Reflections on the Beach: "Are we there yet?"

 

Reflections on the Beach

Week Twelve

"Are we there yet?"

Focus Text: Titus 2

      Nothing says vacation like a minivan loaded down with luggage and multiple children.  What could go wrong with everyone huddled in our foreign-made minivan with nearly 215,000 miles?  One quintessential part of a family road trip is having at least one child saying "are we there yet?"  Those four words are very contagious because every child buckled up will start asking the question with repeated urgency...almost as if it were a life or death situation.  On one of our most recent trips, our first child popped that dreaded question within the first twenty minutes of our four-hour drive.  One reason they ask that question is because they are tired of being cooped up (I don't blame them) but another reason is that they are excited.  They don't ask 'how much longer until we get to the dentist' or 'are we there yet' about getting a check-up at the doctor.  They genuinely are overwhelmed with anticipation.  

      As a believer, we should have the same kind of excitement and joy as we look forward to heaven.  Paul talks about this excitement when he writes to his young apprentice Titus.  In Titus 2:3 we find Paul writing "Looking for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus."  Looking is in the present tense of the Greek language; that means something we should be habitually doing.  Most believers are not looking for the return of Jesus.  We are so busy with our lives, goals, and agendas that we have precious few moments to think about Jesus at all, let alone His return.  But over and over again the Scripture encourages us to look, frequently and often for the return of Jesus Christ.  Not looking forward to it with dread and fear, but look forward to His return with joy and excitement.  Why do we look for His return, especially since none of us know when He will come back?  We do it because we love Him; because we look forward to being with Him, and because nothing in this world can compare to His glory.  When was the last time you thought about His coming again?  When was the last time you said to yourself "are we there yet?"  We might not be there yet, but today is closer than yesterday.  Don't let time cause your anticipation to diminish but instead with each passing day let the fire of our desire grow more and more.

Reflections on the Road:
Reflect on these lyrics written by Bill and Gloria Gaither.  May they encourage you to keep looking up.

What a day that will be,

When my Jesus I shall see,

And I look upon His face,

The One who saved me by His grace;

When He takes me by the hand,

And leads me through the Promised Land,

What a day, glorious day that will be.

Reflections on the Beach: The Busted Flip Flop

 

Reflections on the Beach

Week Eleven

"The Busted Flip Flop"

Focus Text: Psalm 1:1

   A few weeks ago my wife and I managed to get away to the beach for a short overnight stay. We were walking down the boardwalk, hand in hand, listening to the ever-rolling waves crashing against the shore. The sun had set and the streetlights were starting to come to life. We were headed straight toward our favorite ice cream spot when all of a sudden the unexpected happened (let's be honest, the unexpected always happens all of a sudden, or else it wouldn't be unexpected). Tiffanie said "Ut Oh" and showed me her now busted flip-flop. It was beyond repair, there was no way to resuscitate it, its time had come. The only problem was that we were too far to return to the hotel to get her sneakers. Tiffanie tried to continue to walk with the broken flip-flop. Needless to say, our pace was a lot slower, there was plenty of laughter, and it complicated what was an ordinary journey for ice cream.

      Jimmy Buffett wasn't the only one who blew out his flip-flop. We've all had the thong on our flip flop give way, usually at the most inopportune time. It's hard to walk on a broken sandal but it's even more difficult to walk faithfully when our life is broken. The Bible makes it clear that Christians are never supposed to be able to sin with success. When Christ-followers deviate from the path and go into unrepentant sin we can expect our journey to be complicated. We will find our passion for Jesus cool, our prayer life goes on life support, devotional life evaporates, and our life becomes murky. In Psalm 1:1 the Psalmist says that a man is blessed when he doesn't walk in the counsel of the wicked, stands with sinners, and sits with the scornful. The idea behind blessed means happy, or complete. There will never be true joy or 'completion' in our life when we choose to live in the trifles of sin. We are choosing to walk on a broken pathway and then complaining when life is hard.  What path are you walking? What is the result of that path?

