Running away sounds really good today :(

Today, i am hurt. Today, i found something out about myself that i never knew existed since i have been 'born again'. I found out that when someone doesn't 'like' me, when all i do is try to love them, welcome them, and show them Jesus, (i am sure i have done something but i haven't a clue what it could have been), that it absolutely hurts from the pit of my soul. Literally. Something about being told by your teen son that 'none of his friends like you' and 'i would be the WORST person to have more than one of (cloned)' just really hurts my feelings. Maybe it's because i am sad for my son. That he has to deal with that. Or maybe it's because it just hurts my feelings. I don't know, all i know is that i am struggling right now. Before Christ grabbed a hold of me, i had frequent thoughts of suicide. I have only had one incident since i became His and i rebuked Satan and it was immediately gone. I am not quite there, today, but really, i would be lying if i said that i am not at all at risk of dealing with that again. I hate it! It's straight from the devil. Why am i so weak when it comes to my kids? Isn't that when i am supposed to be the strongest? Ugh!!! My two oldest have told me on many occasions, "mom, why can't you just be 'normal'?" My goodness, right now, if i had a clue what 'normal' is, i would so try my hardest. However, everytime i think about it, i think that 'normal' is what the world is calling 'normal'. I have been commanded by my Creator to be 'set apart'. Maybe i am just doing it wrong?! I don't know but i need some clarity and need it fast because right now, i want to load up in my car and just drive. To where? Have no clue. I want to call the schools and tell all the kids to ride the bus. I want to tell Michael, I'm sorry, but he and the kids would probably be better off if i just disappeared. I hate this! Why am i taking it so personal? This really is just not like me. Whoever you are, if you are reading this, and you are my brother or sister in Christ, please pray!

thought for today

Hmmm, is it just me, or do you ever feel like just giving up? Sigh....

The barren fig tree? Or Golden Layer Pillsbury biscuit?

Well, today is going to be a productive day. (repeat 3 times and wiggle my nose)

I was listening to a sermon by Mark Driscoll last night and the topic and scripture reference was out of the Gospel of Luke where it tells about the parable of the barren fig tree. Umm, let's just say, it brought about a bit of conviction. So, with that being said, i will be evaluating my fruitfullness over the last year so that i can begin praying for God to reveal to me where i need to be bearing more fruit. As it stands, i would definitely be the barren fig tree so i gots ta get busy!!! Right now, i am feeling more like a stale, Golden Layers Pillsbury biscuit. (hehe, i just made up my own parable) Like i am full of 'layers' but they are so still and complacent that they are stuck together and as God helps me to peel them apart, crumbs will fall, and those crumbs are just more 'layers' for me to work on. Sigh....this is gonna take a life time! Literally :)

I just love how it takes God NO time to show ya where ya need to bear more fruit when ya ask Him :) Just by typing the above paragraph, He was sure to let me know quite a few things. However, one thing in specific has really stuck out.....parenting. So, the next 'layer' of my journey to reveal more of Jesus, will be to be more on purpose about training and bringing my children up in the Way of the Lord. I will be working on a plan that will assist me in going toward the goal. If any of you know me, you know that 'planning' is a foreign language to me so i am ever so grateful that He will lead me to the steps that He has for me. Whew! What a relief :)

Love and Hugs! Robin :)

Mommy thoughts and more :)

Seriously? What is this whole 'waking up at 3:30am and not being able to go back to sleep' thing about? Ugh, this may make for a very long day. However, i am sure all sleepiness and irritability will subside when lil' miss Olivia gets here. She just brightens my day with her chubby smile. In case you are reading this and are clueless as to who 'Olivia' is, she is a 7 month old baby girl i watch 2-3 days a week. And i just love every minute of it, especially since i have ALL boys :). I am learning that girls seem to be much more high maintenance than little boys but that is perfectly fine with me since all of mine are in school and she has me to herself. Hehe!

The time is coming near for Alex to go back to college for another semester so i am already anticipating the anxiety and sadness i have when he drives off. There is just something about my son, who i have spoken to and seen every day for over 18 years, driving 4 hours to a place where i know no one and only hearing from him once a week or so, if i am lucky, that does not seem natural. This is just his freshman year so i am hoping and praying that it gets easier as time goes by. But in the meantime, i will share with you what God has taught me through my sadness and anxiety of my son 'leaving the nest'.

