Waiting

Verse of the Day:
Joshua 1:9

Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.

I hate going to the dentist. I hate it more than anything in the world. I could think of one million things I would rather do than go to the dentist. I am 17 years old, and I tear up every time I have to go because I think it is so awful. I could probably type for 20 more minutes telling you how much I HATE THE DENTIST. I'm just gonna scream it.

I HATE THE DENTIST!

Okay, got that out of the way.

When I get to the dentist office, the waiting room is always comfortable. There are always interesting magazines and entertaining music. It smells nice and there are flowers on the table. The receptionist smiles and is polite and I think, "Hey, maybe this won't be so bad after all!" But then I hear my name. The dentist is calling me into the office. The time has come. I freeze. I don't want to go. I would rather just stay in the waiting room! It's so nice and cozy!

I feel like this situation can be applied to real life. We can get so COMFORTABLE waiting. I mean, let's be real. God is not in a hurry very often. So when he nudges us to get moving, we freeze. We're content. We're afraid to move. But the reality is, we aren't meant to live in the waiting room. The waiting room is there for us to mentally prepare ourselves for what is ahead. When God calls us, we gotta be ready. We gotta have courage. We gotta be strong.  But don't be nervous, God tells us that He is with us (even at the dentist).

Pray:

Lord, help us to be courageous, that we may be strong on the day you call us. Help us not to get too comfortable in the waiting room of life, but to mentally prepare ourselves to do Your will.
P.S. YOU ROCK!

Let your light shine.
-Lo

We Are All In This Together

Verse of the Day:

1 Corinthians 12:27

²⁷ Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

If you know me very well you may know that I absolutely love this blog called ‘1000 Awesome Things’.  The guy who writes it discusses an ‘awesome’ thing each day.  They range from ‘The sound of rain from inside the tent’ to ‘Eating ridiculous things for breakfast’ to ‘Peeling an orange in one shot’.  All really great things that we often overlook and under appreciate.    Reading it always puts me in a better mood.

Today’s ‘Awesome Thing’ is ‘Hanging On’.  Read what Neil has to say about it and then I’ll share my thoughts on how I think it relates to us and the verse I chose for the day.

We’re all pretty much the same.

Packed tightly in our skintight skin is a bumpy clump of slippery organs and brittle bones. Yes, you’re a pile of bones, I’m a bucket of blood, you’re a slab of muscle, I’m a chunk of chub. And no matter what we got squeezing through our veins, zooming through our brains, and dripping out our drains, one big thing just always remains.

We’re all pretty much the same.

We’re all pretty much the same.

We’re all pretty much the same.

Baby brains buzz and little eardrums pop, baby lungs breathe deep and little eyelids flop, but as we grow up and grow older maybe we start letting differences be our guide, start choosing our own adventures, start carving paths and curving wide. We settle into ourselves, settle into our skin, settle into our lives, and find the comforts within…

We grow up, we grow older, some grow hotter, some grow colder. We focus on our tastes, on our preferences and our choices, we find our kinds of friends, we read our kinds of voices. We might cut deep paths, we may turn others away, we may deepen our divides, we may have nothing nice to say.

But way down deep in our stomachs, way down deep in our hearts, we can always remember that no matter which way we turn, which lessons we learn, which bridges we burn…

We’re all pretty much the same.

We’re all pretty much the same.

No matter what money we earn, what chances we churn, what choices we spurn…

We’re all pretty much the same.

We’re all pretty much the same.

Because we’ve all got cracks and chips, we’ve all got sores and scratches, we’ve all got doubts and dreams, we’ve all got hearts with patches. We laugh and cry, we soar and sink, we go up and down, we stop and think. Behind your favorite things, behind your bestest friends, behind your fears and doubts… we’re all waiting here again.

We’re all in this big show together.

We’re all singing the same song.

We’re all walking into the future.

As we all keep hanging on.

(1000awesomethings.com)

We ARE all the same.  And we are ALL God’s creation.  All of us are a part of the bigger picture – the body of Christ.  No matter how different or strange someone seems to you, you have one huge thing in common with everyone.  You are a part of a great thing.  Everyone hurts, everyone wants to be loved, everyone wants to be accepted, and everyone is searching for their own but the same thing.  But no matter what, we are all in this thing together.

