Wow

So yeah I had no idea that it had been so long since I've written anything. My how time flies by. No one probably even reads my site anymore but I thought I would write down what is on my mind.

I have been trying to study for the last few hours but I have no focus and absolutely no attention span. What is wrong with me??
Well today has been a great day. My friend Gabriella was baptized at her church in Bulington. A bunch of us Redeemer students went and it was an incredible service. I have not been so deeply moved and touched in a very long time. There were 7 people baptized and all of them had an incredible testimony to share about God's faithfullness and how they came to have their own personal relationship with Christ. I cried through each person's testimony. To me it is the most amazing thing to hear about one's story of how they came to faith and accepted Christ as their personal Saviour. It also made me think about my own life. How many times have I taken my faith for granted. My life has been pretty easy. I have been blessed with an amazing Christian family, supportive church and many godly friends and mentors. There are so many people who have gone through great struggles and persecution in order that they might follow Christ.
By listening to the testimonies today it gave me so much hope. There are so many times when I doubt that the power of God could radically change someone who is so lost. However God uses all different situations and circumstances to reveal Himself to people. So I will not give up hope. There are so many people in this world who are searching for the hope that we have. As Christians let's be willing to share the gospel to everyone we meet. Let our actions and words always show the love of God. We are so blessed so let's bless others.

That's what's on my mind.

Some Words of Wisdom

Worry is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do but it doesn't get you anywhere.

Marie Janssens

Marie Janssens:
There once was a girl named Apple
And the truth was what she loved to grapple
It always won
and now she's done
So she'll take a break and drink Snapple

Back at Redeemer!!

So I have returned to the Redeemer community!!! It feels soo good and I am so excited for this upcoming year!!! I look forward to seeing you all!

Rooted in an Intimate Relationship With Christ

I can't believe that in one week I'm heading back down to Redeemer. I'm soo excited but at the same time very sad. I will miss everyone in SF!!! So I've been reading a book that all the HA's are supposed to read before training week. So far it's been a good little book and I just wanted to share something that caught my attention. This book is called "In the Name of Jesus" and is written by Henri Nouwen. He says,

"Christian leaders cannot simply be persons who have well-informed opinions about the burning issues of our time, Their leadership must be rooted in the permanent, intimate relationship with the incarnite Word, Jesus, and they need to find there the source for their words, advice, and guidance....Dealing with burning issues without being rooted in a deep personal relationship with God easily leads to divisiveness because, before we know it, our sense of self is caught up in our opinion about a given subject. But when we are securely rooted in a personal intimacy with the source of life, it will be possible to remain flexible without being relativistic, convinced without being rigid, willing to confront without being offensive, gentle and forgiving without being soft, and TRUE WITNESSES without being manipulative."

So being rooted in an intimate relationship with Christ will help us in every aspect of our lives. It is not possible to fully serve our Saviour if we are not rooted in Him. So let's not just be people of opinions...but let the source of our ideas, words and actions be found in the best source...JESUS CHRIST!!!

So It's been a while..

Well it is crazzy how fast this summer has been flying by. Every year it goes by faster and faster. I miss the good ol' days wher summer seemed to last forever! Oh well, life goes on....
I am so thankful for the past few months that I've been at home. It's been great spending time with the fam, making new friends and growing closer with the friends I already had. Many good times this summer like; friends getting married, formal parties and dances, parties at my house, LOTS of babysitting, housesitting, dogsitting, getting to know new families that have joined my church while I was away at school, hanging out at the lake, cruising on the Rideau in the boat with friends, drive-in theatre, sleepovers, Redeemer friends coming to visit, teaching kid's classes at church again (I missed all my kids so much this past year!), leading worship for all our outdoor services (there is nothing better than an outdoor evening church service, surrounded by the beauty of God's wonderful work in nature)....and the list goes on!!
However this week is gonna be quite different from the rest! This is the first time ever that my family is going on vacation without me. I don't get time off from work...so I get to stay at home and look after things here. At first I thought it was gonna suck. I don't like being alone and living in silence. But it's turning out to be a pretty good week so far. Spent all of Saturday babysitting...definitely not quiet and peaceful..but a great time none the less. Little kids are so encouraging especially when they tell you a million times that they love you and you are their best friend :) ANd then Sunday was church, got invited over to friend's place, spent the afternoon chatting and boating. A bunch of teens in a boat cruising around on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon is my idea of fun. We cranked the tunes, had some dancing in the boat and just had a great time. WE then boated to the house where we were having church. So it was a good day. This week I have friends coming to sleep over night so I don't have to be alone!! Girl sleepovers..yeah!! And then Friday night will be the grand finale before my family comes home!! Party at the Hogan's house!! So yeah..never a dull moment I tell you..never a dull moment. Well I'm sure that many of you probably don't give a hoot about what's happening in my week..but meh I had to write something and this is what's on my mind. Oh and another thing that's on my mind....3 weeks from today-back at REDEEMER!!! Oh that's crazy. I definitely have mixed emotions!! I'm SOO excited to go back but at the same time it's really sad to leave my family and friends and all the good summer memories behind. But that's the way life goes eh? Always gotta move on because time just will not freeze.
I hope everyone out there is having a great summer. I'd love to hear about it at any time!! Especially this week since I may have some lonely evening hours and need someone to chat to!

God Bless~Robyn~

Are You Passionate About Christ??

It's 1:00, the latest I've been up since I left Redeemer, so please bear with me. Well I have been reading yet another book called "Renewing Your Spiritual Passion". Passion is a word that I've been thinking about alot, lately. My desire is to be completely passionate about Christ, but at the same time I don't REALLY knew what passion is all about. It's like a feeling or desire that I have that can't be put into words. So I decided to look it up in the good ol' dictionary. Here is what I found; "intense or overpowering emotion, an eager outreaching of mind towards some sepcial object, fervid dvotion, ardent affection"
Hmmmm how passionate am I about Christ. I mean there are weekend retreats and conferences and worship services where you can just feel the passion, but how often in our ordinary day-to-day lives do we have, feel or show passion for Christ?
In that book I mentioned earlier there was a quote that got my attention and I would like to share it with you.

"I have met many passionate people. They come in all ages,from all backgrounds, with all sorts of personal capacities. No two are alike. But you know them when you see them. They are not hurried; they are not shrill; they are not out to impress. You know them because when you come into their presence; they make you think of Christ. Somehow you feel that you have just understood a little more of what it was like to be in the presence of Jesus. The energy that pushes them along is not the thunderous noise of a jet, nor the pressure of Niagara. It's a quiet energy that you sense even if it can't be seen."

Well I can say that I have met people like that. What a joy it is to be around people that are passionate about such a wonderful Saviour. I mean really as Christians why wouldn't we have passion for Christ? He is so amazing and incredible and the grace that we receive is far from deserved. "What is man that He's mindful of us" (Rebecca St. James) I mean really Christ has given us everything and yet we choose to go on sinning and living lives that are not giving Him all the praise and honour He deserves. I am disguisted at myself!!! I hope to someday be one of the passionate people described in the quote above. Christ is definitely worthy of all the passion in the world...so let's focus on Him always and live our lives in service and honour and glory to Him!!! I want to be so in love with Chrsit that passion continually overflows from my heart!!

Good Night....~Robyn~