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

Jeek (Jesus Geek)

Verse of the Day:
1 Chronicles 16:11

Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face evermore!

I am not sure how many of you know this about me, but I am a full-blown GLEEK. For those of you who don't know what a Gleek is, it's basically a person who is obsessed with the television show Glee. I have seen every single episode (numerous times), I know all of the songs (I have about 45 downloaded on iTunes), I even have a Glee zip-up hoodie hanging in my closet (which I LITERALLY wear every single week to school). I have watched every character's audition on YouTube and I have seen every 'Ellen' interview with the cast members. Needless to say, I love Glee.

I think we all have something that we are 'obsessed' with. Whether it be a sports player, a pop singer, or a show on TV. What is it for you?

The point of all of this is, sometimes we know more about our favorite team or personal idol than we do about Jesus. Sometimes it is hard to keep a constant yearning to know Jesus better, but we gotta remember that Jesus IS our biggest hero! Get to know Him!

I'm reading this book right now, and the author suggested something to get to know Jesus. He said to never let a day pass without reading out of one of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). There are TONS of great stories in these books of the Bible that can really help us understand who Jesus Christ truly is. I have personally tried doing this, and am already discovering things about Jesus that I never knew before. I am becoming a Jeek, rather than a Gleek.

The Simple Truth: Get to know Jesus!

Pray:

Lord, help me to yearn for You. Help me to get to know You better. Help me put my earthly loves aside and focus on YOU. You're the biggest hero of all! AMEN!

Let your light shine.
-Lo

I Need People

Verse of the Day:
Genesis 2:18


The Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone..."


We all know this story.  God created the world in 7 days.  Made Adam.  Made Eve because Adam was lonely. But this story shows how God made us not to be alone.  God made us for relationships -- He made us want and need people around us.  Although God is always with us, He doesn't want us ever to have to be physically alone either if we don't want to be.
I know that I am very blessed to have a great family and a lot of amazing friends that my life would be drastically different without.  There really are people in my life that I NEED.  I need my sisters.  I need my parents.  I need a couple close friends.  And it is an amazing experience to be able to have relationships with them.  I know that I would have never sanely made it through at a lot of times in my life if it hadn't been for the fact that I have great people to talk to about what is going on with me.  People who understand and who want to be there for me and help me.  God placed people in my life when and where He knew I needed them.  And He placed ME in people's lives where He knew they needed me.  Gosh He's great.

'...I wondered at how beautiful it is that you and I were created to need each other.  The romantic need is just the beginning, because we need our families and we need our friends.  In this way, we are made in God's image. Certainly God does not need people in the way you and I do, but He feels a joy at being loved, and He feels a joy at delivering love.  It is a striking thought to realize that, in paradise, a human is incomplete without a host of other people.' -- Donald Miller (Searching for God Knows What)

The Simple Truth: We were made for each other.  To enjoy one another, to hurt one another, to help one another, to lead one another, to be there for one another.

Pray:
Lord, thank You for the people you've given for me in my life.  Thank You for making me need others and need to build connections and relationships with them in order to understand real love.  Help me to be the person You want me to be in others lives.  Amen.

Peace, love & prayers-
K

Forgive!

Verse of the Day:
Colossians 3:13

¹³Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Okay so I have two points I really want to talk about regarding forgiveness, and I can't decide which one to do, SO I'M GONNA DO BOTH :)

I was at a youth group a few weeks ago, and the theme was forgiveness. We watched a movie about a mother who had a son. The son was murdered. Two days after the murder, the mother forgave the man who killed her own son. FORGAVE HIM. It wasn't like it was 2 years after he was murdered, it was 2 days.When she was asked why she forgave the man, she replied that the only way she got enough courage to forgive him was through God. She said that since God forgave us for all the sins in the world (so take murder and cheating and every single little bad thing and add everyone's together), she thought she should forgive the man. Take that story into consideration next time you have trouble forgiving someone.

NEXT POINT. Have you ever noticed that when peope forgive you, they make a BIG deal out of it? It's just like a huge scene  Someone forgiving you may say "Okay, I'm just letting you know that I'm forgiving you and that you owe me and that it was really hard for me to forgive you but I'm doing it anyway" Can you relate to that quote? I know I can. Have you ever thought about forgiving someone silently? And not making a big deal about it? How cool would that be. Seriously.

The Simple Truth: God died for ALL of our sins. All of them. In the whole world. When we have a hard time forgiving someone, let us remember that, and let us humbly forgive that person.

Pray:

Lord, thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. Help me to forgive others, just as You have forgiven me.

