Sin

Verse of the Day:

Psalm 103:12

¹² as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

The summer I turned 14, my family took a trip out to Montana.  Let me tell you, I really was not excited about this trip at all.  I didn’t want to be in a car that long, I didn’t want to spend that much time away from my friends, and to top it all off, we left on my birthday!  I honestly felt like it took foreverrr to get to where we were going.  I think it was only like 20 hours, but come on, that’s a long time!  I’m sure you can relate if you’ve ever been on a long trip like that.  Anyway, we are told in this verse that ‘as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.’  If I felt like the trip from here to Montana took forever, how far would I feel like a trip from the east to the west would take? 

It is so comforting to know that God knows we screw up, and He still loves us like crazy anyway.  He sees our sin and takes it from us, no questions asked.  And He doesn’t take it and use it later to blackmail us, He takes it throws it a million miles away.

The thing I struggle the most with when I sin is actually forgiving myself.  I sometimes think that what I’ve done or thought or said is too bad and I cannot the sin I’ve committed out of my head.  But I read over and over again in the Bible how God forgives me (1 John 1:9, Acts 3:19, Isaiah 43:25-26, Hebrews 10:17… Just to name a few), and even though it’s still hard for me to forgive myself, I think ‘If the creator of the universe can forgive me for what I’ve done, I think I’m going to be okay…' : )

The Simple Truth:  You can dwell on the mistakes you’ve made in the past, or you can let God take them far far away from you.  All God wants to do is take away your pain and make you a new creation in Him.

Reflect:  Am I able to give up my sins to God or do I keep beating myself up for mistakes I’ve made in the past?

Apply:  Make an effort to talk about your sins with God.  It makes it easier for you to deal with them and lets God know that you really feel bad and are making an effort to grow in your relationship with Him.

Pray:

Lord, I am so blessed that you want to take all the pain, sin, and hurt out of my life.  Thank You for always forgiving me and never turning Your back on me even when I make big mistakes.  Amen.

Peace, love & prayers-

K

East to West - Casting Crows

DTD (Drive Thru Difference)

Verse of the Day:

Acts 20:35

³⁵ In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

Okay, do we have a story for you.  All summer long we have been saying that we want to do the ‘Drive Through Difference’ (KTIS talks about it all the time.  Pay for the food/drink/whatever of the person behind you in the drive through line.).  And today we realized that summer is almost over!  So we set out on a little shopping extravaganza with the plan to participate in the Drive Through Difference at some point in the day.  Our first plan was to pay for someone at Caribou Coffee. When we got to the actual place, we realized that not a lot of people were probably going to want coffee at 3:00 on a Monday afternoon, and there was literally nobody in line. So we moved on to McDonalds in Long Lake. We suspiciously parked hoping to sneak in before someone else in the drive thru, and FAILED two times. So we drove around the block and did it again – park and wait. Still nobody came. We decided that someone might call the cops for suspicious driving if we drove around the block AGAIN and waited in front of the drive thru, so we headed to Delano. Then we went to the McDonalds there, and right off the bat, Kristy whipped in front of a car (totally almost cut them off JUST so we could pay for them) and we ordered drinks that cost a whopping $2.14. Then we drove up and paid for our drinks, and told the man we wanted to pay for the car behind us as well. We also wrote a note that said ‘We think you’re great.  And God does too!  Enjoy your meal and pay it forward!’  We pulled up to get our drinks and could see the car behind us in our review mirror hand the man a bill and then the man give her the money back as well as our note.  Super cool.  Our hope is that it totally made that persons day and that they are able to see the love and grace of God through our good deed. 

So this kinda ties in with the verse for the day.  It is totally more blessed to give than to receive.  We literally stalked the drive thru just to get the chance to do it and  felt AWESOME after doing that good deed.  Through our good deeds and the thoughtful things that we do for others, we are imitating Jesus Christ. We are sharing the love that He shows us. It is true that it feels good to receive things – presents, hugs, free meals. So think of how great receiving those things from others makes YOU feel, and try being the one who gives them. You may just make someone’s day!

Pray: 

Lord, help me to live like You want me to live and be thankful for all the things that I have as well as be a giver of great things to others.  I know that it is much more blessed to give than to receive.  Help me to notice opportunities where I can show others Your love and grace.  Amen.

L&K

Good Character Clothes

Verse of the Day: 

Colossians 3:12

¹² As God’s chose ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.

I feel like I have a couple really cute outfits, but other than that I have about 5 white shirts, 4 black shirts, and some maroon shirts in my closet. My friends get mad sometimes that I do not expand my color spectrum for my clothes. And some weeks, I flat out just don’t care at ALL what I look like and I bust out all my WM Basketball shirts from 6^th grade and my sweatpants. But for the record, God doesn’t really care what I dress like. AWESOME!

As Christians –chosen ones, who are extremely LOVED by God – we are asked to wear some things every single day. We need to wear compassion. We need to make sure kindness is tucked in. We cannot leave the house without humility. Meekness is a great accessory. And of course we need to remember to wear patience.

A lot of us spend a lot of time in the morning in front of the mirror making sure we look cute, but when that is all done, we need to remember the things that GOD wants us to wear. Because when school is done, the party is over, or when the big dance finishes, it is not the material that counts – it is our CHARACTER.

