Author: Jennifer Robbins Page 1 of 4

Motivational Monday

On December 16, 2024

In Motivational Monday, News and Announcements

Well friends, we only have one more Monday before Christmas. Are you ready? I’m ready to see my family and watch everyone open presents. That is my favorite part of Christmas. Sitting back, sipping coffee, watching those I love and smiling. Seriously. It brings me an abundant amount of joy. Which just so happens to be TODAY’s topic! Shocker, I know. So, let’s talk about it.

In the beginning, the God of joy made a world full of joys. I like to call these normal joys. Now, let me be clear for a second, none of these joys are exactly “normal”. I mean, I can’t create animals or vegetation. But, that is what I call a normal joy and not a “great joy”. I know most of you here are thinking, “Umm Jennifer…if creation is just a normal joy what is a great joy?” I am so glad you asked! But hold that thought a second.

The word “joy” appears in the Bible over 200 times. Just like your parents when they repeat something over and over, it’s important. Apparently God wanted us to know and experience joy which is why it’s repeated. But did you know there is great joy? Seriously! And great joy is only referenced in the Bible single digit times. I feel like if God could have circled certain things in the Bible as important, I feel like “great joy” would be circled because those things are pretty important. Let me give you some examples of great joy: the anointing of David’s own son as his successor, at the height of Israel’s kingdom — “great joy” (1 Kings 1:40). At the restoration of the Passover after generations of neglect — “great joy” (2 Chronicles 30:26). At the dedication of Nehemiah’s rebuilt walls after the return from exile — “great joy” (Nehemiah 12:43). Matthew and Luke celebrate “great joy” at his resurrection and ascension (Matthew 28:8; Luke 24:52). There’s a few more but I think you get the point on the importance level. Except I left one out…

Christmas is a great joy.

God created the world to just remake it again. God gave us our first covenant to just give us a second. God gave us a garden so we could have a garden city later. God gave us all these normal joys because He knew it would be surpassed with Jesus. He gave us these “normal” joys just so we know deep, great joy. Just like everything else, you have to know good before you can know better.

From Jesus’s birth in Bethlehem to his crucifixion death, this Joy aka Jesus was born of insignificance. Meaning, He was born in a stable and laid on a manager where animals ate. He was rejected by His own people, betrayed by His friend and killed. And it was a “normal” death. He was beaten and made to carry the cross He was to die on through the streets while wearing a crown of thorns shoved on His head. He was spat on, cursed and hated. He was NAILED to that cross where He hung there in the heat. Yet he was still witnessing to the thief next to him. Then, THEN He died. But guess what? Even in death, He could not be extinguished. It was too deep..it was great.

Every Christmas, we talk about Christmas joy. I think most of us get caught up in the season. We know it’s Jesus’s birth. But like everything else, we treat it as just a “normal” joy. Friends, it is so much more than that. We can’t love Him and appreciate Him enough for what He has done for us because we aren’t perfect. And He knows that!! Yet, He still takes care of us.

So this week, as things get pretty hectic, remember Christmas Joy. And a lack of presents, decorations, food, or family can never take that joy from you. Ever.

Love you all,

Jennifer

Motivational Monday

By Jennifer Robbins

On December 9, 2024

In Motivational Monday, News and Announcements

Hey friends!! Did y’all see the Cantata? Listen, I love that our little church in Montevallo puts on a BEAUTIFUL show every Christmas. The adult and kids choir, the musicians and the sound booth really make it all come to life. But none of those things would happen without Amy. It is so apparent how much time and dedication she puts into the music ministry of our church. She is appreciated more than she knows.

Yesterday, Jon and I had the opportunity to light the Peace Candle on the second week of advent. And it got me thinking about peace in general and what that really means. So let’s talk about it.

Today, I had to go to the eye doctor for a checkup. As I was sitting in the waiting room, I was sitting next to an elderly woman who was waiting on her husband who was seeing the doctor. When he came out, she got up and walked to him. She held his jacket out for him and then proceeded to help him put it on. Then, she quietly asked him if he wanted it buttoned up and he said, “Just one button.” She quietly buttoned just one button and they left. I loved everything about this situation. The love they had for one another. How she helped him and how he allowed it. It was obvious they were content. Peaceful if you will…

You see, to me, peace isn’t just the absence of conflict or animosity. Peace is also the presence of joyful tranquility and a richness of interpersonal communication. So what is the key to peace?

