Mid-days With Lauree

I got a call from my daughter yesterday saying, " DO NOT BUY THIS FOR THE GRANDKIDS"Listen to find out what it is!

What do you suppose happens when we drop the facade and we start getting real with God?Maybe you're scared of what he may think if he could see the real you and see your sin for what it is. If that's you, don't ever be afraid to reveal what's behind the curtain to God. I have 2 reasons why. 1) He already knows. He's God.2) His grace is always going to be deeper and bigger than whatever it is that we're bringing to him.Remember 1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."At the end of the day, it's about his faithfulness not ours.

All of us at some point in our lives have been affected or will be affected by knowing someone who is facing a cancer battle. What if over the next 30 days, we prayed specifically for those are fighting cancer?Right now through March 1st, there is a nationwide effort that is encouraging people to battle cancer one prayer at a time over at 30dayscancerprayer.com! One of the people leading the charge is KCBI Artist Matthew West and he joined the show today to lead us in a prayer to help kick off this 30-day pledge!

Do you know what Jesus does with those who squander his mercy? Someone isn't going to like the answer and that's okay.When Jesus sees us squandering his mercy, he pours out more mercy. I'll say that again: when Jesus sees us squandering his mercy, his response to that isn't condemnation, it's not shaming the squanderer, it's not punishment. It's more mercy. The Apostle Paul has the perfect example in the book of Romans. He says, "The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, j

If you love shopping at Hobby Lobby (and let's be real, who doesn't?) you're going to want to hear this!There's always a coupon that you can find for Hobby Lobby and even one up to 40% off! Well, that's no more. Hobby Lobby has announced that after the end of February, they will no longer be accepting the 40% off coupon. But to make up for this tragic news, the customer-focused company will be offering more discounts on everyday items. So if you've got that 40 percenter tucked in that back of that junk drawer, break that puppy out and use it before it's too late!

This weekend, I listened to a dead man talk to me and I know just how strange that sounds but maybe many of us had a similar experience: going to a virtual funeral.This weekend, I found myself sitting at my kitchen table all dressed up in front of my computer to celebrate the life of a long time friend. For the last 7 years, he had been battling cancer so to a certain extent, this day was expected. As apart of the funeral, he had made a video before he passed away and I just began thinking, what do you say when you're staring down a camera knowing that people are watching the video because you're gone? What is the one point that you want to share with your loved ones because you've gained the perspective of knowing you're dying?Here's what he shared: "Don't waste time. Whatever stops you in your life, the obstacles that are stopping you from giving your heart to God and living your life and pursuing him, stop wasting time."It's such a gift to have those people speak love and truth into our lives and I want to

Are you setting goals, but not meeting them? Here is why you can still be proud of what you accomplished.Many of us at the beginning of the year kicked off 2021 by making big plans and setting big goals but if you're anything like me, you got to the end of the month and there a lot of boxes left unchecked. I know that feeling and I know that there can be a sense of shame and failure that begins to set in our heart, but I stand here with a piece of encouragement to you if you find yourself in the same boat. Even though we may not have been able to accomplish everything on our list, I'm proud that we set goals and have got the momentum going in our favor! With goals, we're aiming towards something. With goals, we got more accomplished than we would have if we didn't have a direction to go. I'm proud of us!

Are you bored in any way right now? And if that answer is yes, is it really a problem?Some people say that boredom is actually good for kids and their brains and that actually true! But what if I told you I believe that boredom is a result of our sin nature? Author G.K. Chesterton has this beautiful quote in his book "Orthodoxy" that talks about our tendency to get bored. He says, "Because children has abounding vitality, because they're in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say "do it again!" and the grown-up person does it again until they're nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exalt in monotony, but perhaps God is strong enough to exalt in monotony. It's possible that God says every morning "do it again" to the sun and every evening "do it again" to the moon. It may not be like we assume automatic necessity that makes all the daisies alike. It may be that God makes every daisy separately and has never gotten tired of making them. It

In this first month of 2021, it felt like somewhat of an outer-body experience. It feels like I've just been standing back and watching insurrections, inaugurations, and indoctrination of ideologies. All the talking head are just screaming at each other and it feels like the noise level gets louder and the arguing gets more vile to the point that I can't take it anymore. But then, it just goes silent.And I hear this voice from over my shoulder say, "Hey kid, how are you doing?" All of a sudden, I'm home and that voice I hear is from our father God.Our world might be falling off it's hinges but God tells us that he has overcome this troubled world. The good news is we don't have sign up for a trial run or a pay a membership fee or clean up all that is messy in our lives to ask God the tough questions. All we need to do is take the time.

I looked at the calendar and COULDNT BELIEVE we are already at the last friday and the last weekend of the first month of 2021. Time has just flown by!So how are you doing? What are you proud that you've accomplished over the course of this month?

I think we've all had this experience at least once during this pandemic. You are going about your day and you get a notification on your phone or look at a calendar and realize "Today, I was supposed to go on vacation/go to a birthday party/celebrate this thing/etc." I'm experiencing that today and I have to be honest, it really stinks. I'm sad, I'm disappointed, but like we say here at KCBI all the time, we have a choice. Do we stay in the mindset an continue to be upset or do we choose to move on? So right here, right now, I'm choosing gratitude. What are you choosing today?