1. There is nothing that could have prepared me for this season in my life.
2. I had not handed my son over to the arms of Jesus, as i thought i had. Evidently, i had some crazy idea that he was MINE and God reminded me that, in fact, he was HIS and i was just blessed to be able to 'borrow' him from his Creator.
3. That God is sufficient and faithful to comfort me, as He knows the TRUE love of a Son.
4. He continues to show me that i have been blessed beyond belief to be able to be a part of what He is doing in and through Alex. That young man is a 'young man after God's own heart' and I was chosen to be his mother. What an honor.

So yeah, off to make breakfast for the kiddos. I am really loving this whole 'blogging' thing so i may be back really soon, but until next time, love and hugs!

Process beginning....exfoliating the flesh

Whew (wiping sweat off of forehead)! That 'layer' of learning His way to submit was a toughie. Hence the reason for such a delay in blogging, it took that long for me to listen and respond to Him. Ugh! But anyway, it's all good now, and i feel so much closer to Him as a result. Howeverrrrrr, i have a feeling this next layer is NOT going to be tough at all, more like IMPOSSIBLE!!! Of course, that's without Him. Good thing He has me in the palm of His hand because I am gonna need that security! What is the next layer, Robin, you ask??? Well.......

Ewww, this one really does stink so you might wanna hold your nose. Tonight, as i was looking for the dust pan to sweep up the pile i just collected, i can't find it. Immediately i get irritated so i just left the pile in the middle of the floor, turned off the light, and left the kitchen as i always do when my job is complete. Well, let me fill you in on WHY (as if there is ever a 'good' reason to be irritated at such petty things) i was so irritated. About a year ago, i bought a broom that was ONLY to be used in the house and assigned the older broom for the outside duties. Many times if we rinse the floor of the garage, it would get swept out with the broom leaving the broom all deformed and what not making it difficult when i sweep, in the house, due to the inability to get in the corners and stuff where i need the 'angle' part of the broom. OK, hang with me, you'll see the relevance in a sec. So, sometime between then and now, we have managed to get down to one broom again. Soooo, yesterday, my 'inside' broom is now an 'outside' broom. Sigh....

Well, i went grocery shopping and bought me a brand new amazing microfiber broom that is supposed to be the 'next best thing'! And of course, it would NEVER get taken outside because, i mean, after all, everyone knows it's cloth and it doesn't make sense to use it outside. (see the motive for getting the broom??? Ugh, already off to a bad start) Anyway, Ha! Whatever, it wasn't quite what i had hoped for, but no biggie. So by this time, i am irritable for several reasons.....that i had to buy a new broom and it sucked, i can't find the dust pan (come to find out, the boys used it to shovel snow off of the trampoline today so it is more than likely buried in the snow somewhere), and the fact that i am actually irritated at such petty things when, right now, there are people all over the country, state, town, and possibly my neighborhood, who do NOT know Jesus as their Savior and will spend an ETERNITY in hell if they got in a wreck and died in this mess (it's snowy and stuff here, probably a little icy too), or any other tragedy occurred. That just sickens my soul and, ugh, i think i just threw up in my mouth! So yeah, the relevance of that whole story i told you about and my attitude during all of it??? Omg, what if the people in my home were in that category? Like, the people that saw that ugliness come out over something so silly, what if they did NOT know Jesus and i had just introduced them to the only thing they knew about being a 'follower' of Him! Seriously, i am so grateful it was just Michael because i totally would have NOT shown them the characteristics of the Creator of the universe that is holding His arms wide open waiting for them to reach out to Him.

This is the part that hurts my heart...is that us every day as we 'go about' our business? Like, do we just expect everyone that comes in our path to know about Jesus and what a great thing it is to have been saved by Him? So, somehow, it doesn't matter what sort of attitude we have, or how we look (or not look) at people, etc.? I can't help but just keep telling myself, "ugh, thank God it was just Michael and he already knows Jesus cuz if not, that person would have been out of luck if i was the one whom He chose to show them Jesus in the flesh."

So yeah, in a nutshell, that is the next layer i am praying for to be exfoliated from this fleshly soul of mine. Join me in prayer? Great. Join me in the challenge??? Even greater!