The Simple Truth:  We’re all pretty much the same.

Pray:

Lord, thank You for providing me with the people I have in my life.  I am lucky that I have friends who listen to me, parents who love me, and people to support me.  Help me to see that we’re all the same and that every person out there is a part of You.  Amen.

Peace, love & prayers- 

K

The Best Advice

Verse of the Day:
Jeremiah 33:3

Call to me, and I will answer you; I will tell you wonderful and marvelous things that you know nothing about.

When tough times hit us, we like someone to talk to. It's always nice to have someone to vent to when a boyfriend breaks up with you or you fail a test. It's especially nice when that friend gives great advice. We like to have someone right there, physically present. But has it ever happened to you when your friends are too busy to listen to you? Or they have their own problems? Who do you turn to then?

Jesus tells us in Jeremiah 33:3 to call upon HIM. And HE will give us the answer. In fact, he will do more than that. He will give us advice that we never even thought about. I know that when I have a problem, I don't always turn to God first. I want INSTANT answers (and we all know that God answers us when the time is right for HIM) so I talk to friends, my sisters, or my mom. Sometimes I am too frustrated, to sad, or too upset to get myself to talk to God. This verse reminds me that He won't let us down. He says right in the verse, 'Call on me, and I will answer you.' Next time you're having a problem, who will you call on?

The Simple Truth: Turn to God in times in trouble. He knows what to do.

Reflect: How often do I go to my friends for advice? How often do I turn to God for advice?

Apply: Next time you're upset, go to God first. He may surprise you!

Prayer:

Lord, help me turn to you when I am going through a tough time. Help me to know that you have the answers that will fufill my heart.

Labor For The Lord

Verse of the Day:

1 Corinthians 15:58

⁵⁸ Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm.  Let nothing move you.  Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Happy Labor Day!  School starts tomorrow (draggg) and it is going to be a big adjustment getting back into the routine that we haven't had to think about all summer long.  The teacher in me thinks it wouldn't be a bad idea to maybe write down some goals or things to get accomplished this school year, but of course that's up to you.  :)

Anywho, the verse for today.  Sometimes we work really hard for something and it turns out nothing like we planned.  You study all night for a big test and you don't do as well as you had hoped.  You work extra hard at practice but still someone does better than you in the game.  You put all your time and effort into a friendship that the other person doesn't care about.  All in all, life can be rough sometimes.  All of these things really take a toll on our emotions and our lives.  We can feel like no matter what we do we will never be good enough for ourselves, for our friends, for our parents.  But if we are giving ourselves to the work of the Lord, we know we will never disappoint God, and He is the one person whose judgement truly matters.  God sees EVERY little thing you do and He will reward you greatly for serving Him.

Tomorrow at school do a little extra something that shows you're working for the Lord.  Seek out a new kid and invite him/her to your lunch table.  Reconnect with a friend who you maybe had a falling out with.  

The Simple Truth:  There is no way you can go wrong when you're working for the Lord.  

Pray:

Lord, we are all facing real difficulties and challenges today. Please do your work in our hearts. Encourage the discouraged. Replace anxiety with peace. Restore relationships. Help us to dream Your dreams. Help us to do Your work with willing hearts. Amen.

Happy First Day of School! :)  I'll be praying for all of you.

Love, peace & prayers-

K

Good Deeds

Verse of the Day: 

1 Peter 2:12

¹²Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

Being a believer matters. In simple things we do every day. It matters in how we conduct ourselves at home, school, and everywhere else we go. It matters how we treat the kid who sits alone at lunch. It matters to how we treat the crabby cashier at Target. It matters how we treat our parents when they ask us to do a chore. It matters to how  we drive on the roads. This verse reminds us that people who may NOT believe are watching us.

Even the people who do not believe (pagans) notice our good deeds. I mean, who doesn’t appreciate a good driver? Who doesn’t mind someone sitting with them at lunch when they have been sitting alone all week? Who has a problem with a nice comment when they have been working at the same cashier for the past 8 hours?

