SPRING!

I love spring! Today it was 74 and so beautiful. You can't help but walk around and hear the birds chirping and flowers blooming. Well, ok- the birds wake me up way too early and the flowers are making me sneeze like crazy. LOL. That is true, however, I do appreciate God's creation on beautiful days like this.

My verse for this blog is Song of Solomon 2:12  "Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land."

I truly love God's splendor in spring and the renewing of the earth after its winter slumber. The following is some of that I was able to capture.

Here is a picture of a dove that was on my deck railing. My late Grandpa always loved doves and seeing them always reminds me of sitting on his back porch with him!

Now- here is a picture of some peas I planted a couple of weeks ago. They are already sprouted in a big mound! Not the best picture but still very cool.  I also planted some cucumbers and zucchini. They have not yet made their appearance above ground yet but I am hopeful that they will soon and I can roast me up some good veggies on my grill in a couple months!

I have taken better pictures of Mount Hood- but here is a black and white one from today! It is so beautiful to see.

Again- sorry for the bad pictures. I do hope you are enjoying your spring though! Remember who created it all!

Blessings,
Robbyn

Cheerleading

Yes. I am watching sports again. The college basketball NCAA tournament is in full swing. Watching the team work and intensity is exciting. Another thing I like about watching sports is the fans cheering on their team- joyously when they are winning and encouraging them to come back if the team is down.

Not all of sports have them- but I have always liked the cheerleaders, too. In college sports they are a staple along with the marching band. I dreamed when I was little of being a cheerleader myself, until I found out I was not blessed with the ability to properly do the tumbling and flips that they make look so easy.

Just like the teams they represent have to work together, the cheering squad must also work in sync for their choreographed routines to be effective. Even more so than the fans, they must smile and fire up the crowd regardless of the score.

Most of the time I am sure it is easy. The team is on fire and the home crowd is loving it. But on occasions it must be really hard. The team is losing by large margin and the game is almost over. Yet there job is still to smile, encourage the team, and keep the fans from booing the players. The same cheers in both of the extreme situations.

This brought to my mind a Bible verse I came across a few days ago.

Hebrews 10:24 says, "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds." When are family and friends are doing well, healthy, and making positive choices in their lives it is easy to root them on. It is easy to show love and encourage their actions. Just like in sports, what about the other extreme? What if our loved one are not following Christ's examples. What if their actions hurt you deeply. The verse says that we still must look for ways to graciously, carefully guide them towards the source of our hope and love- Jesus- and to help them make more of the choices that don't lead them to trouble. I confess I have a lot of work to do in this area myself. Big time.

So, the next chance I get I will grab my pom poms and cheer on someone. Especially some one that may be losing the game. I will be a megaphone for God's team.

Will you join me?
 Blessings, 

                                                                    Robbyn
         

Brackets and Shamrocks

        It is truly March madness this week for me. 

        Even though I have never been great at playing sports, I love watching them.  I love baseball, football, basketball, you name it. The annual NCAA college basketball tournament started this week. I usually fill out my bracket to follow the teams and make my picks for who I think will win, but this week I have been so busy I haven't really been able to focus on brackets- but have been able to catch a few minutes of the games in progress. It is always exciting to watch the games. Do any of you out there watch the tourney? Who are you rooting for? I know my fiancé Bobby is rooting for The Kentucky Wildcats!

         Not only are the games on, but the day before yesterday was St. Patrick's Day. I am a small part Irish, but unlike most people, I did not celebrate it by drinking. St. Patrick was actually not Irish, but spread God's word to the people of Ireland 1500 years ago. He used the simple shamrock- a 3-leafed clover- to show people the truth of the Holy Trinity that Christians believe in. God the Father, Jesus the Son, and The Holy Spirit. What a simple yet powerful way to share the Gospel. I am currently in a small group on Wednesday night at my fantastic church- Portland Christian Center in Portland, Oregon, that is doing a powerful study on discipleship. I have always been great at repeating the stories from the Bible- Adam and Eve, Daniel and The Lions Den, The Birth of Jesus, etc.- but have always been scared to truly share my faith with others. I think most Christians who haven't been mentored in this area are hesitant to answer questions because we don't feel smart enough or even worthy enough. If St. Patrick can use such a simple way to share God's love with others- why can't we do the same? I have been challenged this week to be intentional about talking to people I might not normal begin a conversation with in hope that one day God can open the door for me to be able to share God's Word with them. I encourage everyone to do the same!

I hope everyone is having a great week!

Blessings, 

Robbyn