The Simple Truth:  Before worrying about our outside appearance, we need to remember what God wants us to wear each and every day.

Reflect: Do I remember to wear compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience? Or am I too focused on my outside appearance?

Apply:  Each morning, go through a checklist of the 5 things God wants you to wear. Maybe make a little note on your bathroom mirror to remember. Think of how you can apply those things to your day.

Pray:

Lord, although we want to present ourselves well, let us not forget the clothing of compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Help us wear these things in every moment of every day. Amen.

Let your light shine.

-Lo

Bad Day?

Verse of the Day:  

Romans 8:18

¹⁸ I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

Let us tell you about our worst days ever (okay maybe we are being a little dramatic).

L: I was an 8^th grader and I was on the track team. I loved running the 400 meters, although I seriously think it is the hardest race EVER. It’s running as fast as you can for an entire lap around the track. (If you don’t think that sounds hard, you should try it and let me know how it goes). So anyway, I was running and a Delano girl next to me was gaining on me in the last 100 meters, so naturally I ran faster. Well, it turns out that I hadn’t had a lot of fluids that day, and I sort of passed out/tripped 10 meters short of the finish line. There wasn’t a hurdle or anything, I just straight up fell. I skun up my hip, hands, knee, and shoulder. I was not feeling too good after that, but my coach told me I was dehydrated, so I drank FOUR BOTTLES OF WATER. Did I mention that the meet was in Annandale and I had to ride the bus home? Needless to say after all that water, I had to use the restroom. But apparently, nobody likes it when you have to stop an ENTIRE bus of kids for just 1 kid to use the bathroom. So I was BAWLING because I had to pee so bad (kids on the bus were also making waterfall sounds), and FINALLY after I told my coach that I was going to jump off the bus if she didn’t let me off, they stopped for me. I was embarrassed and I was in pain from my expanded bladder. I still think of how awful that day was.

K:  Okay this might not be my worst day ever, but it’s one that sticks out in my head from my high school memories.  It was the spring of my junior year.  I was taking chemistry anddd I suck at science.  So one morning when I was already really tired from the 6000 things I was involved in I woke up super early to go get help from Mr. Hoffman.  I was rushing around trying to get ready fast and finally got out to my car, threw my backpack in, and backed out of the driveway.  But I had forgotten that I set my purse on the back end of my car.  And I didn’t realize it was there until I saw it flying off my car at the fourway stop in my rearview mirror.  Right at school time.  With seriously 20 cars around.  So I pull over and have to go get my purse.  Embarrassing.  To top things off, I had left it open so the entire contents of my purse was scattered in the road.  My phone was shattered.  Once I got to school, I still had to get help with chemistry.  And I still sucked at it, so that didn’t work out well.  I bombed the chemistry test I had that day and remember walking out of the room crying.  And then at track practice that afternoon, Mr. Jepma made fun of me because he had seen my purse fly off my car in the morning.  I hate that day.

What was the point of all this you might be asking?  We’re sure this got you thinking about your worst day too.  And something that we all need to remember is that our WORST DAY EVER on this earth does not compare to the amazing things that God has planned for us in this life and beyond.  For every bad day you have, you have so many great days where you can really see that God is there with you.  So even when you feel like your world is over, remember that God has great plans for you that can’t even compare to the bad days you have. When you think of it that way, your bad day doesn’t seem so bad after all, does it? ;)

The Simple Truth:  Your worst days on earth are the worst day you will ever face. Heaven will bring you so much joy that does not even compare to your bad days here

.

Apply:  Next time you are having an awful day, remember that God is holding you and will bring you to brighter days.

Pray:

Lord, help me to realize that no matter how awful my bad days seem, You have so much more for me and my future. Thank You for always staying by my side. You are an awesome God.

AMEN!

L&K

The Professor and the Chalk

This is a true story of something that happened just a few years ago at USC.
There was a professor of philosophy there who was a deeply committed atheist. His primary goal for one required class was to spend the entire semester attempting to prove that God couldn't exist. His students were always afraid to argue with him because of his impeccable logic. For twenty years he had taught this class and NO ONE had ever had the courage to go against him. Sure, some had argued in class at times, but no one had ever *really gone against him* (you'll see what I mean later). Nobody would go against him because he had a reputation.
At the end of every semester, on the last day, he would say to the class of 300 students, "If there is anyone here who still believes in God, stand up!" In twenty years, nobody ever stood up. They knew what he was going to do next. He would say, "Because anyone who believes in God is a fool. If God existed, he could stop this piece of chalk from hitting the ground and breaking. Such a simple task to prove he is God, and yet he can't do it." And every year he would drop the chalk onto the tile floor of the classroom and it could shatter into a hundred pieces. All of the students could do nothing but stop and stare. Most of the students were convinced that God couldn't exist. Certainly, a number of Christians had slipped through, but for 20 years they had been too afraid to stand up.
Well, a few years ago there was a freshman who happened to enroll in the class. He was a Christian, and had heard the stories about this professor. He had to take the class because it was one of the required classes for his major. And he was afraid. But for three months that semester, he prayed every morning that he would have the courage to stand up no matter what the professor said or what the class thought. Nothing they said or did could ever shatter his faith, he hoped.
Finally, the day came. The professor said, "If there is anyone here who still believes in God, stand up!" The professor, and the class of 300 people looked at him, shocked, as he stood up at the back of the room. The professor shouted, "YOU FOOL! If nothing I have said all semester has convinced you that God doesn't exist, then you are a fool! If God existed, he could keep this piece of chalk from breaking when it hit the ground!"
He proceeded to drop the chalk, but as he did, it slipped out of his fingers, off his shirt cuff, onto the pleats of his pants, down his leg, and off his shoe. And as it hit the ground, it simply rolled away, UNBROKEN. The professor's jaw dropped as he stared at the chalk. He looked up at the young man and then ran out of the lecture hall.
The young man who had stood up proceeded to walk to the front of the room and share his faith in Jesus for the next half hour. 300 students stayed and listened as he told of God's love for them and of his power through Jesus.

