In an effort to bring more peace to our lives, Michael and I have decided to take one day a week for pleasure.  We are going to visit the many beautiful places surrounding us and enjoy the beauty of God’s creation.

Our first adventure took us to Frosty-Acres All Natural Gourmet, Grass Fed Beef in Adin, California.  Now, all of you vegetarians turn your heads as I tell you the reason for our visit.  We decided to purchase 1/4 of a cow!  Organic beef is now sitting in pretty packages in our home freezer and now we don’t have to go to the grocery store and take what is put on the shelves or pay extravagent prices for a small piece of meat.

The tricky part for me, is to understand that my beef actually comes from a cute little cow grazing out in the field.  But I thought it was important not only from the organic side, but to know the people that raised our beef!  I was delightfully surprised with the couple that met us as we pulled into the ranch.  Andy and Helen Albaugh have a small ranch (4,000 acres together with their family) and were excited to tell us all about their family and home and even gave us a tour of the original homestead, which was purchased by his parents back in 1937.

It was a glorious day and I had so much fun tromping around the ranch and touring the original barn built back in the 1800′s.  Andy shared wonderful stories of the way the barns were made back then, pointing out that there was no metal in the entire barn.  We viewed the stalls where the horses got to rest from their workday, along with the harnesses, still hanging alongside of the stall.  We walked to the center of the huge barn and saw how they drove the horses through with the hay and threw it up into the loft.  Brought back a lot of good memories of my youth and crawling around in the hayloft with my sisters.

And talk about research!  Andy was able to share with us the history of dairy cattle and why some people might even be allergic to today’s milk because of the gradual changes that have happened during breeding, trying to get higher production, which may have affected the milk!  Who knew?

When I was growing up I would hike up the hill to visit my dad with his “girls” he called them.  He had around a 100 head of milking cows, and he’d be down in the pit pushing the cows through and hooking them up to the milking equipment.  We’d shout down to him and wave and of course his happy smile to see us and wave back was always a wonderful reward.  Eventually he’d come up to check on the milk in the huge tank and dip out a pitcherful of milk to take down to mom.  The thick cream would rise to the top and she’d use that for deserts and cooking or for our cereal!  Growing up with milk around the table was a must and we happily drank glassfuls for each meal.

Not quite the same experience today.  I don’t even like the taste of milk and I’ve been told I’m allergic!  Now how could that be?  Seems it’s possible they have been changing the cows on me?!

The Albaugh’s have just recently in the last few years gotten back to the ranch with their family and are learning new ways to sell their product to the public.  Seems this is a pretty popular business right now, and they’re finding their niche but at times it’s difficult with all of the competition, especially if large corporations get in on the act.

All in all it was a glorious day of enjoying the sunshine, the company and the quiet of the beautiful outdoors.  Ranger, our golden retriever was allowed to ride along and I think he was pretty impressed with the “farm life”.   I hope you’ll visit their website and order your meat from them.  Check out the amazing facts of buying grass fed vs grain fed.  It even has Omega 3′s and less calories than grain fed.  Who knew?  If nothing else, take a day and go for a drive.  You won’t regret it!

Hope to see some of you tomorrow at Frank Consulting to pray for the marketplace!

Robbie

The most horrible thing we can imagine is the loss of a child.  As a matter of fact, we would never say it out loud or let it come to the surface of our minds, but it’s there in all of us as  parents.  This week we learned of the tragedy of a young girl who lost her life while skiing with friends.  It shocked everyone out of that place of peace that nothing bad will happen if I follow Christ.  Maybe some of you don’t ever get there, but being saved late in my life at age 38, I thought that was the magic formula.  The grief that comes with the loss of life is many days unbearable and my heart goes out to this family that will have to walk this road.  There is no making sense of this, I pray for peace for this family and friends as they walk through this storm, and that God will sustain them through this tragedy.  When in that place of pain, the only thing that can comfort is friends surrounding them and speaking God’s word of His promises and allowing the people to grieve.

When we gave birth to Lexie (who many of you know was born with trisomy 13) the next day our pastor came and was visiting with me in the hospital and I was crying and said “Why would this happen?”  He gently told me that I would be able to comfort others with the comfort I’d received.  I was stunned!  That’s it?  I was a new believer and hadn’t heard that scripture and I was furious.  I was already a nice person.  Did I need a child who was going to die to be a better comforter?  It wasn’t until years later after Lexie had gone to heaven that I finally understood this scripture:

2 Corinthians 1

³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God…But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God…”

As I found myself comforting this family friend yesterday, I knew this scripture to be so true.  I knew that they would indeed become more reliant on God, but that it would take a while to get there.  All I was to do was to comfort.  I’m so grateful for our little Lexie who came to this earth to teach me so many things and for God who never left my side.  Walking through that storm with my family, I got to the truth of God’s word.  And now I know He will never leave me and that He is there to bring hope.

