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What has Robin been doing the last 40 days?

What has Robin been doing the last 40 days?

by | Aug 16, 2017 | trip, Uncategorized

Tuesday, I walked back into my office after taking 40 days off.

That is a long time!

It was an incredible time of rest, travel, family, fun, recreation, eating, sleeping, and everything else besides work or going to my church.  I changed my phone number and gave it out to no one except my family and Will Krauss.  I shut down my Facebook account and logged off of Instagram and Twitter.  It was incredible to not get one text, phone call, or notification.  There was a lot of of quiet time.  I actually got bored a few times.  Heck, one day, I binge-watched The Beverly Hillbillies.

Someone told me, “It must be nice to be able to take off 40 days.”  They were not being overly rude, but there was a sort of attitude about it.  What they do not realize is that for the last 14 years I have been building a team or family that is more than qualified to continue the work here without me.  So, yes, it is quite nice to take a sabbatical.  The team did a fantastic job without me.  Several Sundays they had to add chairs because the size of the congregation.  They baptized 81 people on one Sunday.  One man was healed of stage 4 cancer.  I’m pretty sure that was all God.  I heard that only 2 people quit the church. Ha!

My family and I took an amazing 16 day RV road trip.  Kennady hung out with my parents here in Texas while Erica, the boys, and I drove through the southwest. We traveled through the Davis Mountains of Texas, Tombstone, Arizona, The Grand Canyon, Zion National Park and Arches National Park in Utah, Purgatory Colorado, and Taos, New Mexico.  It was 16 days of amazing landscapes and quality family time.  I selected some pics here to give you a little taste of the glory.

Hanging with Kristin Ragsdale and Trina Lowe!

 

In week four, I cruised over to West Monroe, LA to visit some pastor friends of mine.  Christ Church WM was hosting a summer revival and my dear friends John Ragsdale and Jeff Hennigan were a couple of the speakers.  It was awesome to hang with them and their wives. Plus, I spent time with Pastor Tom and Trina Lowe, Dr. Phil Brassfield, Matt Brock, and many other friends.  This was the first time I had been in a worship service in a loooong time. Everything was so fresh and meaningful.

 

Crushin’ it with Bart and Noah.

The final week, I went for one last trip to Angel Fire, New Mexico with my Uncle Bart and cousin Noah. We went extreme downhill mountain biking. WOW! It was awesome!  I rented a downhill bike and full body armor. We rode the chairlift up the mountain and then cruised down the slopes on banked turns and tabletop jumps.  I felt like I was 10 years old again! So fun.  Yes, I had a small injury, but no hospital visits.

All in all, the 40 days were deeply spiritual even though I was completely out of my normal groove.  I had to force myself to not think strategically or even brainstorm.  This was really difficult for me. I am so driven to constantly dream, plan, scheme, etc.  I desperately wanted to go back to church on Sunday a few times.  However, the space that I created was the perfect spot for refreshing. It was a place of clarity.  God brought a Hebrews chapter 4 type rest into my spirit that was desperately needed.  (If you don’t know what I’m talking about, go look it up).  As a result, I have a completely new perspective of my life and the church.  I am hearing from God.  I am ready for the next chapter.  To the church folks, who missed me…I missed most of you too. HA!  Ready to see you Sunday and do what I do.

Oh yeah, I also grew a beard.

 

Here are some more scenic pics I took from the journey.

The Right to Life

The Right to Life

by | Feb 18, 2016 | Uncategorized

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Right to Life

I (Robin) was once again asked by Texas Alliance for Life testify before the Texas Senate’s Committee on Health and Human Services.  They are considering a bill that will close the door for ‘wrongful birth’ lawsuits.  In other words, parents can sue doctors, nurses, hospitals (any medical person or place) because the parent wasn’t notified of their child’s disability and would have aborted if they would have known.   They can sue because their child was ‘wrongfully born’.   This is what I read before them today that supports giving anyone and everyone the right to life:

 

 

Hello, My name is Robin Steele from San Marcos, TX. I am speaking in favor eliminating the cause of action called “Wrongful Birth”. My wife, Erica, and I were expecting our first child in September 2001.   When had our first sonogram at 30 weeks of pregnancy, all our dreams and visions for our child came to a crashing halt. Our daughter’s brain was almost non-existent.  She was diagnosed with profound hydrocephalus. “Your daughter might not be born alive or live very long after birth.  She could possibly be blind, deaf, and severely disabled.  Most likely, there will be learning disabilities and mental retardation.”

We were given two options.   C-section at 38 weeks or a late term abortion out of state

Kennady was born November 24, 2001.  After birth a MRI revealed that her condition was actually much worse than they originally thought.  She had Alobar Holoprosencephaly.  The brain surgeon told us she could be expected to live anywhere from 6 months to two years (if she was lucky).