I looked up the meaning of the last part of the verse, the part that says “and glorify God on the day he visits us”. Apparently it has many meanings, but the one that most Christians believe is that it refers to the day that God brings salvation to a person’s life. So in short, God uses your good deeds to get the attention of non believers so that THEY may also have eternal life. If you think of it that way, it’s pretty mind blowing, isn’t it? J Good deeds go a LONG way.

The Simple Truth:  Our good deeds matter.

Pray:

Jesus, remind us that our actions and words really do matter. Use this truth to motivate us to do good deeds and bring people to You. Amen!

Let your light shine.

-Lo

Leading Your Flock

Verse of the Day:

1 Peter 5:2-3

² Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers – not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; ³ not lording over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 

Do you feel like you’re a leader?  Well whether or not you do, you are.  There are constantly people that you don’t even know about who are watching how you life your life as an example of how to live theirs.  It might be younger siblings, cousins, people at school, or teammates.  I can still remember people that I looked up to when I was in elementary and middle school.  They may have never or rarely talked to me, but I knew a lot about them.  Creepy, I know.  hahahah.  God has made you to be examples of what it means to live like a good Christian and He so badly wants you to not have control over or ‘lord’ these people, but to just be a good example to them.  He also wants you to be willing.  I think that being an example and overseeing His flock is a great and actually pretty easy way to serve Him.

Knowing that you’re a leader and that people are looking up to you helps you make good decisions in your life.  I know can think of a few times when I have been tempted or ask to do something that I knew probably wasn’t a good idea and I thought ‘Would I want to tell Lauren about this?  Would I want to tell my Summerfest girls about this?’ and if the answer was no, I didn’t do it.  By trying to be an example to others, I make better decisions in my life.

The Simple Truth:  People are watching you even when you don’t know it.  Strive to constantly be a good example to those who God has entrusted to you.

Apply:  Make an effort to interact with people who you think you might be an example to.  Your smile in the hallway, invite to a party, or just a kind word could change their life.

Pray:

Lord, I pray for everyone who is a leader. Give us courage to lead. Give us tender hearts to serve. Help us to be strong in our faith and to make good decisions. Give us vision and grace. Help us to lead like Jesus.   Amen.

Peace, love & prayers-

K

Forgiveness

Verse of the Day:
Genesis 42:6-8, 25-28


Joseph was in charge of the country; he sold grain to all its people. His brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the ground. When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he treated them like strangers and spoke harshly to them. “Where do you come from?” he asked. “From the land of Canaan to buy food,” they replied. Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him. Joseph then gave orders to fill their containers with grain, return each man’s money to his sack, and give them provisions for their journey. This order was carried out. They loaded the grain on their donkeys and left.


The musical this year is Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. So, me being the nerd I am, I have been watching the movie and listening to the soundtrack nonstop. Last night, I actually read the whole story of Joseph in the Bible. SO COOL! The whole story is about something EVEN BETTER than getting even – forgiveness.


Here’s the shortened story of Joseph. Joseph had 11 brothers. Joseph was the favorite son, though, and all of his brothers got extremely jealous of him. So one day, they got so fed up that they decided to sell him. So basically Joseph went through a lot of rough stuff, but he always managed to get by because he had a special talent of interpreting dreams. So, he went to Egypt and interpreted the Pharaoh’s dream and the Pharaoh made Joseph his right hand man. He had a LOT of power. At this time, his brothers and were STARVING at their own home in Canaan. They heard that Egypt was selling food, so they made the trek there to beg for food. When they got there, they didn’t realize that the dazzling young ruler who met them and sold them grain was his own BROTHER. Joseph could have kicked them out. He could have made them starve. Because remember that his brothers were the ones who SOLD him. But Joseph filled their sacks with food and FORGAVE them. Joseph returned so much good for so much evil.


The Simple Truth: Forgiveness is better than getting even.


Reflect: Do I purposely get even with people when they do something mean to me, just to pay them back?


Apply: Next time you feel like getting even with someone, surprise them with kindness and forgive them.


Pray:
Lord, help me take the story of Joseph and his brothers and apply it to my life by forgiving others even when it is hard.


Let your light shine.
-Lo