Keeping Up With the Roberts Family
Each month Cliff and Denise Roberts write home to their high desert family at New Life Fellowship to share all the happenings in their lives and their new church community. We look forward to posting their spiritual insights as they continue walking with the Lord in Lakeland, Tennessee.
april: His heart to reveal Himself
Hey everyone! I had a discussion yesterday with Honor and Life about whether they’d prefer to endure Barstow summer heat here in Lakeland (120-degrees PLUS our humidity), or if they’d rather have DOUBLE the pollen flying through the air during the Spring. They both chose the heat. Ha! I’ve been out walking through swirls of pollen blowing like dust clouds in the wind. I’ve seen it poofing off my laces when I get home and take my shoes off. And it’s caked all over the cars, the door handles, the trash can lids and pretty much everything else outside. It’s like we’re living in a sea of yellow powder! I don’t deal with allergies much, but I sure feel for those who do and most of our kids are sneezing, sniffing and eye-wiping their way through each day recently. Please keep them in your prayers.
Tom and I hit the road last month to cover a bit more ground for this Unbroken prayerwalk we’re doing, connecting every state capital. And although we only walked for a few days, we can honestly say that we DID do some prayerwalking during the “winter”. (Thank you, Google calendar.) We often hit the walking trail a bit later in the afternoon, only walked a few short legs, and didn’t get too far down the road from where we started, but it was great to be out praying on the road after a few months of interruptions to our typical travel routine. Between just Tom and myself, the numerous plates spinning in our combined circles sure can seem like they’re moments away from crashing if we don’t keep giving all of them their due attention. But that pressure to keep striving can often be a deceptive distraction, pulling our attention away from waiting and listening and instead busying us with lots of doing. So, we’ve both been extra intentional about keeping our hearts and ears open to the Lord and making sure we’re both still okay with His seemingly unorthodox calendar of semi-scheduled activities. I’m not sure which Hebrew name for God translates to “Editor In Chief”, but that seems to be His primary activity recently when it comes to planning, scheduling…and subsequently adjusting.
I’ve been reading in Mark recently, and his portrayal of the disciples has really challenged me to consider how I’m following Jesus personally. Jesus walks on water and climbs into the disciples’ boat, and Mark records: “They were completely amazed, for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.” (Mk. 6:51b-52) Jesus speaks about the things outside of a man not defiling him, but rather that which comes from within a person making him “unclean”. Mark records the following reaction: “After He had left the crowd and entered the house, His disciples asked Him about this parable. ‘Are you so dull?’ He asked.” (Mk. 7:17-18a) After feeding 5,000 men and leaving 12 basketfuls of leftover food, Jesus then feeds a crowd of some 4,000 people with 7 basketfuls left over. But the disciples quickly find themselves questioning their food supply. “Why are you talking about having no bread?” Jesus asks them. “Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened?” (Mk. 8:17) He reminds them of His previous miracles and asks them again, “Do you still not understand?” (Mk. 8:21) And a few verse later? Yeah, Jesus calls Peter, “Satan”! This wasn’t a good 3 chapters for the disciples.
I read these passages and marvel at Jesus’ closest friends. He spoke and did and revealed amazing things, yet they remained as blind and ignorant as the crowds who eagerly gathered to see Jesus perform another miracle. How could these disciples witness all of this stuff and still not get it? Instead, they diligently rowed their boat across the lake, but with hardened hearts. They listened intently to every word their Lord spoke, but with dull ears. They tried so hard to be faithful and responsible followers, but without any understanding. And one of them even opposed Jesus to His face amidst his fervent passion. And these were The Big Twelve!
Hand to the plow, arms to the oars, diligently obeying their Lord’s instruction to cross the sea, Jesus’ disciples soon found themselves straining to make any progress against the wind (Mk. 6:45-48). Their discipleship wasn’t producing much fruit at the moment, was it? But they were sure working hard to do what they’d been told! Oddly enough, Mark writes that Jesus was about to simply walk right past them until they all freaked out. Apparently, them rowing their boat and getting across the lake, even though they were obeying, wasn’t as big a deal to the Lord as their faith and understanding. Their boat-rowing was far less important than the hardness of their hearts which Mark records.
