BROCCOLI blooms

by Robin

From my garden












I changed the tint a little bit here. I think I like this better than the tint above.

TRIALS and TEMPTATIONS!!

by Robin

Has the economy gotten you down? Unemployed? Foreclosed? Bankrupt? Facing a possibly terminal illness? Grieving over a lost one? No money? Like many of you, our family has gone through many of these trials, as well, at one time or another. I think this is common yet there is nothing common, or familiar, about the way it feels when you're living through it.

When times like these come around, we Christians hold many Scriptures dear to our hurting hearts, like "This too shall pass" or Phil 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." But, what we, I, have not done well is embraced my trial as being a gift from God. That seems rather unnatural in our human thinking.

However, let's take a look at Abraham and Isaac in Gen 22: 1-2. "Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." Then He said, "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you."

Many times I will assume that Satan is up to no good with giving me a good spiritual attack, but the truth is that God is giving me a test, much like the ones He gave others in the Bible. Abraham passed the testing to sacrifice his only son as a living sacrifice to God even though his own thoughts were probably calculating other promises, like "a nation will be made from his seed" and so forth. How did Abraham get past that point of *knowing* God promised him a son and then still surrendering to get up that morning and accepting the command to offer his son? How did Abraham get mentally past the reaction to be on the defensive with Satan and surrender EVERYTHING, all his problems, worries and concerns, to God?

How do we find that peace? acceptance? ability to let go? that faith that expands into a mighty oak tree?

Hebrews 12 answers all those questions. Take your Bibles out and read over the passage.

First, we are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses. Our angels are here to help.
Secondly, lay aside every weight, sin that ensnares you, and run with endurance the race set before you. Pray it out to your Father in Heaven and let HIM do the battling for you.
Third, look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, for the joy. No matter what your circumstances are, knowing Jesus died for your sins should make you feel hopeful about your future.
God knew you'd be weary and discouraged in your trials but don't despise them. God loves you even through the trials, as He is your biggest fan, wanting you to pass those tests.

v11 in Hebrews 12 sums it all up for me on how Abraham (and I) should be able to see the trials and temptations of this life. "Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those those who have been trained by it."

God promises to yield good things after your trials, believer! Many years ago, a missionary to China faced trials while the communists took over the country. They hated that he preached about Jesus and so they threw him in jail. Even in jail, the jailors got saved. Prisioners got saved. He continued to write and translate the gospels and other Christian writings to the people by sneaking everything out of the jail. He refused to let his trials to slow him down. Finally, the authorities brought him out in the town square, in front of everyone, and chopped off both of his arms from the elbow down so he could no longer write. He lifted up his stumps and shouted to heaven, "Thank you God for the marks of the cross!!"

Dear friend, if you are a believer in Jesus Christ, please don't allow yourself to be discouraged by your trials. God corrects all his children so that we may be refined more like Him and be examples of His holiness.

Friend, if you do not know Jesus Christ as your Savior of your life, please feel free to email me and ask me more about how you can have a relationship with Him. Yes, you will still have trials, but like Abraham, God will provide a way out much like He provided that ram for the sacrifice instead of killing Isaac.

God bless,
Robin

PROJECT 365

by Robin

My cousin inspired me to do a little project for the year. It is Project 365 where you post up a picture a day that you have taken. I'm actually keeping my album on Facebook, but I thought I'd post up some random pictures here to show you what it would look like.

I want to encourage you all to create one too if you enjoy photography. I have been told that if this is cumbersome to do a picture a day, you can take it down to Project 52 (52 weeks, 1 a week).

Either way, I plan on having fun with it.

Jan 1 - Tiki



Jan 2 - Squirrel


Jan 3 - Homemade Pasta



Jan 4 - Swingin' Upside-down


God bless,
Robin

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

AKA - Clearing out the camera!!
















Green Bean Casserole is in your future!! :o)









Herbs

Antiques & Warbirds

by Robin

My youngest, Andrew, and I had a wonderful time last weekend with visiting the TICO Warbird Museum in Titusville. We are so blessed to have "free" days to Brevard County residents. We go every 6 months to see what is new.







We were blessed to see Lt. Col Hiram Mann for the 2nd time. If you get a chance to meet him, pull up a chair and let him tell you some wonderful stories of his days as a Tuskeegee Airman. We happened to be reading a short story about the Tuskeegee Airman the same week, so it made the story that much more real to Andrew.


I saw these great treasures in the museum.




I love patriotic prints.



They had bi-plane rides for $75. I wish I had had $150 to blow on a ride for the two of us. Of course, I would have been petrified the whole time with the open cockpit.



And we saw some pitiful antique mannequins with various ailments...



Missing hand


Painted over mustache


Missing eye. He needs a patch like the guys above.


And here are a bunch of antiques, including me. LOL.



I hope you enjoyed sharing in our day together.
Blessings,
Robin

CHILEAN MINER'S SHIRTS

.... give Thanks to God!!!

1 SAMUEL 30:12

"And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. So when he had eaten, his strength came back to him; for he had eaten no bread nor drunk water for three days and three nights."