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Right to Life

Kennady celebrated her 14th year birthday in November.  She is unable to walk or talk, She is unable to sit up or eat on her own. However, She is the happiest seventh grader you have ever seen in a wheelchair. She speaks volumes with a contagious smile. Your heart will melt when you take her by the hand, and she starts giggling.  She doesn’t know about the tension in the Middle East.  She has never met a stranger and has no clue that people stare in the grocery store.

Suing a medical professional because our Kennady was born with a disability is like suing CBS because the Panthers lost the Superbowl….as if the network had responsibility in the loss. If all odds are against the our favorite team and it looks as though they will lose, the team will still want to play and give it their best. The game is really up to the team.  The disability and chance for life is truly owned by the child.  It is his or her right to have a chance at life to live or die naturally.   Who are we to usurp our authority into a situation where only God owns the rights?

As parents, we take ALL responsibility for that child until that child has reached the age of personal responsibility.  If that child never reaches that age, then you, as the parent, must own that responsibility.  That is part of living in the world in which we live.  Things don’t go as planned.  Hurdles, mountains, and deserts are to be crossed.  When these challenges come our way, we don’t look to the nearest scapegoat in order to make ourselves feel better or skirt our responsibility.  No, we do the right thing.  We love our kids and raise them to be all they can be.  We learn from them.  We are changed into better people because we have allowed brokenness to be meaningful.

 

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A Thanksgiving Plan

A Thanksgiving Plan

by | Nov 16, 2015 | Uncategorized

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Avery’s Selfie: We love his style. Missing teeth, sweet spirit, daring adventure attitude…the list goes on and on.

The other day, I (Robin) was sitting on the couch after a long day in the office.  I was so tired.  Oddly enough, most of the family was sitting together in the living room downstairs.  Avery, our 9yr old son, said, “Dad, look at me.  I am going to do 20 somersaults on the floor.”  Honestly, I thought, “Why in the world are you going to do 20 rolls on the floor?  I don’t think I have the energy or focus to watch you do something so boring. Can’t you do something else?”

Without being able to contest or put him off, he jumped into the air and started rolling across the floor. He rolled and rolled and rolled some more.  He linked as many rolls together as he could. Then, he would run into a couch, turn and continue rolling.  With each roll, I melted a little.  My brain began to focus and my heart began to melt.  I began to cheer for him and count loudly for each roll.  He went from 20 rolls to 30 to 40 and finally collapsed after 50 consecutive rolls.  I was yelling for him to keep going.  He laid on his back, arms stretched wide, looking at the ceiling, and breathing heavily. He said, “I’m done.”

As soon as he finished, I realized that I was so thankful for him.  I was so thankful that he was alive and could roll on the floor. I was thankful he could call my name. I was thankful that he was interested in impressing me with the seemingly meaningless skill of consecutive somersaults.  God has a way of using things like somersaults as an alarm clock, waking us from our deep slumber.

Our blistering pace of life seems to put to rest our thankgiving.  I think there is a feeling of gratitude way below the surface.  We all understand that we don’t deserve the blessings, the people, the life we live. However, we rarely slow down long enough to actually allow those “thoughts of thanks” to bubble up to the surface and make themselves known.

Enter Thanksgiving (you know, the 4th Thursday of November).  It’s a good thing.  If not, we would probably go years before some issue of life hit us up across the head and finally woke us up.

Why are you thankful this year?  A better question may be: What are you thankful for today?  Does it take a while to dig something up?  We are conditioned to think we need more…that what we have could always be improved or increased.  That type of thinking naturally washes away a thankful, content heart.  Maintaining a thankful heart in the midst of struggle or hard work is near impossible.

My thoughts on how to change that: Start a Daily Thankful Habit

We all have some good, daily habits.  You know, little ones that make a big difference.  We tell our kids we love them.  We hug our spouse.  We pray for our food.  What if we added a little thankful habit?  Maybe we need a Thankful App on our phone or a notification on our tablet.  Take 5 min and slow down. Meditate on it. Write it down. Post it. Journal it. Tell someone. Tell God.

You need a plan.  

Plan what you will do. Plan what you will do for the 5min.  Will you simply meditate on it? What will stimulate the thoughts? What will you do with the thoughts (write them, talk to others, post them)?

Plan when you will do it. Plan how you will remember to do it.  Find some other pattern or habit that is secure and attach this habit to it.  OR attach the habit to a certain thought you have each day.  You need a trigger to activate the habit.  If you don’t connect a new habit to a trigger, you will not remember to do it.  Plan a way to remember it for the first 2 months.  Some say it takes 21 days to establish a habit.  Maybe I am slow, but I have learned it takes me 2 or 3 months.

