About Us

Kristin is a Southern Georgia belle, who graduated from UGA as a veterinarian May 2010. Carter grew up in NC, went on to seminary, became an ordained pastor, and has completed his doctorate of ministry. After retiring from full-time ministry, Carter is thoroughly enjoying being a financial advisor (and volunteering on the ministry side of things). After about a month of emailing, asking questions, and going through the steps of eharmony.com, we were full of excitement and became very eager to meet one another face to face. October 25, 2009, we met and enjoyed every minute together. We had no doubt God was going to strengthen our relationship with Him as well as with one another. Carter proposed August 9, 2010 on the boat in the middle of Lake Wylie at sunset. Kristin said "Yes" after some happy tears. We got married April 2, 2011 and what an amazing beautiful day that was! God has continued to bless us throughout our marriage. On May 18, 2017, our family grew when God gave us our son, Micah. We look forward to see what He has in store for us each and every day. We are super blessed to be serving the Lord wherever we are. God is constantly surprising us with new callings!

November: Carter's Corner

Thankful for a Legacy

“When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors,
I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom.”
2 Samuel 7:12

The Catalyst theme this year was KNOWN. Catalyst is a two-day church leadership event in Atlanta, GA where 10-15 THOUSAND leaders converge in the Gwinnett Arena. We were definitely challenged by each and every speaker as well as moved by powerful worship of our Lord and Savior.

One of the sessions was about leaving a legacy. It made me wonder...what type of LEGACY are we creating and leaving? This session was led by Dave Ramsey and his daughter, Rachel Cruze. Take a moment and read 2 Samuel 7. It talks about the story of David wanting to build a temple for God, but God saying NO to David, but promising David that one of his offspring would build the temple. David left a legacy to his son, Solomon. David himself did not build the temple. David wasn't allowed to build the temple, but he prepared the way for his son, Solomon, to build the temple. That was an amazing legacy that David left.

What type of legacy are we creating and leaving to future generations? Are we preparing people to follow Christ by bringing them up in the Lord? Are we leaving the world in a better place than when we got here? Are we training young leaders to take our place when we are gone? Are we INTENTIONAL about leaving a LEGACY? Or are we just hoping it will happen? I pray that we take time to pray about how we might INTENTIONALLY leave a legacy for those who come behind us.

As Thanksgiving is quickly approaching, we can be thankful for those who have left a legacy for us. Our lives have been blessed by those who have come before us. Let us INTENTIONALLY leave a legacy for those who follow.



The Energizer Bunnies

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 31st! 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

October: Carter's Corner


Have you ever read Psalm 106:1, 107:1, 118:1, 118:39, 136:1? Take a moment now and look at those 5 verses. Do you see something similar about them? What about 1 Chronicles 16:34? Does it sound familiar?

Give Thanks to the Lord for He is Good. His Love endures forever.

Those are some simple words yet so many times we forget them and don’t really take them to heart. God is Good. God loves us more than we can understand and imagine. His love endures FOREVER.

“Forever” stands even when we don’t deserve it or love God in return as well as before we set foot on the earth and long after we breathe our last breath. That is pretty AWEsome to say the least.

The second part of these scriptures in regards to His love enduring forever is the comfort to all of us who accept HIS love and the good things that He gives us. The first part of these is an imperative: “Give thanks to the Lord.” Once again, let us note what the verse says: “Give thanks to Lord for He is Good; His love endures forever.” What the verse does not say is: “Give thanks to the Lord when you think He is good to you.” It doesn’t say: “Give thanks to the Lord when things are going your way.” The giving thanks comes before the blessing in these verses. Therefore, we are supposed to give thanks to God regardless of what’s happening and BEFORE the blessings are showered upon us. I am always challenged by this. It would seem that we are quick to thank and bless God when things go well. And...instead of praising Him when things aren’t going our way, we question Him and question if we are doing what we are called to do. What would happen if our praise for HIM was regardless of our circumstances, regardless of what is going on in our lives and the world, and our praise was readily given to God for WHO HE IS, the God of the universe? (Instead of praising Him only for what He has done for ME.) Would that change how we worship and praise Him? Would that change how we live our lives?

