TinCottage's Xanga

Grandfather gone to Heaven, Joel Graduated, etc.

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 01:03:59 GMT

Hi,

Joel graduated from high school Saturday (May 31) and my Grandfather (age 90) died on the same day. So, my parents could not come to graduation. I did not try to rush and go to Kingsport for the funeral. I am SO wiped out from getting ready for graduation and I just didn't have the strength to start packing immediately after to make a trip the next day.

My sis says my Grandmother, (age 92) is not grieving. Neither she nor my Grandfather cried when my uncle Ronnie died. They didn't seem bothered. They just had their backpacks on, I guess, ready to follow behind him. Grandmother is next, I suppose. I'll have to tell you some stories of them soon. I think I've blogged about Grandad on here before.

We had a big party for our homeschool graduation. We just had a big party /presentation here at home. That's what Joel wanted, and it turned out well.

My brother (age 32) has recently announced to us that he plans to go back to school on the "fast track" to get his Masters/Doctorate in Divinity and then be a professor of religion.
I asked what led to this decision, and he said, "Well, it's what I care about, and I don't see myself as a pastor in any certain denomination or organization, so it just makes sense to take this route." He doesn't know how he'll make a living or pay for school, but he's just going to start walking in that direction. Pray for him. He'll make a good one... old enough to know God for himself and not just another empty head to be programmed by seminary or corrupted by a divinity school! He plans to go to Vanderbilt in Nashville. He is also a musician. I'm excited about his decision.

I've been over on Yahoo Answers, doing "missionary work," so to speak. To see what I've been up to, visit me here:
http://answers.yahoo.com/my/profile;_ylt=ArMNhVOaEOb6c961JdVEtePsy6IX;_ylv=3?show=3k7YtxeEaa&preview=true

The Lord is giving me the chance to get an up close view into the hearts and minds of a very confused generation of young people, and to reach right into their hearts with His personal message to them. Some of my answers may seem to fall short, to some, but keep in mind you can't drop the whole "truth bomb" on babies who have absolutely NO foundation at all. I may already go too far at times, but I'm pray for guidance as I answer their questions. I'm also building a website to deal with frequently asked questions, especially in the matter of spiritual warfare, because some of these kids have unwittingly invited demonic influences into their lives and need to be able to break free. If they have no local Christian support, I hope to be able to give them at least the basic tools and some information they can use to take authority over these invaders and find their way to Jesus if they choose to do so. Pray for them. Pray for me.

Robyn

I STAND AMAZED

Wed, 14 May 2008 04:42:35 GMT

I traveled to Athens, Tennessee to attend the "home going party" and funeral of my dear Uncle Ronny who died this past Saturday. People, the experiences I had over the past 3 days have been amazing.

I will not try to share all the details... though they were many and wonderful. But I want to share just a few tidbits to demonstrate the power of God and how joyful it can be to celebrate the life and death of one who is precious to our Lord.

My Aunt Sharlene and Uncle Ronny were the most romantic couple you would even meet. I half expected her to throw herself upon his body, screaming and crying. I have to say, there was never a lifeless body that was more loved or caressed than my uncle, which made the strength she demonstrated all the more amazing. She stood before the people gathered in remembrance of him and EXHORTED them to LOVE one another, to never miss the chance to say, "I love you," MANY times a day, and for couples to treat one another like a King and Queen at all times. She and Ronny have exemplified this, in all their trials. Then this dear and BEAUTIFUL lady spoke words that I've never heard a human speak except when reading from the Bible. She said, "Forty two years ago, the Lord gave Ron to me. Saturday, he took him home. The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. BLESSED be the name of the Lord."

One aunt, sister to my Dad and Uncle Ronny, had told me before the service, "I have to confess I am an agnostic. I do not know if there is life after death. I do not know WHAT happens after death. And I have decided I am ok with that." She then said she knows many DO believe in Heaven, and she respects that, and is glad they get comfort from it. But the strength that was demonstrated before her about an hour later, as my Aunt stood and said those word of faith was FAR more than the hope of life beyond the grave. It was the strength that comes from GOD ALONE, holding up a woman who has lost the dearest of all and faces many years alone ahead. It was the strength of a woman who has suffered much and KNOW her God and what He is capable of doing, and He was carrying her. Her very demeanor glorified the One who was holding her up. I do not see how ANYONE witnessing that scene could have possibly been untouched. The staunchest atheist would find his doubts quaking in the face of that faith. I find it hard to think this one unbeliever of the whole Hood "litter" could stand unfazed in the presence of that kind of strength.