L&K

I Must Become Less

Verse of the Day: 
John 3:30

³⁰ He must become greater, I must become less.

As humans, we are by nature selfish.  This goes back all the way to the creation story in which Adam and Eve ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil because they thought the fruit looked yummy and it would be sweet to be all knowing like God. When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.  She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. (Genesis 3:6).

Today, we obviously aren’t put in this exact situation, but think of other tempting situations that God puts you in where you are able to choose either a gain for yourself or a gain for him.  It is so easy to pick things that benefit us.  Sometimes it’s so much easier to ignore someone being picked on in the hallway or sitting by themselves at lunch than to go and try to stand up for them or be their friend.  It’s easier to go out with your friends and skip church than it is to tell them that you can’t hang out with them because you need to go.

So how do we live our lives making Christ greater and ourselves less?  You chose God when it would be easier to chose something that would benefit yourself.   You try to do everything for the glory of Him.  I mean, we were put here TO do everything for the glory of Him!  You live so everyone can see that God is the most important thing in your life.

The Simple Truth:  It is easy to do things for our own selfish needs, but the reward of doing things for Him is so much greater.

Reflect:  How can I make God a greater part of my life?

Apply:  Next time you’re in a situation when you can chose something that benefits you or God, take a step back and think about who you want to be serving, Him or yourself. 

Pray:

Sometimes singing and/or listening to a song is my favorite way to pray.  Check out this song for the prayer today: Empty Me.

Peace, love & prayers-
K

Back to School

I was going to write a post tonight, but I found this GREAT devotional online. And it just clicked. I thought I would share it :) Enjoy!

By: Tony Alonso

Then the blood of Jesus, God’s Son, cleanses us from every sin. (1 John 1:7b)

School is back and with it a new day, a new month, a new year. The clock turns over and the calendar page flips. Ahead of us is a whole era of successes and failures, of triumphs and trials, of laughter and sorrow. Another page also turns in our essay called life.

This paper is unlike any other in the history of mankind. While the author is on earth, the transcript resides in heaven. Every detail of every day is written and recorded. From the time you cheated on your science test, to the helping hand you lent a neighbor across the street. Each night the page is turned and a new tale waits to be told with the rising sun, until the last paragraph concludes and the final draft is submitted.

It is during this time that we find out if we made the grade or if we flunked out. With trembling hands you place the copy on the desk and await the inevitable verdict. All it takes is one mistake, one slip, one error, and one sin, to keep you from passing. While you did your best, you know that it is far from perfect and perfection is all that counts now. Then a life long Friend steps in and interrupts the grading process. With a quick stroke of a pen, every punctuation error and misspelling is corrected and handed over.

This was not your average pen and no ordinary ink was used. It was the blood of Christ that was shed on the cross almost 2000 years ago. As you await the eternal decision, God looks up and with a smile marks an A and says, “Well done, good and faithful servant, welcome home.”

-Lo

I Thirst For You

It is true.  I stand at the door of your heart, day and night.  Even when you are not listening, even when you doubt it could be Me, I am there.  I await even the smallest sign of your response, even the least whispered invitation that will allow Me to enter.

And I want you to know that whenever you invite Me in, I do come always without fail.  Silent and unseen I come, but with infinite power and love, and bringing the many gifts of My Spirit.  I come with My mercy, with My desire to forgive and heal you, and with a love for you beyond your comprehension, a love every bit as great as the love I have received from the Father. “As much as the Father loved me, I have loved you.”  (John 15:10).  I come – longing to console you and give you strength, to lift you up and bind all your wounds.  I bring you My light, to dispel your darkness and all your doubts.  I come with My power, that I might carry you and all of your burdens;  with My grace, to touch your heart and transform your life; and My peace I give to still your soul.

I know you through and through – I know everything about you.  The very hairs of your head I have numbered.  Nothing in your life is unimportant to Me.  I have followed you through the years, and I have always loved you – even in your wanderings.  I know every one of your problems.  I know your needs and worries.  And yes, I know all your sins.  But I tell you again that I love you not for what you have or haven’t done – I love you for you, for the beauty and dignity My Father gave you by creating you in His own image.  It is a dignity you have often forgotten, a beauty you have tarnished by sin.  But I love you as you are, and I have shed My blood to win you back.  If you only ask Me with faith, My grace will touch all that needs changing in your life, and I will give you the strength to free yourself from sin and all its destructive power.

