The Greater Work

Many years ago, the author of "My Utmost for His Highest", Oswald Chambers, wrote these words:

"Prayer does not prepare us for the greater works. Prayer is the greater work."

We subscribe to this wholeheartedly. We often remind folks that while they may not be intimately acquainted with our daily needs, challenges and issues, the great God that they lift us up to is. He alone is aware of all these things (even better than we are ourselves), and He alone is able to meet those needs, conquer those challenges and deal with those issues.

We thank you for lifting us up to the Father. We pray for you as well. Thanks also to the ladies of Sandy Springs Baptist for prayer-walking the Campus while you were here. May we all be engaged daily in The Greater Work.

Kentucky Elk

You may know that the state of Kentucky has been repopulating the mountain areas with elk for the past several years. The herd is healthy and doing very well and is estimated to be around 6,000 in number. This past Thursday night, our good friend and neighbor and Lieutenant with Kentucky Game and Fish, Frank Campbell, took us and the team from Walton, KY up to an elk viewing area in Knott County, about 35 minutes from the Campus. Homer Pigman with Kentucky Game and Fish also came and drove several folks in the group.

We drove around the area for a few minutes and saw a couple of elk from a great distance and then Frank took us to another spot where we saw at least 58 elk! It was so awesome to be able to watch these gorgeous animals in this wild habitat. There was a great mix of bulls, cows and loads of calves and even Frank commented on how great this particular herd was looking. We sat and watched them until almost dark, enjoying the cool mountaintop breeze and the beautiful sunset. It was an evening we won’t soon forget. Come visit us and we’ll be glad to take you up and try to find some elk.

New stalls

While our dream has long been to be able to have an equestrian ministry here, there are several things that needed to take place before that can happen. One was the need for additional horse stalls. While the barn that we have is great, it was a dairy barn, and all the floors are concrete and the ceiling is just high enough for people and cows. Casey built a great stall for Rolex, and we were able to make a stall in the dairy barn for Fred (since he is vertically challenged), but that was basically all the room we had.

A few weeks ago a friend of ours who owns a septic service and sand/gravel business offered the services of a backhoe/front end loader for the day and he was able to grade the pad for extending the barn, and dig a french drain culvert to pull the water away from the existing barn and new pad. With the help of some great mission teams (1st Evangelical Free, Rockford, IL; Forks of Elkhorn Baptist, Frankfort, KY; and Calvary Church, St. Peters, MO) we are now well on our way to having a total of six full-sized horse stalls! We still have to get the rest of the roof on and finish the walls and doors, but we are certainly well down the road toward completion.

Thanks so much to everyone involved! Now if whoever the Lord is calling to be the Equestrian Ministry Director would just go ahead and answer the call...

View from the top of Pine Mountain

On July 4th, we were able to go over to Shekinah Village (http://www.meridzo.org/) and have a great cookout and afternoon of relaxation. On the way back, we stopped off at one of the lookouts on top of Pine Mountain and we were reminded of just how much we enjoy living here. I decided it was time to venture into the world of putting videos on the blog, and so, with Austin's technical expertise and assistance, here it is. Enjoy...

Out of the comfort zone

A lot of people know that my comfort zone has long included only those places I can go with my feet on terra firma. Yes, I have this thing with heights. I don't really like 'em. I know that many of the places you can go "up there" really are safe, but I just have this lack of balance thing going on when I can see lots of air between me and the ground. Needless to say, when Bill asked for the 3rd time out of four mission trips about painting the barn roof (which badly needed to be done), I was once again reluctant to pursue this goal. He was determined that it would be done, and since I was the only available help, I had to elect myself as his assistant.

Two days later the roof was painted and I was actually walking around on that roof with some degree of confidence. I have to admit though, that as much as I was pleased with how it looked, I was equally plased to have it over and done with, even though it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

Isn't that how it is when the Lord asks us to do something that is outside our comfort zone? We are comfortable with out feet on the ground, but that's not how roofs get painted. What is he asking of you today? Go on... climb the ladder.

Happy 18 Years!

Yes, yesterday was our 18th wedding anniversary. Sometimes it's hard to imagine that it has been that long since we were wed. The Lord has been so faithful and we have grown so much... we have grown together and grown in our relationship with Him. Thank you Lord for 18 wonderful years.

This was our 5th time to celebrate our annivesary here on the Campus, but only the first time that we weren't crazy-busy with mission teams, etc. Austin and Heather cooked and served us a delicious dinner, complete with candle-light, soft music and flowers on the table. Of course it was the romance food of all times - spaghetti!

We finished out our "date night" by watching the classic John Wayne movie, The Fighting Seebees with the kids. Not your idea of a date? Well, it was a wonderful evening for us.

Best Friends Forever...

Yes, we got back from our trip to D.C. and the next day was a happy/sad one. Happy, because we are excited about what the Lord has in store for the Robinsons in this next phase of their lives, but sad because we are parting company with 8 of the best friends we have ever had. As they begin their new adventure, we wish them all the happiness and richest blessings of the Lord. We love you guys and miss you much already!