Gratitude that is something that we always seem to be short on. I know people who often feel insufficient, well, God gave me a personality that often feels a little too sufficient. I think that I would rather be able to feel realistic about the whole thing. Our insufficiency and weakness can easily give way to feeling depressed or it can drive us to boast in the Lord! Man, I just feel like saying about my own feelings of inadequacy...
"Good! it's about time you realized that there are a lot of people God has used to bring you to the place you are right now! Good, be grateful that God can use even you! Good, be amazed and boast in a God who chooses to fill his creation with his strength and enable them to accomplish what he has in mind! Good, you are a part of Gods Kingdom! So, rejoice and be glad, you are weak, but that is just the beginning of the story! Anything that can push you into gratitude, that can cause you to call on the name of the Lord, that can remind you of how awesome our God is... well... Good!"
So I'm grateful to so many of you and I won't list all of you because that would be way too long... I'm just going to mention those of you who I'm thinking about right now and don't feel left out if you aren't on the list :)...
God thanks for calling me to the joy that is my life!
Mom thanks for being the first person to suggest youth ministry to me!
Tony thanks for mentoring me for so long and helping me believe that I can do this!
Diane thanks for standing by me and praying with me and encouraging me and being patient with me and always believing in me!
Roxanne thanks for your role in making Thailand a part of my life!
David and Kathy Siek thanks for your humble example, your friendship and for helping me believe that I can do this!
Bob Alber thanks for seeing something in me that I couldn't see for inviting me to join you and for being so patient with me, for your prayers and encouragement and for being such a good friend!
Sami and Joanna thanks for being my first supporters... I often think back on that evening sitting around the kitchen table and get overwhelmed with gratitude by your generosity and friendship!
So many of you have had such an important role in my life and I'm so thankful... I encourage you to take the time and think of the people in your life who have helped you get where you are, who God has used and still uses, the people that deserve your gratitude. Thank them, and with every thanks give glory to God, because he is the one using the people in our lives to bless us and encourage us!
We walk this road together and it is a good road! We can choose to be thankful, we can choose to see the hand of God working!
Okay on a different note I had a really great date with my wife the other day! We got to go see 'OneRepublic' in concert! It was fantastic! Yes I know... what an amazing, majestic, and very large beard :). One day you will get a picture of it braided... and then it will be gone...
All the kids are back in school again! Yay! This week has been filled with final preparations for our big Super Knitting Youth or something that can be used as an acronym for SKY... we no longer go to Sky Ranch for our camp, but, we love calling it Sky.... so, just whatever... any way yeah, we are getting ready for a great camp and I'm very excited.
I will have a lot more to write about next week and hopefully have a picture or two to share!
Please pray for Bella, she is struggling with a cold or sinus issues... in fact the whole family seems to be struggling a little bit with allergies or something!
Blessings!
Caleb
If you want to support what I do a little or a lot, on a one time basis (for a mission trip) or on a recurring basis, click on the tab "Supporting the Work" at the top of the page and search for Caleb and Diane Robbins. Diane is my beautiful wife and the mother of my precious children Creed 7, Asher 5, Liam 2, Echo already in heaven and Bella, getting bigger all the time.