Ohmygoodness is that ever true of my own life! The current task-at-hand easily becomes more important to me than my own heart condition. And among His Church, rowing the boat often receives more attention than the revelation of the Lord in our midst. Why were the disciples so amazed and shocked by Jesus’ appearance walking on the water? Because they still didn’t recognize WHO was walking. Even after the loaves, they remained blind and ignorant while diligently obeying. GOD was moving and GOD was walking and GOD was speaking. But like the crowds, they saw without perceiving and heard without understanding…and these were His very own disciples!
Rowing the boat isn’t the most important thing, even when we’re obeying. Good stewardship isn’t the most important thing, even when we’re diligently managing our provisions. Passion and zeal aren’t our greatest qualities, even when directed toward noble pursuits. All of that stuff can be done with a hardened heart, dull ears, and a lack of understanding—even while striving to obey Him. God’s thoughts and ways remain higher than ours and He is certainly allowed to remain mysterious to us humble and finite humans. But His heart to reveal Himself to us cannot be denied and He’s woven revelation into His Creation (Rom. 1:20). With humble hearts and open ears, we must faithfully serve, obey, steward and move forward, knowing that while our oars may seem essential for the task He’s given us, they actually aren’t His focus.
I rejoice at much of what I see happening within government, but I know that God’s heart for our leaders is concerned with more than just their diligent implementation of His divine plans. He wants to reveal His nature and the spiritual realities of the issues we face as a nation. Many of our leaders are working very hard, but their oars, and boats, and assigned tasks are simply details of the jobs they’ve been given. Those things can all be done without any real understanding of the One Who’s given them their charge. I encourage all of us to pray for our governmental leaders regularly, that as they row their respective boats they would not miss the spiritual significance of what they’re doing. Justice, truth, righteousness, integrity, purity and love all reflect the nature of God. When government operates in those things, embraces those qualities and prioritizes their involvement across all three branches, we are truly blessed as a nation.
I’m encouraged as well by conversations with so many of God’s people who anticipate major moves of God on the horizon and happening even now. There’s a general sense held by many that our obedient efforts and faithful prayers are being answered in dramatic ways. But again, our boat-rowing isn’t what makes Jesus come walking to us on the water, and we mustn’t miss what He is showing us as we’re consumed with an abundance of activity. He’s not calling us to throw out the oars and burn the ship, but rather that we would not allow the task to distract us from the goal. And no, the goal is not to cross the lake…that’s why the rowing and the oars and the boat aren’t the most important things. He’s revealing the power of His presence in our relationships, the unity of the body of Christ beyond just where different pieces fit on Sunday mornings. Most definitely we’re getting our boat across the lake, but that opposite shore isn’t our goal, and getting there isn’t our measure of success. Man, just understanding that is so revolutionary…but that’s kinda the whole point.
And so, I’ve packed and unpacked suitcases numerous times as schedules and departure dates have changed at the last minute. I’ve added mileage to my daily walking routine consistently…until something more important interrupts my walking routine. I’ve given up “days off” and “time away” to be present where He is leading me. And it is richly rewarding, because those interruptions remind me that His first concern is not my boat-rowing, but my awareness of Him. Is He present? Is He speaking? Is He leading? “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?…Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear?” (Is. 43:19, Mk. 8:18) Be ready, Church, because He may actually call us to step out of our boat.
Moving to Lakeland, TN was definitely an unexpected step of obedience for our family. I remember talking with the Lord about different aspects of His sending us here, and at one point couldn’t help but ask Him the obvious question that was burning in my heart: Why me, Lord? I will never forget His answer: “Because I know you’ll do it.” And He was right. (Imagine that?) I’m so glad that He speaks and that He’s constantly working in my heart to make sure that I’m listening. May we always be sheep with ears tuned to our Shepherd’s voice. Well, that’s a snapshot of where I’m at and what the Lord’s been doing in my prayer closet. I still think it’s so cool how He sent us to Tennessee from Barstow, yet connects us with family and friends wherever we go as He continues His kingdom work. For all y’all in CA, you are missed and loved. Thanks for keeping us in your prayers, text messages and phone calls. We really do cherish your partnership as we pursue the Lord together from across the country.
And for those wanting to support us financially, New Life Fellowship in Barstow, CA remains our flow-through for giving. You can send checks there or give digitally on their web site: https://newlifebarstow.com/give (Then select “Missions - Roberts family” to designate giving specifically for us.) Thank you again and again and again. You are deeply and dearly loved by this bunch of Roberts in Tennessee!