Five times in the New Testament, God is called, “the God of Peace” (Romans 15:33; 16:20; Philippians 4:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 13:20). Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you” (John 14:27). And Paul said, “[Jesus] himself is our peace” (Ephesians 2:14). So if you want peace but not God or Jesus, then that is not possible. If you want peace to rule your life, then God has to rule in your life. He IS your peace.

What connects you to God and His peace? Romans 15:13: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing.” Believing. In, by and through believing the promises bought and PAID FOR by the blood of Jesus.

If you want peace, the foundation has to be God. Nowadays, our minds race with thoughts. It could be because of Christmas holidays, money or just a lot of past mistakes. Our minds take us places where peace can be scarce. Peace inwardly and outwardly is based on your relationship with God. Are you friends? Do you talk to Him? Do you glorify Him? Do you admire Him? Do you thank Him? When you do these things, not only are you glorifying Him but you are thinking about forgiveness, blessings and having an open and receptive heart. Romans 5:1: “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith [by believing], we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Having been justified by faith…believing, trusting him and all of His promises to me…I have peace.

So, it doesn’t matter if you are Baptist or Methodist or Presbyterian. It doesn’t matter if you volunteer at the local soup kitchen or if you give ALL your money to the needy. Peace comes solely by faith. When faith happens, we are united with Him and His righteousness on this side of heaven. That unitedness is…peace. Peace with God.

Are you at peace?

Love you all,

Jennifer

Motivational Monday

By Jennifer Robbins

On December 2, 2024

In Motivational Monday, News and Announcements

Hey Friends! IT’S FINALLY HERE!!! December! Christmas! THE CANTATA!!! WOOHOO! Seriously, the Cantata is THIS SUNDAY. Listen, we might be a small church but the Cantata sure is mighty. Amy, the choir, those playing instruments, and guys in the sound booth do such a great job every.single.year. Please go if you have never been. Please go if you have been!

When I first mentioned December and Christmas, what was your response? Were you happy, sad, or stressed? I want to go down the stressed road today. Why are you stressed? I am going to go out on a limb and say it’s finances. Am I right? Let’s talk about it.

When Jon and I got married, we were broke. And when I say broke, we were broke. And then BAM! I got pregnant with Logan. God planned him perfectly but Jon and I were not prepared. So after a year of daycare, diapers, formula and all of our other bills that we couldn’t afford, we were bankrupt. Literally. The house was in foreclosure. The cars were getting repo’d. It was bad. We had no choice but to declare bankruptcy.

We wanted to keep everything we had (because we couldn’t afford NOT to). So we filed a chapter 13 which means we had to pay it all back within 5 years. And guess what? We paid it back in 3 years! But there were a million tears shed. Lots of hours worked. And we became a connoisseur of hotdogs. 😏

When Christmas rolled around during those years, my stomach would hurt because of stress. I wasn’t worried about Jon and I. I mean we knew our situation and we just dealt with it. But Logan. We loved that little boy more than ANYTHING and we wanted to give him the world (still do). We never wanted him to know we were struggling. So it was a facade. I was so thankful for our families picking up any pieces we fell short on when it came to gift giving. We got through it. Logan was not impacted negatively. And we are better financial stewards because of this time. So I wouldn’t change it.

So why do we give gifts at Christmas? I mean hello! It’s not our birthday, it’s Jesus’s birthday. And the last I checked, I don’t get gifts on my husband’s birthday.

I think what is important to remember when giving gifts is the meaning behind it. 2 Corinthians 9:15 says, “Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!” he wasn’t talking about that Bath and Body Works set you were eyeing. He’s talking about His son. The very essence of Christmas is about generosity, kindness, grace and giving. God gives God for the enjoyment of his people, whom he saves by giving his Son to suffer. That’s beautiful. It is the heart of Christmas.

Second, we give to Christ. Now, I want to be clear here. God does not want you to buy anything. I mean, he has zero use for a Lowes gift card. He’s not interested in you trading anything with Him. Seriously, He gave you His son. You can’t compete with that (and He doesn’t want you to!). But what He does want…your time. Commitment from you. Yes, I know it’s hard and there are a million reasons why “you can’t today”. But stop and think about what gift would be equal to what He did for you. I’ll wait. Spoiler alert! There’s not one. You can make time for Him.

