life and have it to the fullest."

Ever have one of those days where you are feeling on top of the world? Like you have your whole life figured out, you feel great physically, and your relationship with God is just going AWESOME?!

On the other hand, have you ever had one of those days where you feel like everything is going wrong, you have a headache and a stomach ache, and you feel very distant from God?

The difference between those two days is DISCIPLINE. Ahh scary! When we see that word, we kinda freak out. Wouldn't you agree? But the truth is, we really feel our best when we're disciplining ourselves. When we eat well and exercise, we feel fully alive physically. When we help others in their journey and love one another, we feel fully alive emotionally. When we study and do our homework, we feel fully alive intellecually. When we're totally connected to God and pray to Him consistently, we feel fully alive spiritually.

I read in a book a quote about discipline. It was "Are you thriving? Or are you just surviving?" Let's just say it really hit me. In order to feel great every day, we need to discipline ourselves. Not just with our eating habits and how we act around others, but in our relationship with God. This discipline won't tie us down, but rather set us free.

The Simple Truth: In order to feel fully alive in every aspect of our lives, we gotta have DISCIPLINE.

Pray:

Lord, help me stay fully committed to you. Help me to come to you regularly and consistently, so that I may discipline myself to have a better relationship with you.

Let your light shine.
-Lo

Who are you trying to impress?

Verse of the Day:

Luke 16:15

¹⁵ and He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly valued among men is detestable in the sight of God.”

I really like people to think I am a good person.  And a good Christian.  Sometimes I do things like go to church, help people out, or go out of my way to do something for someone for all the wrong reasons.  I do it to look good.  I think that if people around see me going to church and ‘going through the motions’ they will think I am a good Christian.  I think that if I help people they will think I am nice and will hopefully return the favor when I need it.  I sometimes go out of my way to do things for someone just so they will like me. Now, I am not saying that I ALWAYS think this way because I definitely don’t, but I do think this way some of the time.   

But no matter what, God knows my heart.  People can think I do things for whatever reason they want, but God knows the real reason for everything I do, say, and think.  He knows my heart and He knows ME.  Why should I be caring about having the approval of people on earth who will be dead in 100 years (Yes, I realize that is really morbid.  But it’s true.), when I should be worried about having the approval of the Creator of the Universe who is going to determine the future of my entire existence?!  When I think of it that way, I do things for the right reasons instead of for earthly ones.

The Simple Truth:  God knows your heart.  Worry about gaining His approval instead of the approval of the people around you.

Pray:

Lord, help me to do things for the right reasons.  I want to be a good person for You, not just so others think I am good.  Keep watch over my heart and help me to serve You every day.  Amen.

Peace, love & prayers-

K

Osmosis

Verse of the Day:
Romans 12:2

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

I really don't like science. Like, it's just not for me. Although a lot of things didn't 'click' in biology class, one thing made sense to me. Osmosis. Basically osmosis is when particles move from one side of the membrane to the other because it gets too crowded on one of the sides. The more dense will filter through to what is less dense.

I know you're thinking, how is she going to relate this to God?

Well, here I go.

We need to build up a density WITHIN us. More like an inner strength. Then, when the world pushes us to move to the other side of the membrane, we will be strong enough to resist the pressure to abandon our true values and honest selves.

It makes sense when you think of it that way, doesn't it? :)

The Simple Truth: Build your inner density up, so that you will not be tempted to conform to the world and will remain true to yourself.

Pray:

Lord, help me to live how you want me to live. Help me to not listen to what the world wants me to be, and help me to hear what YOU want me to be. Guide me to build an indestructable inner strength, so that nothing will break me down.

