Finding Freedom

We are on a new journey with a new group of people on an adventure called small groups.  They are a marvelous and scary thing.  New faces learning new things, building relationships with strangers talking about Jesus and how our lives collide with His in the radical story of the Gospel.  All in an effort to figure out how to live this crazy life for His glory and not our own.

I was doing my homework this morning for our group, yes sometimes we even have homework, and it struck me that I have a lot to learn.  **News Flash**  Ruth does not know everything!  This is much more of a shocker to me than it is to you of course.  I have long struggled with the idea that I don't know everything.  My dad used to call me Ruth Knows All Tells All.  It is not that I actually thought I knew everything, it was that what I did know, or thought I knew, I was pretty vocal about sharing it and I suppose not much has changed.  I tend to share what is on my mind and enjoy discussing thoughts and ideas in an attempt to learn more.  I love to know stuff and I abhor not knowing, it actually drives me crazy to not know.  So I can strongly relate to Eve wanting to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and her desire to know stuff like God knows stuff.  Information is power and knowledge is strength and knowing stuff is good........right?  Well as it turns out for both Adam and Eve that much knowledge was not so good and they felt ashamed for knowing so much.  They now knew there was evil in the world.  They now knew they were naked.  They now knew enough to be ashamed of disobeying God.  He gave them the command not to eat from that tree and yet their desire to know stuff overpowered their will to trust God to know more than them.  Rather than find freedom in that knowledge they found chains and these chains bound them to all sorts of trouble.  This trouble has been following us since then and instead of breaking free from it we live in this fog of shame being held back by it in our own pursuit of knowledge, or at least I have. 

You might be thinking that as a believer I have already been set free from condemnation and that I have been made right before God and you would be right.  I have accepted Jesus as my savior, I admit that I don't live a perfect life and I need rescuing.  I know for certain I am part of God's family and that He has made a way for me to know Him.  But that does not mean I have been set free from all of the troubles that weigh me down. 

For me this pursuit of knowledge has been about comfort.  If I know stuff it brings some level of peace.  If I know what will come I can prepare.  If I know what to do I can be confident.  If I know stuff then I don't need help.  If I know the right thing then I can avoid the shame of being wrong. If I......and that is what it is all about.  I can rely on myself.   I got God for my salvation, but everything else in between I seem to need a back up plan for that involves me.  This is a revelation to me.  I did not know that I operated this way.  I thought I was pretty trusting.  I thought I was pretty free. As it turns out ....

I'm waking up from a fog

the fog of doubt and debt

the fog of insecurity and worry

the fog of holding back and holding on

the fog of measuring up and comparison

the fog of I'm right and you're wrong

the fog of this is the only way church is done

the fog of poor me or look at me

Wake me from my foggy sleep 

to days of clarity and true sight.

Give me a heart to see the truth of you and me.

Give me strength to live in purpose and in action

for your glory and not my own.

Make me free to live for you alone.

Amen!

With love,

 

So Many Things To Do

"Alpha and Omega" original painting by Ruthie Robbins

I was looking forward to my summer break. As a homeschool mom I am like many teachers who count the days down to summer, day dreaming of all the ways I am going to spend my leisure time. I have plans to paint and read and catch up on time with my friends, maybe even try a new recipe or two. Can any of you relate to this? And then BAM! Your plans get blown up or you simply remember that your schedule is not really yours alone and that your kids still need you because as mom you don't really get a vacation and not all things are on hold just because it is summer.

Last year some time I committed to being a director for my church's VBS and with that came a two year commitment. I am one and a half years into it and my mind is not totally there. I want to spend my time my way checking items off my summer bucket list, but I committed to do this and when I vow to do something I do it will all my heart. I am an all or nothing kinda girl. If I'm just not into it I just say no!  And Vacation Bible School is one of those things that is really important to my kids, an outreach and discipleship tool for my church and teaching and leading others is a passion of mine. With that however comes WAY more time than my heart is willing to give. I have spent the last few hours pouring over the Bible lessons, not because I am teaching them, but because I am overseeing that area and thereby responsible to support those teachers and help gather needed materials and be available for questions. That is only one part of my duties and as a worrier by nature my mind has been flooded with concerns over what we have yet to get done and VBS is only weeks away. I am freaking out a bit.

