Monthly Archives: December 2013

i2 ~ Iron sharpens Iron

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i2 is not only the chemical formula for iodine it has also become a symbol of encouragement and love.  Like iodine, encouragement and love are essential to humans.  This symbol has very special meaning!

My brother first started using i2 as a part of his business logo while he was in Arkansas.  Not long after that  we were organizing the first Run with Trish 5k for Team Hoyt.  Rob’s company sponsored the race and we placed i2 on our t-shirts to represent his sponsorship.  Realizing the power of encouragement while running the roads I asked Rob if I could use i2 to encourage others in our running.  He said i2 is not mine but God’s. 🙂  So at that point, my running angels and I started using the symbol i2 to encourage one another on the roads.

i2 stands for iron sharpening iron as found in Proverbs 27.17.

As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.

In November 2012 of the Lord pressed upon my heart that I could use i2 to not only encourage running friends but everyone.  At this point I did not act on it.  Then the year 2013 hit me like a Peterbilt truck…:) (that’s for my brother!) I was the recipient of an overwhelming amount of encouragement and love.  i2 was lived out in my life through others…many of you! You all encouraged me through Boston 2013, through my mom’s accident and then through Mike’s accident.  There were times I felt like giving up and because of the overwhelming outpouring of love and encouragement I didn’t! God provided encouragement in ways I couldn’t have ever imagined.  Then today during my devotional I felt God pressing once again…”you have received much encouragement and sharpening, it is now your turn to give back.”

With all of this being said…I am acting on it!  I have built Facebook page called i2.  Go here to like and share: https://www.facebook.com/pages/i2/639734179417709?ref=hl  This page will be used to encourage God’s way! I will post daily scriptures from the best encourager we all have – our Lord and Savior. My goal is to write and post smaller snippets as my family continually encourages me to do. This page will be used for encouragement and sharpening for all of us through the Holy Word of God.  In this process I will continually pray that the Holy Spirit leads me….this page is about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ encouraging His children through one another.

Life is a journey.  This journey is one with ups and downs and we all need a little encouragement along the way.  I hope i2 will be a positive source of God’s encouragement for you during your journey of life.  Share with others and feel free to post your encouraging words with us.  We are not alone! Let’s….

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

 1 Thessalonians 5.11

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One phone call away…

As I was looking through our 2013 Taylor Christmas photos, music was playing in the background. The words “I guess we’re all one phone call from our knees” rang out. These words have so much meaning to our family this year. We experienced that phone call more than once!

My family first experienced the phone call on April 15, 2013…The Boston Marathon! The second phone call was from dad on June 12, 2013 when mom had her brain bleed.  The third and hopefully final phone call of 2013 was on November 8 when Mike fell from the ladder and broke his shoulder and nose.  All of these things literally brought us to our knees! We cried out to our Lord and Savior for help, for comfort, for healing, for understanding and for peace!  To which He answered all of them in His perfect timing.

Romans 8.26

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

 

These photos were taken by my very talented niece Lane Lewis of Laneybugphotos.  Check her work the rest of Christmas 2013 here:   http://laneybugphotos.smugmug.com/MyPhotos/2013/Christmas-2013/i-Fd6xdth  

She truly captured the overwhelming joy our family experienced this season.

This Christmas we celebrated life.  First, we celebrated Jesus’ birth and life!  His life and death assures us of eternal life and comfort on earth through the Holy Spirit.  We have felt His presence through the Holy Spirit with each phone call.  It baffles me how anyone can receive a phone call that brings you to your knees and not know, really know God.  How do they survive?  He is the only way I have survived and found peace and joy in ALL circumstances.

Jeremiah 29.11

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Then we celebrated our lives and being able to be together! We enjoyed quality time just being! This time of year we forget that…we forget to be still and just take it all in!  We celebrated sitting in a room with one another…conversing, laughing, reminiscing…being together in the moment.

Looking at the pictures brings us tears of joy just knowing how faithful God has been.  He never left us.  He held us together the whole time.  Mom is a miracle! Mike is alive and healing extremely well! Boston 2014 will bring closure to a bittersweet Boston 2013.  All of these things have taught us to live for Him in the moment.

We have learned this year that the moment will and can end.  We have no control of when that will happen.  But it will! Take this day and make it your best.  God gave us the best present next to His son – the PRESENT….we need to live in it and find the joy in the people around us!

Psalm 30.5

For His anger is but for a moment,
His favor is for life;
Weeping may endure for a night,
But joy comes in the morning.

Matthew 6.25-34

 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?[g] 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.  34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

2014 will hopefully be a little less eventful.  BUT, if it is not and I receive yet another phone call…my knees is where you will find me. Why?Because I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that my Lord and Savior will be there to pick me up and help me take each step of whatever journey lay ahead.  How do I know? Because He has proven Himself over and over in 2013(and before!)  He is our Lord and He is our Savior…He is faithful and good ALL the time!

Romans 8.28

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

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Merry CHRISTmas…from start to finish!

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Merry CHRISTmas!

Today’s post is about the whole CHRIST story from start to finish! Christ was born for a purpose to later be fulfilled in His death and resurrection for us – sinners who did not and do not deserve this AMAZING GRACE!

Merry CHRISTmas my friends and followers! May you know the true reason for this season…Jesus!

Be blessed this day as we celebrate the START of an amazing journey taken for us by the babe called Jesus…

The Characters…

Luke 1

31…Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”

35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. 

 37 For with God nothing will be impossible.” 38 Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

The Setting…

Luke 2.11-14

11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”  13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,  14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

The Plot…

John 3.16-17

16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

The Conflict…

Titus 3.3-8

3 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. 8 This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.

The Theme…

Romans 10.9-10

9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

christmasMay you feel His love for you on this day! He is the reason for this season and the key to a fulfilled life!

