“Three Arrows”…

SCRIPTURE: “For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” (Zephaniah 3:17)

OBSERVATION: Rebellion and Redemption. That is what Zephaniah’s letter reads. Jerusalem is likened to wicked wolves who seek to devour the innocent from morning until night. Heaven watches, waits and warns. Giving every opportunity for hearts to turn, humble themselves and course correct.

How is Zephaniah’s letter reading you today?

APPLICATION: Last week, I took my Son & Daughter to the Elevation Worship Concert here in Seattle.  It was a fun time hanging out together. I’ve been purposeful over years to book worship nights like this with my kids so we can share experiences together, giving us shared memories of when Heaven changes the atmosphere. Sometimes, bringing a personal message to our hearts. Priceless…

I’ve led my family to worship experiences like Kari Jobe, Bethel Music, Hillsong Worship and more. Elevation did not disappoint! Yes, it was a concert and they killed it as live performers. But it was much more than that. The presence of God was tangible.  Hearts responded, including my own family.

As a Dad, I’ve led my kids through 22 years of following Jesus together.
I’m blessed with Three Arrows of Legacy in my quiver; 22, 20 & 16.
Life is Good! (Psalm 127:4)

And yet, this side of Heaven, life isn’t good all the time. Six years ago, began a new chapter of following Jesus Off the Map together in faith. Life had thrown us a Suddenly that changed everything… and yet, Jesus never changed. His heart for us and Heaven’s ability to reach down and bring beauty from ashes is showcased within my family. Grateful.

Out of all of these concerts, this last one was the most rewarding for me. Why? Well, even though I have kept a freedom within to worship freely in public settings.. my kids have not. They shut down pretty hard for a while. I don’t blame them.

So, during the concert I was lost in my own moment honoring my King for what He has done in and through my life up to this point… and to my surprise, when I opened my eyes, I saw what completely cracked my heart open on a different level.

My daughter was standing beside me with both hands raised, singing with all her heart, eyes wide open and tears streaming down both cheeks in a heart cry, declaring her absolute surrender and identity as a Daughter of the King of Kings… Jesus Christ.

This wasn’t a soft, weak nor meek stance. My daughter chose to make a stand as a young woman, who has been through more than most at her age, who trusts Jesus to make it all count for the Kingdom. My little girl, in a blink of an eye, had transformed into a formidable weapon of righteousness. I was awestruck by who my daughter has become.

She knows who she is. She is a Girl. An instrument of God’s Love and Purity. Jesus gave me this word for her before she was born. In fact, before the doctor told us she would be a girl, her Heavenly Father shared exactly who she was created to be. This is why I named her “Kaitlyn”… which means “Purity”. Have I mentioned how much I love my daughter? Hehe, just sayin’ 🙂

We never talked about that moment… don’t need to. I know exactly what was going on. Jesus was being honored. The Heavenly Father was declaring my daughter’s identity over her. And the Holy Spirit was confirming all of this by the manifest presence being experienced in that moment. She was simply responding to how good God is. Specifically to how good God has been writing her own life story.

My daughter has a song and a story!

So, this morning… sitting in yet another PNW coffee shop, I’m writing what’s on my heart and taking inventory from where I’ve come so I may stay the course for my future. Such gratefulness for how Jesus has led us through those Suddenlies to this side of the promise. But the journey is not over yet…

Many have come and gone in my life over the past 6 years because of my story and even those closest to me seem to not stay. Paths converge for a time, but when they hear chapters of my life story, most don’t know how to handle it and predictably make a course correction putting distance between us. Although sad to experience, I understand and don’t blame them. I still choose to run my race and follow Jesus Off the Map.

Although lonely at times, I take great comfort in my Three Arrows. They have been the focus and the fruit of my life’s work up to this moment. I have legacy! This morning, I… as my daughter before me, take great comfort in the Song and Story Heaven is singing over me.

There’s nowhere I’d rather be
When You’re singing over me
I just wanna be here with You
I’m lost in Your mystery
I’m found in Your love for me
I just wanna be here with You

Here in the waiting
I won’t worry about tomorrow
No need to focus
On the things I can’t control
All my attention
On the wonder of this moment
Jesus, Your presence
Is the comfort of my soul

PRAYER: I love you Jesus. Thank you for making it count. I believe the fruit of a man’s life will make a place for him. My kids’ lives echo who I am and whose I am!  Grateful to be a son. Grateful to be loved by You. I trust You. And for what You have promised… I choose to let go and simply be with You. Nowhere I’d rather be.