I know what is in your heart – I know your loneliness and all your hurts – the rejections, the judgments, the humiliations.  I carried it all before you.  And I carried it all FOR you, so that you might share My strength and victory.  I know especially your need for love – how you are thirsting to be loved and cherished.  But how often you thirsted in vain, by seeking that love selfishly, striving to fill the emptiness inside you with passing pleasures – with even the greater emptiness of sin.  Do you thirst for love?  “Come to Me all you who thirst…” (John 7:37).  I will satisfy you and fill you.  Do you thirst to be cherished?  I cherish you more than you can imagine – to the point of dying on a cross for you.

I thirst for you.  Yes, that is the only way to even begin to describe my love for you:  I THIRST FOR YOU.  I thirst to love you and be loved by you – that is how precious you are to Me.  I THIRST FOR YOU.  Come to me, and I will fill your heart and heal your wounds.  I will make you a new creation, and give you peace, even in all your trials.  I THIRST FOR YOU.  You must never doubt My mercy, My acceptance of you, My desire to forgive you, my longing to bless you and live My life in you.  I THIRST FOR YOU.  If you feel unimportant in the eyes of the world, that matters not at all.  For Me, there is no one any more important in the entire world than you.  I THIRST FOR YOU.  Open up to Me, come to Me, thirst for Me, give Me your life – and I will prove to you how important you are to My heart.

Don’t you realize that My Father already has a perfect plan to transform your life, beginning from this moment?  Trust in Me.  Ask Me every day to enter and take charge of your life – and I will.  I promise you before My Father in heaven that I will work miracles in your life.  Why would I do this?  Because I THIRST FOR YOU.  All I ask of you is that you entrust yourself to me completely.  I will do all the rest.

Even now I behold the place My Father has prepared for you in My Kingdom.  Remember that you are a pilgrim in this life, on a journey home.  Sin can never satisfy you or bring you the peace you seek.  All that you have sought outside of Me has only left you more empty, so do not cling to the things if this life.  Above all, do not run from Me when you fall.  Come to Me without delay.  When you give Me your sins, you give Me the joy of being your Savior.  There is nothing I cannot forgive or heal, so come now and unburden your soul.

No matter how far you wander, no matter how often you forget Me, no matter how many crosses you may bear in this life, there is one thing I want you to always remember, one thing that will never change:  I THIRST FOR YOU – just as you are.  You don’t need to change to believe in My love, for it will be your belief in My love that will change you.  You forget Me, yet I am seeking you every moment of every day – standing at the door of your heart, knocking.  Do you find this hard to believe?  Then look at the cross, look at My Heart that was pierced for you.  Have you not understood My cross?  Then listen again to the words I spoke there – for they tell you clearly why I endured all of this for you: ” I THIRST…” (John 19:28).  Yes, I thirst for you – as the rest of the psalm-verse I was praying says of Me:  “I looked for love, and I found none…” (Psalm 69:20).  All your life I have been looking for your love – I have never stopped seeking to love you and be loved by you.  You have tried many other things in your search for happiness:  why not try opening your heart to Me, right now, more than you ever have before?

Whenever you do open the door of your heart, whenever you come close enough, you will hear Me say to you again and again, not in mere human words but in spirit:  “No matter what you have done, I love you for your own sake.  Come to Me with your misery and your sins, with your troubles and needs, and with all your longing to be loved.  I stand at the door of your heart and knock… Open to Me, for I THIRST FOR YOU…”

The Spirit

Verse of the Day:

Romans 8:26

²⁶ Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.

Do you ever lay in bed at night praying and then all of the sudden you’re like...’I don’t even know what to pray about right now’? Or you get really side-tracked when you’re praying? Or you just simply fall asleep? It happens all the time for me, or some version of that.

This verse is SO COOL. To me, this is how it translates:

"Yeah…no offense, but you really aren’t good at praying. BUT good thing you have this really      cool Spirit that will completely take the wheel when you don’t know what to pray about! The          Spirit will take the deepest part of your heart and make it into a beautiful prayer to God, with    such deep thoughts that words cannot explain.”

I feel so reassured when I read this verse. Sometimes it feels that no matter how hard I focus to pray, it is still so hard. It makes me feel so much better that I have kind of this back up Spirit in a way, who will help me spit out whatever it is I need to say to God. And the Spirit can do it in such an intimate way with God that is too deep for words, too deep for our human minds to even comprehend. WOW.

The Simple Truth:  Even when we feel like we’re at a total loss when we’re praying, the Spirit can speak to God for us to get our prayers through.

Prayer:

Jesus, thank you for sending the Spirit to help me to pray. Help me not to be frustrated when I cannot find the words to say and to know that the Spirit is doing the talking for me when I need it.


Let your light shine.
-Lo

God's Timing

Verse of the Day:

Ecclesiastes 3:11

¹¹ He has made everything beautiful in its time.  He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

I really like to live life on MY time.  I get to pick my classes for school, so I rarely schedule things early in the morning because I don’t like to wake up.  I don’t really like to take babysitting jobs on the weekend because I’d rather go out with my friends.  I like it when I am able to arrange my own schedule and make my own decisions.  It usually works to live life on our own terms for little things like that, but not so much in the big scheme of things.  ‘He has made everything beautiful in ITS time.’  Not in OUR time, but in ITS time. 