Lastly, we need to give in the right mindset. 2 Corinthians 8:2, “for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.” One more…Hebrews 13:16, “Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” When giving gifts, you need to do it in the mindset of giving back to Christ. That is the gift of trust, hope, admiration, joy and affection.

So, if you are worried about gift giving at Christmas, please hear me when I say, STOP. I promise God did not give you His son for you to worry about gifts. Christmas is truly not about financial hardship. Your children will love you if you can’t afford that XBox. And if you can’t afford it, that doesn’t make you less of a parent. And it sure doesn’t mean you love them less.

So, if you are someone feeling this stress, please pray. I would pray specifically for peace, love and joy in your life and for your family. If you are someone who is more fortunate, remember you are blessed. Your generosity can positively impact someone’s life forever. Can you remember a time someone was generous to you? You have never forgotten it or how it made you feel. That feeling needs to be shared because it gushes love, joy, trust, and hope…like God. Like what Christmas should be.

Love you all,

Jennifer

December Newsletter

By Jennifer Robbins

On December 1, 2024

In News and Announcements, Newsletters

Thankful Tuesday

By Jennifer Robbins

On November 26, 2024

In Motivational Monday, News and Announcements

Hey Friends! I thought in honor of Thanksgiving this week, I would turn Motivational Monday into Thankful Tuesday (Thankful Monday just doesn’t have the same ring 🙂). Clearly, today, I want to focus on Thanksgiving. Is it a Christian holiday? What should our focus be? So…let’s talk about it.

I LOVE Thanksgiving. When I was a kid, it was just an ok holiday. I saw my cousins. We played. We ate. We played again. As an adult, I feel like Thanksgiving is overshadowed by Christmas. A lot of us LOVE Christmas decorations and we have already decorated (and that’s ok!). Personally I choose not to decorate early because I want to focus on Thanksgiving and if I decorate, it’s hard to keep my focus (again, this is JUST me!). I love that this holiday is not centered around gifts. In fact, the gift is fellowship. We literally sit around, talk, watch some football, go outside and take naps. It’s relaxing. And don’t get me started on the food! Man!

But is Thanksgiving a Christian holiday?

Well, yes and no. It’s a civic holiday with religious roots. I’ll explain. Thanksgiving is a civic holiday that came about from a custom by European Christians. These European Christians were Puritans and Pilgrims. When they came to North America, it was pretty traumatic in a lot of ways but they clearly triumphed. They wanted to give thanks as a community for God’s great provision and blessings. This tradition has been practiced heavily in North America since 1621. So, in 1863 during the Civil War, President Lincoln declared Thanksgiving as a national holiday.

So, let’s peel the layers away and look at Thanksgiving a little deeper. When the Puritans and Pilgrims migrated hare, it was bleak. Out of 102 colonists, 44 died the first winter. At one point, their food ration was down to five kernels of corn. Y’all. That’s pretty bad. But then, a ship came and swapped grain for beaver pelts. This brought hope. Do you believe they were saved by happenstance? Of course not! God saved them! It was all in His plan for them to go through hard times and to be saved. For them to give thanks to Him. For a movement to make it a national holiday. For all of us to stop and thank Him for our blessings every year. That was all planned.

Even though the Thanksgiving holiday is not in the Bible, there are a ton of references of thanksgiving. Individuals offered up sacrifices out of gratitude in the book of Genesis. The Mosaic Law set aside three times each year when the Israelites were to gather together. All three of these times the Feast of the Passover, (Exodus 12:15-20), Harvest or Pentecost (Leviticus 23:15-21), and the Feast of Ingathering or Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:33-36) involved remembering God’s provision and grace. Harvest and Tabernacles took place specifically in relation to God’s provision in the harvest of various fruit trees and crops. And if you are wondering, yes the New Testament is chocked full of verses to give thanks to God in your prayers.

So while you are sitting at the table with your family and friends, please remember Him. He gave the greatest gift and that is His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus paid our debts so we can peacefully sit at the table with our loved ones this season and for all seasons to come. Please take time at the table to talk about what God has done for you and what blessings He has provided for you. Remember what this day is really about. Make sure it’s not overlooked.