Love and hugs,

Robin :)

Wow! Today I was reminded of something that was revealed to me one day a while back while i was sweeping, of all things. As i was sweeping, i noticed i was just trying to hurry up and get it done so i would find myself having to go back over the same places several times noticing i 'missed a spot'. Anyway, so i took a different approach, using my broom to sweep underneath the counters i used very short strokes. Therefore, only getting a little bit of the yuckiness at one time. Sounds silly, huh? Well, what i noticed was that i wasn't having to go back over the places i had already swept. Hang in there, you will understand why this story is relevant to our Christian walk.

You see, a lot of times, God is so gracious to reveal many things or only one at a time, that are not pleasing to him (the yuck under the counters). And i don't know about you, but as for me, i try like heck to tackle them all at once (the hurrying of the sweeping to get it done) and end up finding them creeping back not too long after i thought i had already dealt with it (the missed spots). However, when that happens, God reminds me that He is cleansing me from the inside out so it is not something that can be taken lightly, or hurried. If we take one step at a time in our walk with Him to become more like Him, then we are able to get in the crevices and every little detail of the area of our lives that is not pleasing to Him (short, frequent strokes of the broom). Sound fun? Yeah, i thought so too.

So, as for me, today i will tackle the area of submission. I thought i was really a pretty submissive helpmate to my husband. However, the other day, God revealed to me that, in fact, i am not as submissive as HE wants me to be. So as i deal with my issue today, i am praying for Him to reveal the areas that I am not so that i can ask Him to help me with that specific 'crumb' , if you will. I better get busy on that! He will be here for lunch so i will, hopefully, have something ready for him. Hey, don't laugh! It's a start :)

I have a dream.......

......that one day;

Sound familiar? Yeah, does to me too. Today I am feeling that same statement come to life in my own dreams. I have a dream that one day, families will meet together regularly to share life together and even study God's Word together. Yes, i know, we do that at church on Sunday with a whole bunch of families. That's not at all what i am envisioning right now. I am talking about 2 families, either of the same generation, or a different generation from one another, meeting together as if we were one big family. Weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. Whichever the Lord leads those two families to do. May just be that they just call each other on occasion and ask to get together. Sometimes, it may just be the men and/or women meet alone for some accountability and prayer. These couples would need to contact each other for personal prayer requests, rebuke/challenge one another when necessary, and most importantly, help direct one another into a deeper understanding of God's Word and into more of the image of Jesus. It will take much transparency, vulnerability, and humbleness but I would almost bet my life that, in the end, it will ALL be more than worth it. I can see it now....the daddy's and ALL children get together for a devotional or life application study of God's Word; Mom's are knelt in prayer for the praises and needs of both families; children of both families are trained to be engaged in a craft or some sort of activity while the couples meet to share praises, needs, and accountability. Many of you may already have been blessed with this type of fellowship but as for me and many others i have spoken with on the subject, I am going to continue to dream. I am going to pray with expectancy that the Creator of the Universe will provide these type relationships for ALL of HIS children. I love you all and cannot stinkin' wait to see what God has for us in 2011!

order of posts = fail

My first post is actually titled "Without a clue" and i believe you will find it to be the last post. After posting it i decided i wanted to share some older "notes" i had written on my facebook so they are posted as the 'newer' posts. Just FYI :)

Facebook 'Notes' of the past-part 7

My therapy :) And oh, oh, oh, how i NEED Jesus!!!
by Robin Haas Speed on Saturday, December 18, 2010 at 3:26pm

Dang, i really do need to start a blog for myself. I always get such relief from getting my feelings out in the open where these "issues" can no longer hold me captive. So yeah, here goes.

I like to think i am, for the most part, a rather positive person. Of course, i may just be imagining things too...lol. Anyway, today, i am NOT that positive person that i know God wants me to be. But it is what it is and i know He will work out the kinks in me all in due time.

First, let me share some of the MANY things i am grateful for: My salvation, my husband, my children (both biological and not), my home, the Holy Spirit, opportunities to share the LOVE of Jesus to those who may have other wise never heard His name, my Mom, my mother and father in-law, the teachers that pour into the lives of my children, my husband's job, the salvation of Alex and Nicholas at such a young age, the privilige of staying at home to focus on being the wife and mother God calls me to be, my husband, my personality (yes, the imperfections and all), the health of my family; my friend, Stephanie, that i have grown up with for 31 years and the fact that we can go weeks without talking and yet still feel like we haven't missed a beat when we do talk; oh yeah, did i mention my husband? Hehe! He is definitely my better half :) There's is many more but i need to get this other stuff out there too sooooo, i'll move on now.