All of the big (and even the little!) things in our lives don’t necessarily happen when we want them to.  Relationships don’t start or end how we plan.  We don’t always get to start the first game of the season.  Sometimes we don’t get into the college that we really thought we were meant to go to. But we have to remember that there is someone so much bigger in charge of our lives than us. One of my friends told me a great quote once that I think fits well with this:

God’s timing doesn’t always match ours, but it’s always perfect.

 As much as we want to control every little thing of our life, we have to remember that God’s plan is so much better than ours is.  We cannot IMAGINE the great things that God has planned for our lives.  You are going to be a part of many amazing things in your life.  Even the smallest good things that we do are HUGE in God’s eyes.

The Simple Truth:  You can plan out your life to a T if you want, but in the end it’s the Big Man who has the final say.

Reflect:  Do I try to control every little thing in my life?  In what areas do I need to give God control?

Apply:  When you pray, don’t ask God for things at a specific time.  Ask God to help you follow His plan for you.

Pray:

Lord, help me to remember that you make everything work in Your time.  Remind me that if things don’t happen the way that I want them to, they still will work out the way You’ve planned.  I know You have a bigger plan for me than I have for myself.  Thank You for caring about me so much.  Amen.

Peace, love & prayers-

K

When Life Gives You Lemons...Run to God

Verse of the Day:
1 Corinthians 2:9


5No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him


This world is pretty crazy. Things happen unexpectedly all the time. On the news each night, there are stories of kidnappings, killings, accidents and natural disasters. We all experience things like this, and most of the time, we just ask God "WHY?". It's pretty easy to do when we just don't know where to turn. At times, it is easier to ask God "Why?" than to go to Him for comfort.


We need to be reminded that it's not about explaining the mysteries of this life, but rather it is about resting on the truth. And the truth is that God loves us SO much that he sent His only son to die for us and for our sins. So when hard times hit us, we can cry to God because He's with us, walking with us, carrying us through all of life's struggles.


So pretty much we have 2 options. We can dwell on struggling to find the answers "Why?", or we can look to God and place our trust in Him. We cannot understand what God has prepared for us in this life or for eternity.. So when we cry out "Why?" He alone can quiet our souls. In Him we can find comfort, peace and rest, even when we can't find explanations.

The Simple Truth: This world is crazy, but God is always there to comfort us when we cannot find explanations for life's mysteries.

Reflect: When something tragic happens in my life, do I constantly ask God "Why?" or do I run to Him for comfort?

Pray:
Lord, help me to understand that you are with me through everything, carrying me through the rough times. Help me to turn to you next time I am found in one of life's mysteries and cannot find answers. I know you are the only one who can give me the peace I need.

Let your light shine.
-Lo

Hold On

Verse of the Day:  

1 Thessalonians 5:21

²¹ Test everything.  Hold on to the good.

So for some reason I had a really hard time picking out a verse for today.  This is seriously the 4^th entry I started.  I paged through the Bible just searching for something that really spoke to me.  And found this.   I LOVE the second part of this verse.  Hold on to the good.  Five very simple words.  But I think you can get a lot out of this.  There is so much good in the world that we can sometimes overlook because we concentrate on the bad things in our lives, in our relationships, in ourselves.  I know that I am ridiculously blessed, but sometimes I even take my blessings and I turn them around to make them negative.  I was so lucky to get a great job this summer.  I work with really fun people in an entertaining environment and probably will make enough money not to work this school year.  But I complain about working too much when I should be praising God that He gave me this opportunity.  I get stressed out when I don’t feel like I can balance all my relationships, when I should be thanking God for blessing me with the amazing people He has given me. 

Today is short and sweet and to the point.  Hold on to the good.  Good people.  Good advice.  Good thoughts.  Good attitudes.   Good faith.  HOLD ON.

The Simple Truth:  God has blessed you with so many amazing things.  Hold on to the good ones and get rid of the bad ones.

Reflect:  What blessings do I turn around and see as burdens?

Apply:  Take a look at your life.  What do you need to make sure you hold on to?

Pray:

Lord, I thank You for all the good You do.  Help me to realize how blessed I am and to be more positive about the things in my life.  Help me to recognize and hold on to all the good things I have been given.  Amen.

Peace, love & prayers-

K

The Great Kindness Challenge

Okay, I lied.  I'm posting today.  Only because I found out that today is the Great Kindness Challenge and I wanted you guys to know that!

Here's an article from the Star Tribune and the site to check out what you can do today!

The story of a 7 year old Wisconsin boy whose random act of kindness inspired others to do the same is burning up the internet.
It all started when young Joshua Thorson decided to put his $1 allowance on a random person's windshield with a note. 
Jim Pfifer found the money and the note, which read, "This is the dollar I made doing my chores and I wanted to do something speical with it, so I'm giving it to you.  God loves you.  My name is Joshua.  I'm 7 years old."
Touched, Pfifer donated the $1, along with $10 of his own to the YMCA's Strong Kids campaign.  Later, when he told the story at a fundraiser, donations totalling $3,000 poured in - all because of one child's generosity. 
Joshua's mother reportedly suggested after he cleaned his playroom that he give his allowance to someone else to learn a lesson about doing something nice without any expectations.
This weekend is a great time to do that.  Saturday (TODAY!) is the Great Kindness Challenge, presented by Kids for Peace.  For the day, the group hopes to get more than 1 million children around the world performing as many acts of kindness as possible from sunup to sundown.  The goal is to inspire children to a lifelong commitment to service and kindess.
The movement's website (http://www.greatkindnesschallenge.org/) even offers a Great Kindness Challenge Checklist, which features 50 acts of kindness to choose from and includes acts such as simply smiling at 25 people, donating food to a food shelter, having a lemonade stand to raise money for a good cause, picking up trash, or planting a tree.
As the site says, even the simplest acts can make a big difference in someone's life.  And kids just might be amazed at how fun it can be.