There is SO much I could share about the actual time of remembrance we shared, but I would want to see you face to face to do that. I do want to share with you what my aunt shared with me about the last few days of Uncle Ronny's life. His final hours were agonizing, and he screamed in pain. My aunt had to run outside, because she could not bear it. The nurse came to her and said, "Sharlene, Ronny is already gone to be with Jesus. It is just his body that is having trouble giving up." He has fought to live in a broken, worn out body with a worn out heart for so many years, it just didn't know how to give up. My aunt went and laid her hands on his heart and prayed, "Father, you have received Ronny's spirit. Now please allow his body the release it needs." In just seconds, his heart stopped beating and he took his last breath.

Having read this description of his last several hours, what I'm going to share about the 2 days preceding will astound you. Over the last two days of his life, about 60 people came to see my Uncle Ronny. They formed a line to see him, and he received each of them. He prayed for everyone who came, and prophesied to many of them. When the words he had to speak were of a very personal nature, he asked anyone else in the room, including my aunt, to step outside so he could speak the words God laid on his heart in private to a needy heart. The nurse said, "Tell them to go outside and wait, or better still, call and make an appointment!" But he received them all, and my aunt showed no resentment sharing this with me. She just said, "Even on his deathbed, he was giving, never thinking of himself."

Perhaps I'll share more with you as things come to my mind. I truly want to write all this down. My aunt will, I'm sure, over the next few months, read his private journals, and I'm hoping she will share them with the family. I'm thinking they should probably be published, because I'm sure the contents will be inspiring... and probably amazing as well.

A Party, Not a Funeral

Sun, 11 May 2008 00:38:45 GMT

My Uncle Ronny died today after at least a 30 year struggle with his heart. He was, I think, 65 years old. God used all that he suffered to forge him into a spiritual giant. He was a MIGHTY man of God and prayer warrior. The rest of us need to double up on our prayer efforts just to make up for the gap this one man has left in this world.

I remember him as the handsome teenage college student who used to bite the feet off the tiny baby dolls I got out of the gum machine. He took me for a ride on his motorcycle when I was 5, and told me he would give it to me when I grew up. I cried my eyes out when he sold it, because he had broken his promise to me and I was crushed. I absolutely adored him!

We lived in Nashville, where both he and my father were attending Trevecca Nazarene College. We lived in the little college trailer park where ministerial students with families lived. Uncle Ronny shared a small guest house with some other male students. I was SO impressed with his living quarters.

When he met a teenage girl named Sharlene, I fell madly in love with her. She was the most beautiful, feminine creature I had ever seen (other than my Mother, who was queen of all). I wanted to dominate her every moment when she was around. I was the flower girl at their wedding, and forgot to drop my rose petals as I went down the aisle. When I realized what I had done, that my new aunt had not had a rose petal path because of me, I cried. They let me spill the petals from the basket, and my aunt stepped into the pile, to stop my tears. I still have that little basket.

After Ronny and Sharlene married, one day Aunt Sharlene called my mother in tears because Uncle Ronnie had thrown away all her stuffed animals that she had kept on their bed. I was angry. How could he treat her that way? But still, I adored them both.

He joined the military and they moved away. Daddy graduated and accepted his first pastorate in Athens, Tennessee when I was half way through first grade. Later, Uncle Ronny and Aunt Sharlene moved to Athens, too, to be near us. My handsome uncle became a police officer. I was SO proud. He sometimes drove into our driveway and called to us on his loud speaker. I got to sit in his police car with him. That was a thrill. I heard Mother and Daddy talking, and they said Uncle Ronny was an atheist. That was sad and confusing to me. Later, he and Aunt Sharlene did come back to God, but they were involved with a religious group my family did not approve of. However, God sure was doing wonderful things in their lives, healing their hearts and setting them free of the bondage of sin in their lives. I withheld judgment.

