Coastal Callings

Kristin was asked to write a devotional for Fairview youth, who are doing some local missions this week.  This is a church family that will ALWAYS be near and dear to our hearts!  Five different folks wrote a daily devo that the youth will work through each day during their quiet time.  We figured, "Why not post it and share it with all of our blog readers?"  So...here it is.  Enjoy!

A Story To Tell (Day 1 Devo for the Youth)

Romans 10:15: "And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”

First off, hello. We are sending love from Florida!  If you are reading this short devotional, God stirred your heart to go participate in the community missions this week as well as other days to come.  God has sent YOU!  Just like He has sent Pastor Carter and me down to FL now to spread His kingdom, He has sent you throughout the area right there!

Normally, we ask, “Why me?”  “Am I equipped to spread the good news?”  “What is the good news?”  Great questions, huh?  However, we don’t always like how God answers these because we are scared.  God trusts us to be His hands and feet and to get out there and share what He’s doing in our lives.  I don’t know about you, but I am pretty honored that He would call me to do this!  And we all know that if He calls us to do something, then He’s going to equip us with the words and tools we need to succeed in glorifying Him.  Just lean on Him.  Listen to what the Holy Spirit is leading you to do and say.

What’s the good news?  The gospel of Christ!  God’s Word!  “Well, what if I don’t know scripture well?”  Hey, it takes years (actually a lifetime) to learn what all is in this awesome Love Letter to us.  But…that also means we have to take the time to read and dig into scripture so we know what it says.  It’s a lot easier to share the good news when we are aware of what it says, right?  Pastor Carter and I are still diving into scripture daily.  We are still learning…it’s a lifetime responsibility.  We challenge you to jump on board, too.  We can’t wait until we know scripture perfectly because we never will know it all.  We just have to start sharing what we do know RIGHT NOW.  He doesn’t give us His word and a testimony just to keep it to ourselves.  He wants us to get out there and share it with others!  Nothing beats bringing knowledge of The Lord to sinners.  It can save them just like it has for me…and YOU!

We are so proud of you for hearing God’s calling to send you out to participate this week in community missions!   Be confident as you share your story (your testimony) and His word (the Bible) of love, peace, hope, joy…  It’s YOUR story that God has formed just for YOU!  Therefore, you are the only one who can share it.  Most likely, it will be the exact story someone else needs to hear TODAY!  After all, when we are walking with Him, His Word and our testimony fall hand in hand.

We will be lifting ya’ll up in prayer this week!  We are praying for our forever Fairview family constantly.  We love you!

-Kristin Robinson

A few weeks ago, Carter and I throughly enjoyed every minute we had with Dad, Thea, Uncle Alan, Jenny, and Cameron.  Of course like always, this family time flew by quicker than we would have liked.  However, thinking back, we were thankful for the time together, even if it was short.

As we reflected on new memories made with family, God asked, "Do you get that excited with your time you spend with Me?" Whoah. I admittedly can say that I did not used to. Several years ago and even every now and then, making 'God time' was more like a chore.  More than not now though, I get more and more excited and eager about what God is going to teach me during my quiet times and in scripture.  Or what prayers He is going to answer.  Or the closeness I feel when I am singing praise songs (normally in the car...wink.).  Or how awesome the fellowship is during Sunday worship or during bible studies with others.  Or what He speaks to us through Carter's messages.  The list is endless.

Mark 1:35    And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. 

Jesus could never seem to get enough time with His Father.  What about us and our Heavenly Father? How’s your daily quiet time with Our Father going these days? Do you cherish that time? What's He sharing with you lately?

While relaxing and enjoying the beach one afternoon, we noticed a dad and his son (guessing the little boy was probably 5 or 6 years old..we’ll call him Ben for the sake of the story) come up and put their towel in the sand.  They began to build sand castles, make “sand angels” (like you do in the snow by lying on your back and flapping your arms and legs for the wings), take a few pictures here and there, and would cheerfully go cool down and rinse off in the ocean.  Over and over again.  (Makes you tired just thinking about it, doesn’t it?)

A couple hours later, Ben was down at the ocean’s edge while his dad was taking a break.  A non-English speaking mother and her very timid son slowly walked down to the ocean, right next to where Ben was playing.  It looked as if this little boy (also about Ben’s age…we’ll call him Sam) was being introduced to the ocean for the first time.  Sam was definitely unsure of the ocean and its waves.

Ben started jumping the waves that were crashing against the shore.  He was laughing and having a good ole time by himself.  Some waves would knock him over, and others he jumped over easily.  Next thing we knew, Sam started jumping waves, too, holding his momma’s hand still.  Ben walked over, tried to talk to Sam and his mother, and grabbed Sam’s other hand.  About 10 minutes later, Sam had let go of Mom’s hand, and just Ben and Sam were playing together…laughing, smiling, making sand castles, running back and forth between where the two families had their stuff, and had a grande time together the rest of the afternoon.

As we were sitting there, God whispered, “How cool is that?  What if we shared our Joy like Ben shared his joy.  We aren’t talking about the ocean now, but what about sharing our Joy of Christ?  Ben couldn’t wait to take Sam’s hand and share the fun of jumping the waves and playing in the ocean.  Our relationship with Jesus is so much more exciting than that so why aren’t we as excited as Ben was to share this gift with someone else?   Why do we let fear or worry get in the way?  Why does “sharing your story” turn into such a big deal instead of easily flowing from our mouths?  God’s word states in Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  

The kids made it look so easy that day…didn’t even speak the same language yet they talked through their actions.  All languages exchange smiles and laughter.  Jesus calls us to share Him through our actions, lives, and stories. What are my actions showing others?  Let’s get out there and share our stories with hope of bringing others to Christ!  When was the last time you shared part of your story?  If it’s scary at first (like Sam was to the ocean), know that God will speak through you.