This is not a burden I bear alone. Three other brave women stand with me in this adventure and together with a team of volunteers we will attempt to live out the Gospel through our teaching, our conversations and our actions. If you have ever attended or lead a VBS you know first hand that it is a beautifully orchestrated chaotic circus of fun, noise and good news!  Anytime you put that many children in one place it is a recipe for either glorious fun or complete disaster and as I said earlier I am a worrier and sometimes a pessimist. I like to say that I am simply a realist, but because I suffer from depression and anxiety the truth is that I struggle to not see the negative side of most everything, sometimes, often, but not always.

Rather than see how much we have not gotten done or envisioning how things could go wrong I could focus on what I am not enjoying on MY LIST while I prepare and attend planning meetings for above stated VBS. Somehow I don't think that is what God would have me focus on either. You see He has used this rather monumental task of pulling off a successful VBS to reveal in me a deep seated selfishness. I want things my way, on my time, and they must only be fun enjoyable activities that I have been notified of ahead of time. Ok so I am not this difficult in real life, but only in my head and heart and from what I have read in the Bible that is an area God is very much concerned about. 1Samuel 16:7 says," But the LORD said to Samuel, "Don't judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The LORD doesn't see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.""

So you might be asking yourself what all this rambling is about. Is is about VBS and how it will all go or me not getting what I want or a rant from a crazy lady?  It is my confession and my agreement with God that I have heart issues and that my selfishness gets in the way of His plans.  And He uses these plans of his to root out in me that which is undesirable and fills me with what is good.  He fills me with Himself.  I pray what David did in Psalm 139:23 "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts."

I hope that you will pray the same prayer with me and ask God to reveal to you what it is He is trying to say to you during this season of your life.

With love,

Play in the Rain

"Suess" original art by Ruthie Robbins

    Let’s go hiking she said.  Yeah!, was the enthusiastic response. She, my wife, was kidding of course, we were in the middle of a torrential downpour.  Yeah!, that would be insane they said. Of course, in their world insane often equals awesome. That’s raising boys for you, the land of the insane, crazy fun that says traipsing through the woods isn’t good enough, it should be done in the middle of a deluge of rain and wind.   We didn’t go out that time, but I have to admit, it did kind of sound like fun.

"Be the Exception" original art by Ruthie Robbins

 

The sound of taking a path less taken is something that either drives us forward or causes us to step back out of fear.  The fear of the unknown. If I go down that path, what will come? What awaits me at the end? In our modern times here in suburbia the question usually sounds more like... is this the best, wisest, most cost effective path to take?  Is this the one that gets me the farthest in life, the one that makes me the most money? Now, don’t get me wrong here, I’m not advocating for stupid decisions. I think enough of those get made on a minute by minute basis. What I am saying is that I think our “sensibilities” often get in the way.

I started this little thought with my sons because they very often remind me to take things as they come, simply and without a mountain of deep thought.  You know, like a child. I think I have heard that saying somewhere, in a book I don’t pick up often enough… hmmm. In case you're confused I’m talking about the Bible and Matthew 18:3, which is that verse about becoming little children in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.  It’s one of those passages that I always go back to, one of the few that have stuck with me over the years.

Now, I’m not going to dissect the passage, there are smarter wordsmiths out there that have already done so, go check them out.  What I have to say is simpler than that. My words for the day are to go take that hike in the middle of the torrent. Try out that “insane” (awesome) idea that your children have.  Adopt that weird pet, take that trip… have that conversation. Take the time to do something with your children that they will remember for the rest of their days, because the number of those days they have in your home are fewer than you realize.  Make them count.