In his 30's, Uncle Ronny had to resign police force because of his heart. He took a position as the marshal in a beautiful mountain town called Hardy, Arkansas, thinking it would be a slower pace. Like Mayberry, hopefully. He was the only law in that town, and they worked him half to death. If he was at home, instead of on patrol, the people were angry. BUT, if they called the house, and he was not there, they were mad if they couldn't find him. They called him for everything, not just for things that mattered. Behind the scenes, the town government and prominent citizens were were involved in all kinds of deception and illegal activity, and he found them out. So then, they were out to get him! There was a time they would have killed him, I'm sure, if he had not outsmarted them.

He has gone through many surgeries over the years. There were many times we expected to hear that he had died. One time, I think, he died on the operating table. They were shocking him to bring him back. While this was going on he dreamed that he was on a stretcher, being carried into an elevator. They were having trouble getting him in, and the elevator doors kept slamming against the sides of the gurney, jolting him. In his dream he said, "Either get me IN or get me OUT." They backed him out, and in the waking world, the doctors saw him come back to life at that moment.

Aunt Sharlene has suffered much too, from lupus and other illnesses. Through all of their suffering, God has worked mightily in and through them. They have been a tremendous support to us, even though we have live away from them for many years and not seen them often. They have encouraged us to follow God, not man, and their prayers and words have strengthened us when God has led us to walk in paths we could have never foreseen, and which at times has caused others we love to not understand of approve of our choices.

My parents and all of the family now understand that Uncle Ronny was walking in obedience to God when he chose a path they did not understand, and have the highest respect for him, and the incredible man of God he became.

Last week Uncle Ronny fell and somehow damaged his pace maker. He felt sure he would die, but we had doubts. He has come so close to death so many times, only to have his life extended. But he DID finally make it home to be with Jesus earlier today.

In the last few days of his life, he said, "I do not want a funeral. I want a party. I want food, and laughter, and for children to be running around playing." What a man, who knew his God so well, and wants us to celebrate his home going with joy.

Where I've been posting my news

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 06:36:08 GMT

www.shoutlife.com/flamingheart

I'll try to do better here, though.

Robyn

Crime in da 'Hood!

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 00:00:03 GMT

Last week, the outside (official Memphis)garbage can was full, so Teddy sat a bag of garbage on the back porch. Later, I looked out the window and said, "Somebody or something has gotten into our garbage." Teddy opened the door, and said, "And here they are!" It was a half grown kitten and a red, fluffy chicken, gang banging our garbage together, right there on our back porch. When we stepped outside, they took off!

It was so funny. The chicken was fluttering hard, trying to get back over the fence, and the kitten just stopped at the fence and turned toward us. It sat on it hiney and curled its tail around itself, and struck the perfect, "cute kitty" pose, as if to say, "Who? Me????" The chicken was fluttering and squawcking, and the cat was posing. We were about to die laughing about the two little criminals.

We moved from the "country" to the city, and now, next door, we have a turkey, some ducks, some chickens, a very proud rooster, and some cats. On the other side, there is a nice German Shepherd couple named "Winston" and "Sugar" Ambrose. I supposed their last name is Ambrose, as their owners are named Joe and Elnora Ambrose. We've just barely met Mr. Joe Ambrose, but Sugar runs to the fence for loving, and Winston, who is usually chained due to his aggressive nature, barks and sometimes whines for attention. Sugar runs over, as if to comfort him, but is irresistibly drawn back to the fence to make sure we notice her and come to say "hello" .

FINALLY!!!!

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 05:13:46 GMT

It took a week longer than we planned to get everything from point A to point B, but now it's done and we are EXHAUSTED but happy.

Of course, it will take even longer to get everything unpacked and sorted out, but that's ok. We're here now, and loving it.

Thanks for all your prayers and interest.

Love,

Robyn

Helping us move tomorrow- Sat.

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 17:07:31 GMT

Anyone who wants to help should be here around 10 a.m. with a truck or a van!

Teddy is getting started earlier, but he'll be getting somethings out of my parents shed.

So, around 10 a.m. is a good time.

Thanks!

Robyn

Two Big Things This Week

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 18:51:53 GMT

Big stuff this week
Category: Goals, Plans, Hopes

It's funny how things you thought had passed you by sometimes are still alive, waiting to blossom.

Who would have dreamed, for instance, that we, with all the things we've been through, would ever find our dream house... built in 1920, no less, with all the details that seem to have been planned just for us... and at a price we can afford? I'm packing like crazy, trying to get it all done before Saturday so the guys can move the appliances and furniture. BIG PUSH to finish moving over the 3 day weekend.

