1/2 Marathon with TobyMac

On April 24th, Michelle participated in the Nashville Country Music Marathon. This is a bit ironic since neither Michelle or I are country music fans. It all started back in December while at a TobyMac concert that Toby mentioned putting together a team to run to raise money for New Hope Academy...a Christian school that reaches out to low economic children. Michelle had thought about running a 1/2 marathon before so this opportunity intrigued her...not to mention that TobyMac is one of our favorite Christian music recording artists.
So, on Thursday the 22nd we jumped on a plane and headed for Tennessee. Little did we know but Nashville was expecting the biggest thunderstorm of the year the same day as the marathon. Well, the rain did not come down until Michelle, Toby, and his wife Amanda (pictured above) passed the finish line. They all finished the 1/2 marathon (13.1 miles or 21 km) in 2 hours and 14 minutes.
Our next concern was getting home on Saturday as we were scheduled to fly out that day but there was a tornado watch because of the thunderstorm. About 2 hours before takeoff, the skies opened up and we took off on time. The next storm was just blowing in as we took off...God is so good!!!
Michelle & Toby returning from the finish line

Much to be thankful for!!!

One year ago, we were having Thanksgiving dinner with the Roper family in Herborn, Germany. This Thanksgiving, after returning from Germany and spending 4 1/2 months with Robert's parents, the Lord blessed us with a house of our own to celebrate Thanksgiving in. We were blessed to be able to invite family over and celebrate God's goodness. We have so much to be thankful for...with the greatest of all being God's grace and mercy. He continues to do exceedingly abundantly more than we can ask or think. Regardless of your circumstances this time of year, know that God is good and His grace abounds towards you and His mercies are new every morning...something that should put a smile on our faces every day.

A Blessed Time Away

We, Robert and Michelle, were blessed to get away together for 3 days. We were given an all expense paid stay at the brand new Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. This was the first time Michelle and I had returned to Rancho Palos Verdes after being married there over 13 years ago. We had plenty of time to rest, play, and pray together. We spent a lot of time on the rock that Michelle is pictured on above. We would sit there and pray, talk, and listen to the ocean. The rocky shoreline made an amazing sound as the waves crashed upon them and as the water receded back the rocks made the same sound as a rain stick...it was so relaxing. It was an absolutely wonderful time together in one of the most beautiful places you can go.

Going Back To School

After I (Robert) finished my Master's degree in Education 8 years ago, I pledged that I would never go to school again. Well, for the last few years I have had the desire to go to Seminary to get a better grounding in the Word of God. After much prayer, I enrolled in Seminary earlier this year. The current course that I am enrolled in is "Biblical Hermeneutics". It is an absolutely amazing course. Hermeneutics is the science and art of correctly interpreting the Scriptures. I have learned so much and enjoy learning. If you are serious about understanding the Bible, I would recommend reading a good book on hermeneutics. One of the books that I am reading for my course that I would recommend is "Basic Bible Interpretation" by Roy B. Zuck.

As part of studying God's Word, I use Logos Bible Software. Not only is Logos the one of the best Bible softwares that I have used, the company is a great company as well. They even offer a seminary scholarship to those enrolled in Seminary.

Vacation Bible School

Every year, Calvary Chapel Chino Hills hosts a Vacation Bible School (VBS). They offer a one week long kid's program to all the 1st-6th grade kids in the fellowship as well as any kids in the community who would like to attend. The program is free and is absolutely top class. We landed in California on June 26th and VBS began the following Monday on June 29th. It was quite overwhelming for Moriah and Rebekah when they showed up. There were an estimated 2,000 kids there on Monday. It was absolutely amazing!!! Our girls slowly adjusted to the large amount of people and ended up having a wonderful week.

First Things First...

It didn't take long to fulfill one our cravings! At around 5PM about 14 of us headed down to In-N-Out together. It was just as good as I remembered it. For those of you in Heidelberg, I know Chriss talks about In-N-Out all the time. Well, you will have to judge it for yourself when you come visit us!!!