Merry CHRISTmas 2013!

 

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A middle school lesson for this teacher…Wow!

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A couple of weeks ago I was asked by one of my 8th grade students to be the adult sponsor of a student led Bible club.   This group wanted to meet before school once a week, but they needed an adult sponsor.  I joyfully accepted! There is nothing more exciting than Jesus…but kids wanting to learn more about Jesus and the Bible is pretty amazing. 🙂

Today was our first day.  It was so very encouraging!!!  Twelve 7th and 8th graders showed up and when asked why, most said “they want to know more about the Bible!” Wow! These kids are in middle school.  They are in the thick of it…for the record, I would never want to go back to those days…middle school is tough.  Tougher these days than in mine by far!

Each student vocalized their desire to pray and to start the day off right.  Again, wow! From the mouths of babes…to start the day off right. 🙂  I can already tell I will learn from this wonderful group of guys and girls.  God will be using them…I have no doubt!

How many of us take time to do what they are wanting to do and start the day off right with God’s word?  God even suggests doing so in His word:

Mark 1:35

“Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight,

He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed”

Psalm 5:3

“My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord;

In the morning I will direct it to You,

And I will look up”

Psalm 63:1

“O God, You are my God;

Early will I seek You;

My soul thirsts for You;

My flesh longs for You

In a dry and thirsty land

Where there is no water”

How wise are these young ones? Very wise!   Read on:  One conversation we had this morning was trying to have a positive impact on others throughout the day.  I encouraged them to help each other do so.  I asked them how many of them had a Facebook page.  Then I asked them what happened on Facebook and one of them answered  – ‘drama!’  Another chimed in – ‘lots of drama!’  At this point, I shared with them that one of my ways to be positive is to try to encourage others through scripture on Facebook.  Daily I post scripture from my devotional.  The word of God lifts me up and helps me start my day off great…as the kids’ say.

One of my scriptures this morning was:

Psalm 107.19-20

19 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.

20 He sent out his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave.

The devotion that went with it talked about how His word heals as it states in verse 20.  How many of us and how many of today’s youth are hurting and need a touch of heaven?  We can all have it through the healing that comes from His word.  These kids are reaching out and wanting to know more.  They are going through things I can’t even imagine…and God can bring healing!

Will you pray with me for these kids? Will you also take time to look around you and see how you can bless someone today?  We live in a world of ‘drama’…again in the kids’ words…so let’s help each other by being positive and shining His light. Let’s help by pointing them to the HEALING Word of God!

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Taking my ‘Breath of Heaven’…Boston 2014 training has officially started…

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Today it started! Boston 2014 training is now officially underway.  The first four miles of many are now logged en route to the 2014 Boston Marathon with Team Hoyt.  Yes, You Can! is Team Hoyt’s motto and the message they spread.  This training season I will rely on this mantra more than ever.

2013 has been very eventful to say the least.  Running has been good therapy but hard to do.  I have taken the last two weeks off and quite honestly I am ready to get started again.  The physical and emotional fatigue of the past year have taken a toll.  I know God gave me running as a ministry to reach others…but I also know He gave it to me as a form of worship and comfort.  This season will be one I try to find the joy the fatigue has taken.

Last week God provided me with encouragement through song once again.   I was asked to share my story with my church’s women’s group at our Christmas banquet this past Saturday.  While preparing my testimony I heard Amy Grant singing Breath of Heaven on Pandora.

The song took on new meaning to me in regards to the year I have experienced.  The words flowed over me like a calm.  God showed me He was there helping me with the load I was carrying and He would surround me with His breath of Heaven.  Now, I don’t compare myself to Mary at all!!! Her role is a very special one ordained by God.  But, I do believe we all have our own loads that scare us…cause us to feel alone…make us feel as if we are in the dark…and make us feel weak when we need to be strong.  This song cries out to the Lord and asks for light, strength and HELP! The words ‘breath of Heaven, hold me together…’ have been and will continue to be my prayer.   I too want to ‘offer all I am’ and have you ‘Pour over me Your holiness for You are holy!’

Then His breath of Heaven hit me again today as I was finishing my first four miles of many, many more…I know I have already stated this…but I had to state it again! This is the beginning!  He showed me He will be my strength when I feel as if I am falling apart.  He will help me be strong.  He will light the path and HIS breath will surround me every step I run, walk or jog.  His strength is made GREAT in my weakness…

Isaiah 40.29

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

2 Corinthians 12.9

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

Listen and let His breath cover you and all you may be going through this season:  He will be your strength and breath!

Breath of Heaven – Amy Grant

I have traveled many moonless nights
Cold and weary with a babe inside
And I wonder what I’ve done
Holy Father, You have come
And chosen me now to carry Your Son

I am waiting in a silent prayer
I am frightened by the load I bear
In a world as cold as stone
Must I walk this path alone?
Be with me now, be with me now

Breath of Heaven, hold me together
Be forever near me, Breath of Heaven
Breath of Heaven, lighten my darkness
Pour over me Your holiness for You are holy
Breath of Heaven

Do you wonder as you watch my face
If a wiser one should have had my place?
But I offer all I am
For the mercy of Your plan
Help me be strong, help me be, help me

Breath of Heaven, hold me together
Be forever near me, Breath of Heaven
Breath of Heaven, lighten my darkness
Pour over me Your holiness for You are holy

Breath of Heaven, hold me together
Be forever near me, breath of Heaven
Breath of Heaven, lighten my darkness
Pour over me Your holiness for You are holy
Breath of Heaven, Breath of Heaven
Breath of Heaven

Stay tuned for more tales from the Boston 2014 journey!

You can be a part of the journey with your tax deductible donation to the Hoyt Foundation here:

http://www.crowdrise.com/trishnewsom

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