My friend, Tanya, is very, very sick for 6 weeks now. It is affecting her whole body even though the infection is in the kidneys and bladder. So, we decided to ( http://www.takethemameal.com/ ) take her a meal.

I have several bags of blueberries frozen back from May, so I thought we'd send her a pie as well.





Here is a 2nd pie for our family, vented in the shape of a palm tree.



I was so happy with how pretty the pie turned out. (Not only pretty, but it was delicious!)



We're still praying for Tanya to feel well enough to come back to church.

EXODUS 34:6

"Then they rose early on the next day, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. "


We were so blessed the other day when Jack's coworker brought us 2 lobster tails from his diving from several weeks ago. While it wasn't a burnt or peace offering, it certainly was a generous gift.



Jack did a wonderful job grilling it.



Andrew taking his first bite of lobster. Jack grew up eating Florida lobster and I had Maine lobster on our summer vacations. This is one of the best ways to raise kids. Train them up to eat fish & shellfish and then they won't depart from it. LOL



Oh and yes, afterwards, he did rise up and go play.

GENESIS 3:13b, 14

The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."

So the LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this,
"Cursed are you above all the livestock
and all the wild animals!
You will crawl on your belly
and you will eat dust
all the days of your life.


Our Captain, giant chihuahua extraordinaire, and his brother Tiki found a snake in the yard. Captain would grab it, shake and fling it a few feet. It was obviously hurt by the time I got out there and took this picture.


The boys shot it so it would not suffer further and were going to dispose of it into the woods, but Captain decided it was his kill and it was his. This dog is so loving and yet, so extremely protective of us. We had a hard time convincing him it was dead and to let go.



Captain was not going to let the 'Deceiver' free. You know, we should treat Satan the same way. He is a beast to be slain, not a pet to be tamed.

GENESIS 2:2

"By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. "

This is what Tiki does when he rests.

My other guys obviously wish God would have made a second day of rest during the school week. (Literature is so exciting, right guys??)

GENESIS 1:20-23 - DAY 5

"And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky." So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.... And there was evening, and there was morning - the fifth day."




Andrew is studying birds in his Abeka Science book, Chapter 4. I'm glad that he took art last year, too. Look how nicely he is drawing his birds.



Thank you God for the beautiful creatures you have put on the earth. They're all so beautiful and each is unique.

Proverbs 15:13

"A happy heart makes a face cheerful."

by Robin

(My boys going down the Lazy River with my cousin, Courtney.)


Two Thursdays ago, a few of my relatives from New York came down to vacation, inviting another set of Aunt & Uncles on the trip. It has been a few years since I've seen some of them.

God has blessed us to be near, but not in Themepark land. It is a pleasant trip over to see friends & family and yet, I don't have to house everyone nor feel the occasional burden of entertaining guests.

Here are most of us after getting out of the Lazy River at the Resort. What a relaxing way to catch-up and share stories. I absolutely love and miss all my extended family. It has taken me a long time adjusting to the lack of constant family get-togethers and kissing 50 people hello and good-bye every time we meet. Of course, church is a great substitute for that.

(Below is my Aunt & Uncle from NY and 2 adult cousins - their daughters.)


Here is my Aunt & Uncle from Georgia (below). They're transplants from New York, as well. I was born up there. Aunt Jean gets the credit for teaching me piano for many years.

They're looking at my boys who are really making me proud at this point. (They're sick of the camera. Can you tell?)


Next month, I get to see my s-daughter, at heart. It has also been years since we've seen her in person, but I pray it will feel like no time has passed thanks to social-networking and computer technology.

Be blessed!

ECCLESIASTES 3:11

"God has made everything beautiful in its time."

by Robin

Tis the season for braces for Simon Peter. He is a delightful child to parent. Very obedient. Very honest. Trust-worthy. Diligent if not distracted. Hard-working. It's only fitting that we give him a beautiful smile to go with all that charm.

We've already been cranking his appliance for a month on his upper mouth. His poor tongue has suffered much abuse from playing with that bar. Last week, he was allowed to get his upper braces. I *think* the plan is for him to get a retainer in October to hold the upper teeth in place until healing takes place in the upper palate. Then, we should be in upper braces before winter.



It's a mess between crowding, cross-overs and mal-alignments BUT, God will make it beautiful in its time. That's a promise we can count on.

Matthew 13:23

"The one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it."

Jesus explains in this Scripture that not everybody who hears the gospel will understand it and follow him, but I am thankful that the Holy Spirit prepared my heart to be good soil for when I heard His Word, I was able to come to a saving knowledge of Christ. I do not take credit for this. It is the great and mighty work of the Holy Spirit.



I only merely opened the door and let Him into my life. I have not ever regretted my walk with Jesus inspite of the attacks from evil in this world. Much like my sweet bell pepper in my garden, it is very happy in the soil that it has dug roots into. However, the snails try their best every day to attack the fruit on its branches. The start at the stem. If they can't break that off, they will gnaw at the skin until there is a blemish there. If I have done my job of protecting them with Seven dust, the snails are kept away and the fruit is able to grow.



Child of God, if you have received God's Word and are growing fruit, don't forget to put on your spiritual protection of prayer, studying the Bible, taking time to Worship Him and sometimes fasting.