“Give thanks to the Lord for He is Good; His love endures forever.” This is a statement that was repeated over and over again in Psalms. It WAS important to praise God first. It IS STILL very important to praise God today.

Lord God, help me to praise You FIRST. Amen. 

September: Carter's Corner


Luke 12:34 “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” 

What’s our excuse?
A couple of Sundays ago, I used a rope illustration during my sermon. I taught on Deuteronomy 11:18: “You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.” I showed what one year looks like. Here’s a brief summary: an 8ft rope represented a year of our life. About 2.5 feet showed the amount of time we sleep, almost 3 feet showed how much time we spend with our job responsibilities, 1.5 feet stood for how much TV we watch, and only 0.5 inches were how much time we are at church if we attend EVERY Sunday, 52 weeks a year. That went up to 2.2 inches if it includes Sunday school, having daily quiet time, and also attending a weekly Bible study (and that’s if we don’t miss a day of quiet time or a week of church, Sunday school, or Bible study).

As I was studying this, it was a “Whoa!” feeling and made Kristin and me stop and reassess what we are spending our time on. And, of course I know we are all different. God didn’t make any of us the same. Some of us sleep more, sleep less, watch TV less, and so on. I hope everyone has taken some time since my sermon and really thought about and prayed about where you spend your time. What do we do with our time and money? What are we willing to make time for? If we say we have some “free” time, then what do we spend it doing? Can we make time for a simple Bible study or are we too busy? We make time for our favorite event (football game, play, child’s event), but what happens when the Word of God is not on the top of our list or even on our list at all? What must we do to put scripture and the church first? Sounds like a challenge for all of us.

Luke tells us that where our treasure is, our heart is. I would say we can take that scripture another step today. Where our time is spent, our heart is. Is our heart on God? God wants our hearts to be set on HIM first and foremost!

Let’s take some time in September to pray about and for our hearts. I pray for not only Kristin and me (and our friends and family), but for our whole congregation. We know God is glorified when we are following and sharing His Word. How can we go out and share scripture with others if we don’t know what scripture says? Yes, having a daily quiet time takes time and needs to be put on the top of your “to-do list.” What are you spending your time doing the most? What does your day normally look like? 


August: Carter's Corner


How do you want to be remembered??

I have thought about that question a lot recently, wondering how I would be remembered, and how we remember others.  In Sunday School, we just finished studying 2 Timothy, which is the last letter that Paul wrote before he was executed. Paul wanted to be remembered not by his death, not by his persecution and killing of Christians, but by the fact that he followed Christ and led others to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. He wanted to be remembered as an apostle of Christ, not a persecutor of Christ. We do remember Paul for all the good he did spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. What if we remembered Paul for the bad he did? We would remember him as a murderer and persecutor of Christians. But...we have chosen to remember Paul
for the good he did and why should we remember others any less?


If we are honest with ourselves, if we were to be remembered by our deepest and worst moments of our lives, we would all be remembered very badly, wouldn’t we? In the same way, we must not judge someone by how they died but rather how they lived. Maybe the question is: How will Christ remember us??  We can rest in the assurance of 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”

Romans 8 states:
“For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by Him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory.”


That is how I want to be remembered...as a child of God, co-heir with Christ. I don’t want to be remembered by my faults but by the things that are good and true. I hope to be remembered as Christ will remember me.

That is my challenge: to take the time to see and remember the good in people, see what is good and true as Christ does for those who are in Christ.

And remember, that NOTHING can separate us from the Love of Christ, not in life and not in death. Let us cling to that and live like we believe this through our relationships with one another today. 

Beautifully Cracked


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.

July: Carter's Corner


“Vacation from Worship??”