I think back to the first time we saw this stone cottage, with 3 kinds of honeysuckle, roses, and more still in bloom. We fell in love! We had only seen it from the outside.

We made a list of houses we wanted to see and gave it to our realtor so he could set up appointments. Before we went out to see the houses, I sat in my chair and prayed, "Lord, I know this is a wimpy prayer, but I'm just human, and this is a HUGE thing, buying a house. I won't blame you a bit if you just ignore this request, but could you PLEASE show me something from INSIDE the house that YOU know is right for us. You know the hidden things, and what the future holds. We do not. So, if it pleases you, humor me in this." As I prayed, I saw, in my mind, a huge utility sink... the kind you'd expect to find in a janitor's closet in a hospital or school. I'm thinking, "huh?????"

Well, we looked at the other houses on our list, but I was pushing to skip a few of them and go see that stone cottage. It was the only one I really cared about, honestly. When we went inside, it blew us away... the HUGE foyer with stone floor and tongue and groove paneling on walls and ceiling, the curved doorways, the fireplace, the radiators with their art nouveau scroll design (and healthier for us heating), the archways between rooms... even the telephone niche in the hallway. Then we went to the basement. There was a family room with a 2nd fireplace, a built in bar, lots of room for entertaining, a huge laundry area, a huge room for storage (or whatever), loads of closets, the second bathroom (huge) and a 2nd kitchen... with.... A HUGE DOUBLE UTILITY SINK. In one way, I was not surprised... but still, I felt a thrill.

There have been times along the way it looked like getting this house would be impossible. The realtor and loan officer told us NO WAY would FHA approve a loan on a house of that age, and with radiator heat. The seller actually raised the price $5,000.00 at one point. We looked at other houses, and bided our time.That was the only house we really wanted. I kept remembering my "favor" from the Lord. He didn't have to do that, but it was awfully sweet of Him, wasn't it?

Now, for the OTHER big thing we thought was "over" but may not be...
Joel has told me since he was about 10 years old that he planned to be a professional video gamer some day and make LOTS of money. He played in a tournement in Dallas this past summer, and his team lost to a very experienced, skilled team. It was Joel's team's first time out anyway, though they had beat some good teams in the online qualifiers to get that far.

There were internal tensions on his team. Everybody wanted to be in charge, and nobody wanted to make a commitment. They resented Joel's leadership. They just wanted a "buddy system". Joel was offered a chance to join a huge league, called H2O, and since his team was in mutiny, he decided to go for it.

He found there were politics and games there as well, and it was SO time consuming (and no money at that level), he let it go after a few weeks, due to needing to commit more time to school, etc. But, he got to know some good people in the league. We're REALLY starting to understand the value of networking more than ever.

Friday, I think it was, he emerged from his "gamer's den" (a.k.a. bedroom) and told me he has a chance to join a new team being formed to represent World Cyber Games (think "video game olympics"). WCG is setting aside a million dollars a year for the next 3 years to pay a team to represent them at lots of tournements. It is their goal to promote gaming in the U.S. and help improve the image gaming has in the U.S. from "slug" to "nerd" basically. "Nerd", these days, is "sexier" than it was when I was younger. It basically means smart, but you don't have to be socially inept or poorly dressed to qualify for the title. ;- )

The other major gaming organization (MLG) already has a team representing them, and this MLG team decided to try out for the WCG team, so Joel and the H2O team that recruited him had to play them to compete for the chance to represent WCG. WCG is offering a better deal, so the MLG team wanted to try out for WCG before signing a new contract with MLG.

Winning the tournement (3 out of 5) was not to be the only determining factor, though. Team cooperation, attitudes, use of profanity... all these things and more were being considered.

Well, the play off began at 3 p.m. todya. Joel's team won 3 out of 5 rounds, but one guy kept dropping the "f" bomb repeatedly. That alone would be enough to disqualify them, as promoting a good image for gamers is the major goal of WCG. Joel, however, has a friend who doesn't have the profanity habit, who is a much better player than the guy who kept cussing. Ethan was on Joel's original team, is an incredible player, and was the only person who stuck by Joel when the rest of the team was letting him down in Dallas. So, Joel recommended Ethan as a replacement in case the WCG guys consider the profane member reason enough to turn this team down.