Reflections on the Road

    Too many of us are walking on 'broken flip flops' spiritually. We are too far from Jesus, we aren't listening to the leading of the Holy Spirit, and we are too often living for ourselves. If you tire from trying to maneuver a broken life, then repent and put Jesus back into the number one spot in your life.

Thou Shalt Not Steal: May 29th Devotional

      Thou Shalt Not Steal

May 29th Devotional

Exodus 20:5

      On this day Rickey Henderson stole his 893rd base breaking a tie with the famous Ty Cobb. This put Rickey into third place on the all-time steals list, but he was far from done. Rickey had a long and rich career in baseball. Rickey played from 1979 to 2003 (25 seasons) for nine teams but he is most famous for his time with the Oakland Athletics. He played in ten all Star games, was an AL MVP, a two-time world series champion, and still bears the most home runs by a lead-off hitter. But Rickey did not earn the nickname Man of Steal through those accomplishments. He gained fame as a notorious stealer of bases. Rickey was in the top ten in steals for 21 of his playing seasons. By the end, he had 1406 stolen bases. That's nearly 500 more than Lou Brock who is in second. The closest active player is Dee Strange Gordon who has 331... more than 1000 behind Rickey! What an incredible and memorable career

      Stealing bases is exciting and encouraged, but stealing, in general, is looked down upon and for good reason. The Bible speaks about the atrocious act of stealing. In the midst of the ten commandments God tells the people in Exodus 20:5, "you shall not steal." This is a basic and fairly general command. It doesn't require much explanation or a long sermon. Don't steal, but stealing is not just robbing a bank or a criminal offense. Stealing is taking anything, no matter size or value, that is not yours. How often have we unknowingly taken something that was not ours?  How often have we stolen minutes from our employer?  How often have we 'borrowed' something with zero intention of bringing it back? God is serious about stealing. God values integrity and honesty. Let us work hard, not taking shortcuts.

The Great Mystery: May 22nd Devotional

The Great Mystery

May 22nd Devotional

Colossians 2:2

   

      On this day in 1859, in Edinburgh Scotland, Arthur Ignatius Conan was born, who is better known as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Doyle struggled with a turbulent childhood. His father was a raging alcoholic which caused the children to be taken away frequently. His father also battled severe mental illness and would endure stints in the insane asylum. Arthur received a formal education and started his career in the medical field. He would serve as a doctor on a whaling ship in the Arctic and then on a steamship in Africa. He opened an office in London as an eye doctor but closed it because ZERO patients visited. Doyle wasn't only intellectual but he was also very athletic. He was exceptional at both soccer and cricket. Arthur was also fascinated with crime. He even considered himself to be an amateur detective. All of these different attributes came together to form Doyle's most famous creation, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. The world's most famous detective used some of the most unusual ways of sleuthing in order to solve crimes. The first Holmes story was called "A Study in Scarlet" which was purchased in 1886 by the Ward and Lock Company and was published in 1887 in the Beeton Christmas Annual. Audiences were captivated by Holmes. Arthur would continue to write about Sherlock Holmes for years. He pitted Holmes against Professor Moriarty. Eventually, Holmes would die in this epic battle only to return ten years later (due to Doyle needing more money). He wrote 56 short stories about Holmes and four novels. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson weren't his only famous creations, he also wrote the book "The Lost World" which would be the basis for our modern Jurassic Park books/movies. Doyle was also a devout occultist, spiritualist, and mystic. He never could come to terms with truth or God.

   Doyle's main character was created to be the master of solving mysteries but sadly Doyle could not solve the greatest mystery ever, the mystery of his soul. The New Testament uses the term mystery multiple times, one such occasion is in Colossians 2:2 which says "that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding resulting in a true knowledge of GOD'S MYSTERY, that is, Christ Himself." The idea of mystery means something that was hidden. This passage tells us that in the person of Jesus Christ alone are hidden all the treasures of God. He alone is the answer, He alone is the way, He alone is salvation. Jesus is not a clue or a key, but He Himself is the answer to God's greatest mystery, the means of salvation for humanity. Christ alone is the sufficient answer. Has the mystery been solved through the person of Jesus Christ for you?