“Confident”…

SCRIPTURE: “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:7-8)

OBSERVATION: Jeremiah increasingly became aware of how bad it was all around him.  Captivity was imminent.  And yet despite Jeremiah’s obedience to bring Heaven’s message to his people… hearts chose a free will path of disbelief and rebellion. Frustration set in Jeremiah’s heart.  He was weary, spent… spun out… but even at his lowest… he couldn’t help but speak God’s word.  This, is who Jeremiah was. And this is why he was jeered by so many. And yet, this is why he is revered by Sons and Daughters in the Kingdom. A faithful man… confident in his calling and the God he served.

APPLICATION: So what was the fuel that kept Jeremiah on the straight and narrow in such dismal times?  It was his personal relationship with God.  God’s word was lifted above all else.  His emotions, circumstances, reasoning, relationships and more were all tested against the standard of God’s word.

I wish I could say that I’ve always been confident in who God is in my life.  For the most part, yes. But there have been very real chapters of my life when my questions outweighed my confidence. I expected life to unfold in a certain way.  When it didn’t, I questioned God’s motives and his word pertaining to me.  I knew what the Bible said.  I understood the principles.  But where was God in my situation?… Sometimes it was silence in the storm.  No miracle.  No epic story.  Quite the opposite.  Life happens.  Ever been there?

Most of us pull a Liutenant Dan at some point in our life…  I’ve had my moments in the storms of life.  When the night passed and the waves calmed… my perspective changed.  My paradigm shifted.  My relationship with Jesus deepened.  My confidence in God and His word over my life grew through those circumstances.  Growth often comes through the struggle.  Confidence is no different.

At this stage of my life, I find myself more confident than ever before in who Jesus is.  Recently I’ve found myself without hesitation speaking over friends and family about their situations and helping them remember from where their confidence comes from.  Years ago, I would never have had the confidence to just blurt out truth… for myself and definitely not over other people.  I suppose I’ve become undignified in this manner.  I’m better for it!

I walk with my own scars from following Jesus this side of heaven.  I have gone through the process of redefining every scar my heart bears as a badge of honor instead of shame.  Walking taller because of scars is counter cultural.  So be it.  Normal is boring. I want the identity Heaven speaks over me, not the labels the world tries to shackle us with.

Confident.  When you know who you are in God’s eyes… no other opinion compares.

I’ve worked hard over the years to make sure each of my kids know exactly who they are from Heaven’s perspective.  Even in choosing their names, was an act of obedience to what Jesus spoke to my heart about their lives this side of heaven.  He knows who my kids are more than I do.  And as a Father, it’s my job and joy to speak life and identity over them.  Heaven speaks in and through me to their hearts and minds.  Just like my Father in Heaven speaks identity over me.  It’s who He is.  A Good Father.

So today, I’m reminded to be more confident.  Not cocky.  Confident.  Meek.  Great strength under control, in such a way that brings heaven’s message of hope and identity to His Sons & Daughters.  In a world of broken people… we all need to be reminded of who we are.  Confident of who our Father is and who He says we are.

PRAYER: Make it count Jesus.  I choose to believe I am who You say I am.  A Gentle General in the Kingdom.  A Bridge Builder and Bible Communicator… and more.  I trust You.  You are where my confidence comes from.  So be it.

“17 Years Later”…

SCRIPTURE: “…You follow Me!” (John 21:22)

OBSERVATION:  Peter declared he was willing to die for Jesus and yet just as Jesus predicted, Peter denied even knowing him, cussing like a logger when pressed by a girl in the courtyard where Jesus was being dragged towards his final hours.  Peter, “Rock”… cracked to the core when the rooster crowed at that very moment of his third denial as Jesus once again perfectly predicted.

Maybe this is why I hate roosters?!… Anyway.

At his core, this man’s-man, who thought he was ready for anything, was reduced to a little boy who wasn’t enough.  Peter’s moment of fear and betrayal brought violent waves of regret and shame.  This Peter, “Rock”, was reduced back to being a simple man known as Simon.  Simon, son of John… a fisherman.

And so, this is exactly what Simon did.  He went back to what he knew.  He went back to fishing.  Although this time, his heart wasn’t in it.  It was a means to an end. It was what he did.  It was who he was… Or was it?

This is when Jesus appeared on the shoreline with a small fire and fish prepared for breakfast.  Jesus called from the shore and told the guys out on the boat to throw the nets on the other side.  When Peter finally did it, the catch was miraculous, 153 large fish… and the nets held!  This miracle immediately sent Simon into the water swimming to the shoreline with his clothes on to respectfully meet His Savior.

When Simon got the shore, Jesus had breakfast with him and the guys.  Breaking bread, eating fish and telling stories.  This third time of seeing Jesus after defeating death must have been life changing.  Jesus was alive!  Yet for Simon, Jesus knew his heart was still hurting from the courtyard betrayal days earlier.

After breakfast, Jesus cut through the silence saying, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?”  Three times Jesus asked Simon if he loved Him, countering the three times he denied knowing Jesus in that courtyard.  After these things, Jesus called him back to being a shepherd and to Simon’s call to be a fisher of men.  