The next time your sensibilities say don’t, do.  Instead of worrying over what you have to lose, wonder about the memories that you have to gain.  The time you spend with your children now will have long lasting effects on their lives, for better or worse.  Now, I also have to remind you that this is an extrapolation of Matthew 18:3, and not what the verse is actually talking about.  Like I said, go look it up, along with a good explanation. You may learn something new, or gain a little different perspective on things.  And lastly, go do something insane, in the rain, in the wind, with the ones you love.  Do it now, do it often.


-C

A Rarely Used Word

      Define juxtaposition: “the act of driving down I95 while listening to christian music.”  Well that’s my definition anyway. Now, if you aren’t familiar with Interstate 95 between Washington D.C. and Richmond, Virginia I applaud you for your good fortune.  For the rest of us that are intimately aware of it’s painful nature you may have a bit better insight into my description of the rarely used word juxtaposition. Just to clear things up, the real definition is “the fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect.” At least that’s what Google says and hey, if Google says it… well anyway.

Back to my definition.  I came up with it just today while navigating thick holiday traffic.  Great music was booming out of my speakers and the name of Jesus was prevalent, and all was well.  On the inside of the car anyway. On the outside was a hoard of individuals looking to get somewhere, and doing so without a care about anyone else around them.  And that is where the juxtaposition begins. The sharp contrast of Jesus music setting the background to my myriad of epithets hurled toward those all around me. That’s right, don’t try and tell me you haven’t been there before, cursing anyone who drives faster than you as a maniac and anyone slower a fool.  Let’s be honest, we have all been there.

But there is another great use of the word juxtaposition, an honest definition.  It goes something like this; placing the glory of God against the everyday actions of… me, or you, or that guy next to you in traffic… fill in the blank with whatever you like.  I have to say, when that thought hit me in the car it was a bit unsettling. It didn’t come as some huge put me in my place moment in regards to my relationship to God, but it did remind me of how hard it is to be on this side of a fallen world.  I can’t even drive down the road without messing things up for crying out loud.

It’s also a great reminder that I don’t have to drive down that road in worry of messing things up. God knows I’m going to fail over and over again, and that’s ok because I know Him… and I know of His grace.  It’s only because of that knowledge I can comfortably say “I messed up, again, and I’m sorry.”  I can give up whatever that ailing feeling is, whether it’s something as simple as cursing to myself about the driver next to me or something far larger.  I can give it all up, I can give it to the Lord above; the one that surrounds us and loves us as we are. I can do it right then and there with no special pomp or circumstance needed.  Talk about comforting.

So the next time you take a drive on I95, or whatever road near you has selfish drivers on it (don’t they all), take a moment and breath.  Relax and remember that we have all failed and we have all fallen short. We don’t have to be blaring christian music to appreciate that fact of life, although I do recommend it.  Take an extra moment and perhaps let that too fast driver pass you by without reincarnating George Carlin in your car. Lastly, but most importantly, praise God for the grace He has shown you, and me, and remember what a juxtaposition life really is on this side of the fall.


-C

Those Eyes are Calling

"Captivating Beauty" by Ruthie Robbins based on 1Peter 3:3-4

Mother’s Day is coming up.  It’s that time of year where flowers and chocolates and cards are bought, all to say thank you for being you. Thank you for being a great mom, mother, grandma, etc. We acknowledge our own moms, but also our wives if they happen to also be mothers.

I want to take a moment on this worthy occasion to give a different kind of gift, one of words and one from the heart.  What follows is a personal nod to my own wife, but also marriage and lasting love. To my wife, my love, happy Mother’s Day.  To the rest of you… Enjoy, it’s cheaper than roses.


Those eyes… don’t look too deep into those eyes… you’ll get lost.  You won’t be able to find your way back out if you look too deep into those eyes.  They’re like a siren song, calling you in, calling your name. Come to me, dive into me, be consumed by me.  She has those eyes.  Those eyes that change with her mood and the weather, but always enticing, always mesmerizing.

They draw me in, they call me now, they know my name.  Oh, what a sweet song they make with their gaze, what an enticing invitation.  Oh, what I wouldn’t give to be forever lost in them and the beauty they hold. Come to me they cry, the song grows louder and louder still.  Lose yourself, fling all you have aside and crash into my gaze.

