Month: August 2024

Motivational Monday

On August 26, 2024

In Motivational Monday, News and Announcements

The 5 “L’s” of Life Series

Hey friends! So let’s continue our series this week on love. This topic is pretty broad so we have plenty to discuss. So, let’s talk about it.

I did a quick google search to find some physical benefits of love. Love and your health go hand in hand. Did you know when you love and show love your life expectancy is increased? It also helps you maintain a healthy heart, reduces depression, boosts your immune system, lowers blood pressure, reduces stress, eases acute/chronic pain, helps your tummy, and improves your sleep? That’s…a lot! Seeing all the physical health benefits, how can anyone believe we were not here to love one another, right?

Love is defined as a strong or deep affection for; to like or enjoy very much; to hold dear or cherish; concern for the good of another. But what is the biblical definition of love? 1 John 4:7-10 defines it pretty well, “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” This passage tells us that God is love; love comes from God; love was demonstrated by sending His only son to die for our sins; and, love is NOT that we love Him but that God loves us.

God.is.love.

Perfect…that’s great Jennifer. But, how and who does God want us to love? Because, I have a hard time loving everyone. Listen, I understand but imagine being God. He loves everyone and I’m sure there are some He wants to roll his eyes over.

Love everyone. Yep. You need to. In the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) Jesus made it clear that loving your neighbor means more than loving those you know, like or most like you. It extends to those that are different. This includes people whose political affiliations are different from you (which is a pretty hot topic at the moment!). But different races, religions, social circles, and even those who make fun of you. Why? Because we all sin. Their sin is just different from yours and you want to be loved right? In fact, Jesus loved the most unlovable people. WE are to do the same.

Second, you need to exhibit biblical characteristics of love. One of my favorite passages in the Bible is 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” We live in a world where we are told we have to accept anything and everything or we are hateful. Well, in a biblical sense, love is caring about a person’s soul. So we are expected to share the truth and gospel message in love. Romans 12:9, “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.”

Third, pairs really nicely with the second point and that’s love one another in action and truth. 1 John 3:16-18, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” We can’t die on a cross for someone’s sins like Jesus but we can act in love. You balance this with God’s Word and prayer.

Listen, loving everyone is not an easy thing to do. Trust me, I feel this everyday. And because this can be a struggle for me, I have to pray about it. In fact, I pray the most for people I DON’T get along with because I know I need to do better. I know the entire Bible is based on God’s love through Jesus. Faith and hope have a fulfillment date but love is never ending.

Love you all,

Jennifer

Motivational Monday

By Jennifer Robbins

On August 19, 2024

In Motivational Monday, News and Announcements

The 5 “L’s” of Life Series

Several weeks ago, Cheryl Star gave me some notes about the 5 “L’s” of life. I was honored that she thought of me and these Motivational Mondays. But I’ll be honest, when I looked through it, I thought, “How am I going to make this a motivation?” And today, it just hit me. So get ready for another miniseries!

The 5 “L’s” of life was written by Dr. Gladys McGarey. She has a book called, “The Well Lived Life: A 102-Year-Old Doctor’s Six Secrets to Health and Happiness At Every Age”. To be very fair and transparent, I have not read the book. So this miniseries is based loosely on her writings. And by loosely, I mean we will be talking the L’s she names in the book. The L’s are: life, love, listening, labor and laughter. Today, I want to focus on life. So you know the drill…let’s talk about it.

When I think of life, I think living. And not just, “Oh I have a heartbeat” living, I mean, “I wouldn’t want to miss this for the world” living. Living life to our fullest. The kind of life where you can find beauty in anything because you notice it. Butterfly wings. Children laughing. A cool breeze when the sun is shining. Love. Even death. But is that what living life to the fullest is about?

John 10:10 says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they have life, and have it abundantly.” What does that mean? Did Jesus mean we should live a life of comfort? Plenty of money? Few troubles? Eh, as much as we would like that (to a degree) I don’t think that is what He meant and here’s why. That’s not life. Life is not always peaceful and easy. And why is that? Simple answer. Sin.

