OK, it’s late, wayyyyyy past my bedtime, and you know we all have to be at church in the morning (oops, it is morning); but I had to tell ya about the blog.  Yep, I did it again, I have re-created myself once again on the blogsphere; oh the many lives of me 🙂  But seriously,  as you all know, I am starting seminary this fall, and wanted to create a place where I can journal the experience, and perhaps attempt to connect with some other single moms who may be in seminary, or may jsut be single moms,  Anyhow, I will be keeping this blog too; not sure how it’s all gonna work, but we’ll figure it out as we go kids! So I hope you’ll keep tabs on me, where ever that may be, and I’ll do my best to pop in over at your blogs from time to time as well.  God bless and see  ya round the blogshere 🙂 

P.S. opps, blog address wold help, aye?  http://robinrichards.wordpress.com Yep, that’s me

It’s been a really emotional day for me.  Today, I got the email that I have been praying and waiting for.  It’s been a long year for me.  I have had a season of God taking me out of the working world and make me literally sit, and give Him my full attention.  It’s been a time of testing and trials, but also of growth, learned obedience and surrender.  I remember getting to the end of my rope and literally crying out to God saying “fine, have your way, I surrender it all, completely”.  “I’m not going back to O.K. and what ever your going to do, you better just make that really clear, b/c I sure don’t know what I’m trying to achieve in my own strength”.  That cry began to take me to new levels in my faith, a deeper relationship with God where His Holy Spirit would fall on me in such a way that I have never been the same since.  Talk about sanctification, and a driving desire to attain holiness!  That is how I was starting to feel.  After I settled down my soul a bit, and got my bearing back on the ground, I continued to be stretched and learn more about who I was in Christ and who I am desiring to become more like every day with a burning, intimate passion.  I don’t know exactly when it happened, but at one point I remember God specifically nudging me with the idea of attending seminary.  “Surely not I Lord” I thought, “I have no Biblical training, and look at all the ministries that I can’t even get off the ground, what good am I?  I don’t know enough to do this.”  But as soon as I said this, it seemed as though He brought peace and said to me “Robin, Go, I am sending you to prepare you, I have seen your continued surrender and obedience, and I know that your haert desires after me alone; I’ll equip you with strength and meet every need, I have a plan and purpose for you and will show more that to you as you walk with me; continue to obey in this because I am with you.”  O.K., maybe that’s not word for word, but it’s pretty darn close.  Long story short, I started looking into seminaries, and visited some during my Easter break.  I studied their websites, statements of faith, and accessibility to my needs.  After choosing 3 different seminaries with 3 completely different backgrounds, I knew that I needed to dig deeper and really understand what I believed.  Although my theological base is still being formed, I truly feel that I align the most with Asbury Theological Seminary, which is based in the Wesleyan-Armenian tradition.  Perhaps it is b/c my current and previous pastors have attended and it has shaped their teaching and my learning, or perhaps it is also part of my own experiences of faith.  All I know, is that even before I started to truly understand the diffenreces in these 3 institutions, God had always given me a sense of peace about attending Asbury.  With their virtual program and campuses in Orlando and KY, I know that I am going to be getting a top notch education.   So I just had to share the joy because it is a new beginning,  and who knows what God is up to, but I’ll be sure to keep you posted as I continue to live surrendered and learn to worship Him with my life of obedience.  God Bless, and see you on the Adventure!

Well, I knew this post would come sooner or later, and so here it is.  For most people who know me, or see me on facebook, it has been made public knowledge that I strongly have felt the call to attend seminary.  For me, this was not an overnight realization, although sometimes it could look or feel that way.  Many know that I’ve been unemployed for the past year, which, like everything else has been a blessing and a curse.  “I’ve grown allot with Jesus”, now seems like an understatement, but I’ve also been humbled in many forms, and had my share of holy temper tantrums that I freely shared with anyone within PC distance.  I’ve also accomplished allot; such as well, my undergrad. for one, slowly learning to organize my time and my life better, and learn the never-ending art of daily surrender to the Father.  If you’ve been reading this blog at all, you know that I am a very passionate and very open person who wants to be used by God in big ways; but as I type that last sentence, I am reminded that His ways are always backwards from ours, and so I tread that line with a bit of Holy fear and submission to His will on my life.  I guess for me I feel that this is the next step in many things God.  It will be part learning in allot of different areas of the Christian Church, and History,  part continued sanctification of me, and part building relationships with classmates and peers who will end up shaping me into who God desires me to be.  As I went through the application process, I had to write an entrance essay and provide pastoral references.  Easy enough, but for me, this was a huge affirmation in the process.  As I mentioned, many of my “holy temper tantrums” got thrown in the face of my pastors and some of my church leaders.  It was a way for me to deal with my hurts, my concerns, my growth, and just whatever God has been doing with me.  I say this, b/c I shared some really hard stuff with them, and I felt that through it all; this call on my life would be the stopping point if their ever was one; but instead my news seemed to be welcoming.  Perhaps they thought I was up for the challenge, or needed to be stretched in this direction, but perhaps more than that, they understood the call more than I did.  I am ever grateful for them, especially my senoir pastor who has been a huge help in helping me understand this call stuff better.   Along with the excitement of hearing this very clear call on my life, it’s met with lots of unknowns for what God is up to in it all, but as I was reminded today by an awesome blog post at Going to Seminary :http://www.goingtoseminary.com/god-honoring-reluctance/  that even great people like Moses doubted when He heard the call from God to lead the people out of Egypt.  God said to Him, as He does me “Go, for I will be with you”.  So that is really what I needed to hear today; that even though I don’t feel sufficient in my own strength, that I don’t feel that I have enough Bible knowledge, experience, or any other measure I may be looking at, the bottom line is that God has called, so I will obey.  What He has started in me, He will finish and  it’s good to know that my reluctancy and fears are well known among seminary students at all levels.   Thank you Jesus for once again using others in my path to help remind me that everything is going to be O.K. and that you will work out everything for your perfect will as I continue to surrender and obey to you.  I love you Lord!  Just had to say it again!