Month: April 2025

Motivational Monday

On April 21, 2025

In Motivational Monday, News and Announcements

Hey friends! Wasn’t yesterday just beautiful? And I mean beautiful for so many reasons! I know Easter is once a year but it is so important to remember ALL YEAR what He did for us and our salvation. Which is an awesome segway into our motivation this week…

Have you ever gone through something and felt alone? Of course, you have family and friends all around you but you feel…isolated. You feel as though no one understands what you are going through. You are stuck in your head. OR, you have been isolated from friends and/or family and it’s devastating. And you asked, “Why me? Why now?” Well, let’s talk about it.

As you all know, I am a talker. An overall extrovert. But when something is wrong in my life, I retreat. And when I say retreat, I am a turtle that you just came up on from behind. I ain’t coming out of that shell until I am safe. To be fair, my “safe” is usually working things out in my head. This can last a day to months. Which is why I am involved in church as much as I am. Church doesn’t allow me to be in my shell long because I have people who call and text to say, “Where have you been? We’ve missed you.” I have a sense of accountability to those people and I don’t want to let them down.

But in the seasons where I have retreated and I was isolated, they were not good times in my life. Something was wrong. So, it was hard on me mentally. I guess because I did isolate myself, I talked to God a lot. I can remember times trying to make deals with Him. I know that’s not how it works (and I knew it then), I just wanted Him to intervene and make things better. I wanted to know why this was happening. Why is God isolating me?

Well, first, He wants your focus on Him. Listen. I know I say this every week on Mondays and Pastor Scott says it every week in church and in his midweek messages but God loves you. He really does. You are here on this Earth, because He put you here. He wants you to choose Him like He chose you. Maybe this season of isolation is to get your attention. We all have a to-do list and we are all crazy busy. Sometimes we push Him to the back because we know He will be there always. Well, maybe this is His way of saying, “Um ma’am. Hi. I need you to focus on me and not that list.”

During these times, God is protecting you. We all come to God at different places in our life and because of this, we all have unique testimonies. However, God may ask us to let go of certain people, environments, vices, ungodly habits, etc. You can’t hold onto those things because God has bigger plans for you. And there are LOTS of times, you don’t understand why. And that’s ok. It’s your job to know the whys behind everything. It’s your job to trust and obey Him. Jeremiah 29:11 and Hebrews 11:6 are great verses to back this up. 🙂

From personal experience, these isolations have a lasting impact on me. I can honestly say, I am a better person because of them. God uses this time to grow His people…to develop our character that helps shape us to carry out His divine assignments for us. Maybe you are going through this because you are meant to help one person on this Earth. Or maybe 10. 100. 1000s. You just don’t know who and how many you are meant to impact with your testimony and fulfilling God’s purpose. John 16:33

Lastly, He is trying to realign your heart. I am so guilty fighting with God because I want to do something and it ain’t happening. Because I want it and God says, “No ma’am. Not today.” He uses these times of isolation to realign our hearts to be in line with His desires and not our own. Sometimes, we have to be taken all the way down so we depend on Him. And this should be somewhat familiar because this is how my parents disciplined me as a child. They took away things I liked so I would see the error of my ways. My parents did this because they love me. God is no different here. He disciplines those He loves. Hebrews 12:6

I say this all the time. I am not someone who is the most studious christian. I make mistakes every.single.day. I even make mistakes when I write these. I sin every day! And these sins are things I know not to do! But I like to think I am called to write these motivations week after week because God believes in me. Sometimes, I think these are more for me and y’all are just my cheerleaders (who doesn’t love an entourage?!). But every week, I pray that He speaks through me to help one of you. And because I sin daily, these are just a way to stay close to Him. 1 Corinthians 1:27

Seasons come and go for a reason and every season is beautiful. Sometimes it’s hard to see when you’re in the middle of it. If you are in a season of isolation, just know this is an opportunity for you. This is the BEST time for you to grow. Lean into Him. He is there waiting to hug you. And for those who are not in that season, look around at those who are. Check on them. Stop right now, and send them a quick text. Let them know you love them and you are there if and when they need you.

Love you all,

Jennifer

Motivational Monday

By Jennifer Robbins

On April 14, 2025

In Motivational Monday, News and Announcements

Hey friends! Well today is the last of our miniseries on Easter. Today, I want to talk about something that affects all christian holidays but how do we celebrate Easter as a 21st christian? So, let’s talk about it.

Like most holidays, Easter has become HIGHly commercialized. Everywhere where you turn it’s chicks, bunnies, eggs, candy, baskets, clothes, etc. And listen, don’t get me wrong here. I love all the things. I love that a lot of Easter activities bring families together (like dying eggs!). This is fun and wholesome. But as you are partaking in these activities, this is a GREAT opportunity to discuss the meaning behind Easter.

Easter Sunday is the day Jesus rose from the dead. This is the heart of our Christian faith. His resurrection is more than a miracle. It is the fulfillment of God’s plan to bring salvation to the world. “He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” Luke 24:6-7 Jesus willingly gave his life to pay the penalty of our sins so that our relationship with God the Father is restored.