Plan who will be involved. Plan who can help you generate this thankful lifestyle.  Who in your life could continue this conversation of gratitude (probably someone who you are already thankful for)?  Maybe you simply find someone new each week to share your thoughts with.

Warning: using social media as a venue for expressing gratitude is dangerous.  I am all for honoring others publicly, however using social media can quickly reverse the conversation and make it about your fulfillment instead of expressing gratitude with integrity.  I have often posted something on Facebook and find myself going back to see who all liked it and commented on it.  My thoughts are sometimes tainted with disappointment if that particular post didn’t get as much traction as I wanted. Maybe none of you are like that. In that case, disregard my warning and keep posting. 🙂

 

Did You Waste Your Summer Break?

Did You Waste Your Summer Break?

by | Aug 25, 2014 | Choices, How to deal with pain, Uncategorized

Our boys are riding their bikes to school on Monday.  They will walk into third and fifth grade.  Kennady will be taking the bus to 7th grade (Simon Junior High).  It is here already.  We have so many questions as this day approaches.

Did we maximize the summer?  

Did we do enough fun stuff?  

Did we waste the time off?

I have an interesting idea: We should be more “summer-like” all year ’round.

You should really be more unproductive on a regular basis.

I feel confident in saying that to 99% of Americans.  At least, you should try to be unproductive.  I think sometimes we try so hard to be productive that we end up burning out and not being productive at all.

God was rolling along, creating things, saying they were good when, after 6 days, he stops and decides to do nothing productive.  He rested.  Then, when the law was being given to his people, he makes one of the big ten laws, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” Exodus 20:8

It must be a pretty big deal if it made the top ten list.

I always thought that keeping the Sabbath meant that I was supposed to go to church every Sunday.  It was like, “Remember to go to church every Sunday and don’t forget it! Make sure you go!”  However, the Sabbath is more and better than simply going to church every weekend.  It can and should include gathering with other believers to worship God, but it will include other ‘non’-activities.

Here is my take:  “Remembering the Sabbath, to keep it holy” means: Don’t forget to keep one seventh of your life unproductive.  One day a week, intentionally do nothing that is of productive value.  By resting one day of the week, you are communicating to God that you do not believe you are the source of accomplishment in your life.  You are worshipping God by saying,  “I trust that you are in control of everything.  I have worked hard this week and now can confidently rest because I believe/trust that you, Jesus, are in ultimate control.  All the loose ends from my task list are not going to sink my job, me, or the world.  I can be unproductive today because your word says,

“…there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world.” Hebrews 4

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Last week, I went on a cruise with around 30 other folks from our church.  The second day on the boat, we all gathered in a room for a group meeting.  They weren’t sure what to expect. Was I going to preach, teach, have an altar call? (Maybe I should have after Karaoke the night before.)  We all sat down and I led them in a short discussion about doing nothing on the boat all week.  I told them that I didn’t want them to even think about anything productive.  Don’t read a book unless it is for fun, don’t write notes for when you get back on land, don’t do work on the laptop, try your hardest to do…nothing.  Nothing but have a good time.  We were going to rest. We were going to remember a Sabbath to keep it holy.
I told them that when we left the boat we were going to be spiritually and emotionally higher than when we got on the boat. We were going to be more spiritually healthy. (Probably not physically healthy because we were going to eat around 10,000 calories a day).  We were going to be stronger when we left.  Not because we had an encounter or specific moment on the cruise, but because we were being obedient and faithful to God by….doing nothing productive. Resting. Trusting that God had everything under control back on land.

As Americans we aren’t conditioned to think this way.  We are geared to produce at any expense.  We are trying to eliminate all angles that slow us down or hinder growth.  We are wired to never take a break.  Elizabeth was on the boat with us. She was so relieved to hear the message that day. She told me, “I am always trying to find ways to be productive while I’m resting. I feel guilty simply doing nothing and feel like I am expected to always be productive.”

Two lumberjacks were in competition for several hours.  They were trying to see who could chop the most wood.  One relentlessly chopped without a break. The other took breaks every thirty minutes.  The one who took breaks won.  When asked how he won while taking breaks, he said, “Every time I took a break, I sharpened my axe.”

IMG_0156While we were on the boat, I challenged our people to think about sharpening their axe.  Every time the temptation came to disobey God (and be productive) use that as an opportunity to say a short prayer.  Those are testing moments.  Do I trust God’s plan of rest? Do I trust his reward of obedience.  Work hard for 6/7ths of your life and then rest hard for 1/7th of your life.  Instead of being so balanced that you are always trying to work and always trying to rest, think of it being more of a pendulum.  When it is time to work, give it all you got.  Then, when it is time to rest, give it all you got.

Go sharpen your axe!

What has your rest been like lately?

Do you struggle to find rest?

What do you do to make sure you are following God’s plan for a regular Sabbath?