This week a friend came into the office who had shared last week’s post with some friends.  He told these business people that we were going to pray at noon on Friday and how could we pray for them.  Thinking they would need prayer for their businesses because we pray for the marketplace, several sent back a response within minutes and some within a few hours and all of them were going through personal difficulties that they needed prayer for.  Evidence that there are a lot of people going through pain right now that has nothing to do with their business.  I want to be aware and sensitive to people that are hurting out there.  I don’t want to be so focused on jobs, marketplace, the city, etc., that I don’t see the pain around me in individual lives and I want to come alongside them and ask God to intervene in their lives.  After all, I get by with a little help from my friends.  

Hope you’ll join us Friday, as we pray at noon at Frank Consulting.

Blessings,

Robbie

Do you really believe that?  I wonder if it means that His plan will happen whether you participate or not?  Or that if you stay on the path with Him, no matter what happens to you, God’s plan is going to happen?

Job 42:  I know that You can do all things.  No plan of Yours can be thwarted.

Job repents in dust and ashes, realizing that God has a plan that can’t be stopped and that he was challenging God’s plan.  He was arguing that God’s justice was not right.  That he condemned God to justify himself.

Actually, I imagine Job was so hapopy to have finally seen God and gotten a response.  Almost as if he were thinking there really is a God!  and He’s full of justice!  Now I can rest.

I think I know this place.  The place where I cried out to God over and over again, wondering if He was really there?  Asking Him to show me what good it did to allow such pain in my life.  If He’s there, show me what I was doing wrong?  Why are so many bad things happening?  I thought I was following You and my life was going to be better!

Our daughter Lexie, as many of you know, was born with a genetic disorder and had to have many surgeries.  During one particular stay in the hospital, many mistakes were made which caused her a great deal of pain and suffering.  We all know what happens when we see our little ones suffer, seems like we feel it 10 times!  We were so angry with the doctors and hospital and one day out of anger Mike said “I just want to drop a bomb on this place!”  Not a good thing to joke about during those days.  I was crying out to God “What possible good is all of this doing?  How could all this suffering do any good?  What are we doing wrong?”

God had put a good friend in my life and she began to comfort me by listening to me pour out my anger and frustration.  She listenend and listened until all the anger had seeped out and finally asked in this gentle voice.  ”Do you think you could forgive those doctors?”

“No!”  I yelled, thinking she has no idea what I”ve just been through.  I drove to the hospital still thinking about all that had been said and began talking to God.  This just isn’t going to work, I can’t do this anymore.  I’m going to quit.  This God thing is just too hard.  But by the time I got to the hospital I knew what I had to do.  I forgave those doctors as I sat in the parking lot, every one of them, crying through each one. Then I asked God to give me compassion for them, because I didn’t have any.

Suddenly I was filled with a love for those doctors!  I went around to the trunk of my car and pulled out a stack of paperback new testaments and brought them with me into the hospital.  (Yes, I did.  I kept new testaments in my trunk in case I led someone to the Lord!  Those were my evangelist days…what happened to those!?)  During that month that we stayed at the hospital, I witnessed to, listened to and prayed for so many nurses and doctors.  Lexie’s room always had worship music playing and when people would come in they would say “Wow, it’s so peaceful in here!”  and I would smile and ask them how their day was going.  Even though it was hard to see my baby suffer, I knew that God had a purpose for our lives and we were fulfilling it right there in the hospital.

Nothing can thwart the plans of God.  I can participate if I want to, or I can stand back and watch him do it through someone else.  Some days I want to just crawl back into bed, but I know that if I go to His word and surround myself with good friends, life is the most exciting place I can be and the best adventure I could have ever asked for!

Join us today as we go on another exciting adventure and see what can happens when we pray for the marketplace in Redding…look out world, you’re next!

Noon, Frank Consulting.

Blessings!

Robbie

Come on, be honest.  You’ve had quite a few bad days and suddenly you’re reminiscing about what you used to have.  Thinking about “At least I had a home, a job, an income, my family…you fill in the blank.  I thought back over all the stories I’ve heard since moving here two years ago.  Stories of tragedy, pain, suffering and discouragement.  I began to talk to God about that. “Lord, why would you bring all of us here and allow such suffering?  After all, we came here because we knew there was hope here.”

