Coastal Callings

We were talking the other day about how we wanted to share the latest that’s been going on in the Robinson’s World these days. Then, we realized we haven’t sent an update out since May! Whoah! We have definitely been going, going, going the last several months. Let’s see if we can recap what all God’s been up to.

Starting back at the end of May…We did end up closing on our house May 31^st! What a process that was! We found out the day of closing that we would be closing that afternoon! (What?! Yes, not kidding!) We have gotten settled now and are so blessed to be in Murrells Inlet. It’s been awesome to host various fellowships, bible studies, etc. and share our house with so many others already!

JUNE and JULY: I am going to combine these summer months together. We stayed non-stop between moving and getting settled in our new place, Kristin taking a trip to Newnan for some much needed Momma time, VBS at church, and family and friends beach visits.

We eat up and love every minute we have with family and friends that come and stay with us! We are blessed to have the space to host them here now.

AUGUST and SEPTEMBER: At the beginning of August before Kristin had to go back to school and to celebrate Mary’s birthday as well as Bob’s retirement, Bob, Carter, Mary, and Kris took off on a cruise to the Caribbean. Just what we all needed!!!!!  I could type about our trip page after page. What an awesome time! More fun to talk about in person.

PIPC threw us a House Blessing mid-August. WOW! First off, not only did we pray all throughout the house, for us living here, and for all who would enter through our doors, but lots of laughter, smiles, and yummies filled our home. We never expected to have that many people under our roof at once. What a cool idea!

Kristin kicked off full time teaching this August, and she has thoroughly enjoyed it more than she ever thought she would. Isn’t it awesome how God’s plan works out? Take about a detour she didn’t see coming. She is blessed daily at HGTC by students, colleagues, teaching, and learning new things everyday herself!

At the end of August, we had our L-squared kick off at church. The mission is “Learning and Living God’s word.” Boy did these small groups start off strong! There was/were/are a variety of choices for all ages to participate in. For example, Carter has two young men’s bible studies going on right now. One meets on Wednesdays weekly for lunch, and these guys are studying and working through The Resolution for Men. Sons of Thunder meet one Thursday evening a month, and they are focusing on the Courageous bible study. These guys are heated and super excited about how God is working in their lives. (Their wives can tell how important this guy time is and how it’s branching into our marriages and families in a “speechless” way.)  Keeping God as the center of a marriage makes all the difference in the world!

Kristin felt led to lead a young women’s bible study. This was a first for her facilitating a study with a group of women on her own. I think the only thing that gave her peace, hope, and assurance was knowing that God was really leading this study. There are much wiser women that came together for this study that easily could have been leading us.  What an awesome opportunity it was to share stories as we read Lysa TerKeurest’s UNGLUED. We had weekly fun fellowship and laughed quite a bit as we dug into Lysa’s book and grew closer to Him!  Most Monday nights, we had 12-18 women gathered together. We wrapped up this study last Monday night…these weeks together flew by.  Kristin is diligently praying on what study to do in February.

OCTOBER: Carter has attended a huge conference, Catalyst, in Atlanta for the last 6 years. Kristin has happily joined him for the past 3 years. This year, we also had our youth director, our administrative assistant, and a congregant join us. The topic this year was KNOWN. Once again, the speakers blew our minds; we were overwhelmed by all of them. We heard from Andy Stanley, Malcom Gladwell, John Piper, Lecrae, Judah Smith, Reggie Joiner, Priscilla Shirer, Dave Ramsey and Rachel Cruze. (I’m sure I’m leaving someone out.) Some one-liners we picked up from these talented speakers were: “The reason I’m known is because God has given me this gift at this time.” “I am known to make Him known.” “Remember who its from and who its for.” “Your appetite will never be satisfied by a number, only a who, only a name. GOD!”  “We don’t know our own strength.” “Don’t underestimate the power of your own faith—God will protect you!” “You need a foundation of trust, intuition, and belief.” “You are free to dream in a trusting environment.” “We were made to reflect and glorify God in every aspect of life.” “God owns it all.” “Are we passionate about directing EVERYTHING to Him?” “We are creatures of God with nature designed by God with conscious desire and displays to share God’s greatness, worth, and beauty.” “We need to find full satisfaction in God.” “Know who you are by the grace of God.” “God doesn’t need us, but he wants us! He loves us!”  “God has patience to walk and grow with you. He never leaves us.” “Make what matters matter more.” I could go on and on…

We got back from Catalyst and then Kristin went with 11 other women to Charlotte for a Women of Faith conference. Another WOW weekend! Not much can compare to an arena full of women worshipping Our Father. There’s just something special about it! Again, speakers were awesome and consisted of: Shelia Walsh, Liz Curtis Higgs, Max Lucado, Lisa Harper…Worship with CeCe Winans as well as Third Day! (Again, I’m sure I’m leaving someone out.)  Kristin is still trying to sort through all that was said this weekend.  We were all blessed by these women, who allowed God to speak through them.

Wow! November is already here! Thanksgiving is right around the corner. We pray that all of us slow down long enough EVERY day, not just in November, to take a minute to thank Him for all He has given us.

