Robin's Reflections

Today I had the privilege of meeting with a wonderful new young missionary.  Our conversation wandered down several paths...one of them was one that I find myself frequently discussing as I hear young (and some older) people talk about their personalities. I decided I would write this down since it is a major way that God has worked in my life.  I grew up awkwardly shy and quiet.  I was confused for many years, thinking that I was "suppose" to have a bubbly cheerleader type personality.  My mom discovered the personality tests when I was a teenager and I found out according to the test that I had a melancholy/phlegmatic type personality.  While this relived me from the heavy burden and stress of being "out-going" and helped me understand why I acted the way I did many times....I then began to resent who I was.  Why did God not give me the bubbly personality?  I don't want to be quiet and shy... and on and on my inner dialogue would rant. One d

Love is so difficult to receive sometimes. Sometime it is handed to us by someone, in an imperfect form. We look at it with disdain because we want PERFECT love.  It is our choice, will we throw it away, not accept it ... or will we embrace it with a smile and know that for now it is but a reflection of the love that Christ has for us. (1Corinthians 13-the Love Chapter) Sometimes, I think it is the only love we get this side of heaven, and it is made to make us hunger and yearn for more.  Don’t be fooled you won’t find this perfect love in another person or thing-our yearnings will only be completed in heaven.  Don’t throw away the imperfect love, don’t waste it to receive loneliness in it’s place.  Accept it and you will find warmth and perhaps more love than you expected this side of heaven.

Type of parenting best avoided :) With 23 years of parenting down and a few more to go...here are my favorites that I try to remember along the way.... 1. "IT'S NOT SO IMPORTANT " what " YOUR CHILDREN ARE DOING BUT " why ". 2. "WRONG CHOICES OFTEN BRING IMMEDIATE GOOD RESULTS, RIGHT CHOICES OFTEN HAVE IMMEDIATE BAD (OR HARD) RESULTS." -Jousha McDowell 3.  WHEN A CHILD'S PARENTS ENTER A ROOM, THAT CHILD IS UNCONSCIOUSLY ASKING HERSELF, 'DO MY MOM AND DAD'S EYES LIGHT UP WHEN THEY SEE ME?  DO THEY THINK I MATTER?'" -Toni Morrison Do you have a favorite "parenting" quote that you like?!

So often, we attach value to money...but what about others, do we consider them a true value? I read this sentence the other day and it caught my attention. "...to add value to others, one must first value others."* I like to think that I value others.  But how much time do I really  spend trying to value others?  Am I more concerned with adding value to myself?  Nehemiah 1:4 "When I heard these things ( the destruction of Jerusalem ), I sat down and wept.  For some days I mourned and fasted before the God of heaven." God, give me a heart for others.

Tara(21), Kurt(18), Troy(23) and Kelly(15) Our arrows. Psalm 127:3,4 I was reading the other day from "The Parent's Tao Te Ching" and found this nugget... " You do not have to make your children into wonderful people.    You only have to  remind them that they are wonderful people." God has blessed us with four marvelous children, who have filled our lives with laughter, joy and some tears mingled along the way.  I hope I can remember to implement this wise truth as they start their adult journeys.  "LORD, I pray that my adult children (and one almost adult) will be planted firmly in Your house so that they will always be fresh and flourishing and bear fruit into old age (Psalm 92:13-15). Help them to remember that You are “able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us” (Ephesians 3:20). Guide them step by step so that they never gets off the path You have for their

Love is patient, love is Kind ...what is that?  I Corinthians 13 I read Webster's definition, searched a commentary or two, but found nothing substantial.  It's the second word used to describe love, therefore it must be important. As I thought about kindness the month of February and my Word for the Year ,  I realized how devalued this word  of kindness has become...it has been side-swiped from both ends by words like "co-dependence" and "diva." Is it "doing good"?  I think it is more than that, maybe it involves an attitude of gentleness. One of my favorite quotes is: " Obligation can pour a glass of milk, but quite often, love adds a little chocolate. "    That is a great picture of kindness, going the extra mile without someone asking you to.... It takes extra thought, deliberation.  I know how to "do good", but being kind, means that you have slowed down to see what the other person really wants or