Instantly I thought of  the story of the Israelites in their exodus from Egypt.  They were so thrilled to see all the miracles to set them free.  They witnessed a huge body of water opening up for them to cross over and then it swallowed up their enemy; but eventually as they travelled on, they became hungry and doubting if they should have come.  Somehow they forgot the problems they had in Egypt and remembered that at least they had meat every night.

EXODUS 16 ² In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. ³ The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”

Why has God brought us here?  So many people have lost homes, income, jobs, even loss of loved ones, and believe they are following God.

What if God is bringing us here to know Him in a way we’ve never known?  What if He’s saying “I want you to be here to know Me and I’m allowing everything in your life to fall away so all that’s left is you and Me.”  Teaching us to be content with only Him.  As if we’re being rewired to trust Him when we have nothing else to hang on to.  As if we’re starting at the beginning again and He’s saying “When I created you I put a destiny inside of you and you’ve been looking everywhere to tap into that.  You’ve done a good job and gone many places building up your character and you’re going to use that for the plan I have for you ahead.”

What if we all came to Redding with our skills and comforts and He’s stripping all that away and saying “Now I’m taking you back to the very beginning.  You’ll still use everything you’ve learned, but we’re going to go a different direction now.”  Think of where we’d be if we had our old life?  We’d depend on the same things we did then.  Now, it’s only God who is our hope.

Maybe that’s what we should have!  A school that everyone goes through when they get here learning how to be reprogrammed and come out with a new destiny on the other end!

^{JOb 23:10} But he knows the way that I take;  when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.

Believe it.  The dross is being scooped away and the gold is emerging.  God knows you.  He knows you’re going to make it through.  He trusts you.

I hope all you golden children of God will join us Friday to pray for the marketplace.  To understand the kingdom of God in the marketplace in greater ways.  To be a walking temple that doesn’t need to go to a place to go to get healed, delivered, raised from the dead:),  divine connections, finances happen…we carry around the Presence of God in new ways and He opens the doors as we listen to Him.

See you at noon at Frank Consulting to pray for His kingdom to come in new and exciting ways.

Hope to see some of you at the Business Plan Workshop this Saturday (presented by Amber and Mike!) and then some at the Entrepreneur Bootcamp on February 9,10,11.  This is going to be fun!!!

Blessings,

Robbie

P.S.  Yesterday Mike received some prayer from some friends totally not related to his neuropathy and within an hour his right leg suddenly stopped having pain!  Thank you Jesus!!!

Ok, so I at least read my bible this morning:)  And am making some lists:)

I decided to pick Job.  So many times when I get overwhelmed I go back to Job and read a while and then I don’t feel so bad.  This guy had everything happen to him that could happen.

He lost his kids, his belongings, his health, and then his wife couldn’t take it anymore and she told him to curse God and die.  Then he thought at least his friends were going to come through for him as they sat in the dust and fasted with him for 7 days.  That seemed like it was going to be a comfort until they opened their mouths and began to tell him how evil he must have been otherwise God wouldn’t be punishing him.

I guess they were scared that something so horrible like this could happen to someone so Godly.  He must have sinned somewhere.  Otherwise, they would have to accept the fact that it could happen to them too.

Job cries out to his friends to stop tormenting him with their words.  Then he lists all the things that he has lost and how God has come against him. A pretty dismal picture until suddenly he says:

I know that my redeemer lives, 
 and that in the end He will stand on the earth. 
And after my skin has been destroyed, 
 yet in my flesh I will see God; 
I myself will see him 
 with my own eyes—I, and not another. 
   How my heart yearns within me!

What a beautiful statement after listing all the things that have happened and how everyone has deserted him.  He truly knows in that moment that it’s God and him.  He’s got to believe what he knows or turn away.  He chooses God.

Have you come to that place yet?  Where there is no one to turn to except God?  The moment you have to make that choice.  God is real, there must be a plan here that I don’t understand, I’m going to praise Him…or turn away.

I suddenly realized that it was time to go for my walk.  I hurried and grabbed my iphone on the way out and thought about the song “My Redeemer Lives” .  I’m going to listen to that while I go for my walk.  Now where is that…I finally find it and wow!  It brought back so many memories of dancing in victory over all the trials we were going through years ago.  My Redeemer Lives, by Hillsong will get you out of your head and into your heart.  I hope you will join me in dancing over all the trials, hurts, pain, and suffering that you have experienced in this life and then dance because Jesus Lives!  He is alive.  Now I dare you to listen to the part where they sing about dancing on the mountaintop and then imagine you’re here with me, as I walk up the trail and get to the mountaintop and dance, singing with arms wide open and twirling in circles My Redeemer Lives!  Hope there are no hunters up here today:)

Come on, I dare you!  You’re gonna love it.  Those of you that used to listen to this song, go back to that feeling of being refreshed, and those of you that have never heard it, come on, give it a try.  You’re gonna love it!