Happy Thanksgiving and love you all,

Jennifer

Motivational Monday

By Jennifer Robbins

On November 18, 2024

In Motivational Monday, News and Announcements

Hey friends! I am so glad you are here! Y’all. I love Thanksgiving. I used to be the person that felt like it was a “eh” holiday but as I have gotten older, I really appreciate it. I am super excited about it this year and I hope you are too!

This week I want to talk about the Bible. I know, I know! I talk about it every week. But THIS week, I want to talk about what’s NOT in the Bible. Am I crazy? Of course I am! Let’s talk about it!

I believe most people in this world are good, well meaning people. Look, I know there is evil in this world. I am not naive. However I believe, as Christians, we say (and believe!) things we have heard that’s in the Bible and we repeat them. We repeat them out of love and support because these things sound really nice. But these things are…unbiblical. So I want to talk about some unbiblical statements that we hear the most often.

“God wants me to be happy.” I appreciate that you relate God to happiness. But God wants you to be obedient. He wants you to trust Him. He wants us to believe that everything He does for us is for our own good. And sometimes, what is good for us will not make us happy. And we need to realize that is ok! It’s ok to be unhappy. I know that’s a VERY unpopular opinion. But listen, you can’t justify sinful behavior with, “God wants me to be happy.” It just doesn’t work that way. “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

“We are all God’s children.” Hopefully the person who said it originally meant God created everyone. And that is true. But unfortunately, we are NOT all God’s children. Only those who have repented of sin, placed their faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, and possess the Holy Spirit of God inside of them can claim Him as their Father: “But you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans 8:15–16).

“Cleanliness is next to godliness.” Such a good southern saying! I know as a child when I came in sweaty and stinky my parents wanted to just bathe. And, as a parent, I can appreciate that! I mean, we have all been around some stinky people. It happens. But nowhere in the Bible does that statement occur. Can you imagine the smell of the lepers? Or heck! What about people in general at that time? There was no deodorant! You didn’t see Jesus saying, “You stink. I can’t help you because you are dirty.” It was quite the opposite.

“God won’t give you more than you can handle.” My personal favorite. This is always said when you are overwhelmed with life. And, I know the person telling you this is well meaning. But friends..this statement is just not true. Life is more than we handle because we live in a fallen world. It is more than WE can handle which is why God wants us to surrender to Him! God has a way of getting you on your knees…so give it to Him.

“Bad things happen to good people.” I know you’re thinking, “well I don’t see how that statement is inaccurate.” But in order to believe this statement, you would have to believe we are all inherently good. And as Romans 3:10 states, “As it is written: ‘None is righteous, no, not one’”. We, human Christians, are the ones judging what is good and bad. This is human nature but inaccurate. When we say this (or believe this), I think our heart hurts for someone else because we see them hurting. We need something to help us make sense of what’s happened and that statement is sort of a bandaid. When we just need God.

I can name more but these are just a few. And I do want to say, I truly believe when people use these sayings they want what is best for you. And I believe they believe it’s in the Bible. I don’t believe Christians purposely spread false information. I believe their heart is in the right place. One thing I’ve had to learn (and I’m still learning) is your words can’t fix their problem and vice versa. So I think it is best to listen to state facts. Even if all you can say is, “I am so sorry you are going through that! What can I do to help you? I will pray for you.”

This week, I would like to assign you a little bit of homework. Reflect on a statement you have said or one you have heard. Then, I would like you to look up scripture in the Bible to see if it’s there OR supports what you have heard. I think you will be surprised at what you learn.

See you next Sunday,

Jennifer

Motivational Monday

By Jennifer Robbins

On November 11, 2024

In Motivational Monday, News and Announcements

Hey friends! How was your week? Before we get started, I wanted to throw something out there. We have a Men’s and Women’s Bible Study that meets on the second and fourth Wednesday of every month (due to the holidays this month, we are only meeting this Wednesday). Listen, I can only speak for the women, but this is a really good Bible Study. This study flows in a way that you can join anytime and you won’t be lost. And even if you do get lost, that’s ok. Sit by me where we can be lost together. The men seem to have a good time because we can hear them laughing next door. So, please come. We would love to have new people to add spice.