Churches in Missions April 2022 Prayer Letter

 

Churches In Missions P.O. Box 1559 Sanford, NC 27331

“Mobilizing the Church Through Short-term Missions”

   John Denver wrote “Country Roads” in 1971 and has become the state anthem since.  The chorus says “Country roads, take me home, to a place, I belong.”  Every West Virginian knows this song and can sing it from memory.  West Virginia is built on old rugged country roads.  Those country roads take you to displaced communities far off the beaten path.  They take you into broken places where drugs, abuse, sickness, hopelessness, and sin reign.  The people in Southern West Virginia battle intense poverty each day.  They are typically a reserved people and are skeptical of outsiders since many people pick on ‘those dumb hillbillies.”  They think that they are a forgotten people and that no one cares, even God.  But thanks to faithful teams we are able to show the love of Christ to these lost places.

    We traveled to Southern West Virginia twice in the month of April.  Matt was with Boonsboro Bible Church from April 8-10^th.  The team worked incredibly hard at God’s Grace Ministry in Welch WV to provide food, groceries, care packages, Bibles, and organization.  We had quite a few conversations with people despite the fact that the weather would drop into the lower 30’s, sending hail and snow.  That afternoon the team traveled to Gary WV to help out with the School for Life.  The team helped sort clothing and clean the gym.  School for Life desperately needed a team to help them prepare for their summer ministries.  It was such a joy to work alongside Pastor Allen and his congregation.  Matt also used this trip as a chance to survey new towns, to meet with city officials, and to meet contractors for future ministry.

      The second trip consisted of a team of 30 people from four different churches.  They served from April 22^nd to 24^th.  They served at God’s Grace Ministry too.  This team provided care packages, hot food, Bibles, groceries, built industrial shelving for the food ministry to children, organized the baby pantry, provided 100’s of diapers, had a large clothing donation, and deep cleaned the ministry.  The team ministered to over 120 people during the lunch hour.  They then switched gears and headed to a local park to celebrate a family fun fest.  The family fun fest had games, a bounce house, prize bags for kids (with Gospel tracts), hot food, nail painting, face painting, HUGE clothing donation, and more.  We were expecting around 75 people but God blessed us with over 200.  One person said that it was the largest community outreach in DECADES.  This team worked so hard to serve the Lord that evening.  We built such deep relationships and had A LOT of Jesus related conversations.  We also had multiple ministry partners there to invite the folks to their churches the next day.  We were so privileged to be a part of this fun, faithful, and fruitful team.  The community has since requested that we come back.  They were in awe of how the team loved them and cared for them!

      Many of you have already noticed the new CiM logo.  We are busily working as a team to update our ‘brand.’  We are launching a new website, Facebook page, and Youtube channel in the next few weeks.  Look for that exciting information in our next update.

      Keep praying for us we continue to plan three more mission trips (Welch, New Mexico, and Ansted WV), lead two vacation Bible Schools, and work with two different camps.  The summer is a SUPER busy season for us.  Also pray for us as we are presenting the mission to multiple new churches in the next few weeks.  Thank you for faithfully loving us!