In June, Kristin and I took a week off.  Since on a weekly basis we don’t have the opportunity, Kristin commented about how wonderful it was to be able to worship side by side. We love our vacation Sundays because we can worship next to each other and experience worship in different churches.  It made us think and wonder though about taking vacation and if we ever take a “Vacation” from worship.  God commands us to take a day of rest.  Sometimes, we think this means to sleep in and do nothing, don’t we?  I think that is not the case. Jesus says in Matthew 11:28, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”  How incredible is that!  We aren’t to find rest by sleeping in on Sundays but actually rest in Jesus Christ.  That rest comes from spending time with our Lord and WORSHIPPING him corporately as a body of Christ.  The church is the Body of Christ so if we aren’t at church worshipping, then we are missing out on what God wants from us...Or actually what God commands us to do, because we are commanded to worship Him.  Yes, we also worship from home, and worship Him through our actions, but they cannot be taken out of the context of corporate worship.  If we aren’t being held accountable by corporate worship, then we aren’t following what God has called us to do.

One of the many many many things that I love being here at PIPC for is that every week we have vacationers, who know how important worship is, and they choose to worship with us on their vacation.  I also love hearing about all of the churches that you, our members, go to on vacation!  Isn’t it refreshing that we can worship on vacation at another church and it be a part of the same body of Christ?

I challenge us all to think about how corporate worship is not a request from God but a requirement, one that we don’t take vacation from, but find our rest in. We must make corporate worship a priority in our lives, not an option.  What’s a better way to start our week than a weekly appointment worshipping our Lord and Savior?  

June: Carter's Corner

Through the move, packing, and unpacking, Carter's Corner for June is getting posted a little late. Hope you enjoy it.  Be on the lookout for his July one very soon.
We love each and every one of you!
Kris and Carter


Carter's Corner
A time and season for everything…

It’s summer time!  The seasons change, the weather is warm, and “beach season” is here.  We attempted to go to the beach Memorial Day weekend just for an hour and found no parking ANYWHERE.  As we drive around for errands, to and from work, to visit folks, the roads are very busy again. I can honestly say Kristin and I have experienced an entire year here now.  The summer season, the fall season, the winter season, the spring, and now we are starting the summer again. Time flies!  I know many of you have been here for several years and have seen Pawleys Island change over the years and go through seasons of change.  Kristin and I traveled to her Uncle John’s funeral, where we had a season of mourning.  In our household, we have even had a season of being under the weather recently.  We are told that there is a time and season for everything...the fun and the sad.  The crowds and the loneliness, being busy and also slowing down.  Martha Henry, a PIPC high school senior, talked about “Mary and Martha” (Luke 10:38-42) in her senior sermon last Sunday.  I challenge us to take a season like Mary did and sit at HIS feet.  Joshua 1:8 reminds us to “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.” If you have not taken a season to really study and mediate on the Bible recently, why not start today?  Take the time NOW...don’t wait.  We were reminded as Kristin lost her 49 year old uncle suddenly that we are not guaranteed another day and that we need to make the most of every day.  I encourage us to take time this summer, to take a “season” to sit at His feet, meditate on HIS word, and spend time with Him. Once this season begins, let’s make strengthening our relationship with God a lifelong season.  Besides summer, what season are you in, going through, or approaching?

Ecclesiastes 3
New International Version (NIV)
A Time for Everything

There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:


    a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,


    a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,


    a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,


    a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,


    a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,


    a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,


    a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.

On The Go


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 2nd 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!






May: Carter's Corner


"Whoever serves Me must follow Me; and where I am, My servant also will be.My Father will honor the one who serves Me." 
John 12:26

When asked the question: “What does it mean to you to be a Christian?”, what is your response??

