i was pondering today on the service that chris brought......always so good. but when i saw the whole russell family came in after saying good-bye to kathi the day before.......what a testimony!! terry said can you imagine coming in knowing that the one you love will NEVER be there again to sit with.......i said yes.........that the Lord had shared a time when a dear friends daughter was tragically killed in a car accident......He showed me in his word that when John the Baptist was beheaded that Jesus wept......we all know that but then when He wanted to get away for rest and quiet the people went on ahead ...... so when Jesus saw them he was moved to compassion for them and ministered to them......i said to myself back then....i want to be that strong........i truly do.......so as you read this think about what you would do in the midst of a tragedy or something that you know is fixing to happen....where would you choose to be.......home or with your church family.........love you girls and keep keeping on with our Lord Jesus Christ and keep growing......fall forward.......don't quit no matter what happens........don't lean on your own understanding.........just trust...................truly trust....
robbye

despair....................

dusti and i have been watching the series....anne of green gables....an interesting quote was said in one of the videos and it has stayed with me for years when i watched it with my older girls....aunt mirilla said, "to despair is to turn your back on God". strong statement....so i thought i would comment on that today. i find myself the older i get that there is going to be situations ALL the time that can steal your joy and hope in the Lord. the question is are you going to let that happen, because we do have the power by the Holy Spirit NOT to let that happen. i looked up in the dictionary the word "despair" .......one definition says it all......to be without hope; to give up all hope or expectation; to loose confidence in; to deprive of hope;..........strong words girls......i want you to turn you face to the Lord today and worship, praise and thank Him for all He is and does on our behalf. despair is not an option for me.......my hope is in the Lord in all things.......even loses.......even tradgedy and disappoint..........even triumphs and victories........where is your hope today.........in what you see?............or who He was and is and is to come!!!!!!!!!! have a hopeful and victorious day, girls..................it is always your choice!!!! i choose life today...........how about you??!!!!!
my hope is in the Lord
now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen
it is impossible to please without faith
But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.

have a hopeful and glorious day!!!!!!
robbye

Don't Get Caught Lacking

It is a HOT morning!  I just walked into my house from my morning walk feeling thankful for the cool air.   Earlier this morning, as I rolled out of bed before everyone else in the house, I grabbed my coffee and bible which is my routine.    For about a month now, my routine has been just-exactly-that......routine!    Sometimes I read my bible and the words jump out.  I get an excited feeling kind of like butterflies in the stomach! I know God is speaking to me through His word.  

For about a month now, I have struggled to “feel” anything as I read.    This morning I was reading in Hosea 4, when verse 6 made that long awaited jump!   

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge,

Because you have rejected knowledge,

I also will reject you from being My priest,

Since you have forgotten the law of your God,

I also will forget your children.

I know this is Old Testament and that God is speaking to the sons of Israel, but I believe the words of the Prophet Hosea can speak to us today.

Having a passion for God’s word and “feeling it” is the best thing ever!   What about the times I don’t feel it?   During times of trials and struggle (which is inevitable),will I lay The Word down and wallow in self pity?   Honestly, I have been there lately.   

I was reminded this morning of a very profound fact of life.   This thing is so simple, yet at times I can make it complicated.   Take the living word, as God has given us, to guide us through life, read it, gain knowledge of the truth inside, which in turn will keep me from being “destroyed for lack of knowledge.”

I chose to do this whether I feel it or not!

  

Hey girls,

I just want you to know that I haven't ditched the blog! Hey, "shift happens"! I only said that because I can't say the other! HA! At this moment I am sitting at my sister's computer in Oklahoma City. She is at work today, so I am alone. (Well, not really, Seth is here) There is nothing like being pampered by my older sissy! God is good. He is so in love with me and I with Him. No matter what is going on at any given time in our life, He is right there with us. I am experiencing a "shift" in my life that I have no control over. I am so happy that God knows and He controls what happens. Sometimes thing happen and we are not sure why, but once we walk through and get to the other side, we can then be able to help others. I am overwhelmed with thankfulness to be a child of the living and active God!

I am reading a book, "Think and Make it Happen". Rice Brooks told us about this book, while we were in Nashville. I started it a couple of months ago, but haven't had the time to really dive into it. My one goal during this restful week in Oklahoma , is to finish this book. (It is so nice to have just one goal!, at least for a few days) God's timing is always perfect! I need this book at this precise moment in my life. A quote: "A correctly thinking mind understands that the goal with our emotions is to manage them as best we can by directing their significant power to achieve positive ends. The remarkable mind will also make sure the conscious "self" remains in charge rather than being ruled by emotions."

We have control over our thoughts. Do we take control? So may times a thought will make itself known in our mind, we immediately grab it, feed it, then it grows into a monster!