Go change the world! :)

K

Be An Example

Verse of the Day:

1 Timothy 4:12

¹² Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.

How many times have you heard adults say, ‘Kids these days… They don’t know how to be thankful for all the things they have…  When I was their age, my life was so much more difficult…  I walked to school in the snow uphill both ways...’  Okay maybe the last one was a little extreme, but my dad honestly says that sometimes. hahaha.  But seriously, I feel like I have encountered a lot of adults in my life who think that our generation is a bunch of selfish, needy, spoiled brats.  (There are also a lot great adults I’ve met, but another post will focus on them!)  Which I can totally understand by the way some of the people I know act.  I think in general, we do have really great lives.  Most of us know where we’re going to sleep each night, we know that we’ll have food on our table, and we know our parents will love us even if we make them mad sometimes.  I know I’ve overlooked a lot of great things in my life before and just wanted more, more, more.  Our parent’s generation was more able to be content with what they had and some of that can be blamed on society.  It’s hard not to want the new iPod when it comes out or to expect a car when you turn 16.  Society tells you that you need these things!

Anywho, what we need to do is show these people how GREAT Christian kids are!  Just because we’re young doesn’t mean that we can’t change the world.  I honestly think that everyone changes the world, maybe the change isn’t noticed by everyone, but if you change one person’s life you could potentially change the world by the domino effect.  Live your life to show God within you.  So many people have come to God not because someone verbally forced them to, but because they saw people living as great Christians and thought ‘… Whatever is making them so happy, I should try that.’ 

One thing I think of a lot that totally fits with this verse is what Alan Hansen-Begg said when he got up at the candle light vigil at camp… ‘I never knew that Christian kids could be so cool.  You guys have restored my faith in the future of the world.’  I remember honestly crying when he said that because I think so many adults have his mindset.  And we have restored his faith in the future of the world.  YAY!  One down, a lot more to go. ;)  Be your Summer Fest self all year long and we will be able to show the adults of this world that we’re not the selfish kids they think we are. 

Be grateful.  Be compassionate.  Be loving.  Be pure.  Be faithful.  Be giving.  Be helpful.  Be polite.  Be understanding.  Be a child of God.

The Simple Truth:  The best way to show anyone God is to BE an example of God.  W.W.J.D.

Reflect:  How can I talk, live my life, and love others to be an example of the gospel?

Apply:  Is there a specific adult you could think of when you were reading this post that really struggles in their faith of teenagers today?  Make a point to really show them what a great Christian you are.

Pray:

Lord, thank You for all that You have provided in my life.  I am so blessed even though I don’t realize it sometimes.  Help me to be a living example of You and show others how great it is to be Your child.  You are an amazing God.  Amen.    

Have a great weekend!  We’ll be back on Monday.  Try not to miss us too much : )

Peace, love & prayers-

K

Imagine This

Okay okay I know that this is a LOT of reading, but this reading has given me chills every single time I read it. It still gives me that WOW factor. It puts everything in a brand new perspective. So I'm really sorry it is so long, but it is worth it. I promise. So sit back, put your readin' glasses on, and imagine this.

You're driving home from work next Monday after a long day. You tune in your radio. You hear a blurb about a little village in India where some villagers have died suddenly, strangely, of a flu that has never been seen before. It's not influenza, but three or four people are dead, and it's kind of interesting, and they are sending some doctors over there to investigate it. You don't think much about it, but coming home from church on Sunday you hear another radio spot. Only they say it's, not three villagers, it's 30,000 villagers in the back hills of this particular area of India, and it's on TV that night. CNN runs a little blurb: people are heading there from the disease center in Atlanta because this disease strain has never been seen before.

By Monday morning when you get up, it's the lead story. It's not just India; it's Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, and before you know it, you're hearing this story everywhere, and they have now coined it as "the mystery flu." The President has made some comment that he and his family are praying and hoping that all will go well over there. But everyone is wondering, "How are we going to contain it?"

That's when the President of France makes an announcement that shocks Europe. He is closing their borders. No flights from India, Pakistan, or any of the countries where this thing has been seen. And that's why that night you are watching a little bit of CNN before going to bed. Your jaw hits your chest when a weeping woman is translated in English from a French news program. There's a man lying in a hospital in Paris, dying of the mystery flu. It has come to Europe.

Panic strikes. As best they can tell, after contracting the disease, you have it for a week before you even know it. Then you have four days of unbelievable symptoms. And then you die. Britain closes its borders, but it's too late. South Hampton, Liverpool, North Hampton, and it's Tuesday morning when the President of the United States makes the following announcement: "Due to a national-security risk, all flights to and from Europe and Asia have been canceled. If your loved ones are overseas, I'm sorry. They cannot come back until we find a cure for this thing."