The song deafens the mind, only the heart can hear now.  The heart knows the song, it sings along in tune. It thumps and pounds and drowns out the mind, lost in the sea of those eyes.  Come to me they beckon, you are almost here. The siren song has drawn me in, I am spent on the rocks of the shoal, but blissful still.  My heart laid bare before her there, given to those eyes.

Can I, should I, find my way out of these depths… or stay forever lost in the abyss of those eyes.  Oh, why go, there is nothing out there that cannot be found here, the warmth, the love, the rapturous embrace.  I am found now that I am lost, deep, deep in her eyes. The gaze has felt like an eternity though only a moment lingered.  It is broken only as she looks away, off into the distance still.

My mind begins to hear again, the Heartsong weakens slowly, never gone, never silent, playing softly every moment.  The siren song plays on and on, I know the tune too well. It plays for me and me alone, it calls me ever present.  I have looked too long, I have wondered too deep, I have lost myself and must live for her, lost but not lost, deep in her eyes.  It is no curse, but rather a pleasure, to have given in to the siren song of life together.

My love, my life, my wife, and oh… those eyes.

- C

The Back Pew... or Chair

I sit in the back pew at church.  You’ve seen me there I’m sure. I don’t do it because I want to be disconnected or left alone.  It started with my son, my second oldest and often most challenging. I say that not because he’s adopted, but because he is truly unique unto himself.  You see, he has had a significant hearing impairment since birth. It’s a gigantic life hurdle when paired with learning disabilities and all of the baggage that comes with eight years of life lived in an orphanage.

By this time you are asking, what does this have to do with you sitting in the back pew.  And wait, we don’t even have pews, we have chairs. Just hang in there with me for a quick minute, I’ll get there.  You see, we have an amazing group of people at church, with all sorts of talents just waiting to be put to good use.  Well, one of those gifted individuals volunteered to translate opening words, prayers and songs for my son after we had gone through a handful of sign language courses.

It’s not easy you know, it’s a legitimate language that takes time and dedication to master.  My wife and I weren’t exactly up to that particular task, not at the moment anyway, and my son is not deaf, not by a long shot.  Actually, he understands more things than he likes to admit, but that’s a different story. Back to the pew thing. Well, you see after a couple of weeks of sitting here and there, somewhere near the back, but not the way back, I couldn’t help but notice some other people… noticing.

Most turned and looked briefly out of curiosity, and no, nobody complained, we have a loving, amazing church.  But then there were the kids that turned and stared out of curiosity and yes, even an adult or two that seemed to have misplaced their manners.  So… let’s try out the very back row, let’s see if that solves this little issue of the day. And wouldn’t you know it, it did. No more awkward moments, no more thoughts of “hey, go find your manners” right in the middle of a service that is intended to refocus our attention on what really matters, the love and grace of God.

Well time marches on and our lives changed this way and that.  We went from a family of six to one of eight and then back down to six again.  Life can seem cruel that way you know, but that too is a story for another time.  And being rigidly afraid of being late, thanks to my father and the Marine Corps, we always made it early enough to sit in the back row, and our incredibly generous volunteer never failed to meet us there.  But then things changed further still and with the complexities of living with an adopted child that are nigh impossible to put on paper we decided that interpreting was not needed anymore.  And so now we no longer have a need to sit in that back pew, but yet, we haven’t moved away from it. Why?

Maybe it’s just out of habit.  Or maybe I just like the extra legroom (insert laugh here), legroom, isn’t he that short guy with all the boys you ask.  In honesty it is out of habit, but there is an amazing side benefit that I have just started to truly take note of.  You know what you see when you sit in the back… everything. Those kids that aren’t paying attention, who comes in late every week, who leaves as fast as possible to avoid talking to people, I see it all.  I’m not spying, I swear, I’m just observant, as any guy with four boys should be.