Well Jennifer, what did He mean? Well, I can only base my answer on scripture and I genuinely hope this is correct. But, I think Jesus meant that to have a “full, abundant life” means to live so close to him that we become one with him. Paul talks about this imitation of Christ in the letter to the Philippians. Paul talks about knowing Christ and sharing in his sufferings and becoming like him in death.

I know you are reading this and you are thinking, “So my life is not always going to be great. But I am supposed to live it abundantly and be like Jesus…even the hard parts of being Jesus. Wait, wasn’t Jesus crucified? Wow. You are really selling this whole life motivation thing Jennifer!” Friends listen. We can do this. If you know anything about the Bible and Jesus, he oozed love. His attitude was literally everything. Even when he said no, it was out of love. We NEED to adopt his attitude.

This attitude means you need to submit fully to Christ. You need to look past what you “think” your life should be and become a servant to Christ AND servants to each other. You need to be humble and obedient. You literally take your hands off your life and let it be controlled by Jesus. Can you do that? It’s HARD isn’t it??! Trust me, I get it! But if you do this, you will have no option but to imitate Christ in your thoughts, actions, words and opinions of others.

An “abundant life” is not about the people you know, the things you own, or how much money is in the bank. It’s not about religion or church. It’s not about how many times you have read the Bible. It’s about grace greater than our sin. It’s about you belonging to God’s family. It’s about YOU sharing that news with EVERYONE. This abundant life is given to us free and unconditional.

So, how full is your life?

Love you all,

Jennifer

Motivational Monday

By Jennifer Robbins

On August 12, 2024

In Motivational Monday, News and Announcements

Hey friends! Today, I want to talk about something that we all grew up hearing. “You need to forgive and forget.” Now friends, I don’t know about y’all but that’s a hard one for me. Let’s be honest for a second, forgiving is hard but doable most times, right? But forgetting…? Man, as much as I want to forget, I can’t and don’t. But what does the Bible say about this? So, let’s talk about it.

In real life, I have a big personality. As I have gotten older, I can tame it when needed but when I am being my true self, I can be alot. For you to see this side of me, I have to trust you and this wasn’t always the case. I used to be more carefree with myself. But in the past, I had people talk about my personality negatively. I am about to get pretty raw here, but it really hurt. I am not sure why it bothers me so bad but it does. I guess because I am more guarded and I feel like if you see that side of me, that’s authentically me. And, for you to see that side of me, you are/were a friend. Over the years, I have forgiven the people who hurt me but I never forgot. I…can’t. And I’m not sure I want to forget. So did this forgive and forget rule come from God?

No. Whew! I am so glad too!

Matthew 6:21 tells us we DO need to forgive. And as a person, I can tell you that letting anger and hurt eat you alive is no way to live. As a Christian, I can tell you that God has given you SO MUCH just so your sins are forgiven. So by not forgiving someone, are you saying you are better than God? I can hear you now, “No Jennifer. It’s complex and hard.” Trust me. I understand. But really, you don’t think it’s complex and hard for God? I’m serious. We ALL have our issues with forgiving but you HAVE to for you.

There are many places in the Bible it tells us to forgive, but nowhere does it say to forget. In fact, if you could just magically forget that might be a concern for you. Let me give you an example. An acquaintance robs you at gunpoint but asks for forgiveness as soon as they rob you. You forgive them and then POOF! You have forgotten all about the robbery. The next day, you come in contact with this acquaintance and they rob you AGAIN because you have no memory. You see what I mean? I know this is extreme but we have memories for a reason. That’s why God created us that way. For our safety, well being, and happiness.

I’ve talked about this before to other friends who struggle with “forgive and forget” and they feel guilty. Some believe that if you can’t forget, then you don’t truly forgive. Forgiving means you are no longer angry. You don’t have any negative thoughts about this person and you don’t seek revenge. In fact, Romans 12:19 tells us we should never seek revenge on anyone at any point of time. Forgiving just means to give it to God and let Him handle the situation and to allow Him to handle YOUR feelings.

By allowing Him to handle your feelings that means you will lose your anger, bitterness, resentment, hurt and your overall negative thoughts. If you have ever been in a situation where you have to forgive (which has to be everyone right?) then you know how these feelings weigh you down and you aren’t yourself. When you finally let go, it feels so good. One of the best feelings in the world to me, is sitting outside in the sun and there is a cool breeze. I swear it feels like a hug from God. That’s what forgiveness feels like to me.