How many of you are planners? If something doesn’t go “right”, how do you react? Well, let’s talk about it.

Years ago, Jon and I wanted a bigger house/yard for us but mainly for Logan. We lived in a little townhome and it was a great starter home but Lo had nowhere to really run. So, when the time was right, we put it on the market. It had a contract in a week. So, we were in crunch time to find a house. We looked at several and put an offer on a house. This house had everything I wanted BUT…I’ll be honest, I really didn’t like it. In fact, we called that house the “Pizza Hut House” because it was shaped like an old Pizza Hut! But I settled. We negotiated back and forth and we could never agree on a price. So, we walked away. And then, we went on vacation!! Talk about stress.

While on vacation, I was searching the internet for a house and NOTHING. Finally, I just prayed and asked the Lord for help. I ended the prayer with, “I’ll figure it out when I get home but I want to enjoy this vacation.” The next morning, I got an email of a new listing. I loved this house. It was cheaper than the first one and it had a bigger yard. It had everything we wanted. We sent our real estate agent over to check it out and she loved it for us. We put a contract on it and we had never actually seen it in person! I felt like it was meant to be. Well, 11 years have passed and we are still in that house and we don’t have any plans to move.

You know, some people believe that when you are Christian, everything in life is easy and things just naturally go your way. I have been a Christian for a long time and I can assure you, that is NOT the case. In fact, some of my biggest challenges in life have been when I chose to follow God’s way instead of the world’s. It is so easy to choose the path where you will be socially accepted versus stares, eye rolls, or huffs and puffs (you might get all three!).

Over the last several years, when my emotions get high, I do seek the Lord in prayer. But this was a learned behavior that literally took decades for me to do. So, if this is not your first response, know you are not alone. When my heart is pounding out of my chest with emotion, I will quickly say, “Lord, help me.” That’s my whole prayer. Why? Well, at that single moment, I have something going on and I can’t have a long, drawn out prayer! 😂 But He knows what I need. He knows what I need when I DON’T KNOW what I need! Luke 5:15-16, “Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” Sinless Jesus used the same tools we have today! If it was good enough for Jesus, surely you will benefit too, right?

Lastly, let it go. Yep, like the song! Matthew 10:13-15, “If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet. Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town”. Jesus tells us to keep preaching. Keep pointing people towards Him. It’s ok to want to explain your side or clarify. But if you keep going and pushing, who are you helping? Is it for your own ego? You have to trust God will work out what He has planned for that person you tried to change. So, preach, point to Him and then, let it go!

So, if things had gone my way, would we still be living in the Pizza Hut house? Who knows. But what I can tell you from that experience, is that I had to turn it over to Him. Once I did, He was right there and handed me what I asked for on a silver platter. And no, my house isn’t perfect but it’s perfect for us. And I am so thankful for His blessings for allowing us to have what He picked for us.

So if things haven’t gone your way lately, don’t get down. Really. I know it’s hard and stressful! But you HAVE TO trust in Him that He has your best interest at heart. Just talk to Him about it. I mean really, what is the downside to praying? And then, once you get it all out…let it go. If you need a visual to help you through it, I have a suggestion. Pick out a beautiful leaf. Take great care in picking this leaf. Then, find a stream and let it go. Watch it drift down the stream. Notice how that leaf gets caught on branches, or get caught in a current where it drifts quickly OR it gets sucked underwater. That leaf that you picked with great care is your problem(s) that you are so stressed about and God is the stream. No matter how hard the situation or where it goes, He will deal with it.

Love you all,

Jennifer

Motivational Monday

By Jennifer Robbins

On November 4, 2024

In Motivational Monday, News and Announcements

As always, it is so good to see you here whatever day it is for you! Tomorrow is a pretty big day so I would be amiss if we didn’t talk about it. The election. So, without further ado, let’s talk about it.

This Motivational Monday is posted later tonight because I have rewritten it several times. Tomorrow, I know who I am going to vote for and I back them quite a bit. Am I 100% happy with them as a person? Or am I 100% happy with all of their policies? The answer to both of those questions is no…for me. I try to approach all things from a christian perspective. In fact, this is probably the first time I have ever prayed for the best candidate to win (and I really meant it!). There have been times I have prayed that prayer but obviously wanted MY candidate to win.

