Robin's Reflections

Temptation :  A  desire  to do something, especially something  wrong  or  unwise . Luke 22:32  But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.” Luke 22:40   "Then, accompanied by the disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives.  There he told them, ' Pray that you will not give in to temptation. ' " Luke 22:46  " 'Why are you sleeping?'  he asked them.  ' Get up and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. ' " Matthew 6:9-13 9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation , but deliver us from the e...

One thing I have learned It's always necessary to turn back towards your spouse after an argument.     Even if there is still hurt, even if there isn't complete understanding or agreement.   The more times you do this, the easier and faster, you will be able to communicate.  It is a muscle that must develop; an absolute for a marriage of depth.  Eventually the muscle will almost respond automatically.  If your back is towards your spouse, you will be taking steps farther away, a direction you really don't want to go. You can always hear someone more clearly when they are standing facing towards you.

Do you cherish your spouse as much as your iphone? How much did your phone cost? Have you spent that much on your spouse in the last 6 months? How much do you pay each month to maintain your iphone? Have you spent that much on your spouse this month? Did you buy a nice cover for your iphone to keep it in good condition? Have you read a good marriage book or attended a good marriage seminar in the last year to help keep your spouse and marriage in "good condition?" Apps, apps and more apps!! Have you browsed any shops lately looking for just the right accessory for your spouse...one that will make them say, "Wow"? Ringtone- You search and search for just the right ringtone to sound cool. How's the tone of your voice sounding to your spouse? You carry this phone in your pocket all day, you're careful to never lose it or damage it, you check your pocket several times a day to make sure it's still there. Have you...

I haven't "blogged" in awhile.  This year I plan to write a little more.  2013 has been quite the year....it started with Tom's blood clots, which necessitated us to return from Peru 6 months earlier then we had planned.  Tara and Ben got married in January.  We lived in 4 different houses this year, selling our home of 16 years and buying a new one.  Kelly attended two different schools.  We lived through reverse culture shock (having been in Peru for the last 18 months). Tom and I both started new jobs.  Two of our family members went through some very traumatic situations.  Kurt and Taylor got married in October.  We found out that we will be grandparents for the first time this summer.   I think I would call this the year of many changes!  God gave me the word, "Hope" at the beginning of 2013.  I didn't really want this word at first, because I thought it was "weak," but I soon came to love this word.  It is re...

"But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, until I went into the sanctuary of God, then I discerned their end."   Psalm 73:16

Council of the Holy Ones One thing I really love, is being in on discussions where important decisions are being made.  I love hearing the different ideas and I love trying to help come up with the best solution(s). With that on my mind, I read Psalm 89:7 this week....it is now one of my new favorite verses. "In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared, he is more awesome than all who surround him." Can you see it?!  I can picture the "holy council" meeting and in walks (or breezes) God...if they fear him and think He is awesome, how much more should I?   The  smartest council ( aka the council of the holy ones)   still looks to God....what an amazing thought!!  How little I look to Him for my answers.  I think that if I have considered everything there is to think about than my logical decision is best....This verse reminds me who I need to listen to for input.

What a wonderful video clip...may we all keep building for Him!!

The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place! -George Bernard Shaw Sometimes one wonders what the purpose of Valentine's day is...is it really to rush down to Walgreen's at midnight and find that ridiculously expensive red card and big bag of chocolates that you will regret tomorrow? For me it is this... Today is made to remind me to love especially well on those lives that live closest to me, that sometimes get stuck with the "left-overs".    May they know that I truly love them! Happy Valentine's Day

I love these wise words from a blog post of Bonnie Gray , she is a guest write today over at (in)courage .  Take the time to read the whole post.  Below is a quote from her blog that especially spoke to me. "God took painstaking effort to give Noah the blueprints and details of the ark that would save him from the flood. But, among all the minutia of measurements of timber, windows and even the door, God left out two specifications. There was no sail.  And there was no rudder. The ark was not designed to be navigated. The fate of everyone who trusted God enough to walk into the hollow of the ark — and allowed the door to be closed —  was placed in the hands of God. Maybe we were never designed to steer this life, to go the way we want. Maybe peace isn’t instantaneous, but a conviction to run into the arms of the One who can love us in mist of our storms."    Bonnie Gray

I just read this today on Daniel Darling's blog ...I liked it. "What often frustrates me about my generation is that we’ve decided certain causes are chic and others are signs of narrow-mindness. To speak out on behalf of the millions of innocent babies who are sent to their death—that’s labeled extremism. But to speak out on behalf of victims of sex trafficking—that’s noble." My heart aches for those that cannot speak before they even live.

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...

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 th...

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