We love all of you!

Hugs, Prayers, and Love,

Carter and Kris

Sunny.

Bright green ocean.

Sound of waves.

Our toes are finally back in the sand!

Fun morning walk on the beach.

Because of the busyness of life (and this crazy rainy weather), we had not been on the beach in a while. As we walked, we began describing the shells we were passing.  We even stopped several times to pick some up.

“Look at this one.” “It’s so big.” “It’s beautiful.” “It’s cracked.” “It’s broken.” “It’s almost perfect.” “It’s so different.”

Those were only some of the many descriptions we exchanged on our beach walk a few days ago.  Our conversation shifted quickly to how these observations made us thankful for the God we serve.  The shells reminded us of ourselves. We are broken people…yet God has chosen us. He’s made each and every one of us different…yet He loves all of us. We are beautiful in His eyes, despite our brokenness.

God continues to teach us on a daily basis. It’s challenging to slow down long enough to hear Him speak to us through His daily teachings some days though. Isn’t it awesome to be reminded that God “chose you out of the world?” (John 15:19)  Or that we are “God’s special possession?” (1 Peter 2:9)  Or how “God is love” (1 John 4:8)? How awesome is it that He makes “everything beautiful in His time” (Ecclesiastes 3:11)?

We would love to hear what God’s been teaching and reminding you of lately through His word, His creation, and the people He places in your life.  Thanks for letting us share another way He’s been working in our lives with you.  So blessed He put you in our lives.  We love you…each and every one of you.

Wow!  Does anybody else feel like it was just Christmas?  How is May already coming to an end?  We’ve posted many “Carter’s Corners,” thoughts we’ve had as we study scripture, or just multiple things God continues to teach us…  However, we haven’t shared an update lately on what’s been going on in our world.  If I shared it all, it’d be page upon page…  So, we’ll try to pick one thing that’s happened each month the last few months. 

January: Kristin began her second semester of teaching.  She says it every time someone asks how teaching is going, “What an amazing opportunity it is to be back in the classroom!  These students bless me each and every day.”  Kristin thanks God every day for reminding her that His plan isn't always "my initial plan." We all know He guided her down “this teaching” path, a path different than where she thought she’d be.  How cool it is to enjoy going into work every day!

At the end of January, Carter was in Charlotte for his first residency.  He thoroughly enjoyed meeting all his cohort buddies.  There are first, second, and third year students all together.  This first residency was “Pastor: Counselor and Caregiver.”  He was super impressed and liked how they could talk about some of the most difficult topics in a respectful and mature manner with one another.  Those two weeks flew by so quickly…he can’t wait until they are all together again next February.

February: We continued our “house hunt” journey.  We found what we think is going to be an awesome house and neighborhood for us.  Let the fun of house mortgage begin…ha!

We managed to escape on a youth ski adventure for a long weekend.  Like always, we cherish our time with these kiddos!

March: Kristin was just as excited as her students for Spring Break.  It was nice to sleep in and enjoy random beach walks.  (Our weather definitely wasn’t “springy” yet.)  We enjoyed the Robinsons being here that week for their spring break as well.

April:  What a fun filled month!  We celebrated our 2^nd anniversary as well as Carter’s birthday!  We had one of our youth from Fairview, Alicia, come spend her spring break with us.  Was so awesome to have her here. We also went up to Myrtle to see a Fairview family, the Warnkens.  The Verdins stopped for a visit on their way to Charleston, too!  Towards the end of April, we made a short visit to North Augusta.  We squeezed in a couple dives in the river there. : ) Kristin was excited to be able to attend a women’s event at Fairview. Was awesome to catch up with so many of those women I miss! Always great to catch up with friends!

May:  We began the month with Kristin finishing up her Spring semester of teaching.  The day she finished, a couple of Kristin’s vet girlfriends, Fig and Rachel, came for a visit. 

Then, we headed to Atlanta for my Uncle John’s funeral before starting our vacation. 

From ATL, we went south to Macon to have dinner with Laura, Daniel, and SE for Kristin's birthday,

and then down to West Palm Beach to visit Leigh (vet school roommate) and to dive.  More dive stories will come…we are still in awe.  What an awesome WPB trip!  Wonderful first warm water, terrific visibility dive experiences! 

 

Some of our PIPC youth went through Confirmation.  What a joy it was to have the opportunity to work with these students!  Carter led most of the classes, and Kristin was honored to be a mentor to a beautiful teenage gymnast, Caroline!

We thought we were going to be closing on our house this month, but God has different timing.  Maybe next month?  He’s led us every step of the way of this whole “house process.”  We trust Him.

We enjoyed our time with Carter’s aunts, Brenda and Lynne.

 

For those of you who didn’t know, Kristin has been going through the interview process for full-time teaching.  She was extended an offer before she left the college Wednesday.  After more prayers and conversation with Carter, she accepted it the next day!!!!!  So blessed to be part of this HGTC family more full-time. 