We do not know the final outcome yet. BUT, if it does work out, what Joel has been told, so far, is that he will be paid $250,000.00 a year for a 3 year contract period, and be traveling about a week out of the month. That would be a great "jump start" financially, in life, for him. Could buy a great house, great car, and pay for higher education, when he finally gets around to it.

Our attitude towards this is "show us the money." If they choose the team Joel is playing with, we'll go to Chicago in March to sign the contract, etc. Joel will not be 18 until July, and his friend Ethan is a year younger. If Ethan signs, his parents can take turns with us, traveling with the boys for awhile.

The money sounds wonderful, but I only what what will add up to Joel being the person he needs to be in life... a good person, the person God wants him to be. I believe he has a good head on his shoulders, but lots of money and "semi-celebrity" could be a negative factor, character wise. I pray for what is best. Of course, I DO want this to happen for him. He's had a tough road already, and with autoimmune issues (Hashimoto's/hypothyroid) life will be harder for him than most, so something to smooth the way would be nice.

He has to lose some weight to fit the image they want. He's gained several pounds in the past 6-8 months, and has not been quite himself. We have a doctor's appointment to see if his thyroid levels are good. Even if they are within "normal" range, what is right for one person may not be for another. I know he has been such a "noodle" lately, tired and foggy brained. Kind of like how he was before he was diagnosed in the first place.

I ask our friends to pray for Joel, his health, his choices, and his future.

Love,
Robyn

Praise our Father and Celebrate With Us!!!!

Sat, 05 Jan 2008 01:56:29 GMT

We signed on the house yesterday. We have a set of keys. The previous owner
is still moving out a few last items tomorrow, but all is well and we are glad.

I came home after signing and napped. I "crashed" a little. I knew I would,
but that's ok, and I'm ok.

Thanks SO much to all of you for your prayers for us.

Love,
Robyn

Please Pray With Us!

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 21:03:20 GMT

The lady who is selling the house is dragging her feet. She claims she was not notified of the closing and cannot POSSIBLY be out. She does not want to hand over the keys Friday.

The amount of money we have to have at closing has gone up about $300.00

Please pray God will smooth the way for us. I feel the enemy is hating the blessing God
has for us and is doing his best to block it, or at least try to make us blow up along the
way. He wants us to GIVE UP, but that's not happening.

The REAL issues that could have been problems all melted away. All the roadblocks we've encountered have stemmed from the seller. She has had about 4 years to handle all this, I think.
We made OUR first offer to her 4 months ago. Those who have followed along with us on this
know how she raised the price at one time. She keeps inventing things, it seems to me.

We have been patient and shown mercy many times over. We have even offered to HELP
her move. She doesn't live there. It's just mainly, I think, that she doesn't want to move
all that stuff into her house, and she wants to sell it for as much money as she can get for it.
We even offered to let her put it out in one of the nice storage houses on the property and get
it later..... she has been most uncooperative.

At this point, we have agreed to let her keep a key until Sunday. She does not want us to
have a key, but our realtor insists that we WILL have a key at closing on Friday. Still,
she will have one also, and be moving things over the weekend. She does not want us
there! We had planned to do as much moving over the weekend as we could, boxes of
books, knick knacks, etc.

We had to buy heating gas for the winter here where we live, and that took a chunk of
what we had set back for moving/closing expenses. We SHOULD get that back, based
on what is left in our tank when we finally get moved, but we SHOULD have been out
in time not to have to fill our gas tank for the winter. We could not put just a little gas
in the tank. The company demands a minimum amount for delivery. We needed that
money just to take care of moving issues.

We had almost decided to rent a storage unit, so we could move some things out of
here just to make room to better organize and pack things. We were already tripping
over each other, and now it is worse than ever, as we have been trying to do some
sorting/packing, etc.

I had to turn down a free offer of a king sized bed and mattress set that I REALLY
needed just because I have nowhere to put it. The lady said it was not right for her
back and she was getting another set that would work for her, but that this set
was good and was just giving it away. But I had to turn it down. That hurt.

Anyway, pray that God will make the difference we need, and that our hearts will
be in line with His through all this. We are getting pretty ragged!

Love,
Robyn