This story is the absolute cornerstone of God’s redemptive story. From the beginning of the Bible to the very end, Scripture points to a Savior who defeats sin and restores the broken. Romans 6:9 says, “We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.” This has the clearest and purest expression of God’s love and power. It brings you and I lasting hope because we put our trust in him. “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,’” John 11:25. Because we remember the resurrection, we are reminded that nothing is impossible without God. “that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,” Philippians 3:10

So, I say all of that to say…Easter is more than traditions. We need to turn our hearts and minds towards what truly matters this season. Let the children in your life hear you talk about the meaning of Easter and why we celebrate it. I understand the story of Jesus being crucified is not the happiest. But it is. It’s a reminder of God’s faithfulness and grace. When you are talking to these sweet children, remember God gave his only son to us.

This week, you have opportunities. When you’re buying candy at the store, talk to the cashier about their plans for Easter. Use that opportunity to discuss the meaning behind the holiday (and yes, you can do this without it being uncomfortable!). When you are driving the kids to the Easter Egg Hunt at our church this Saturday beginning at 10am (did you see what I did there?), talk about His love for us. As you are sitting at the table with the family eating dinner or lunch, start a new Easter tradition and ask the question for all to answer, “How does the resurrection give you hope and change the way you live?” I think you will be surprised by the answers.

Love you all,

Jennifer

P.S. If you haven’t seen or heard of Empty Tomb Rolls you are missing out! They look delicious AND they are a great way to explain and show kids the story of Easter. I love this idea for Easter breakfast or even as a snack the night before.

Motivational Monday

By Jennifer Robbins

On April 7, 2025

In Motivational Monday, News and Announcements

Hey friends! Today I want to continue my Easter countdown miniseries. It’s my goal to cover topics you may or may not know because these are things I learned way later about the crucifixion and resurrection. I had the main points down but some stuff had a ton of symbolism and I’m over here hiding eggs. Just being honest…

So, hopefully you all know that Jesus was resurrected after He was crucified (this was a main point I was talking about 😉). When we was resurrected, a woman was the one to see Him first. Why was that? Let’s talk about it.

Let’s talk about Mary Magdalene or Mary M for short. I really like her. To be fair, I like most (if not all) the stories about the women in the Bible. There is a story to be learned in every single one because God is always purposeful. To catch you up on who she was, she had a special connection to Jesus. Mary M became a different person when Jesus came into her life (like all of us). You see, Jesus cleansed her of her demons and because of this, she was a DEVOUT follower. She loved Jesus with all her heart. Her story showed us that your past does not dictate your future.

The day Jesus was crucified, she was there. As anyone who was a follower, I am sure it was hard to watch (honestly, I am sure it was hard to watch if you weren’t a follower). She stayed with Him until death. After He died, He was put in a tomb with a large heavy boulder as a door so NO ONE could move it. But on the third day after His burial, the women went to anoint the body (Mark 16:1) because they loved Him and wanted to continue to care for Him (Luke 8:1-3). I can hear the conversation now on the way to the tomb, “Mary! How are we going to get in? We can’t move that stone.” Mary M- “I don’t know but we’ll figure it out.” It sounds like something I would do.

They get there and bam! Stone moved. You know their initial thought was “woohoo!” and then, “hold up. What is happening here? This is weird and not good.” So she runs and gets Peter and it was then discovered that Jesus was gone. After everyone left, Mary stayed at the tomb and just cried. I mean, I get it. There was A LOT of trauma that she had just witnessed and now, Jesus’s body had been stolen (or so she thought). Two angels appeared and talked to her and she was still upset. And then…mic drop…Jesus was there. He told her He was all good now and He was ascending to “my Father and your Father”. Mary M was ecstatic and went to tell everyone she had seen Jesus. (John 20:1-18)

Great story right? But why did Jesus appear before Mary M? A woman. For context, women at that time were considered less. They were not allowed all the way into the Temple to worship simply because they were a woman. They had no rights. They were second class. On top of her being a woman, she was a FALLEN woman (gasp!). You can imagine when she tried telling the disciples, “HEY GUYS!!! Jesus is alive! He told me to tell you He was good!” You know they rolled their eyes and said, “Sure He did Mar-Bear.” They didn’t believe her (Luke 24:11 and Mark 16:11).

You see, Jesus didn’t see different classes, gender, or race. Jesus only saw people when He walked this Earth. He didn’t care if you were a man, woman, disabled, smelled to high heavens, had an eye hanging out, or wasn’t nice…He was going to talk to you. And in Mary’s case, at one time she was demon filled and Jesus healed her. And then, she followed Him to the end. And she truly loved Him with all her heart. Jesus knew that and He rewarded her with His presence after His resurrection. Jesus valued a sin filled, former demon possessed, second rate citizen who was a woman to share the good news.

If Jesus can see past all of that, why can’t you? We tend to pass judgment when it is not warranted. We are all sinners. My sin and your sin are probably different. That doesn’t make me better than you. We are both sinners. God put us (me and YOU) here on this Earth for a million reasons. But one of the reasons is to learn from and help each other. Don’t forget that when you get frustrated with people. People who are hungry and you think they just need to get a job. Or an alcoholic, who just needs to stop drinking. Or a coworker, who isn’t pulling their weight. We all have a story and maybe if we were more like Jesus, they would/could be a Mary M.

God is so intentional, isn’t He?

Love you all,

Jennifer