I am gonna share a part of me that truly sucks but it is the truth.....i cannot stand grown women that still act like they are in high school with the drama i hear them talk about and what not; can NOT stand, as it seems, that i always have to be the initiator of conversation in a room full of 'family' and/or 'friends'; hate it when people act one way around certain people and then act a totally different way around other people...don't ya see, it's all an "act" which takes much more thought and energy than just letting yourself be the person you are on the inside and freakin' be real; hate in when i find myself feeling any sort of 'judgement' against those that don't know Jesus; cannot stand the fact that i throw away leftovers when there are kids dying for a lack of clean water or preventable diseases; really not comfortable with the fact that i have so many "things" that will mean nothing in regards to eternity but God is teaching me to receive them as blessings from Him; hate that i have such a negative attitude, on days such as these; i don't like when the "Church" says they are serving in the name of Jesus but apart from serving them their food or drink, they stay as far away from engaging these families as they possible can (no church in particular here, i am saying THE CHURCH, as in general); and there is many more, sadly enough, but i will stop right here to say.....Dang, i need JESUS!!!! Like, BIG TIME :/. Jus' sayin'.

Wow, i feel so much better so now, i am off to go celebrate the anticipation of HIS birthday, on my knees, seeking HIS forgiveness, once again. Sigh.....

Facebook 'Notes' of the past-part 6

Thought for today :)
by Robin Haas Speed on Wednesday, November 24, 2010 at 12:46pm

Hey ladies! I hope u r all having a fantastic week with family/friends. I need/want to share a verse with you that normally makes me have chicken skin but spoke very gently and lovingly to me today. As i have been meditating on it, He is telling me that one or many of my lady friends need to hear what He has shared with me as well. So whomever that may be, here it is and i trust and pray that you will be as blessed as i have been.

Ephesians 5:22 " Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord." Is it just me, or is your initial response to that one of defense? As all of you know, i tend to be rather 'bold' at times. More times than not, im afraid, at the most inappropriate times. So anyway, personally, i have always struggled, somewhat, with this whole idea. So today, when God spoke so softly to me, He reminded me that He doesnt command me to do this so i will be miserable! He commands this of me because He loves me so much that He wants me to experience ALL the blessings and fulfillment that He sent His Son to die for! Isnt that beautiful?!

You all may have experienced this conversation with Him, and I may have too at some point, but today, for whatever reason, it took on a whole new dimension and He really wanted me to share. So yeah, there ya have it! Love you all and i sure hope you all r feeling better than i am :)

In Him, Robin

Facebook 'Notes' of the past-part 5

Broken: part 2
by Robin Haas Speed on Monday, September 27, 2010 at 8:21am

Today i am broken for the students/children/youth of our community. I think the one thing that scares me the most, second only to getting to Heaven and hearing the words, "i don't know you", is for our generation of parents to take part in the 'tradition' of just GOING to Church rather than BEING the Church. I have seen it too many times: adults that grew up in Church but for the first time, as an adult, they realize it is soooo much more than that. It really IS about the RELATIONSHIP that Jesus wants to have with each and every one of us. My prayer is that we, as parents, will acknowledge this and as a result, let it bleed into our children's lives.

So many people have the mind set that they have to change what they do or don't do before they can "go" to Church. I don't know how in the heck we have come to that conclusion but it is absolutely from the pit of hell! Seriously. We all are crazy lunatic individuals that need HIM to save us from all of that so that is why we "go" to church, so all of us crazy lunatics can come together to worship the God of the universe that decided He wanted to save us, and to encourage one another into becoming more like Jesus. One step at a time. For the rest of our lives here on earth. Period. Then, throughout the week, we continue to be in awe at the realization of ALL that HE has done for us. Therefore, we look for opportunities to share the grace, mercy, and love that HE has so selflessly shown us. So yeah, NONE of us are perfect. We ALL screw up. So, for those of you that think Christians are "just a bunch of hypocrites", you are absolutely right! Except i am convinced you have been given the wrong idea of what a "hypocrite" is. We, as believers, are TRYING daily to be molded into perfection as we are on our journey to be more like Jesus. However, we will NOT be perfect this side of eternity. Period.