More terrific news: We’ve been super excited with our “Under 40” fellowship group.  After much continued prayer, we recently had a “Under 55” cookout, which was a success, too.  On top of those, Carter has been working on a “young” men’s ministry.  It’s already started to take off. Kristin is busy getting a “young” women’s ministry started as well.  It’s been a slow start, but is coming around.  Just getting an email listserve set up with all the women under 55 in our church has been time-consuming yet exciting!  (There are more than I think folks realized, which is a good thing. He he.) We can already see that God has amazing things in store for these groups!

So…we’ve been busy bees.  Not a day goes by that we aren’t thanking God for His continual blessings He’s showering upon us.

Love you all!

Thanks for your continued prayers about my first Doctorate of Ministry Residency in Charlotte last month. Although it was intense and powerful, it was also a wonderful two weeks. The first residency was called “The Pastor as Counselor and Caregiver.” We dealt with so much over the two weeks, including the statistics I mentioned in my sermon on Sunday, February 24th. Some of you asked for a recap…The statistics I shared were:

*Almost 20% or 40 million Americans suffer from anxiety disorders. In a congregation of 400, that’s 80 people statistically.

*All of us will deal with grief, and NORMAL grief usually lasts 2-5 years.

*16% of Americans suffer, or have suffered from depression severely enough to warrant treatment; 40% of relatives living with someone who is depressed have some level of depression also. Over 80% of people, who suffer from depression, are successfully treated. Would it surprise you that according to a study 58% of the elderly are depressed? I don’t know what the qualifications of elderly are, but 58% is a staggering statistic.

*A survey indicated that 50% of men in an evangelical church look at pornography. A pastor didn’t believe this statistic so he did his own anonymous survey at his
 church. His survey showed that in the last year, 60% of the men looked at pornography, and 30% in the last month.

*There are over 3,000 abortions a day in the US— over 1 million per year. I say this not to talk about abortion itself, or to make those who have had one feel guilty, or condemn them, but to say that there are many people out there who have had abortions and who need healing from the effects, grief, and guilt that come along with this decision of having an abortion.

*We learned about the staggering suicide rates, and how 2/3 of those who commit suicide were depressed. This issue is in the news again as another celebrity took their life recently. Everyone who knows someone who has committed suicide, or knows someone who has tried or has thought about suicide, recognizes that it is painful and traumatic.

*Approximately one in four women around the globe has been physically abused by an intimate male partner, such as a husband or ex-husband. In fact, a woman is more likely to be injured, raped, or physically threatened by a current or former partner than by a stranger or another person.

Sadly enough, most people don’t get help. Most people don’t come to their pastor any more. If you choose to not talk to your pastor, make sure you go to a Christian counselor or your Christian mentor…someone who can healthily help you and lead you in the right direction. Obviously, Kris and I are here in Pawleys, but hey, we are only an email or phone call away.  We love you. More importantly, God loves you.  We pray that you find your hope in Him.

I mentioned it a couple posts back, but “What God Has Taught Me” these last couple years will be in snippets here and there… I hope you continue to enjoy reading what God keeps doing in our lives.

Did you know that mentoring one another is in the bible?  Titus 2 rings a bell in my head when I think of this topic (and there are other examples in scripture as well).  I read in “Our Daily Bread” several months back about how important it is to help each other grow as we walk with God.  Proverbs 27:17 says “As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.” As we continue to go through the bible and The Story as a church, we constantly see examples of mentors throughout scripture.  Elisha follows Elijah.  Paul mentors Timothy.  Christ Himself appointed and mentored 12 disciples! As Christians, we should be striving to be more and more Christ-like and to live scripturally on a daily basis. Personally, our mentors have played key roles in this area of our lives.

Are you being mentored?  Or are you “too good for that?” Or are you scared to ask someone to be a mentor for you? Are you mentoring someone else? Or are you afraid that you aren’t good enough to be a mentor? Or are you “retired/been there, done that?” (Side note: No, you aren't too young or too old to be a mentor!)  These seem to be the main questions, comments, and concerns that come up time and time again when the word "mentor" is mentioned in conversation.

Carter and I have been blessed beyond words with our mentors! **Here’s a special shout out to YOU, each and every one of our mentors over the years!**  Having a mentor is very important to us. (Yes, we each have our own mentor/mentors...not the same person/people.) It’s a huge ‘must’ in our eyes as we keep putting one step in front of another in our  sometimes challenging yet exciting Christian walk. There is great value of meeting face to face with someone (other than a spouse or family member) who loves me, will be 100% honest with me, will help hold me accountable, will laugh and cry with me, is there no matter what (even if it’s via phone) through all of the ups and the downs, will share  (and listen to) the happy and sad stories, gets excited about sharing past mistakes (trying to help others not make them) and the lessons learned, and the list continues.  Not to mention, we can all benefit from a wise guide or provide mentorship to one who wants to follow!  We praise God every day for the mentors God has given us…some near, some far, but all will remain deep in our hearts.  We are forever grateful!  Thank you for all you do for us!  Thank you for being YOU!

**You know who you are! (SMILE!)