But those things are not what I’m really thinking of.  Those are the mundane that happen everywhere you go. What I’m speaking of are the lives that I see before me.  It struck me one Sunday, there it was.  The sermon was over and we were two songs from the end and a light in me came on.  Everyone was standing and enjoying the musical talents of our church body and there it was. The light that came on was in my heart, not my head.

You see, I’m also one of those guys that doesn’t sing, out of respect for those around me.  Trust me, you don’t want to hear that. So, standing there in attentive silence I looked around at those in front of me.  What I saw was a body of individuals that have suffered and struggled, lost loved ones and jobs and for many, their heart from time to time… and yet, here they stood.  Here they stood in awe and respect for the Lord above. Here they stood, and my heart struggled to contain itself in place. That is God! That is the whole point of life.

To be amongst His fellow believers and feel connected to it all is a feeling that I pray will never grow old.  It comes with time, time invested in getting to know those people standing and praising in front of me. Time spent volunteering and interacting and talking to those that profess the same beliefs that I do.  Now, I don’t know them all, I’m not the most interactive person, I often just don’t know what to say. But that didn’t change the feeling… that doesn’t change the people.

So maybe the way back pew, or chair, is where I belong.  We all have a place in the story if you haven’t heard. And even when the day comes that I change my seat, or even dare I say, open my mouth to sing, I will not forget those around me.  They’re generosity, love and sorrows alike hold a place in me now. Glory to the triune God on high, and praise to Him that allows me even the smallest glimpse of what is to come at the end of my days.


- C

Fivish Years, Redefined

Every once in awhile we redefine ourselves, not out of spite for the old us, but out of reflection of the new us.  In actuality this change is not an all of a sudden kind of thing, it’s a gradual months or even years long kind of process.  It’s often only measured when we look back at past photographs or get lost in “remember when” thoughts that it dawns on us that things are different.  Recently, while playing around with social media it struck me, wow, life really has changed in the last fivish years.

Now, I know what your thinking… fivish isn’t really a word.  Well, you're right, it’s not. (Side tangent, there’s an add to my dictionary tab on google docs... embrace it, use it, love it).  I say five “ish” years because I’m looking back at the events more so than the actual time. We... I, tend to get lost in the day to day, the need to do this now so that this will happen kind of living.  Time goes by and we don’t realize the changes that have occurred until we finally step back for a second and take it all in.

That taking it in moment struck me the other day, fivish years ago we were just wrapping up my son’s adoption, I was just getting a new, better job position, I finally got the college degree I had been working on for three years, and my family and I were in the process of moving to a new home.  All of those things happened in a span of about six months. Life was rapidly changing in ways that I never could have imagined, but since I was in the thick of it all I never stopped to notice what was going on.

At the time I didn’t realize what a transformational year that was in my life, in the life of my family.  It was just “living” as usual for a family that always seems to be getting into some new small adventure. In the fivish years since then my children have grown rapidly and a million more memories have been made and life has gone whizzing by. Then I started playing on social media one day and the photos glared at me while the memories poured in.  It’s amazing what five years will bring, and what five years will take away.

Then another thought hit me… I’m not the same me I was fivish years ago, and that’s not a bad thing, it’s just a redefining thing.  I still have a heart for those in need around the world and those down the street, where would we be without that. The difference is the way that plays out in my day to day life.  Today I’m not trekking the globe to expand my family for instance, I find ways to make that impact closer to home. As a wise man once said, don’t forsake those around you for those far from you in the name of doing good, or something like that.

Now, not everything has changed… I still live in the same house that we moved into and I’m still very much done with college and thankfully that job has proven to be the better position that it originally was.  But those things seem insignificant to the change of mind that I have now, the change in spirit. With a little more age has come a little more maturity and growth in the knowledge of the Lord above. It has also brought about a desire to keep growing in that knowledge and see it grow in the lives of my family and friends.

Don’t take me wrong in all of this, I’m not that mature, just ask my wife, and I’m far from that old, don’t ask my younger friends.  My point in all of this is to step back, look at where you’re at and take it in.  Redefine yourself based on the here, the now, and enjoy the view. You may find that you really love where life has taken you, even if it’s not anywhere close to where you thought it would be. Most importantly, praise God whether you think your last fivish years were fruitful or not. You never know where the next fivish will take you.