So yeah, let's come together as a community and change the world, one family at a time. We have been given all we need to do it, we just gotta do this thing!!! Easy? NO! Worth it? YES!

Love and hugs!

Facebook 'Notes' of the past-part 4

Broken
by Robin Haas Speed on Saturday, August 7, 2010 at 9:58am

I am broken. Broken for myself. Broken for my immediate family. But, honestly, I am broken most for the 'believers in God' that i keep coming in contact with. The thought that someone truly believes in their heart of hearts that they are "Christian" because they grew up in church, or because they said a prayer during invitation at the age of 8, or because their parents are Christian, or even because they 'attend' church every time the doors are open, absolutely breaks my heart. This is a complete and utter lie that has been at the hands of satan for entirely too long. Sometimes, i must admit, i find myself just 'goin thru the motions' and thinking that i have 'done my duty' for the week. God quickly brings me to repentance and i fall to my knees wondering "how in the world could i think for one second that any thing i do or don't do, could earn from Him what He has so freely given?" Ugh, that is sooo when satan gets the best of me and tries to make me think that i am just scum for even trying to be righteous. However, since i know that i have already been made righteous in His sight, it doesn't last long so hakuna matata, friends. He is good, I am not, but He loves me anyway.

Anyway, back to why i am broken....as believers, when we see, hear, read, or sing God's Holy and Perfect Word, it is music to our ears! It quenches our thirst. It satisfies our hunger. If you are claiming Christianity, and are annoyed when you come in contact with His Word, pray and ask yourself if you truly believe what you say you believe. If you believe that God is perfect. That God is Holy. That God is Sovereign. That you, personally, suck on your own and you need His provision and His saving grace. Because, if not, then i would ask you to reevaluate your heart and pray for God to align your desires with His desires for your life. God gives us, as His children, many ways to communicate His love for us. Sometimes it is thru our facebook status, sometimes just thru sharing life with one another as acquaintances, any way that He sees fit. But which ever way He chooses, is perfect. The messenger, however, is NOT. So please give them the grace and forgiveness that has been shown you by Him, if you find fault in it or if it has 'offended' you somehow, or if it is just flat out wrong. But love them enough to confront them with love and gentleness about it so that you and them can both be drawn closer to Him, rather than, closer to self. So yeah, that, my friends, is my brokenness for today :) Love you and I pray we all have a moldable heart so that the message He brings thru our church leader tomorrow, will leave us forever changed.

Facebook 'Notes' of the past-part3

Resignation
by Robin Haas Speed on Thursday, May 13, 2010 at 9:13am

Ok, it's official, i am writing to all my peeps to let you know......It is with great excitement that i announce my one minute notice of resignation from "Christianity" as we know it today. You say "what???!!!" Yeah, you read that right. Read further for details if you are interested. If not interested, then thanks for stopping by and i love you.

So yeah, to understand where we are going with this, we need to know where we are. So here goes.... I am a sinner saved by Grace through the work of Jesus Christ on the Cross. "Well", you say, "what does that mean?" It simply means that it is a fact that I was born into this world a person who is "owned" by the sins of the world. Yeah, no one had to teach me as a baby to tell my mama "no". Nor did anyone have to teach me to crave the attention of the world. No one had to teach me to try some of the stuff i have tried and tried again to use to fulfill this "void" that was in me from the point of conception. No one had to teach me to 'give people the bird' when they ticked me off. All of that just came naturally, therefore, i acted on it. It 'felt good' for the moment, if you will. Some of you reading this may be in complete and utter shock as you reflect on your own experiences and are thinking "oh, i am not anything like that! Bless her heart, she must have made some poor choices. So glad i never did any of that!" Well, reality check, you just did. That is the sin of self-righteousness. So yeah, there ya go, you are not as perfect as your Mom and grandma always told you that you were. And truth be told, none of us are.