Within four days, our nation has been plunged into an unbelievable fear. People are wondering, "What if it comes to this country?" And preachers on Tuesday are saying it's the scourge of God. It's Wednesday night, and you are at a church prayer meeting when somebody runs in from the parking lot and yells, "Turn on a radio, turn on a radio!" And while everyone in church listens to a little transistor radio with a microphone stuck up to it, the announcement is made. Two women are lying, in a Long Island hospital, dying from the mystery flu. Within hours it seems, the disease envelopes the country.

People are working around the clock, trying to find an antidote. Nothing is working. California, Oregon, Arizona, Florida, Massachusetts. It's as though it's just sweeping in from the borders.

And then all of a sudden the news comes out. The code has been broken. A cure can be found. A vaccine can be made. It's going to take the blood of somebody who hasn't been infected, and so, sure enough, all through the Midwest, through all those channels of emergency broadcasting, everyone is asked to do one simple thing: Go to your downtown hospital and have your blood analyzed. That's all we ask of you. When you hear the sirens go off' in your neighborhood, please make your way quickly, quietly, and safely to the hospitals.

Sure enough, when you and your family get down there late on that Friday night, there is a long line, and they've got nurses and doctors coming out and pricking fingers and taking blood and putting labels on it. Your spouse and your kids are out there, and they take your blood and say, "Wait here in the parking lot, and if we call your name, you can be dismissed and go home." You stand around, scared, with your neighbors, wondering what on earth is going on, and if this is the end of the world.

Suddenly, a young man comes running out of the hospital screaming. He's yelling a name and waving a clipboard. What? He yells it again! And your son tugs on your jacket and says, "Daddy, that's me." Before you know it, they have grabbed your boy. "Wait a minute. Hold on!" And they say, "It's okay, his blood is clean. His blood is pure. We want to make sure he doesn't have the disease. We think he has the right blood type."

Five tense minutes later, out come the doctors and nurses crying and hugging one another-some are even laughing. It's the first time you have seen anybody laugh in a week, and an old doctor walks up to you and says, "Thank you, sir. Your son's blood is perfect. It's clean, it is pure, and we can make the vaccine."

As the word begins to spread all across that parking lot full of folks, people are screaming and praying and laughing and crying. But then the gray-haired doctor pulls you and your wife aside and says, "May we see you for a moment? We didn't realize that the donor would be a minor and we...we need you to sign a consent form."

You begin to sign, and then you see that the box for the number of pints of blood to be taken is empty. "H-h-h-how many pints?" And that is when the old doctor's smile fades, and he says, "We had no idea it would be a little child. We weren't prepared. We need it all! .... But...but...I don't understand. He's my only son! .... We are talking about the whole world here. Please sign. We...we...need to hurry!"

"But can't you give him a transfusion? If we had clean blood we would. Please, will you please sign?" In numb silence you do. Then they say, "Would you like to have a moment with him before we begin?"

Could you walk back? Could you walk back to that room where he sits on a table saying, "Daddy? Mommy? What's going on?" Could you take his hands and say, "Son, your mommy and I love you, and we would never, ever let anything happen to you that didn't just have to be! Do you understand that?" And when that old doctor comes back in and says, "I'm sorry, we've got to get started. People all over the world are dying," could you leave? Could you walk out while he is saying, "Dad? Mom? Dad? Why...why have you abandoned me?"

And then next week, when they have the ceremony to honor your son, and some folks sleep through it, and some folks don't even bother to come because they have better things to do, and some folks come with a pretentious smile and just pretend to care, would you want to jump up and say, "EXCUSE ME! MY SON DIED FOR YOU! DON'T YOU EVEN CARE? DOES IT MEAN NOTHING TO YOU?"

I wonder, is that what God wants to say? "MY SON DIED FOR YOU! DOES IT MEAN NOTHING? DON'T YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I CARE?"

Shining Your Light

Verse of the Day:

Matthew 5:14

¹⁴Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

I love love love this verse. For real. Right before this verse, Jesus explains how nobody lights a lamp and then puts it under a bushel basket. I mean, duh…then nobody would get any use out of the light! Instead, one would put the lit lamp on the top shelf so that light is shed on the whole house.

In the SAME way, once we are full of God’s light, we cannot hide it! We have to let everyone around us see it. There are many fun and exciting ways to do this.

1)      Sing a fun Jesus song. (i.e. This Little Light of Mine, Jesus Loves Me...)

2)      Write a letter to a friend, telling them how great they are.

3)      Buy someone’s coffee at Caribou.

4)      Hug people.

Seriously, all of these little things really make a positive difference in people’s day, not to mention they make us feel GREAT. Jesus says to let others see our good works, so then THEY can see how awesome God is and give glory to Him. It’s a chain reaction.

The Simple Truth: God does not want us to keep our own little lights to ourselves. He wants us to SHARE them wherever there is darkness so that it is brought to the light or exposed for what it really is.

Reflect: How can I let my light shine today?

Apply: Do something today to let your Jesus-light shine! It can be something small, but you will be amazed how much of an impact it has on others and how great it makes you feel as well!

Pray:

Help me, O God, to be a light to those near and far. Lead me into ways of service that will bless people in the name of Jesus. Don’t let us hide our light under a bowl. Bring praise to yourself by shining through us. Amen.