Let your light shine.
-Lo

Crossing the Street

That year, the winter in New York City lingered lazily into late April.  Living alone and legally blind, I had tended to remain indoors much of the time.  Finally, one day, the chill was gone and spring stepped forth, filling the air with a penetrating and exhilarating fragrance.  Outside my backyard window, a merry little bird kept chirping persistently, beckoning me, it seemed, outdoors. Taking my three pronged cane, I stepped cheerfully onto my porch leading directly to the sidewalk.  Lifting my face to the sun, I gave it a welcoming smile in acknowledgement of its warmth and promise.  As I walked down my quiet dead-end street, my next door neighbor called our a musical "Hello" and asked if I wanted a lift where I was going.  "No, thank you," I called back in return.  These legs of mine have been resting all winter, and my joints are badly in need of an outing, so I think I'll walk."  Reaching the corner, I waited, as was my habit, for someone to come along who would let me walk across with them when the light turned green.  It seemed to take somewhat longer than usual for the sound of traffic to cease, yet I had no offers.  As I stood there patiently, I began to hum a tune that returned to me from somewhere in the back of  my head.  It was a "welcome to spring" song I had learned in school as a child.
Suddenly, a strong, well-modulated masculine voice spoke up.  "You sound like a very cheerful human being," it said.  "May I have the pleaseure of your company across the street?"  Flattered by such chivalry, I nodded, smiling, whispering a barely audible "Yes."  Gently, he tucked his hand around my upper arm and together we stepped off the curb.  As we slowly made our way across, we talked of the most obvious topic-the weather- and how good it was to be alive on such a day.  As we kept in step together, it was difficult to determine who was the guide and who was the one being led.  We had barely reached the other side of the crossing, when horns impatiently began blasting forth again at what was assuredly a change in the light.  We walked on a few more paces to get away from the curb.  Turning to him, I opened my mouth to thank him for his assistance and company.  Before a single word left my mouth, he spoke up.  "I don't know if you realize," he said, "how gratifying it is to find someone as cheerful as you to accompany a blind person like me across the street."  That spring day has stayed with me forever. -- Charlotte Wechsler

Sometimes when we feel most alone in the universe, God sends us a "twin"- a mirror image- to ease our sense of differentness and isolation. 

Peace, love & prayers-
K

Where Are You?

Verse of the Day:
Genesis 3:9

God called out to them, "Where are you?"

God doesn't have a need to ask questions. Why would he ask questions if He's the CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE?! He knows everything. Forever and ever. So when God asked Adam and Eve in garden, "Where are you?", he obviously knew where they were. He wasn't asking them for His sake, he was asking it for their sake. Adam and Eve were not where they were supposed to be, in fact they were actually trying to hide from God. God asked them where they were so that they would realize where they were and where they SHOULD have been.

Has God ever asked you "Where are you?" Maybe when you're drifting away from God and don't feel close to Him, in the back of your mind you hear that question. Next time that happens, stop and think. Where am I supposed to be? Where does God want me to be?

The Simple Truth: God doesn't have a need to ask questions, so when he asks where you are, stop and think where you should be.

Pray:

Lord, help me to hear your voice when you ask me "Where are you?" Help me to regularly stop and think about where I am and where you truly want me to be. Amen.

Let your light shine.
-Lo

Making Time for Prayer

Verse of the Day:

1 Thessalonians 5:17

¹⁷ and pray continually.

                If there is something I need to work on right now with my relationship with God, it is praying.  Praying is one of those things that I always just put off.  Like I feel like I am too busy to do it during the day, and so I say I’ll pray before I go to bed.  And then by the time I get to bed, I feel like I am so tired that if I tried to pray I would just fall asleep and God might think that was rude.  So I end up just not doing it.  Every once in a while, I decide to make some ‘faith goals’.  They are usually different depending on where I am in my life and what is going on, but praying more is ALWAYS on my list.  I don’t know why I just can’t make it a daily thing like brushing my teeth or checking my Facebook.  Lately I have been trying to not schedule time for prayer, but to work prayer into my schedule.  I pray when I am in the shower.  I pray when I walk to class.  I pray when I am cleaning my room.  Prayers don’t have to be long and they don’t have to be beautiful.  All God wants is for you to have a conversation with Him.

                Our relationship with God is just like any other relationship in our lives.  We need to put work into it!  God wants to hear from us, He wants us to put effort into it.  Think about if God were just one of your friends – You’re too busy for Him all day and then you ask Him for a couple favors and drift off to sleep.  How long would you have a friend like that for?  I’m gonna guess not long because they’d probably get sick of you treating them like that.  God wants to hear about everything in your life!  He might already know it (because He planned it!;), but He wants to hear it from YOUR point of view.

The Simple Truth:  Your relationship with God is a two way street.  Are you putting in the effort?

Pray:

Lord, help me to remember that I need to work on my relationship with You every day.  Show me ways that I can easily fit prayer into my day.  Thank you for always caring about me and listening to what is going on in my life.  Amen.

Peace, love & prayers-

K