Merely another Blog Post :)

Well, it's good to be a youth pastor and it's great to have a wonderful family to enjoy it with. I was so happy last Saturday when my son Creed, my boy, decided to come and help out with our MK car wash! It was so fun having him out there washing and drying and making friends and getting soaked. I'm really enjoying watching him grow up! 

I love my job so much and I don't mind working on Saturdays because it's fun being with the great kids that I get to work with. The Cowan car wash is always a fun service project. Cowan is where most of the retired hall-of-fame missionaries are living now. It's like being surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses and it is great getting to serve them in some small way.

 

 After the car wash it was time to relax for a few hours before going out to the park to hear good music and eat good food. One of my friends was playing in a band at a park nearby that was celebrating its 100th birthday. Yeah, pretty cool to have live music and a place for the kids to run around and play... and oh yeah, get their faces painted. 

Wow, then Sunday came around with a spectacular Cowboys comeback win... you might say historical... you might say hysterical :). Any way, after that was soccer practice, which is exciting. We start our season this coming Sunday... we are hoping to have a by-week and get more time to get ready... but either way I'm excited to get out there with the guys and play some soccer again.

Monday rolled around and it was a great start to our Mere Christianity series! Man, what a fantastic book! I'm getting so much more out of it now that I'm teaching through it!

This is a wonderful time of the year and a wonderful time of life. I'm so thankful for all of God's blessings and right now I'm so incredibly thankful for you who make this adventure possible for me! Your support is incredible and I want you to know that I'm truly thankful!

The only sadness this week has come with the death of our cat. Cinnamon lived with us for several years and was a great cat. He was bold and kind and had lots of personality. He could snatch birds out of the air, fought snakes valiantly, and brought a lot of joy into our lives. He pouted like no other cat. I especially remember how sad he was after we got him groomed once. :). He had his faults but he was a part of our family and he will be missed. The last great battle he was in got the best of him. He injured his tail severely and never recovered from having it amputated.

There is no and with God. He desires to be all and if you want all of Him, you must leave the and behind. As I think about that I'm realizing how subtle the and in our lives can be... the things that very kindly and gently steal our loyalty and attention away from God. They come disguised so we don't feel the need to rid ourselves of them. For me they come in the myriad of distractions that eat up my time; they take the form of dirty floors, or the desire to have perfectly organized music, or reading articles on technology. None of them are bad in themselves, but all of them as they steal away the precious attention that my Lord and Savior desires and deserves, become deadly to me. What are your and's? We can be satisfied in God alone and allow all the external things to find their rightful place, the place that He has for them. And... well, I like things when they are in their right place... I'm learning that God and I have that in common :)... God please put me where you want me, and keep putting me there every time I get myself out of place.

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. 

Another Weekend away and another wonderful MK

Last weekend Diane, Bella, Nadia and myself headed down to Austin to enjoy a weekend with the Sieks! It was a great time! I wanted Nadia to get to know them better and get a chance to visit the church that sends the group we partner with to do the conference in Thailand. Wow, that last sentence is a mouthful...

It was so relaxing, the weather made for more indoor activities, and we enjoyed going to the movies, visiting, eating delicious food, and watching great football :). At least I enjoyed watching great football :). It was also nice to connect with a college age MK who just started going to UT. I had gotten to know her on the Jamaica trip and it was fun to see her again. We got back late on Sunday evening, a big thanks to Mark and Joel for watching the house and the kids. 

(okay so I should have taken more pictures in Austin but at least I got some great pictures of Kathy and Nadia holding my precious Bella... those are worth posting even if they don't really show much of what we did last weekend :).

This week we kicked off the fall meetings for MK. It was really great getting to see the kids again. We did another MK specific lesson, the same one we did last year to kick off the season. Now I have lots of great art work in my office. They made posters talking about the places they had lived before arriving here in Dallas. This Saturday the MKs are going to be washing cars down at the Cowan Apartments. I love doing that service project! It is really fun washing cars and getting to know the community better.

The weather here has been rainy and getting colder but at a slow crawl. The forecast changes throughout the day, and so here is hoping that we don't get a storm Saturday morning.