I truly believe that every circumstance, even the toughest, can be looked at with a positive mind. This book states: "The fact that Jesus withstood the pressures brought upon him is evidence that he was the captain of his own thoughts."

We can only learn by doing, therefore, when a negative thought jumps into my mind, I desire to
take control and not let that "thought" control me. This book is a meaty book written by a very intellegent person. I don't know how I will ever get through it and remember everything. One chapter can be overwhelming with a wealth of information. Well, better get back to reading.

Love you all.... Have a wonderful week! Ruth

Connections that count!

Quote: Disconnect people can never be whole.  Vulnerable and painful though it may be, a community of people whose lives are tied together by the tender strings of the heart is life the way God meant it to be lived.  Beth Moore

This quote from our homework leaped off the page and put a knot on my head! 

  

So this got me thinking............

It is the “vulnerable and painful” part that keep people from connecting.     Most of us understand that side of it.   It is inevitable that once you do connect to people, the potential for pain is there because of our human side.   This blog is about the flip side.

What would cause a community of people (friends) to walk together with minimal pain?

Can it be accomplished?   I personally believe it can!

John 15:13 Comes to mind: Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.

Outside the thought, that I would lay down my physical life for someone, is the following thought.  Will I lay down my life in the sense of, my desires, my preferences, my very self, for a friend?

Laying down myself means “myself” doesn’t matter.   I will be unoffendable (is that a word?), nonjudgmental, honest and trustworthy.   I can love friends for who they are, flaws and all.   I can be truly joyful if they receive things that I don’t have, if they have more or less then I do.  The jealousy monster cannot rise up.   Remember I am laying MY life down!   

Can you imagine a community of people who “lay down their life for each other”?   I can!

Can you imagine the impact it would make for the world looking in trying to find something authentic?   I can!  I believe it can happen.

Last thought: If you look at the verses above John 15:13, you see foremost, I must be connected to Jesus (the vine) which will cause me to bear much fruit.  I must obey His commands which will cause me to remain in His love.   Vs. 12 says: Love each other as I have loved you.    Connection with Jesus, IS the prerequisite to connection with people.   There is no way around it!

Only when these words leave the pages of the bible and enter into our hearts as revelation, will we be able to experience connection the way God intended.

I am up for the challenge!   Will you join me?

Ruth

  

Really good thought

Hey there.  I came across this post from Steve Murrell, one of the founding fathers of Every Nation.  He is one of the most amazing, consistent, and wise leaders I've ever seen.  He birthed a church that is now thousands strong in the Philippines.  I follow his blog because he always has these awesome things to say.  

This particular post is talking about the difference between talents and gifts in our children and ultimately ourselves.  So good.  Been thinking a lot lately about the big picture in parenting.  Mostly because I'm trying to stay positive during this (hopefully) short phase of my children's lives and remember the goal at the end of the finish line, not just the grueling marathon to get there!  (This has been a particularly exhausting round of constant discipline and battle for consistency around here) So I really like to hear about people that have grown children that are amazing to remind me that all of the hard work is so worth the investment, that it didn't happen overnight, and to keep on staying strong!  Love to my peeps- Hope you enjoy this:

The Myth of the Gifted Child

 “Your sons are so gifted.”

I’ve heard it a thousand times…
-  at William's elementary school piano recitals - “wow, he has a musical gift”  (no, he’s practiced every day, since he was 5)  
-  at James' tennis tournaments  – “I wish my son could hit a forehand like that” (try training 7 days a week, for a few of years)
- when people see Jonathan's paintings -  “he obviously has a special gift for art” (you should have seen his "art" before we hired an art teacher to mentor him)

Yea, we have gifted kids – they were gifted with a mother who wouldn’t allow them to waste time doing nothing. And they were gifted with a father who was on a 10-year anti-TV, anti-video game kick during their formative years. That’s why they spent countless hours reading, listening to music and developing killer kick-serves.

My sons were also gifted with mentors/coaches/teachers who helped them discover and develop a few of the skills and talents that God hid in them. 

Gifts are free. Talents are costly; they must be discovered and developed. 

But sadly, most talent is never discovered, never developed. It is simply wasted while staring at a screen. Tragic. 

What are you doing to develop your gifts and talents? 
What are you doing to help develop your kid's gifts and talents?

(i'll never forget the tennis tournament when the father of a kid my son had just destroyed turned to me and said: "i bet you paid a lot of money for his forehand." that father understood where the gift/talent came from - dad's checkbook.  he was right, and it was worth every dollar/peso.)

Link to Steve's awesome blog : http://stevemurrell.typepad.com/

BTW- I don't know where all of the little lines are coming from- they don't show up until it posts and I don't know how to get rid of them!  Sorry, kind of annoying!

Blooming

"There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." Anais Nin

Happy Monday!