- C

I Forget Things

I forget things.  I forget lots of things.  I’ve joked for years that I’m a goldfish.  You know, 30 seconds of memory, once around the bowl and wow, look, a treasure chest.  I suppose it can be humorous, but it really does get frustrating from time to time. Thankfully, I am not like that with the things that really matter in life.  The family, love, and God portions of life specifically.

While I have always been forgetful, I haven’t always been a Christian.  I was an atheist until sometime between 18 and 20 years old, I couldn’t tell you exactly when.  The “funny” thing is that I never would have called myself an atheist back then because I never gave it any real thought.  It wasn’t until coming to faith that I even realized what I used to be. It was at some point surrounded by friends, Christian friends, and my Proverbs 31 fulfilling wife that I was finally touched, and my eyes were opened.

It was after coming to a church week after week and hearing a message that was undeniable that it all started to make sense to me.  It wasn’t one phenomenal pastor, in fact we didn’t even have one for awhile, it wasn’t one person or one passage that changed things for me.  It was a combined effort of honesty. Honest people living honestly for the Lord. That’s what changes people, not some perfectly planned response to all of the questions that an unknowing atheist has.

So what does that have to do with being forgetful?  Well, like I said, I can’t remember when I finally became a Christian.  I can’t remember the names of all the men that substitute preached while the church searched for a new pastor.  I can’t remember all of the intricacies of Bible studies long and not so long ago. And I can’t even remember the name to the man that said the words that finally pushed me to get baptized at 21.  The words yes, but not the man.

The point to all of this is that while all of those moments and all of those people had a major impact on my life, nothing they did or said was meant to create a lasting memory of them.  They were pointing the way to the One that I haven’t forgotten since our first true meeting.  The One that I pray I will never forget now that my eyes are open.  It doesn’t make those guiding individuals insignificant, it makes them the Christians that we are all meant to be.  They are the men and women that give what they have as they have it in order to provide those with no knowledge an unforgettable knowledge.  May we all be as forgettable as they. Amen.

- C

I Call Myself an Artist To God's Glory

• Ruth E. Robbins

  Lover. Mother. Daughter. Friend. Artist. Live the passion and creativity hidden deep in your soul and in that your heart will sing. Soli Deo gloria!

Original art by Ruthie Robbins

On my profile page of Instagram I have dared to call myself an artist. I grappled with even coming to terms with what that means or if I had earned the right to be such a thing. Do you have to wait for someone else to give you that distinction? Do you have to have gone to art school or practiced your craft a certain number of years before donning that title?

I believe the answer to that question and all the other questions I have surrounding it have to do with feeling worthy or capable. I struggle to be confident in who God has made me to be. I doubt the strength and gifts I have and their use in the world around me. My qualifications in the other areas can be written out in resume form. It can be attested to that I have served as a faithful love to my husband for 18 years. I am a mother to 4 wonderful boys. I am indeed a daughter born into an earthly family and daughter to our Heavenly Father by adoption on the cross. And I am a friend, just look at how many Facebook friends I have! Ok, just kidding on that one, that is no actual measure of being a friend. I have a sarcastic side that permeates much of my speech and too often my parenting. But ARTIST, can I say that I am an artist just because I paint? I see it much in the same way I would be leary of calling myself a writer. Though I have written many things, I have had nothing published.

Are you starting to sense the problem here? This is all about me and what I am qualified or not qualified to do. It is about what I can do. My strength. My gifts. Me. Me. Me.

This is a big problem.  

1Peter 4:10-11 says, "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen." 

 

We are clearly shown even our gifts are not about us, they are for God's glory and the benefit of others. So to this end I desire to offer my art as a gift, a testimony to the gospel and the hope that is within me. Selfishly I want the fame and accolades, but deeper still is the desire to make it not about me. That is really hard to do. It is part of a daily prayer asking God to conform my desires to His, to make me want and seek after that which He seeks. It is a prayer of confession for all the ways I have made it about me, that I have wallowed in self pity and doubt and even jealousy. It is a prayer for God to let me see who and how I can bless others with my art. It is a prayer of contentment, asking God to make me satisfied with where He wants my art to be used.