<><
The Roberts Family
(Cliff, Denise, Purity, Wisdom, Truth, Justice, Honor and Life)
Tom and I hit the road last month to cover a bit more ground for this Unbroken prayerwalk we’re doing, connecting every state capital. And although we only walked for a few days, we can honestly say that we DID do some prayerwalking during the “winter”. (Thank you, Google calendar.) We often hit the walking trail a bit later in the afternoon, only walked a few short legs, and didn’t get too far down the road from where we started, but it was great to be out praying on the road after a few months of interruptions to our typical travel routine. Between just Tom and myself, the numerous plates spinning in our combined circles sure can seem like they’re moments away from crashing if we don’t keep giving all of them their due attention. But that pressure to keep striving can often be a deceptive distraction, pulling our attention away from waiting and listening and instead busying us with lots of doing. So, we’ve both been extra intentional about keeping our hearts and ears open to the Lord and making sure we’re both still okay with His seemingly unorthodox calendar of semi-scheduled activities. I’m not sure which Hebrew name for God translates to “Editor In Chief”, but that seems to be His primary activity recently when it comes to planning, scheduling…and subsequently adjusting.
I’ve been reading in Mark recently, and his portrayal of the disciples has really challenged me to consider how I’m following Jesus personally. Jesus walks on water and climbs into the disciples’ boat, and Mark records: “They were completely amazed, for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.” (Mk. 6:51b-52) Jesus speaks about the things outside of a man not defiling him, but rather that which comes from within a person making him “unclean”. Mark records the following reaction: “After He had left the crowd and entered the house, His disciples asked Him about this parable. ‘Are you so dull?’ He asked.” (Mk. 7:17-18a) After feeding 5,000 men and leaving 12 basketfuls of leftover food, Jesus then feeds a crowd of some 4,000 people with 7 basketfuls left over. But the disciples quickly find themselves questioning their food supply. “Why are you talking about having no bread?” Jesus asks them. “Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened?” (Mk. 8:17) He reminds them of His previous miracles and asks them again, “Do you still not understand?” (Mk. 8:21) And a few verse later? Yeah, Jesus calls Peter, “Satan”! This wasn’t a good 3 chapters for the disciples.
I read these passages and marvel at Jesus’ closest friends. He spoke and did and revealed amazing things, yet they remained as blind and ignorant as the crowds who eagerly gathered to see Jesus perform another miracle. How could these disciples witness all of this stuff and still not get it? Instead, they diligently rowed their boat across the lake, but with hardened hearts. They listened intently to every word their Lord spoke, but with dull ears. They tried so hard to be faithful and responsible followers, but without any understanding. And one of them even opposed Jesus to His face amidst his fervent passion. And these were The Big Twelve!
Hand to the plow, arms to the oars, diligently obeying their Lord’s instruction to cross the sea, Jesus’ disciples soon found themselves straining to make any progress against the wind (Mk. 6:45-48). Their discipleship wasn’t producing much fruit at the moment, was it? But they were sure working hard to do what they’d been told! Oddly enough, Mark writes that Jesus was about to simply walk right past them until they all freaked out. Apparently, them rowing their boat and getting across the lake, even though they were obeying, wasn’t as big a deal to the Lord as their faith and understanding. Their boat-rowing was far less important than the hardness of their hearts which Mark records.
Ohmygoodness is that ever true of my own life! The current task-at-hand easily becomes more important to me than my own heart condition. And among His Church, rowing the boat often receives more attention than the revelation of the Lord in our midst. Why were the disciples so amazed and shocked by Jesus’ appearance walking on the water? Because they still didn’t recognize WHO was walking. Even after the loaves, they remained blind and ignorant while diligently obeying. GOD was moving and GOD was walking and GOD was speaking. But like the crowds, they saw without perceiving and heard without understanding…and these were His very own disciples!
Rowing the boat isn’t the most important thing, even when we’re obeying. Good stewardship isn’t the most important thing, even when we’re diligently managing our provisions. Passion and zeal aren’t our greatest qualities, even when directed toward noble pursuits. All of that stuff can be done with a hardened heart, dull ears, and a lack of understanding—even while striving to obey Him. God’s thoughts and ways remain higher than ours and He is certainly allowed to remain mysterious to us humble and finite humans. But His heart to reveal Himself to us cannot be denied and He’s woven revelation into His Creation (Rom. 1:20). With humble hearts and open ears, we must faithfully serve, obey, steward and move forward, knowing that while our oars may seem essential for the task He’s given us, they actually aren’t His focus.