I’m so excited to pray this Friday and proclaim His goodness and the healing that is coming in our family:

Mike, for total healing of his neuropathy (He’s had a fabulous week!)

Christian for his eyes being healed!

Dustin for his hearing to be healed!

Amber for her allergies to be healed!

For the Kingdom of God to be revealed in new ways ins the marketplace!

But most of all, to know, believe and live with the hope that our Redeemer Lives and that’s all that matters.

See you today at noon at Frank Consulting.

Robbie

P.S.  I won’t be here today because I’m in Palo Alto to help Amber and Eric pack because they are moving to Redding!  Mike will be there, so please come and join him.

We want to know:

1. Your name
2. Your business idea
3. Why you think you should win

Another mom happened to stop in and away we went with stories and laughter of how once again we were rescuing our children or family member.  At one point we decided we needed to form our own rescue aid society, for all rescue addicts.  We could give our name, go to the front and confess that yes indeed we are a rescuer.  Next would come the confession of our last rescue attempt, or how long we had been without rescuing.

We began laughing and howling and how funny it all was and realized that the very fact that none of us had parents who were able to help us because they had no money, was the thing that made us strong and built character in us.  And when we didn’t depend on God, it put a fear in us of how we were going to provide, and that we never had enough, which may have transferred to our children of “depending on ourselves!”

Then another couple happened to hear us laughing and stopped in the door.  They were children of our friends and when we told them what we were laughing about they readily joined in confessing that they had only been rescued 3 times this last week and would need a group for the children of the members of the rescue aid society.  More laughter.

I began to ponder that this morning and asked God what is the right way to gift money to loved ones?  I love nothing more than to give my children and friends gifts, help them when they need it.  But then I have to wonder is there an agenda when I give them something?  An expectation perhaps?  Now they should show gratitude?  Or, love me more?  Or even do what I say?  We hope we give money without that, but somehow I think that gets woven in without our realizing it.

Should we never give money?  Just let everyone work it out for themselves?  How does God want this to work?  Should our children benefit because we have been blessed with extra money?  Isn’t that part of the inheritance?

As I began to think about that I suddenly was reminded of Job and his children.

In the land of Uz, there lived a man whose name was Job.  This man was blameless and upright.  He feared God and shunned evil.  He had seven sons and three daughters and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants.  He was the greatest man among all the people of the East.  

His sons used to take turns holding feasts in their homes and they would invite their 3 sisters to eat and drink with them.  When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would send and have them purified.  Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking “perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.”  This was Job’s regular custom.

Job not only blessed his children but confessed their “possible” sins to the Lord for them.  Wow, at least I’m not that bad…haha

So, what if I and all of my fellow rescuers were suddenly able to watch, have compassion on, mentor, and love the people that needed help instead of doing it for them, what would happen to the marketplace?  Would people all suddenly depend on God?

Makes you wonder…

Blessings!

Robbie

P.S. We’ve decided to have one last prayer time to close this year.  If you’re around, stop into Frank Consulting at noon and we’ll pray this year out and the new one in!

I, in turn, received that to mean that Jesus was telling me to take care of those He puts around me.  But usually sheep were referred to as Christians, weren’t they?  So maybe it’s Christians, but somewhere in my heart I think it’s those around me.  Then Jesus goes on to tell Peter a story about what is going to happen to him when he is old and how he is going to die.  Peter suddenly turns to look at John and says well then, “what about him?”

John 21: ²² Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” ²³ Because of this, the rumor spread among the believers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?”

Hmmm, if I think about that I think maybe Jesus is telling me to quit  worrying about what everyone else is doing and understand what it means for “me” to feed His sheep. What is it that He’s put into my hands to carry out His commands?  That whatever He asks me to do, He’s put everything I need around me.  What is the next thing?  Don’t know yet, but I’m opening my heart to whatever door the Lord opens to feed His sheep.

As I continue to think about God and the enormity Him being born here on this earth it just stuns me as I read about the prophecies and the fulfillment of them.  And now, here I am 2000 years later learning how to follow Him!   So huge… But I know I’m grateful, and love the fact that His word never gets old or boring, but new every morning.