Diane celebrated her birthday this week. It was really fun spending time with her yesterday, we went out to breakfast and then headed up to the chiropractor. We sound like old people, but we are young at heart, one of us slightly more than the other :). She is a beautiful year older and I'm so grateful for the years I've had with her. Diane you are a wonderful wife and mother and you are the best thing about our family! We would fall apart without you and we are so grateful for you! Even if we don't always show it. Glad you have such good friends in your life to help make your day special! Love you now and always!

I'm looking forward to the weather getting cooler, to my Indoor Soccer league starting up, to teaching through Mere Christianity, and so much more. I'm excited about what God is doing, and I'm very thankful for you and your role in what God is able to do in my life. You are a blessing and I'm so thankful every time I think of you! Thanks for being on my team!

God is good and we need him!

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. 

Hobitville!

I think we have a new name for our MK summer camp... yeah it's Hobitville... it just seems to stick! I really like it, and we can sort of even use it for an acronym for SKY... Shire, Knowledge, Yodeling or something like that. 

The weekend was fantastic as you can see from the videos and pictures. It was great to get away with the kids, the speaker was wonderful, the worship went great, the skits and games and activities were all fantastic! I really enjoyed the weekend with my leaders and with our amazing youth. I loved seeing them face their fears on the ropes course, I enjoyed getting shot in paintball and I really appreciated watching them eat nasty and weird things :). 

The camp is smaller and all the activities are a la cart, so we ended up doing everything together. There was a wonderful sense of community and I'm really excited about what God is going to do this year in our group after such a great kick off weekend. 

On another note... 

While I was at camp everything was going crazy at home with Diane and the kids. Bella was sick, Liam broke out in a crazy rash and Asher pretended to have pink eye... it turned out to just be allergies. Phew... we are just so tired at home... even Mark is feeling a bit under the weather these days. Please pray for rest and peace to come over the Robbins household... 

On an even other note! 

Football is back... fall is racing toward us and I'm just so excited to be on this side of summer. Summer was great but I'm ready for some cooler weather. Our annoying cat Cinnamon had a terrible accident that left his tail less than stellar. Well that tail is now gone... gasp... but, the cat is still managing to rip out its stitches and still bleed everywhere. So now the cat is back at the vet getting fixed up again... please pray for patience... for me to have patience :). 

Okay, almost finally...

I just want to say that I'm really excited to be going back to Yaounde Cameroon to speak at the R.F.I.S. spiritual retreat! It's going to be in February of next year... and yes I planned the trip to be after Superbowl Sunday... I fly on Monday :). Please be praying for me as I prepare my lessons. I'm so excited for the trip! I love going back to Africa! 

Finally...

Thank you for making all of this possible! Your support is so meaningful! Your prayers and financial donations mean so much and I'm so grateful to you! You truly are a huge blessing to me and my family! 

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. 

Random Thoughts on a Random Thursday

I really like this song by 'Propaganda' called 'Tell me yours' where basically he talks about all the people that are responsible for his music. I'm touched by the sentiment because it makes me think about all the people that are responsible for me being a youth pastor, that makes me think about how crazy and awesome it is that God has enabled me to be here and to do what I'm doing. God uses the weak and the things that aren't, he chooses to use us... we are all weak and none of us really deserve the blessings that God has given us.

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. 

Jamaica!!!

 Miracles... do you believe in them?

When I think back on this years trip I think about miracles! I think about all the things big and small that have their origin in the supernatural. We so often think that a miracle is only when something happens big and instantaneous right in front of us. Suddenly the supernatural breaks through and someone is healed! Well, after this trip I think so differently about what God is doing, his incredible hand in the mundane things, the little miracles that build and build until someone who could never have had a house made of concrete and steel is resting under their roof while the storm rages outside. I think about the little acts of obedience and faith, the trusting and the moving that brought all of us together for those two weeks, I think about how God is always working, and there is so much beauty to see, if we only had the eyes to see it. Honestly, it makes me think that if we focused correctly we could see miracles in progress every day.