By praying for the best candidate to win, am I voting for the least bad option?

I am, personally, extremely happy that I am not running for political office because Lord knows, I am not perfect. And I have lived a little in my 44 years on this Earth. 🙂 I am a Christian and I am not perfect. Just like your candidate you will be voting for tomorrow (Romans 3:10). So to answer the question…yes. You are voting for the least bad option because you live in a fallen world! But that’s where discernment comes into play.

The Bible teaches us about leadership. Exodus is an excellent source. Exodus 18:21 reveals that one of the most important qualities of leadership is competency. We need a leader who will uphold justice with written policies that align with our christian morals and values. In fact, Exodus tells us this leader should have good character and support godly policies.

This is where I struggled. No one is perfect. Everyone sins. Yet, I need to vote for someone with good character and support godly policies. That sounds like they need to be as close to sinless as humanly possible. Friends, this is where you weigh competency and morals. Political support and moral approval are two very different things. A question that helps me weigh the candidates is will your candidate reflect biblical values in their political decisions?

Life is not black and white. In fact, I think we live in a constant state of gray. That’s why it’s hard. Because we live in gray, most cannot back a candidate 100% and we struggle. But when weighing the candidates, they are vastly different (I know we are talking about the presidential election tomorrow but in all elections, they are ALWAYS vastly different).

I would bet 99.9% of you know who are, will or would be voting for tomorrow. I personally believe it is our worldly and godly civic duty to vote. Yes, I said godly. Here are some verses to help understand the significance of voting from the Bible: Deuteronomy 1:13, Proverbs 14:34, Proverbs 21:1, Proverbs 29:2 and 1 Timothy 2:1-2. I am going to encourage you all to reflect on what is most important to you in your next worldly leader. Pray about it and read His word and then vote.

I hope to see you at the poll.

Love you all,

Jennifer

Motivational Monday

By Jennifer Robbins

On October 28, 2024

In Motivational Monday, News and Announcements

Hey friends! I am so glad you are all here reading this today (whatever day you are reading it). I appreciate you being here. Today was an easy topic for me. I think most of you know I get inspiration from my own life, friends, family and coworkers. Well today, it’s about me. 😂 Hard decisions. They are zero fun. Especially making hard decisions in the light of God’s will. So, let’s talk about it.

Over the last several nights, I have not slept well. I am sure you have all been there, right? You know you have to do something unpleasant and it keeps you up. These decisions can be life threatening or life changing. And sometimes, these decisions are not necessarily life changing for you but for someone else. And honestly, I don’t like being a person that changes someone’s course in their life. In fact, I think I do better mentally when I am the only one affected!

So how can we make tough decisions in the light of God’s will?

First, pray. I know we talk about praying every single week. But it IS JUST that important. But when you are awake at 3am stressed about the next day, THIS IS THE EXACT TIME to have a conversation with God. I pray until I fall back asleep. And I ask Him for peace and comfort and to allow me to sleep. You see, I believe we are put in these situations to draw us closer to God. He knows, but we don’t. He wants us to make decisions that are according to His word and will. By doing this, we glorify and magnify Him in our own lives.

Second, get your heart right. This one can be a tough one for me. When making a tough decision, many people want it their way and not God’s way. To be fair, I don’t think people go into decision making as “against God”. I think we are all somewhat selfish. Even when we do look to Him for help, sometimes we look for “signs: or “feelings”. But we have to be careful not to bend those feelings towards our preference. The best thing is ALWAYS God’s will.

Speaking of feelings, those can be deceptive. The longer we walk with God the better we are discerning His voice (the ladies bible study on Wednesday nights are studying about this exact thing!). The easiest thing is not to base a decision on your feelings. In fact, try to see past it. One thing I can say for certain. If your feeling is against the Word of God, I assure you that is NOT God’s will.

Lastly, ask others to pray for you. Again, this can be a tough one for me. I don’t want to be a bother or draw negative attention to me. And this is my thought process when I ask for prayers…which is so silly! Why? When others ask me to pray for them, I don’t think twice about it! I don’t think they are bother at all! You see, being a part of the body Christ means we have an army of prayer partners. Your brothers and sisters don’t need to sit idle when you need them. They love you and want what is best for you! And what is best, is God’s will.