Blessings to all of you this Christmas.  We won’t be gathering tomorrow for prayer, as we’re all going to be home, gathering up those finishing touches to celebrate Him and to love on our families. This Christmas I’ve heard a lot of stories about difficult things going on in families and I pray for breakthrough!  That this would be the Christmas remembered because God did a miracle in our families because we decided to “Follow Him”.  To trust in the Lord with all our hearts and lean not on our understanding.

Update on Michael’s health:  He continues to be in much pain, especially if he has to spend a lot of time on his feet or sitting, so we’re working on what rest will look like for the rest of this year. Yesterday someone came in and told the story of Jill Austin having 21 days of shingles and then she had 21 days of angelic visitations.  Wow, I think that sounds like fun!  We thank all of you for your prayers and words of encouragement and know that God has an amazing plan.  Now faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen.  I’m staying there!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Robbie and Mike

“Just coffee please” I now say sheepishly.  Again, that irritated look and I think what is the matter?  Do people never come in for just coffee?  So I offer “My son is over at the dentist, so I thought I’d just duck in here for a cup of coffee”.

“Oh, who’s his dentist?”  she responds.  Why in the world would she ask that, I thought?  Does she have a dentist here?  Do here kids have a dentist here?

“Dr. Schalo” I report, for some reason wanting her to be appeased.

“Oh, I don’t know him.  But there are probably a lot of dentists around here.”

I now get the feeling she doesn’t believe me.  Why would she think I would be lying to her?  Why do I feel the need to defend myself?  I quickly run to the bathroom, not having time to go all morning and when I looked in the mirror I froze.  Who is this crazed madwoman in the mirror.  Her jacket does not match her pants and her hair is still wet and I believe there’s a spot from the pancake batter from morning breakfast on her pants.  In shock I realize it’s me!  And I look like a homeless woman!  Oh my.  That’s what’s been going on.  I’m sure there have been many times homeless people have come in and stayed all day with a cup of coffee and taken up “valuable” seating.  I quickly paid my bill and exited the restaurant.  What had I just experienced?  I think I experienced what a homeless person feels when going into restaurants and places of business.  The rejection was frightening to me.

When I got in the car to pick up Christian I had a thought “What would happen if I lost everything today?  How would I survive?  Would I experience what happened today?”  In the distance I saw a homeless woman wandering the streets.  What had happened to get her to that place?

The radio was on as I drove to the dentist, and  I listened to a story on NPR of a man who decided to leave his family to go and find work.  He ended up in North Dakota living in a trailer so his family wouldn’t have to be uprooted from family and friends.  He didn’t know how long he would have to stay.  He just wanted to find work.

Tuesday night we attended a group that meets to pray about the marketplace.  When we got there we heard testimonies of people who had to some times live in their cars, because they had no money and no where to go.  They were so thankful for the help they received for food, a part time job, and occasional help from family.

As I told Mike my bizzarre tale of woe, he reported a story from the newspaper today regarding the housing market.  The backlog of foreclosed homes was now being processed and he believed there were going to be many people who would become homeless in the near future, all at once.

On Saturday Mike and I participated in the Holiday Feast at our church.  The request to us was to host a table (one each) and to bring the settings and tablecloth and a gift for 7 people at our table.  They fed over 1,o00 people I believe.  It was for families that were in hard times and not able to have a holiday meal.  The two jr. high girls that sat at my table raced each other to the table and began to grab all of the chocolates at my table and pile them up on their plates and ask “Can we have that ?  Can we have that?”  as I assured them they could.  I was a little shocked at first at their frenzy at first, but then realized that was their life.  Grab it all while you can.

Is your head spinning yet?  This all went through my head this morning.

Ok, so how does this all tie in to the marketplace you ask?  I began to ask God “What should I do?”  I can’t ignore all of these people that are so desperate, nor can I be responsible for them all.  What do you want Michael and I to do Lord?  What do you want to happen with the marketplace people. What responsibility do businesses have?  I wish God had told me, but right now it’s just a stirring.  I’ve been thinking a lot about how are we to be prepared for what is possibly coming.  So many people with needs.  Will we need to help set up a food bank?  Will we need to think strategically about a farm, raising crops and animals?  I even took it to the place of “We don’t want people to be dependent on us, so how could we set up something that gives people dignity as they come and get some of their basic needs met?”

So, there you have it.  What would you do?  What do you think is your responsibility?  What would a business do?  All I heard was “Feed my sheep.”

Thanks for letting me go on this journey with you.  I hope some of you will join us on Friday as we lift up our prayers to God and listen.  I know God has the answer.

Blessings!

Robbie