  This article is marvelous, even to the last sentence . It was first published in 1963, two days after his death.  His "last words", so to speak. THE WANING AUTHORITY OF CHRIST IN THE CHURCHES by A. W. Tozer HERE IS THE BURDEN of my heart; and while I claim for myself no special inspiration I yet feel that this is also the burden of the Spirit. If I know my own heart it is love alone that moves me to write this. What I write here is not the sour ferment of a mind agitated by contentions with my fellow Christians. There have been no such contentions. I have not been abused, mistreated or attacked by anyone. Nor have these observations grown out of any unpleasant experiences that I have had in my association with others. My relations with my own church as well as with Christians of other denominations have been friendly, courteous and pleasant. My grief is simply the result of a condition which I believe to be

God is not going easy on me...he reminds me AGAIN, of where my thoughts need to go. I use to think of this verse as a mind "filter"....any thoughts must be filtered thru this verse.  If the thought can pass through each of these things, then it can stay in my mind. Many, many thoughts flunk out! I have been spending a day or two on each word...purposefully looking for things that fit these words. What is pure?  God's word is the purest thing I know...He gave me this verse to mediate on,  "And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus."  Pure truth.  Keep it in your mind! Noble....that was a more difficult word to find...I kept thinking about the King that I serve.  I Chronicles 16:7-43 (NIV) David's Psalm of Thanks 16:8-22, Ps 105:1-15, 16:23-33,96:1-13,16:34-36,106:1,47-48 7 That day David first committed to Asaph and his associates this psalm of thanks to the LORD: 8 Give tha

Well, here we are seven months in to this missionary thing.  I always knew that being a missionary took great sacrifice. There is this thing called culture shock that I was told I would encounter.  I have and I am and it's not very enjoyable. I have not written on our family blog for months, because in reality I don't want to write what I know people want to hear-just to satisfy them and make them want to donate more.  It's like going to a festive party when you've just had an argument with your spouse (don't tell me you don't know what that feels like).  I don't like acting-(actually I LOVE acting, but only when it's FOR acting.) There are so many changes for a person to absorb on all levels, physically, emotionally and spiritually.  Food changes: things I've never seen, tasted or smelled before, guinea pig, intestines of who knows what, quail eggs, etc.  Things that I use to love but never see anymore (sour cream, ruby red squirt, marshmall

I have found a trio of songs that make a beautiful segue into devotions.   1.  Abba Father, by Shaun Groves...I couldn't find a video of this song, but you can download it on itunes and it is a definite new favorite.  Worth the time and effort to download. 2.   Sweetly Broken by Jeremy Riddle 3.  Your Great Name by Natalie Grant

Love is patient I Corinthians 13 Love is kind it does not envy it does not boast it is not proud  it is not rude it is not self-seeking it is not easily angered it keeps no records of wrongs Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth It always protects, always trusts always hopes, always perseveres. The question arises every January-What are your new-year resolutions?  While I understand why many are adamantly against them, I believe there is a need to pause and reflect and January brings the perfect excuse to think about things we would like to change in our lives.  So, this year I found multiple blogs that discussed finding a "word" to focus on for the year instead a list of resolutions that will be broken by Jan. 12th  (or longer depending on your endurance!)  I decided to have a word for each month.  I knew right away that my word for Jan. would be love.  Why?  Bec

I came across the following letter, (article) on Cailyn Steven's blog, she is a young missionary for Extreme Nazarene.  This letter is written by a 73 year old man, Dr. Ron Sider, and I immediately loved it, as it articulates many of my feelings in a "professional" way. Yes, it is long... maybe it will make up for my long absence in blogging! Many would consider Dr. Ron Sider the father of the modern Christian social justice movement. He released his seminal book,  Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger , in 1977 after observing racism and poverty in inner-city Philadelphia. Since then, Sider has written nearly two dozen books and more than 100 articles on social injustice and biblical discipleship, including  Completely Pro-Life , which ushered in a new “holistic” thinking on what it means to affirm life in areas beyond abortion opposition, such as capital punishment, nuclear weapons and severe poverty. Here, Sider considers his legacy and the legac