So yeah, that's the start of this note in a nutshell. Stay with me for a minute, you will soon find out why i have resigned from 'Christianity' as we know it. This is what has been revealed to me (thru the daily examination of my own walk with Him) in the recent months: you are 'Christian' if you state Christian in the religion preference portion of you facebook profile; you are 'Christian' if you got emotional one day at Church and walked down the isle during invitation at the end of service to announce "Hey everyone, I said the prayer! THE prayer!";you are 'Christian' if you go to church on Wednesdays and Sundays without fail, wearing your "Sunday Best" to show your reverence for the Sabbath Day; you are "Christian" because your parents are; you are "Christian" if you raise your hands in Church during worship; you are 'Christian' if you don't smoke, drink, or cuss; you are 'Christian' if.....need i go on? If that is the case, which it is if you look past your reality and take notice of His reality. "His" meaning Jesus, for those of you that don't have a Master's Degree in the language course of Bible Talk. FYI, i don't even have a 1st grade education in that area. And honestly, i think, "Bible Talk" (language you can only understand if you have years and years of experience growing up in the 'traditional' Church, which is definitely not the case in my life) has kept many people (well, i can only speak for myself) from making their way into a relationship with THE Creator of the Universe (God Almighty). So there you go, as you are reading this, i am already on my journey to my new life as a "Follower of Jesus Christ" (biblical definition of Christianity) and putting all the do's and don'ts of 'Christianity' behind me. Now if you know me and are reading this, you may find me in the midst of some of the above mentioned characteristics of a 'Christian' but i promise you with everything in me, it is out of adoration of Jesus and He has just led me to either take part or not take part in some of these things. You see, He speaks to us individually. He may convict me of something that i am doing and bring me to repentance, where you could be doing the same thing and not feel a conviction whatsoever. That is just how personal He is. He did not die a brutal death on the cross IN OUR PLACE so that we can attend Sunday School, avoid sinful people, sing the right songs, and go to the right church. He did what He did because He loves us and wanted to give us a life full of abundance (John 10:10). "Oh," you say, "that means if i trust Him with my life and every aspect of it, i will be wealthy and comfortable and live happily ever after till He gets here?". Not no, but HELL NO! Yeah, you read that right. That was my true heartfelt answer, and God already knows that thought was there so i might as well let it out! Yeah, you can put on the front of the "perfect little Church going Christian" and try to convince yourself you never have issues of the heart. But He will reveal those issues to you in His timing. Just sit back and watch Him work! Anyway, i could go on and on about how the above mentioned thought (prosperity) is absolute false at it's best. But i will leave that up to you to research His Word and what He says because i don't want you to believe me, but He wants you to believe Him so "try it, you might like it" as Mikey would say on the old cereal commercial. (wow! am i really that old?) Anyway, i have made my announcement and now I feel Him telling me i am rambling so i am bringing this to a close......for now :) I may be back later but in the meantime, know that i am seeking to be more like Him, praying for opportunities to engage the 'lost' and build relationships with them (yes, 'Christians', i have a heart for the sinners, the poor, the druggies, the alcoholics, the 'cutters', etc), and loving Him more and more every step of the way. I am going to ask for your prayers as i approach this journey because i know without doubt that Satan will use his measely tactics to try to lead me astray. So it really gives me comfort knowing that he has already been defeated! You will still find me at the same church 'building', serving in the same way, with the same people, wearing the same clothes. Just know it is NOT because of some 'christian' ritual that i have to take part in to be considered righteous in His sight. It is because i love Him with everything I have and I love the family of believers that He has blessed me with, therefore, i want to spend time with them and serve with them as He leads me in my relationship with Him. So there it is. I pray that if you are reading this and God is tugging on your heart to surrender your lives to Him, that you will listen to Him and not miss out on the opportunity. You are gonna screw up on this journey, period. But He will lead you in such a way that you will feel the hope and forgiveness that only He is able to provide. If you are reading this thinking, "oh no, Robin has gone off the deep end. I really need to pray for God to bring her to repentance for not considering a building to be the Church.", then you just do that. Pray for me. Because know that I will be praying for you as well. Love you like nobody's business :)

Facebook 'Notes' of the past-part 2

Edit
Really? Is this happening right now?
by Robin Haas Speed on Tuesday, June 23, 2009 at 2:57pm

My word i am truly sportin' a tude today and i just need to get over it, so please forgive me. However, i just have to vent for a minute. People!!! We need to get over ourself!!! "oh, i can't do this" or "i can't serve there" or "i don't like to do that" or "ok, if you insist, i will do it" or "excuse me, but i sit there every Sunday!" or "Sunday is my day, i ain't gettin' up that early to go to Sunday School"...hello!!!! I am pretty sure that if Jesus would have responded in the same way, we would be spending eternity in Hell where we deserve to be.