No one is going to judge you for your answer to this question, but do you think this pandemic has made you lazy? More specifically, has this pandemic made you a lazy parent?I know this a bit of an sensitive question for me to ask as someone who hasn't yet been blessed yet to be a parent myself, but I have to say watching the parents around me adjust and be flexible to fit this new normal, I have to say that I think you're a hero. The ways you've had to adapt and the thing you've had to address with you kids, that is a hard job. I have so much respect for you.But maybe you're the person who read my question and internally nodded your head. Maybe you feel like this pandemic has gotten the best as of you and all you want to do is put it on auto-pilot and check out into a world that isn't dominated by social distancing and a dumpster fire of a political climate. If that's you and you just need a life line today, would you allow me to pray for you?Father God, I am asking that you would remind my friend right now,

What did your pre-marital counseling skip over that should have been included?

If you have ever believed that God can't reach you in your pit, I have two sisters that have a word to speak over that lie.Those two sisters are Corrie and Betsy Ten Boom and the reason that I share this with you is because today is a very special day. Today is the International Holocaust Remembrance Day as it marks 76 years since the infamous death camp in Auschwitz was liberated. Corrie and Betsy were prisoners of a different concentration camp, but they knew and lived through the unthinkable evil that existed. As they got out of their camp, Betsy said to her sister, "Corrie, we must tell people what we have learned here. We must tell them that there is no pit that is so deep that God is deeper still. They'll listen to us, Corrie, because we have been here."Wherever you find yourself, God is with you there. Isaiah 59:1 assures of that. "Listen! The LORD’s arm is not too weak to save you, nor is his ear too deaf to hear you call." So today as you remember and honor the live that were lost during the Holocaus

Hate to break it to you, but your work is never done. It's universal. You may be a parent, a spouse, a wife, a mom, a co-worker. No matter what your title is the list goes on with thing you have to accomplish. By the end of the day, we always come up short on the to-do list of life. But that's not the nature of the Christian Life. So many of us look at Christian experience with this to-do list mentality for God. We know that isn't what saves us, but if we can get stuff done for him, he'll be happy with us. Doing your devotions, doing your quiet time, making sure you're praying enough. It's the thought a lot of us have when it comes to God, but the thing is that isn't how God works. God doesn't measure his love for us or his value of us by how much we can accomplish because the work he's done on our behalf is already finished.So the next time you look at you to-do list, remember this: on one level our work is never finished, but on the other level you can rest knowing the work's been done and always has been.

"Marriage doesn't complete you, Jesus completes you." The interesting thing is that was shared from a happily married couple that you may be familiar with.KCBI Artist Jeremy Camp and his wife, Adrienne, have been married for 17 years and if you seen or heard of his story through the book and the movie, "I Still Believe" then you know the story of how he lost his first wife, Melissa, and how he and Adrienne have built their life together. Jeremy says the key is putting Christ at the center of your marriage. When asked, he said, "I think that people have this idea when they are stepping into marriage that, 'I'm going to find the person that's going to fulfill me.' When you go into marriage with that mindset, ‘I found this person that's going to fulfill my heart,’ you're setting yourself up for failure."And the truth is this goes for anything in life. If you're looking for something that is of this world to complete you, you're setting yourself up for failure. It's not about finding something to fulfill you, rat

Are you struggling with worry? I have an idea: Let's rename it.One of the things that happens when you're in quarantine like I have been is you have a lot of time on your hands. So I decided to read quite a bit. An author I've really enjoyed reading is a lady named Gretchen Ronnevik. Here's what she has to say about worry: "Maybe worrying is better understood as a lack of patience. Patience is the willingness to suffer, and for me, worrying is proving to be my unwillingness to suffer."Maybe that stings a little bit but if we can learn look at worry through this lens, we can ask God to give us the perseverance to make it through the suffering because we know we're not alone in it. God is with us always and I truly believe this could be a game changer in the way we view worry in our lives.

The last time we talked, I told you that I'd be flying solo for a little bit of time here in the Afternoons after we found out that our buddy, Doug, tested positive for COVID.Well turns out it was just a short flight because I'm so glad to announce that Doug is back with us! Though we're having to do the show remotely with Doug still being quarantined, I'm so happy that the break away was just a short one. Now back to the fun!

I have a big favor to ask of you today and it involves our friend, Doug.Doug, my co-host here in the Afternoons, tested positive for COVID so for a little bit, I'm just going to flying solo. But here is my request of you: -Go ahead and download the KCBI App if you haven't already done so.-When you open it up, you'll see 3 little bars in the top left corner that will open drop down menu and find the option that says "Send a voice message."-If you'd like to, leave a message for Doug wishing him a quick recovery or share a scripture that would be an encouragement to him!Doug is such an important part of our KCBI family and if you love Doug as much as I do, I know this small gesture will mean so much to him! He would love to hear from you!

We can all talk about God's redemption and forgiveness in our lives, but like the saying goes, "You can talk the talk, but can you walk the walk?"Yesterday, I met and talked with a woman who is a former prostitute that inspired me to think about the limitation I put on God's power and redemption in my life. Her testimony is a radical example of what it looks like to believe that God will be God and will show up in ways that only God can. I hope you are encouraged and inspired by her story the same way that I was and that it may even cause you to do some thinking about the ways that you've put a box around God and what you believe he can do!