This week, if you have some unresolved forgiveness issues, I want to challenge you to pray and seek God for helping you to forgive. You HAVE TO give it to Him. And likewise, if you have hurt someone, then maybe a way for them to rest with forgiveness is for YOU to reach out and apologize. Extend an olive branch. We all have to live on this Earth until we get to heaven. And fun fact, when you get to heaven, that hurt won’t matter!! So, if it doesn’t matter there, why are you holding on to it here?

Love you all,

Jennifer

Motivational Monday

By Jennifer Robbins

On August 5, 2024

In Motivational Monday, News and Announcements

As I was scrolling through Pinterest for inspiration for this week’s meals, I came across a prayer someone had pinned called the “I Don’t Know Prayer”. It goes like this: “You just go somewhere quiet and you sit at the feet of God and you say, ‘I don’t know. I don’t know where to go from here. I don’t know what is happening. I don’t know how to process this. I don’t know what to do with these emotions. I don’t know how to handle this situation’. And then with whatever little grain of faith you have, you say, ’but You know.’ And you leave it there. God most certainly hears your prayer. Declare Amen.”

Man, have I been there before! So, let’s talk about it!

When I was a young mother, life was pretty hectic and mundane at the same time. Everyday, we would get up, get dressed, get Logan dressed, feed him, pack his bag, get him to the car, take him to daycare, go to work, go back to get him, come home, cook dinner, get him a bath, read a book, cuddle, then I would shower, I MIGHT watch some TV but then I would go to bed. (For the record, Jon is a very involved dad and he would help wherever I needed him.) Even though the day is different, it’s the exact same. And you get…lost. Or at least, I did. I was lost in the middle of MY life.

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE(D) my life. I love being a mom and wife. I love making my house a home. But how much time have I spent pouring laundry detergent in the washer? How much time have I spent asking Logan what he wants for dinner? It’s not washing or cooking, it’s the redundancy and cyclicality of it all. And then there is the time factor…

And the more I did, the more hidden I felt. I was unnoticed. I was unseen. I didn’t need a trophy. I didn’t need “atta girl” daily. But I was becoming more and more lost. I am sure Jon felt the same way. To this day, we talk about that time when life was hard. Everything from eating to talking was…hard. Why? We were lost.

You know who saw us? Who knew down to second how much time has been spent pouring that laundry detergent in the washer? Who saw every single thing I did and uttered, “Keep going”? My heavenly Father. How do I know this?

Hagar, who also felt unnoticed, unseen and hidden, He told her he saw her. (Genesis 16:6). He assured her He had a plan and this mundane work would last a season.

Ruth, who also was doing mundane work, picking up leftover grain for a season (Ruth 2:2) and He reminded her this would prepare her for a husband.

David was doing mundane work by shepherding sheep for a season (1 Samuel 16:19) and He reminded him how this prepared him to become king one day.

Peter and other disciples were doing mundane work by casting a fishing net in hopes of catching a plethora of fish (Matthew 4:19) and He reminded them how this would prepare the disciples to be fishers of men.

You see, the work you do doesn’t DEFINE you. I think we get caught up in that sometimes. What we do is for seasons. This mundane work you are doing creates character. There is beauty in mundane work. So what you are doing for this SEASON, lays groundwork for the future. Don’t get bogged down with “mundaneness”.

And for the record, God always sees you. You aren’t lost. He knows EXACTLY where you are at all times. He knows exactly where you have been, where you are today and where you are going! If you feel lost, remember that is just a feeling.

This week, as you are doing dishes or washing clothes and you are tired, it’s ok. It’s ok to feel tired and unnoticed. Feeling this way is just a reminder you need to pray. And your prayer can be the “I Don’t Know Prayer” and THAT’S ok too! Why? Because He’s got you. He sees you. He knows you’re tired and He has plans for you. Just know that what you are doing now is for just a very small season. That mundane work you’re doing is love. Imagine the love He shows you daily and what that entails on His part.

Love you all and see you Wednesday for the midweek message!

Jennifer