But wait a minute, Jesus would NOT have responded that way because HE IS LOVE!!!! When we truly recognize how much we have been forgiven for and what has been done FOR us (John 3:16), how can we stay seated in our lil' comfort zones and not serve where we see there is a need? I know this is not a very Christlike attitude, so i am sure it seems like i need to take the plank out of my own eye, but geez people, we are to be the hands and feet of Jesus on a daily basis, not just when we go away on mission trips or do our yearly service with VBS! These are great but they are "get to's" not "have to's."

Anyway, i am truly grateful for all of my brothers and sisters in Christ and i want you to know, if you are reading this, i could not make it without your prayer and support; but come on now friends, we got to get busy!!! (myself included) When is the last time you shared THE GOSPEL with someone?Jus' sayin'! For me, it's been way too long. I am not talkin' about just telling them the "Good News" but also showing them how this amazing true story has transformed our lives. If we can think about what God has done in our life through His Son Jesus and not be excited about it, then we need to do some serious self evaluating.

Facebook 'Notes' of the past

Faith Is Not a Fashion Statement

"The cross isn't something we just wear—it's what we are supposed to bear." Franklin Graham

"What is your religion, if any?" That was the question asked of 54,000 Americans in a recent poll that made front-page headlines. The survey found that over the past 18 years, the percentage of American adults who call themselves Christian has dropped 11 percent. Virtually every denomination has dwindled significantly. So what's the fastest-growing group? Those who answer, "None." The number of Americans who say they have no religion has grown from 14 million to 34 million over the past 18 years. Asked to describe his findings, the author of the study said, "Religion has become more like a fashion statement—not a deep personal commitment—for many."

Do we Christians treat our faith as a fashion statement? If so, we ought to be deeply disturbed, concerned, prayerful and even repentant. Our lives ought to be a clear, unmistakable witness for Jesus Christ. No one should be able to construe our faith as a fashion statement. The cross isn't something we just wear—it's what we are supposed to bear.

Jesus tells us, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me" (Luke 9:23). In that same passage, Jesus poses a couple of questions that put the religion poll in perspective. "Who do the crowds say I am?" (Luke 9:18). According to His disciples, the opinion of some was that Jesus was someone returned from the dead—maybe John the Baptist, Elijah, or some other ancient prophet. "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" (Luke 9:20). That's the crucial question we should be asking our neighbors, our nation, and our world. It's not a question of how you describe yourself, how you were raised, or what church you attend.

Our world may treat religion like a multiple-choice question, but ultimately we all have to answer Jesus' penetrating and revealing question. There is only one correct answer, as Peter declared in Matthew 16:16: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." The survey identified close to 50 million Americans who are lost in a spiritual vacuum. Of the 34 million Americans who claim no religion, only 1.6 million say they are atheists. Even 17 million so-called Christians say they don't believe in a personal God. These people aren't necessarily opposed to the gospel—they are just lost. They need to know Christ, the Son of the living God, and come to him in faith and repentance.

It's a commitment, a firm decision to follow the Savior who died and rose again for them. It's not the broad, easy way—it is the narrow path that leads to eternal life. Let's go tell them the good news of God's love demonstrated in Christ's death and resurrection.

(This is an article i ran across a while back that i felt was worthy of sharing)

Without a clue

Ok. So, this is me, attempting to start this whole blog thing. But I am tellin' ya now, I am absolutely clueless. So any and all tips you are willing to share are greatly appreciated.

This is more of a therapeutic attempt to understand myself while God continues to prune me and mature me into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. Many days of my sinful fleshly attitudes and perspectives will be revealed in this blog as I seek Him to cleanse me from the inside out. So here goes the beginnings of a very interesting journey!

My reason for starting a blog has very little to do with the desire to 'write' because, honestly, writing is probably one of my weakest areas and I have never even so much as been interested in writing. However, what I have found, is that it is very therapeutic for me to release what is going on inside this pea sized brain of mine and put it into words. It's as though God is working in/on me with every key stroke. I am an imperfect sinner who just happens to have been chosen by Him to have His grace poured over me. But I suck! Like, seriously. And the further I get into this blogging thing, you will see that for yourself so please, feel free to offer your insight, pray for me, rebuke me when it's necessary, and challenge me as you feel led. I am begging you! With that being said, perhaps this blog will be a means for people to do that without the discomfort of actually confronting me about my (many) 'issues'.

Love, In Him,

Robin