We landed on the Island and spent the next three days working harder than I have ever worked on a mission trip in my life. I am so proud of the team that went, these young adults and teenagers worked tirelessly moving stone and dirt, mixing and shoveling concrete, and reflecting God in their attitudes and love! It was hot and humid and wonderful.

Day 4 we went to Westhaven, an orphanage for the handicapped, and when we left one of the kids said that it was like heaven! I was so blessed by that perspective, it is a hard place to go. She said 'everyone accepts you there and doesn't care how you look or act, they are genuine.' It makes me smile thinking about it!

We enjoyed a small break from the work on the weekend and then were back at it on Monday, which is what my note bellow is about. Tuesday and Wednesday I had the privilege of working along side my cousin Sami in Flankers. We did some carpentry for a couple of people who needed a hand. We built a table and bench and a counter, most of it without a tape measure or square... this is Jamaica mon!

Thursday we got to see the roof poured on the house just before rain hit and then stopped while we dedicated the house and then came back. We had no water at Teamwork (where we stay on the island) so to have a shower in the rain was another amazing gift from God! The last couple of days were nice and relaxing with most of the ministry happening on a relational level. Saturday we got to go cliff jumping! Sunday we had the joy of seeing one of our dear Jamaican friends, Sunshine, get baptized!

Monday came and home we went! Being back has been great, but there is always some nostalgia when you leave a place you love. I'm really glad to be home with my kids, who are back in school, and with my baby who just grows and grows. I'm so proud of my wife, she is so strong and perfect for me! I am in awe of how she cares for the family while I am away. This time I planned a special surprise for her everyday I was gone as a small way to say thank you!

I have left the note I wrote bellow and under that are links to all my pictures! Thanks for being a part of this Miracle! I couldn't do this without your prayers and support, I'm so thankful for you and your partnering with me!

Blessings!

Caleb


The Musings of a Fool... 

1 Cor 1:27

"But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and the weak things of the world to shame the strong"

When I see Jesus...

Rippled muscle nesting gently behind smooth skin, a lion majestic and strong, a warrior with a sharpended sword, and arms used to battle, a saviour whose eyes sparkle with joy and love, lips that speak truth that cuts deep, and yet are gentle enought to kiss a babies cheeck. I see the one I need, the one who loves me, and the one I give myself to. 

My body was stiff from working, legs aching, my back was shaped like an "S" and my heart was grieving yet somehow hopeful. I cried out for a miracle and begged for mercy, "who am I, and how can I be that if I can't do what I feel I should?" I resigned myself to be grateful for whatever fell from the masters table, but I hoped for much. 

Monday broke forth, sun blazing through the windows and what wasn't was, the weakness melted away under the warmth of the rays that illuminated my room and strength rested there. The chance to leave fear behind and in its place to put everything I had into the dirt, cement, and grime that was the job site. 

A shovel was my weapon that day, and my strength flowed from deep inside. Bucket after bucket fell to my hand. The day waned but my resolve only grew. A pile disappeared and then the cement came to me. Every shovel full sent pain shooting through my body, and that pain fueled another stabbing of the shovel deep into the cement. 

"You ain't so bad! I'll take everything you have!" Then He showed me how he had come to me as a friend, and the lover of my soul. He came and answered my prayer. He gave me the strength to leave it all and serve Him! He didn't have to, but it was personal, it was love, it was intimate.  "Caleb this is between you and me, you can keep going until the job is done, my strength is made perfect in your weakness."

I rested deeply that night, my joy complete, the next day came and the pain returned, so did a smile, I was part of a beautiful miracle, and I knew that my wonderful savior would sustain me and I'm still smiling. 

On the day that wouldn't end, and the piles of dirt and cement that seemed to never end, I held church, I worshiped a God who looked at what wasn't and made it something, who used me and many like me, those who were willing to trust and obey and in so doing found that God is faithful. I worshiped without music or song, I worshiped deep in my heart with a shovel and covered in dirt and sweat, I worshiped because my heart was overflowing with joy! As I write my eyes are flowing with tears of gratitude! 

We need to look at our God and see the great I Am who can do anything and not look at the world and its troubles until he has strengthened us for the tasks he has given us. Our joy flows from his love that he pours out so freely. We must not live our lives being sad and discouraged. 