I rejoice at much of what I see happening within government, but I know that God’s heart for our leaders is concerned with more than just their diligent implementation of His divine plans. He wants to reveal His nature and the spiritual realities of the issues we face as a nation. Many of our leaders are working very hard, but their oars, and boats, and assigned tasks are simply details of the jobs they’ve been given. Those things can all be done without any real understanding of the One Who’s given them their charge. I encourage all of us to pray for our governmental leaders regularly, that as they row their respective boats they would not miss the spiritual significance of what they’re doing. Justice, truth, righteousness, integrity, purity and love all reflect the nature of God. When government operates in those things, embraces those qualities and prioritizes their involvement across all three branches, we are truly blessed as a nation.
I’m encouraged as well by conversations with so many of God’s people who anticipate major moves of God on the horizon and happening even now. There’s a general sense held by many that our obedient efforts and faithful prayers are being answered in dramatic ways. But again, our boat-rowing isn’t what makes Jesus come walking to us on the water, and we mustn’t miss what He is showing us as we’re consumed with an abundance of activity. He’s not calling us to throw out the oars and burn the ship, but rather that we would not allow the task to distract us from the goal. And no, the goal is not to cross the lake…that’s why the rowing and the oars and the boat aren’t the most important things. He’s revealing the power of His presence in our relationships, the unity of the body of Christ beyond just where different pieces fit on Sunday mornings. Most definitely we’re getting our boat across the lake, but that opposite shore isn’t our goal, and getting there isn’t our measure of success. Man, just understanding that is so revolutionary…but that’s kinda the whole point.
And so, I’ve packed and unpacked suitcases numerous times as schedules and departure dates have changed at the last minute. I’ve added mileage to my daily walking routine consistently…until something more important interrupts my walking routine. I’ve given up “days off” and “time away” to be present where He is leading me. And it is richly rewarding, because those interruptions remind me that His first concern is not my boat-rowing, but my awareness of Him. Is He present? Is He speaking? Is He leading? “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?…Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear?” (Is. 43:19, Mk. 8:18) Be ready, Church, because He may actually call us to step out of our boat.
Moving to Lakeland, TN was definitely an unexpected step of obedience for our family. I remember talking with the Lord about different aspects of His sending us here, and at one point couldn’t help but ask Him the obvious question that was burning in my heart: Why me, Lord? I will never forget His answer: “Because I know you’ll do it.” And He was right. (Imagine that?) I’m so glad that He speaks and that He’s constantly working in my heart to make sure that I’m listening. May we always be sheep with ears tuned to our Shepherd’s voice. Well, that’s a snapshot of where I’m at and what the Lord’s been doing in my prayer closet. I still think it’s so cool how He sent us to Tennessee from Barstow, yet connects us with family and friends wherever we go as He continues His kingdom work. For all y’all in CA, you are missed and loved. Thanks for keeping us in your prayers, text messages and phone calls. We really do cherish your partnership as we pursue the Lord together from across the country.
And for those wanting to support us financially, New Life Fellowship in Barstow, CA remains our flow-through for giving. You can send checks there or give digitally on their web site: https://newlifebarstow.com/give (Then select “Missions - Roberts family” to designate giving specifically for us.) Thank you again and again and again. You are deeply and dearly loved by this bunch of Roberts in Tennessee!
<><
The Roberts Family
(Cliff, Denise, Purity, Wisdom, Truth, Justice, Honor and Life)
Truth has been playing drums for youth worship for a while now, but Justice has recently joined
to be a part of the team too. Fun fact: she worships around the house already, so leading others
on a Wednesday night seems like a pretty natural fit.!
to be a part of the team too. Fun fact: she worships around the house already, so leading others
on a Wednesday night seems like a pretty natural fit.!
Here’s our family celebrating a friend’s birthday, and as you can see, we totally went all out. (HA!)
But the official request was to watch the Hobbit movies with our kids and friends.
Hobbits you say? Yeah, we had no problems at all meeting that one.
But the official request was to watch the Hobbit movies with our kids and friends.
Hobbits you say? Yeah, we had no problems at all meeting that one.
As part of the Kids Ministry event for parents, Purity and Life did a bit of painting during worship. Another fun fact: when artistic expression is already a natural response to the Lord’s presence, it’s easy to incorporate that into group settings as well. Life was totally in his element here and Purity is an amazing example for her youngest brother.