Do you have a passion or gift that you desire to use for His glory, but aren't sure how to? Are you timid in sharing it with the world or even your family because you doubt it's usefulness or your ability? You are not alone. It is far to easy to make things about ourselves whether in our pride or timidity, but by His grace daily we seek Him in prayer and study of the Word. I believe that through these means God changes us and frees us to live a life for Him and not ourselves.

So what does this mean for me as an artist? I will challenge myself to grow in my craft, to be willing to take chances and to share the messy process of creating with people who are interested. I can share my paint and space with the young college student who needs an outlet. I can give a painting to a friend for her birthday. I can sell my paintings at affordable prices. I can let the Word inspire what I paint because whether I paint a sunset or geometric shapes or a fun graffiti piece it is all an overflow from my heart, a heart seeped in the truth of God's Word.

All to His Glory,

Ps. If you are interested in checking out more of my art you can find it here on my Instagram page www.heartsongstudiova.com

A Hopeful Valentine's Day

"Graffiti Valentine" Original art by Ruthie Robbins

Whether you are in love, out of love, wanting love, hating love or perfectly lovely, you are more loved in this moment than you can ever imagine or grasp. Whenever I read the 1Corinthians 13 passage on love I usually compare how I love with God's standard of what love is. I don't measure up. I don't love that way. Sometimes I do, but more often I mess it up.

Love is patient.
Love is kind.
Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude.
Love does not demand its own way.
Love is not irritable.
Love keeps no record of being wronged.


So when I read very familiar passages I try and ask God to show me something new and fresh, not because I am bored, but because I believe that His Word is living and active and able to speak truth to my soul. Friends He does not disappoint. He speaks words of life through His Word and He reveals glimpses of His nature through the words on the page.

Christ is patient.
Christ is kind.
Christ is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude.
He doesn't want what others have or act all puffed up, even though he has every right to.
Christ does not demand his own way.
He does not make us follow him. He does not make us puppets. We have a choice.
He is not irritable.
Christ does not keep a record of being wronged.
Scripture says He has removed our sin and cast it as far as the east is from the west.
He does not rejoice about injustice, but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 
He is a champion for the weak. He isn't interested in the most popular idea, only the one that is true.
Christ never gives up.
Hear that again, Christ never gives up. He never gives up on you and He never gives up on me.
Christ never loses faith.
He is always hopeful.
And Christ endures through every circumstance.
He endured the cross and the grave and He will endure with you and with me because He IS Love!

Happy Valentine's Day!

What Does it Mean to be a Christian?

"Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as  a believer, always be ready to explain it." 1Peter 3:15

original art by Ruthie Robbins

As the team of leaders I partner with at Hope Church prepares for our Sunday night youth group I ponder the question and a proper response to the question, what does it mean to be a Christian. The answer is not supposed to be a philosophical answer or a 10 page college essay, but a personal response to a real person with serious interest or even mild curiosity. So I got to thinking what would I say, what's my short honest answer?

To me being a Christian means that I believe that there is one God, creator of all life including mine. When I look around me I see a lot of brokenness in the world He made and in my own life. BUT I still have HOPE. I have HOPE that God will set things right. I have HOPE that there is more to life than what I can see. I have HOPE that God keeps all the promises He made in the Bible. And because of Jesus's {who is God's perfect son} life, death and resurrection I trust all of this to be true.

So that is my short version. I can practice it. Memorize it even. I can have it handy. I can remind myself when I am struggling to find hope. I can teach it to my children. I can wear it on my sleeve. I can anchor my life on it. I can be ready to give an answer to whoever might be asking or watching because you see if you believe those things and you HOPE those things then I will bet that your life will look a little curious to a watching world. You will live a little different. You will act a little different. You will HOPE a little different than those around you. And maybe, just maybe someone will ask why.

With love,