I am at a point in my life that I do thank God for His wisdom. And, I know I receive His wisdom in times like this. Life is full of decisions daily. Some good. Some are not so good. I pray everyday that God will show me the right way when I have to make decisions on the spot.

Hopefully this week, you don’t have to make a tough decision! But if you do, I challenge you to sit back, read His word, pray and listen. But making sure when you listen that you discern HIS voice and not your own. I know I am telling you all these things but the reality is…I needed reminding. And I thank you for being here to remind me.

Love you all,

Jennifer

Motivational Monday

By Jennifer Robbins

On October 21, 2024

In Motivational Monday, News and Announcements

Hey friends! So good to see you here! I just want to say I really appreciate you reading what I have written. It really means alot to me. I HOPE I am true and accurate and I never lead someone astray. If I do…please call me out. 🙂 Seriously. But, I do appreciate you.

The other day, I was talking to someone about church, christianity, etc. After talking to them, they informed me that they used to be a youth pastor. In the same breath without skipping a beat, he said not only did he stop being a youth pastor but he stopped going to church. I told him I hated to hear that and I asked him why. He stated he was tired of dealing with judgmental hypocrites. Well, you know what we have to do…let’s talk about it.

I grew up in a christian home and we went to church frequently but, at times, inconsistently. When we settled into a church home, I’m not going to lie, I did not like it. At the time, I was a kid and honestly had no say so in the decision of where to worship. You see, the church my parent’s settled on had a private school. I went to public school. I didn’t “fit in” because they all knew each other from school. And, honestly, they could be mean about what school I went to, what I was wearing, who I was wearing, what socioeconomic class we belonged to, why I didn’t know basic things about the Bible, etc.

Here is an example of my thought process. Hold up, hold up, hold up. This is CHURCH??! These kids are so mean! We are in the house of the Lord! What in the world??! That’s it! I hate church because EVERYONE HERE IS A HYPOCRITE!

Have you been there? Clearly, I have and by my conversation with a friend, they are there currently. In fact, this is the number one excuse I hear people say when you talk about christians and churches. I’m not going to lie, I felt this way for years. I didn’t go to church consistently until 12 years ago. So what changed? Did I find a perfect church with perfect people? Nope. Am I now suddenly perfect? Absolutely NOT! But did I change? Yep. I’ll explain.

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way as you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” Matthew 7:1-5

Jesus’s point here does not mean we can’t judge, we just can’t be hypocritical about it. At the time when Jesus said this, there were religious leaders in the community who were GREAT at judging and not so great for holding themselves to the same standard they spoke of. They were judgmental.

But understand, there is a difference between being judgemental and judging. As Christians, we want our brothers and sisters in Christ to be the best they can be. We want those who don’t know Christ, to be their best and accept Him as their Lord and savior. So, it IS ok to hold people accountable for their actions and yes…we have to judge them in order to correct them. But this judgment comes from love and not pride or hate.

Judgmental attitudes stem from pride. Seeing someone struggle or make mistakes can make you think, “Whew! At least I’m better off than them!” Not cool. It’s that attitude that just ranked their sin. Where did your sin rank when you thought that??! Why do we feel the need to rank sins? Does it make us feel better in our own sinful behavior?

So what changed in me? I had to understand that we are all not perfect. We all sin because we live in a fallen world. You might sin differently than me but I still sin. And just because we sin differently doesn’t make me or you better than one another.

So this week, I want to work on 4 things if you see yourself as a the judger or the judgee (I know that’s not a word but it works! 🙂) First, look inward at your own sins. Recognize where you fall short. Second, reflect on the reasons why they believe what they believe. Is it something you identify with? Third, realize no one has all the answers except God. So if there is a question about right and wrong, go to His word. Lastly, RESPECT other people, even if they reject God’s way. Yep. Do it. That doesn’t mean you agree or accept that behavior, but respect the person. I promise they are watching your behavior/response and they will remember it. You don’t want to be the hypocrite they remember.

Side note- if I have judged you (because I know, at times, I have fallen short in this category), I am sorry. Please know that when I write these motivations, I think about all the times I have been THAT hypocrite and it’s something I work on daily. Thank you for accepting me, faults and all.

Love you all,

Jennifer