The surest mark of a Christian is... 

JOY! 

Jamaica 2014: Bus and outings

Jamaica 2014: Teamwork

Jamaica 2014: Worksite

Jamaica 2014: Westhaven

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. 

Jamaica 2014

A little catching up to do :)

It has been far too long, and there isn't enough space for all the pictures I would have to add, so this post will be me trying my best to summarize the last month or so of my life. It has been really great for the most part! I will give you links to pictures instead of adding lots of them to this post.

Vacation in Maine!

Maine Vacation

It was wonderful getting to see my brother in law Erich and his beautiful family! We relaxed with great friends in the beautiful northeast for 10 days and everyday was full, but not too full, of fun events. We went to the beach and children's museum and a lot of putt-putt golf. We ate lobster! We watched the World Cup, and enjoyed being together! The weather was fantastic, and the beauty was rejuvenating. So many good memories! My brother Luke and his new bride came to visit us for a few days while we were there, which was very nice.  The 6 of us played Pictionary and Taboo late into the night (we know how to party). I started a "Go USA" chant in a restaurant during the USA vs Guinea game! Everything went off smoothly until we hit Houston on the way home. Storms delayed/canceled many flights including ours. We got home in the wee hours of the morning, but if that is the only trial you have in 10 days, I suppose you can count yourself very blessed. Oh yeah poor Asher also gashed his head open while we were playing putt putt. He's fine now though. Every boy needs a few good stories like that!

Celebrate Freedom!

Celebrate Freedom

This is one of our favorite events of the year! We go to an all-day outdoor Christian concert at Southfork Ranch (where the hit show Dallas was filmed) and enjoy good music while playing cards and running around with the kids. They have a great area set up for kids to do activities and there is also plenty of open space to throw a football or kick a soccer ball. The night ends with a fantastic fire works show, which was nice to have since the show in Duncanville was cancelled this year. The two artists we really enjoyed seeing were Michael W. Smith and David Crowder. It was nice to have Micah and Nadia join us this year!

World Cup!

At&t Stadium

Diane and I have really enjoyed the World Cup this year, and the U.S. getting out of the group of death was especially exciting for us. The metroplex has really gotten behind the U.S. and was showing their games in theaters and at Cowboys Stadium for free. The big draw for our whole family was going to the stadium! It was great getting to see the Belgium game on the big screen! We had to leave after the game to get Mark to work on time... which is good since the over time was a sad loss :(. However, the whole experience was fantastic.

Odds and Ends.

I loved getting away, but it has been really nice to get back and hang out with these amazing MKs again. We are gearing up for Jamaica at the end of this month and getting ready for our big camp over Labor Day weekend. Monday nights have been going really well! The week before I left for vacation I was helping P.B.T out with some youth ministry. It was really great getting to help them out and getting to know some of their youth better. Nadia has been teaching some this summer and is doing a fantastic job. It is great seeing her stretched and watching her shine as she grows. We are going through the Beatitudes. We have had a few fun events. One highlight was getting to see some dear friends in town for a short while and go to Ellen's Amusement with them (where you can Go-Kart and Putt Putt and do batting cages and arcade). They have two MKs that are very dear to my heart! Yesterday we spent all day at Burgers Lake, which is a man-made lake with water slides and high dives and more. It is a great place to spend a day with the kids. My kids really enjoyed playing with all the MKs! So much wrestling, so little time.

We have enjoyed having David around this summer while he is on break. Mark and I got to drive down and see his school and help him move out and clean his apartment. That was also a great chance for Mark to get some driving time in! We are hoping to get him his license by the end of this month! David is gone for this month in Colorado but will get back just before I leave for Jamaica. I'm glad Diane will have her brothers around to help out.

This summer has been full! I'm also trying to read through the Bible in 90 days, which has been pure joy! God's word is so amazing and it gives me renewed joy and passion for what my parents and so many missionaries I know are trying to do in getting it translated into every language! I am so thankful for the part I get to play in their lives and in the lives of their children! I'm so thankful for the part you play! I couldn't do this without you and I'm so thankful for you and your support!

Bless you all!

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.