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND! :)

Let your light shine.
-Lo

I am

Verse of the Day:


Exodus 3:14


God said to Moses, "I am who I am."


I remember hearing this passage many times in church as a kid.  I always thought that it sounded confusing-- "I am who I am"?  Welllll I am who I am too.  haha.  But I heard someone talk about this verse the other day and FINALLY after 21 years, I feel like I understand it.  God isn't saying "I was" and He's not saying "I will be".  He is saying I AM.  Right now, this very moment, HE IS.  Which I think is His way of reminding us to live our lives in the present.  We can't live in the past because it's gone, and the future is out of our control.  But we do have today, and today God is with us every step of our journey.

So slow down and take in TODAY.  They'll never be another one.

The Simple Truth:  God wants us to remember to live in the present and not focus in past mistakes or future plans.

Pray:  
Lord, help me to remember that you are in control of my life.  That I can't change my past, and you will be right by my side every step of my journey to the future.  You are a great God.  Amen

Peace, love & prayers-
K

Butterscotch

Sorry about last night, folks. Kristy and I had a little miscommunication. It happens.

I don't have a verse of the day, but this is a story I heard in a sermon last weekend, and I thought it was really good! Here it goes.

Jimmy's grandparents made him go to church with them. He wasn't a happy camper about this. He thought it would just be dumb and full of old people who would make him sing. Jimmy wasn't excited, but he found himself sitting in a pew that Sunday morning at church. He had his hat on backwards and slumped down in his seat. He heard someone behind him and thought "Great, I'm probably in some old lady's spot" Instead, a woman handed him a small bag of candies. She explained to him that it was homemade butterscotch and she was well known in town for making them. She also expressed her appreciation for Jimmy being in church that Sunday. With the butterscotch candies at his side, Jimmy couldn't help but smile. That kind gesture made his day and he thought "Well maybe this won't be so bad after all!" Jimmy found himself singing hymns and actually paying attention to the sermon. After church that day, he was actually excited to come back the next week.

The next Sunday came and there Jimmy was in that same church pew with his hat on, but this time he wasn't slouching. He was excited for the service ahead. Jimmy heard someone behind him. This time, though, it was a man. He looked at Jimmy, and very sternly said "Young man, you shouldn't be wearing a hat in church." Jimmy immediately slouched down in the pew and silently took off his hat. That sense of welcomeness was gone, and needless to say Jimmy didn't have a very pleasant time at church that Sunday.

POINT OF THE STORY (It's hard to see at first) Even though Jimmy was wearing a hat and wasn't looking enthusiastic for church that first Sunday, the butterscotch lady didn't care. She just cared that he was there and made sure he knew it. She saw the big picture, and that wearing a hat in the long run isn't gonna kill anyone. The man, on the other hand, was just trying to find something wrong with Jimmy. By doing that, I bet he didn't even realize how he made Jimmy feel. That second week, Jimmy was at church for all the right reasons - to praise God. After that man made a comment, though, Jimmy didn't feel welcome.

Have you ever failed to look at the big picture? How can you be the butterscotch lady in your daily life?

Let your light shine.
-Lo

Looking In All The Wrong Places

Verse of the Day:
Psalm 9:9

The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.

The other night, my friend came up to me FREAKING OUT. She had lost her car keys, and she was very upset. She was scared of what her parents would say and was leaving the next day early in the morning and needed the keys. She was frantic - searching EVERYWHERE. She emptied all her pockets - twice, she looked through her unlocked car, she retraced her steps from the entire evening, and she even searched near the football field in the pitch dark. I drove her home to get the spare set (yes, she was freaking out that much even though there was a spare set at her house) and drove her back up to where her car was parked. About 5 minutes later, I had a phone call from her. Her voice sound relieved! She had found her car keys! They flew off the hood of her car when she stopped at a stop sign. Although she was seaching everywhere for those car keys, they were right in front of her the whole time.


Relating this to our relationship with God - Sometimes when we're in trouble, we look in all the wrong places for the right answers. We look for answers in clothes, relationships, or media. Have you ever noticed that no matter how hard we look, nothing satisfies us? That's because God is the only one who can truly satisfy our needs and comfort us in times of trouble. Best part about it, He's right there for us whenever we need Him.

The Simple Truth: When we're in trouble, God is right under our noses, just waiting to help us when we call on Him.

Pray:

God, help me to realize that you are the only one who can satisfy my heart. Help me to turn to you when I need comfort instead of other materialistic things that will never fufill me.

Let your light shine.
-Lo