If it is that you are a follower of Christ or a disciple of Christ, then you are on the right road. But I have a shocker for you. “You can’t be a follower of Christ unless you actually follow Christ!” It is a simple statement but profound none the less. Early on in my scuba adventures, I didn’t always do a good job of following my dive buddies and I found myself lost. (One of the top scuba rules is to ALWAYS stay with your buddy.) The same thing happens in our walk with Christ. If we turn away from Christ just for a moment, we can easily get lost. Again, you can’t be a follower of Christ unless you actually follow Christ. We have just spent the last 30 weeks reading through The Story, doing a synopsis, in order, of THE ENTIRE BIBLE, old and new testaments all together. Through the process of going through The Story, I have been reminded of how very clear the Bible is about how we should live, and how scripture is black and white with no grey area. So often, we want to ignore what the Bible tells us to do as well as ignore how Christ told us to live. The truth is that we can’t be a follower of Christ and do whatever we want to. Just like when I am diving, I can’t follow the group and also go off on my own. I’m either following the group, or I’m not. I’m either following Christ in ALL that He says or I’m not following at all. It’s all or nothing. If you have never surrendered to Christ or gone “All In” before, why not commit to Him and go all in today?
 

April: Carter's Corner


Thought I posted this... Guess not.  Only a month off, right? wink.  Enjoy!


Psalm 30:1-5

I will exalt You, Lord,
for You lifted me out of the depths

and did not let my enemies gloat over me. 
Lord my God, I called to You for help,

and You healed me.
You, Lord, brought me up from the realm of the dead;

You spared me from going down to the pit. 
Sing the praises of the Lord, you, His faithful people;

praise His holy name.
For His anger lasts only a moment,

but His favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning. “Weeping may stay for the night, 
but rejoicing comes in the morning”

The ESV tells us that JOY comes in the morning. The Message says, ”The nights of cry- ing your eyes out give way to days of laughter.”

This is the Easter story. There was darkness, and now there is a great light. The light shines brighter than the darkness. Where there is light, there can be no darkness whatsoever!

On Easter, we celebrate the Light of the world. We celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We celebrate this joy, the rejoicing, this day of laughter. We do a great job of celebrating Easter...the church is full, or overcrowded; we are excited to be here; we are excited to sing and worship. What about the other 364 days of the year? Do we live in the joy? Or are we living in the darkness, weeping, crying? 

There is a season for weeping, and a season for crying and mourning. But the Easter message is the message of Joy, the message of laughter. We can have the joy of the Lord year round. The Lord our God wants us to live in HIS joy.

My prayer for you, me, our entire congregation, and the community is that we can live in this JOY of the Lord. Yes, there will be hard times, sad times, times of mourning, but God gives us HIS joy and we can live in that joy each and every day.

If you have never really experienced the Joy that only Christ can give us, the peace that passes all understanding, my door is open. Please come by to talk to me. God’s joy, like HIS love, is AMAZING! 

When Did You Last Check Your Light?


Read John 8:12, 2 Corinthians 4:1-6

During my last dive of the season, my buddy and I noticed that my main light had a little flicker to it.  Since it was a day dive, it was not a big deal.  During a day dive, we mainly use our lights to look for catfish under the rocks. My buddy facebooked me after the dive to mention my light to me and that I need to check it out, maybe change the batteries, and make sure that it is working properly.  Even though I knew I needed to work on my dive light, I confess that I didn’t do it for months.

Why?  My excuse was that we are currently in a condo now, and all our scuba gear is crammed in a very small closet with all our beach gear, coolers, and other outside stuff.  In our North Augusta house, where we lived before we took our current call in Pawleys, we had a nice garage. All of our scuba gear was neatly organized and easy to get to.  Now, our scuba equipment is very hard to get to. Just opening our outside closet is frustrating and a long process.  I have to pull everything out of the closet to get to the gear (or anything else for that matter).  That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it.

Two months had passed and I still hadn’t taken the time to check my dive light.  What if my batteries were corroding?  Corrosion could ruin my super nice dive light. Even though I purchased this light at a great deal, it would be a waste of money to have to get another one. After another week of delaying and with the help of my wife, I went outside to “the closet.” I pulled out all our beach gear, had a cooler fall on me, and finally reached our scuba gear. I found our lights (we have two each) and brought them inside for inspection. 

Wow!  Every light worked! What a sense of relief!  And…all the batteries and lights were corrosion free!!!!!!!!  Woo hoo!!!! Unfortunately, we haven’t found a group to dive with here, and since it is “winter,” we knew we wouldn’t be diving for another 2-3 months. I took the batteries out of the lights and stored them separately. There is no reason to take any chances of them corroding over the next few months.  When the water becomes warm again, we will be ready to put our batteries back in our lights, and we’ll be good to go. 