Let your light shine.

-Lo

Let Go and Let God

Verse of the Day:

Psalm 25:12

¹²Who are those who fear the Lord? He will show them the path they should choose.

I’m really bad at making decisions. It’s so bad that I have to order a Twist Cone at Dairy Queen because I cannot decide if I want chocolate or vanilla. So when I have to actually make major life decisions, I get really nervous. Not all decisions are so easy, you know?

For example, I’ve started visiting colleges. Talk about stress! It’s a bigger deal than I thought I guess. So many things to take into consideration – the size of the campus, money, the programs offered. In the middle of all this craziness, I forgot that God is on my side. COOL! It’s like, what do I really have to be afraid of when God tells me simply in Psalm 25:12 that He will show me the path I should choose.  What I’ve learned is to take all this stress and put it at the cross. I mean who knows us better than the guy who actually created us? A lot of it, for me anyway, is letting go and letting God.

The Simple Truth: No matter how scared or stressed we are about a certain decision, we can literally let God take the wheel. He will tell us where to go next.

Reflect: Do I try and completely control some parts of my life, without the help of God?

Apply: Next time you do not know what decision to make, lay your burden at the cross. Let God handle it. You will be surprised as to how much He knows what He’s doing J  

Pray:

Lord, help me to realize that I can trust you with anything, that I can let you into the craziest and most stressful parts of my life and that You will lead me to the right path. Help me not to be afraid to let go, and let You take the wheel of my destiny.

"And all of creation sing with me now, lift up your voice and lay your burden down"

-All of Creation, MercyMe (Great song, you should listen to it!)

Let your light shine.

-Lo

Lovin' Yo Enemies

Verse of the Day:

Luke 6:35

³⁵But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High.

All right, it’s my turn now. Choir camp was good (It was not nerdy). And sorry that there were no blogs this weekend, we had some technical difficulties (I always seem to attract viruses to computers…) We decided we will not be blogging on the weekends though, we are just tooooo busy!

Let’s start at the beginning of the verse. I know what you’re thinking – love your enemies? Why would you love the people that don’t like you at all? This is my interpretation about that line: I think God does not want us to conform to be people that we are not JUST so someone will like us. I can think of many times where I have changed habits or listened to a certain type of music just to feel accepted. When in reality, who was I really trying to impress? I think God wants us to love our enemies and accept the fact that He made us a certain way, and that we do not need to change for someone to like us.

Now, expecting nothing in return for doing good things and lending? I’m going to be honest, I have trouble with this. When I do nice things, I really do expect people to do something nice back. But as I am getting older, I am realizing it is not the case. We need to put others first, try to take some stress off of them. This reminds me of something I heard at a camp – it’s the quote “I am third”. It means that God is first, others are second, and THEN you should worry about yourselves. If you’re like me, this concept can be really hard for you, but it really does feel good to do those silent acts of kindness without recognition. Give it a try J

The Simple Truth: God wants us to love the people that don’t necessarily accept us, and accept the fact that we are made for HIM. He tells us straight up that our reward will be great for doing this and for doing nice things for others without recognition.

Reflect: Do I try to become someone else to impress others? How often do I put others before myself?

Apply: Do something nice for someone, expecting NOTHING in return. Clean the kitchen just for the heck of it. Buy someone’s burger at McDonald’s. Remember that you are THIRD.

Pray:

Lord, help me to accept the fact that not everyone is going to like me for who You made me to be. Help me to love those people anyway. Help me to put myself last behind You and those around me and to do acts of kindness expecting nothing back.

Let your light shine.

-Lo

You say, God says

No specific verse for today.  I just found this in a bunch of old stuff I had and thought it was really cool.  So read it through and think about how ridiculously loved you are!

You say: It’s impossible.
God says: All things are possible. (Luke 18:27)
You say: I’m too tired.
God says: I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28-30)
You say: Nobody really loves me.
God says: I love you. (John 3:16 and John 3:34)
You say: I can’t go on.
God says: My grace is sufficient. (II Corinthians 12:9 and Psalm 91:15)
You say: I can’t figure things out.
God says: I will direct your steps. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
You say: I can’t do it.
God says: You can do all things. (Philippians 4:13)
You say: I am not able.
God says: I am able. (II Corinthians 9:8)
You say: It’s not worth it.
God says: It will be worth it. (Romans 8:28)
You say: I can’t forgive myself.
God says: I forgive you. (1 John 1:9 and Romans 8:1)
You say: I can’t manage.
God says: I will supply all your needs. (Philippians 4:19)
You say: I’m afraid.
God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear. (II Timothy 1:7)
You say: I’m always worried and frustrated. 
God says: Cast all your cares on ME. (1 Peter 5:7)
You say: I feel all alone.
God says: I will never leave you or forsake you. (Hebrews 13:5)

The Simple Truth: God’s got you covered.  When you feel like you’ve lost it all and can’t go on, He is there to supply everything you need.

Pray:  

Thank You God for providing for me and for always taking care of me.  I know everything is possible with You and that although sometimes Your plan and my plan don’t match up, You will never leave me and You always have my best interest at heart.  It is great to be loved by You.  Amen.

Peace, love & prayers-

K