Gifts sent to:  P.O. Box 51519 Durham, NC 27717

Or give online via www.churchesinmissions.org      

Designate for Matt & Tiffanie Robinson

"It is Finished" May 15th Devotional

 

"It is Finished"

John 19:30

May 15th Devotional

   On this day in 1918, the Washington Senators faced off at Griffith Stadium for a 2:50 matchup against the defending world series champions the Chicago White Sox. Dueling on the mound that day was Lefty Williams for the White Sox and Walter Johnson for the Senators. Johnson is considered one of the greatest pitchers in history. Johnson pitched twenty-one seasons for the Senators, bringing them a World Series in 1924. He was a dominant right-handed pitcher nicknamed the Big Train. Even the legendary Ty Cobb said that Johnson had the most powerful arm he had ever seen. His record upon retirement was 417 wins to 279 losses (second all-time), a 2.17 era, with over 3500 strikeouts (9th all-time). None of that would compare with the feat that he and Lefty Williams accomplished that day. By the end of the 9th inning, the game was still tied at 0-0 with NO relief pitchers. The game went into extra innings. Williams nor Johnson refused to be taken off the mound. They continued to pitch for 18 innings! 18 innings without a relief pitcher!!! The game ended in the 18th inning when Lefty threw a wild pitch allowing Eddie Ainsworth to score from the third. The game ended with a 1-0 for the Senators. Johnson only allowed 10 hits, 1 walk, with 9 strikeouts. The incredible thing was that the game only lasted 2 hours and 47 minutes (most games today last that long for a nine-inning game). Johnson would finish the 1918 season with a 23-13 record and a 1.27 ERA.

     Johnson was determined to finish the game and get the win. He wouldn't leave the mound until the job was complete. This reminds me of another person who wouldn't stop until the job was finished. In John nineteen we find Jesus hanging in agony on the cross being berated by the spectators below. Jesus was suspended between heaven and earth paying the price for our sin. He could have called a legion of angels to take Him off the cross but that would leave the job undone. He came to redeem mankind and the job must be finished. Hanging in the darkness Jesus said in John 19:30 "It is finished." What was finished? The price of our salvation, of our rescue. Jesus stayed on the cross, completing the job which He was sent to accomplish. He would not leave a second earlier. Johnson completed the game for the win and Jesus completed His sacrificial work on the cross for our win, our victory.

Fake News: May 8th Devotional

Fake News

May 8th Devo

Matthew 28      

      On this day in history, 1884, Harry S. Truman was born in Lamar Missouri. Harry's family were dedicated farmers and livestock dealers. He didn't receive a formal education until he was eight years old. Harry loved to learn history and play the piano. He would often wake at 5 in the morning to start practicing. Harry went to business college to learn how to be a timekeeper for the railroad. During this time he struggled financially and would often sleep in hobo camps near the railroad. He would go on to faithfully serve his country in WW I, in France in the battery/artillery unit. After that Harry skyrocketed through local politics to become a Senator from Missouri. He served in the Senate from 1935 to 1945, which would be one of the most traumatic times in American history. Truman was looked upon favorably by both major parties and would eventually become the third VP for President Franklin Roosevelt. He was sworn in January 1945 little knowing that four months later he would be sworn in as president after the death of FDR. Truman was famous for two major events in history: the first was the dropping of nuclear bombs on Japan, and the second was his shocking defeat of NY Governor Thomas Dewey.  The presidential race of 1948 was neck and neck between Truman and Dewey, but many pundits already claimed that Dewey would end up with the victory.  Weeks before the election Truman would go on a “Whistle Stop” tour through America’s towns showcasing that he was the better candidate.  The morning after the election shows Truman holding the front page of the Chicago Tribune paper that falsely said that Dewey defeats Truman. Talk about fake news!

      Fake news has always been a part of not only American history but world history. The greatest piece of fake news came from Jerusalem around 33 AD. Matthew 28 tells us about the resurrection of Jesus. The guards that kept watch over the tomb came and reported to the religious leaders what happened. This news disturbed the religious leaders greatly. The Bible says that the religious leaders commanded the guards "“Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep (Matthew 28:13)." They even paid them for the lie and offered protection. FAKE NEWS! Indeed Jesus did rise from the dead showcasing His wounds to hundreds of people over the course of forty days. If there would have been a newspaper in Christ's time it would have read "Disciples steal Jesus' body" but the truth is "Jesus rose from the dead." He lives! Rejoice in His glorious resurrection.