TWELVE

by Robin

We took this in the morning, the day after his birthday. We were out running errands for his manhunt party.

I like to get a picture with my boys, each year, for their birthdays. I'm not loving this pic of me, but it was all I had to work with.


Playing XBox until the heat subsides.


We also had pizzas which were so easy to make & clean-up after.


It was like the kids had never seen a popcorn machine before. Great fun.



Military cake to go with the military-manhunt theme. Marble cake w/ cookies & cream ice cream.



Daytime nerf gun fight turns to a game of hide-n-seek (AKA Manhunt) after dark.


I lit up the yard with 7 tiki torches and a couple bedroom lights left on in appropriate places to keep kids from tripping.



That was so much fun. I think we will have to host another Manhunt game in the fall when the kids won't sweat so much in their camo gear.

Blessings,
Robin

IRENE

by Robin

Be sure to check out my photos from this morning on Robin's Reports.

Robin's Reports - Irene




I took the fishermen over to see the waves.

Our prayers go out to those of you who will meet Irene head-on. She's very big & powerful.
Blessings,

Robin

SHADOWS

by Robin

The other day, I needed to clear my mind. I couldn't think of a better way to do it than walk for miles on the beach. For whatever reason, all the blood flow leaves my brain, heading to my muscles and it leaves space for God to get in my mind. (or something like that) I have great revelations when I exercise.

Anyhow, as I was happening along, step-by-step, I noticed all the beautiful footprints and tracks made in the sand. So many lives, people and purposes. God creates each one unique.



Then, I noticed my shadow. I am a very short person. I barely reach over 5' at the doctor's office. However, the sun was setting and my shadow probably 20' long. Wow, wouldn't it be nice to have a few of those extra inches to help me stand taller.

It hit me as I kept my pace, pondering shadows, earlier in my Bible study on Zechariah, in the commentary, was how God sees us verses how the world sees us. We have to keep in mind that we are who God sees us to be. We also have to be careful not to fall victim into how other's see us.

For example, I am 5' 1" and that's the exact number God sees, but depending on how I walk with Christ (the Sun-Son), other people can see me smaller, with only a 1 foot shadow, or bigger, with a 20 ft. shadow. Either way, it is a distortion of the Truth of who I am in Christ.

I think it is important to get to know people's hearts and develop good relationships with them rather than judging them for the shadows they cast.

Don't be a shadow! Be who Christ made you to be.

OLIVE TREES

by Robin

Today, I was doing my daily study in the Bible. I'm on my 5th book of the year and it is a hard one. ZECHARIAH!!!!! Zechariah was a minor prophet and he had visions!! Complicated ones!!

I was doing my best to understand the vision of the lampstands & olive trees inspite of a headache. I'm so thankful for http://www.biblegateway.com/ for all the blessed links to resources (commentary & dictionaries). I looked up the symbolism for each of the items in the chapter. I found this wonderful definition for olive trees in the Easton Bible Dictionary.

(Also, olives remind me of a friend of mine who absolutely loves black olives.)






Olive-tree is frequently mentioned in Scripture. The dove from the ark brought an olive-branch to Noah (Gen. 8:11). It is mentioned among the most notable trees of Palestine, where it was cultivated long before the time of the Hebrews (Deut. 6:11; 8:8). It is mentioned in the first Old Testament parable, that of Jotham (Judg. 9:9), and is named among the blessings of the "good land," and is at the present day the one characteristic tree of Palestine. The oldest olive-trees in the country are those which are enclosed in the Garden of Gethsemane. It is referred to as an emblem of prosperity and beauty and religious privilege (Ps. 52:8; Jer. 11:16; Hos. 14:6). The two "witnesses" mentioned in Rev. 11:4 are spoken of as "two olive trees standing before the God of the earth." (Comp. Zech. 4:3, 11-14.)

The "olive-tree, wild by nature" (Rom. 11:24), is the shoot or cutting of the good olive-tree which, left ungrafted, grows up to be a "wild olive." In Rom. 11:17 Paul refers to the practice of grafting shoots of the wild olive into a "good" olive which has become unfruitful. By such a process the sap of the good olive, by pervading the branch which is "graffed in," makes it a good branch, bearing good olives. Thus the Gentiles, being a "wild olive," but now "graffed in," yield fruit, but only through the sap of the tree into which they have been graffed. This is a process "contrary to nature" (11:24).

How important it is to be grafted into the family of God, bearing good fruit in one's life.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY - BIRTHDAY PICTURES

by Robin

From Monday...........I am so proud to be his Mom.

RING POPS for READING

by Robin


With some inspiration from my awesome friend, Renee and a slight family twist on it, we came up with our own specialize reading program. Book IT is wonderful and I highly recommend it. However, it stops at a certain grade level and sometimes those little pizzas aren't enough incentive for a growing young man.

So, you ask me...... what is incentive?? RING POPS!!! This child grew up with the ability to sniff out sugar in a room while he was still in diapers. He picked his own reward and I bought a case of them.


Below is a picture of his first book report of the year with his first Ring Pop. We followed our IEW (Institute of Excellence in Writing) rules and he gave me a paragraph filled with creative adverbs, strong verbs and quality adjectives.


How are you encouraging your student to read this year? I'd love to hear from you.



Blessings,

Robin

SHARK WEEK & 15 yrs old!!

by Robin

I thought I'd honor both occasions by combing them in 1 picture. Seven years ago, my birthday boy was holding a baby bonnet-hammerhead. My, how he has grown into a fine young (fisher)man.

Don't forget to watch Shark Week on Discovery!!




Birthday pictures forthcoming!!
Robin