Who we are
Hi, we are Joy and Tim Robbins.
We’ve had the great gift of being raised in God-fearing, Christian households. We’ve also had the rare blessing to have been one another’s only romantic relationship, having started dating shortly before finishing high school.
We married in 2007 and we’ve now spent more years together than we have apart! We’ve had infinitely more blessings, including having four children and our dog, Bailey.
Calvary Chapel churches have been part of our lives since 1995 and God brought us to Calvary Chapel Central Bucks in 2015. He has generously lavished His favor upon us every step of the way.
In 2021, we were called upon to lead a new team of wise counselors at CCCB’s Family Ministry. Our leadership team includes: grandparents, parents of adult children who love Jesus, Widow and widowers, parents of high school aged children, single parents, and parents of young children. We pull from a variety of experiences, and we are always looking for more (shameless plug for you to pray about joining our team-We’re fun).
Why a blog?
As we considered what we could offer the families we serve, one thing was clear. Family life can be described as a lot of “overs” – overstimulating, overstretching and overwhelming. Commitments to extended family, school, ministry, sports, music, and local traditions are ever pressing at the gate of our time.
It’s as if the world hopes to choke out eternal thinking with things we “have to” get done. And yet, we want to redeem the time, as these evil days try to drag away the precious time that remains.
I (Tim) had a special treat today. I was able to pick up my kids from school. As I sat in the car line for 10 minutes, I was “maximizing that time”, rewatching clips from the World Cup. Turns out, that wasn’t all that great. I pulled up to the kids yearning for something more meaningful. I wished I could have had resources handy that I could use to sweeten my family’s experience with Jesus.
With four kids and many other promises made, I find it difficult to dive into a 5-hour conference or a 40-hour book more than a couple times a year. Reading “The Curiosity Shop” has been a four-year project.
I find it disheartening when conferences and books make me want a refund at the end. It means cutting out a date with my spouse or with one of my kids (sorry for any fans, but as of now, I am not recommending The Curiosity Shop).
What if we had something I could check out in 10 minutes or less that might help me be a better parent? A better spouse? A better son or daughter?
This blog will attempt to do just that: give you resources you might find beneficial without having to spend hours and money blindly.
Our team will be pulling together resources to share with you that have personally affected our lives! We’ll bring you a wide variety of topics, tools, and perspectives to help you find exactly what you need to be equipped, challenged, supported and inspired.
We hope you find this list of family topics useful. We do not claim to have cornered the market on all good ideas, and welcome your suggestions or desired topics too. If you have an idea, visit our ministry page and send us your suggestions.
We look forward to serving you through this blog. Please leave us a comment and let us know what you think of our first post!
-Tim & Joy Robbins