Jesus said: “I am the light of the world.”  Jesus is our light and savior.  We live in a dark world, but Jesus gives us light.  Light to see, light to walk, and light to live by.  We should keep our faith in him and trust him in all that we say and do.   

As we walk with Him, we are called to shine HIS light through us.  Lets take some time this week to check our light. Is it working properly or not?  We spend so much time working on and taking care of our dive gear, car, house, animals, finances, etc, but do we take the time to examine our light of Christ?  Is it blinking? Do the batteries need to be replaced, recharged,  or restored?  Unlike the winter months when it is cold and I don’t dive as much, I can put away my dive light for a bit.  Christ calls us to be the light of the world ALL of the time, year round, warm or cold. 

If your buddy is looking at you, can he or she see your light? If not, it might be time to change your batteries or get recharged!

Prayer:
Dear God, I’m willing to check my dive lights when they flicker, but I don’t always take the time to examine whether Your light is flickering in me or shining strong.  Help me this week to take time to discern if, when, and how I’m shining You, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in my life.  Please, make me a beacon of Your light in the darkness, a lighthouse to the lost, and a guide to those seeking.  Through You, all things are possible.  In Jesus Christ’s name, I pray for His light.  AMEN

March: Carter's Corner


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.

God's Example of Love


Here at PIPC, weekly e-news and monthly newsletters are prepared for our congregation as well as other PIPC friends near and far.  Each month in the newsletter, Frank and Carter share a little note in regards to whatever is on their hearts with us in writing.  We felt led to post "Carter's Corner" for February with all of you.  We love you!

February: Carter's Corner
Didn’t we just have fun throughout the Christmas season? How is it already February? Now, Valentine's Day is right around the corner! Kristin and I have already seen restaurant and store signs advertising “Go ahead and make reservations for your Valentine’s date night here!” or “Come celebrate Valentine’s Day with us!” or “Don’t forget to purchase that special surprise for your valentine.” I’m sure you’ve seen these, plus some others.
As I think about Valentine’s Day and love, I can’t help but focus more on God and God’s love for us. Most of us have memorized John 3:16 at some point or another, or it’s at least a very familiar verse to most folks. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”
Love is an overused term today. We use love to talk about football, our spouse, pizza, and God. But what if love really was more than “a feeling?” What if love was true sacrificial action? That is what God’s love for us is, a sacrificial action...and HE has demonstrated that to us through His son.
Do you think that in our response to believing that there should be anything less than a sacrificial action, also? John 3:16 says that we must believe, and then we shall not perish. Once again, I think the words “believing” or “believe” can be misused as well. What if believing actually meant that in response to God, we ourselves must have a sacrificial action, too? We know that to believe is an action instead of a feeling. Maybe our faith in God would mean so much more if we actually involved ACTION, instead of just words. What if we could respond to God with sacrificial action, giving up ourselves to believe, love and serve Him?
Remember when you were young and did so much to impress a certain someone? That someone who was your valentine (or you wanted them to be your valentine)? I do. Or what about everyday life even...all that is involved in planning a weekend getaway or getting your house ready to have folks over or...??? What if we put daily effort into loving our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? If we did, can’t you picture Him smiling like a proud Father?

A Shout Out


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!)

What's in a Name?


We all have multiple titles.  My most popular ones these days are “Carter’s Wife” and “Dr. Robinson.”  I am a pastor’s wife, veterinarian, professor, daughter, grand-daughter, sister, niece, cousin, friend, role-model, mentor,.... What are your titles?  Which one do you take the most pride in?  I am super proud of all of my names, but do you know the one that is the most important to me?  I hope to be known and remembered as a Christian, a child of God first and foremost.  Where do you find your fulfillment and feel valued?  In being a son?  A mother?  A friend? A businessman? I find mine in being His! In His arms is the safest and best place to be!

Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. Romans 8:17

Moving Forward


Another “Lysa-ism” in a book of hers I’ve been reading was this: “We can’t move forward with God when our past keeps pulling us down.”  I have heard this said in different ways a lot over the past couple years.  Part of me would say, “Boy, that is true.”  The other part of me would just ignore this truth.  Why?  Because I had been battling with self-_____ (basically any thing negative could fill in this space) as I tried to move past a certain entanglement.  My mind would think nothing other than consuming negative, hard to swallow, thoughts.  I was mad.  Confused.  Disappointed. Emotionally wrecked. Embarrassed. Couldn’t understand. Felt like a failure.

After about a year into this distraught, I was reading A Confident Heart by Renee Swope.  She opened up and shared a difficult story about how she let her pride get in the way of sharing what God has done in her life with others, who have gone through similar circumstances.  I felt that God was screaming at me as I read line after line in regards to pride. Talk about humbling.  “Hello, Kristin!!!!  You aren’t alone.  You aren’t the first person that has gone through this...”  I burst into tears.  That same day, I received two text messages...one from a vet school buddy wanting to catch up, a friend I hadn’t talked to in over a year...and the other from an amazing mentor of mine.  This precious sister of mine and I made a phone date...and then, I immediately called my mentor. Oh both of these were glorious “God winks!”  It was the first time in a while that I accepted and faced the wall of truth...not being able to pass my veterinary boards.  A huge fear of mine that came true! The truth that was so hard to swallow for months on end.  I cried happy tears as a mentor said, “Why aren’t we celebrating and partying that you haven’t passed?  You’ve been so busy and extremely happy doing work for Our Lord that you probably wouldn’t have had the opportunity to do if you were stuck in a clinic 24-7. This is only a minor part of God’s HUGE giant story He’s written for you. God knows best!” Once I shared my story with my friend (who was in the exact same boat I was) during our phone date, I realized that it was time to move past all the mess.  God was turning “my mess into a message.”  It was time to start to pull my secret out, the one that I was so ashamed of, and knew that if anybody found out, I would be judged, rumors would spread, it’d be gossip mania, etc.  You get the gist.  

Now, as I have grown even more in my relationship with God, I know my circumstance wasn’t just a coincidence. These last two years have added to my testimony! I have been able to finally turn my thoughts past my own healing to helping others in my same situation.  (And God has given me the opportunity to do so!)  Yes, it’s still scary to think about what others will think or how they will respond.  I’ve decided to not waste energy or dwell on that worry anymore.  Instead, I will share my story as God has guided me...and I am going to lean on Him and trust Him in doing so. Yes, I have cried with others and been scared to death as I share about boards.  Ten times out of 10 though, it becomes super clear that we end up going through something so that we can glorify God when we share how He’s helped us through the difficult (or wonderful) times!  One of my life verses these last two years has been Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who has been called according to his purpose.”  I have so many examples that show how God has used multiple things these past couple years to work for His good (and mine)!  I’ll share more of that later. 

In Becoming More Than A Good Bible Story Girl, Lysa, points out how others can be healed and restored by sharing our past.  It’s true!  “Will you go? Will you share your story...the good and the bad? Will you allow God to comfort you and then take that comfort to help comfort others? I think you’ll find that you are the one who is doubly blessed.” She goes on to say (I have paraphrased) that You will see another layer of your life purpose unfolding and become clearer about the person God has created us to be,...”  That’s another “Amen, Sister” as I read that paragraph. Once again, God spoke so loudly and clearly to me...hence what has led me in posting this entry.

Even though God has placed so much on my heart and has taught me more than I ever imagined in such a short time frame, I will end here for now.  Additional stories will have to wait until another time. (I can't wait to share more!!!)  In closing, I am constantly praising Him for allowing me to hear Him speak to me, for loving me, and for being able to feel His arms wrapped around me!  Praising Him for giving me friends and family, who haven’t stopped loving me/us no matter what we’re going through...  Thank you for your constant prayers and encouragement.  Hey, I’m happy to FINALLY be moving forward 100%.  Do you have something in your world that is stopping you from moving forward completely?