Jesus cut through all of Simon’s insecurities and fears commanding him, “You follow Me!”

APPLICATION:  I’ve been to Israel and have stood on the very shoreline where this happened.  I’ve been on the same boats where the Hillsong team recorded this song in the middle of the Sea of Galilee.  A life changing experience for me.

Out of all the places we ventured, the shoreline of John 21 was the most profound for me.  Why?  Well, because in 1999, I was seeking confirmation to take the leap of faith to move my family to Honolulu for Bible College and prepare to be a church planter, being mentored by Wayne Cordeiro and the New Hope team.

Jesus was calling me to a life I thought was for other people.  Good people.  Definitely not for people like me, who had walked away from church for a decade earlier in my life.  Nonetheless, God was calling me out of my boat.  He was asking me to follow Him.

In a matter of 30 days, God had answered all of my 30 points of reasons why we shouldn’t go.  Where to live, $ for tuition, medical insurance, vehicle, job transfer, etc.  So I had nothing left to bring as an excuse to not move.  I was left with my decision to say yes in faith or no in fear.

I had a moment on a 2 mile run that sealed this decision in my heart forever.  I heard Jesus speak clearly many things for my present and future.  He brought clarity to the why’s for the move and the training.

John 21 was the cornerstone for that life changing experience.  Days later my Pastor, Brett Meador from Athey Creek Christian Fellowship, confirmed many things simply by speaking the message prepared for that Sunday.  We were going to Hawaii, training for the ministry and I was to be a church planter.  Crazy!

17 years later, I’m sitting here thinking through my past/present/future.

I’m in a good season with my kids.  And yet, I never would have believed that my life story would have included being a single Dad and working for Disney!  I was a Church Planter and following hard after Jesus as a Pastor in some amazing churches.  And then it happened…

“…” is all I will give to what was brought upon me and my kids.  It doesn’t deserve more than that.

On October 10th, 2010 I was standing on this shoreline in Israel as Brett Meador led us in a time of worship.  I remember underlining my bible of the words Jesus gave me years earlier, “You Follow Me!

Today, I’m reminded of the calling Jesus put on my heart and confirmed.  I am Eric Robison, a Bible Communicator and Bridge Builder.  I am a Gentle General in God’s Kingdom.  An Elder to the cities.  A Pastor of Pastors.  And yet, I don’t feel like it at all.  Because part of my original calling was taken from me.  You see I am a Husband and a Father first.

I look back at these life experiences and how they have helped me hold in over the years through transitions.  I am called to Follow Jesus.  He told me on that 2 mile run speaking John 21 over me, that things would be difficult, but worth it for legacy sake.

You see, I asked for Jesus to go all the way with me.  I asked Him to not lead me over the waters to Honolulu and back to just go through the motions.  I wanted legacy.  I wanted my family’s name to be known throughout the Kingdom of our faithfulness to follow Jesus.

He assured me I would be blessed with a legacy and more importantly that season of training was for my kids and their families.  He then said 3 times, “Eric you have asked a difficult thing.  But if you don’t give up it will be yours.”  … I never gave up.  And I find myself teaching my kids profound life lessons from those years of training in Hawaii.  Nothing has been lost.  Nothing wasted.

So today, I look back on my life and wish some things were different.  And yet I’m beginning to see how God can do all things through any circumstance.  God’s word never fails.  I have legacy and so do my kids.

Today, I’m wondering what is in store for my future.  I’m wondering how the calling on my life will unfold in this new season of blessings.  I live a life of “Suddenlies”.  From now on my kids and I are expecting blessings to come our way.

Time spent with Jesus this morning has me expecting new life chapters that will trump the past few in such a way that brings God all the glory.  What was stolen from me will be replaced.  Bad will continue to be exchanged for good.  In God’s timing, God’s calling on my life will manifest in brand new ways.

I have a life of love and Legacy.  What comes next will be what great stories are made of.  Jesus will continue to shape my life in ways that will bring God glory and save many lives.  So be it.  Jesus’ words still echo in my heart today, “You Follow Me!”  I’m ready to see what’s next in my life story.  Excited!

PRAYER:  Jesus thank You for being so faithful.  17 years later, I still choose to follow You.  Although I’m not the man who I once was, you know me and are planning wonderful life chapters for me.  I have love and legacy because of who You are.  So grateful!  I still choose to follow You, even when You call me Off the Map!

“Be My Mirror”…

SCRIPTURE: “The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend…” (Exodus 33:11) 

OBSERVATION:  Moses encountered the presence of God one day that changed his life forever.  A man running from his past, failing to reconcile his two life chapters… suddenly knew who he was in the presence of the true and living God.  God called him by name out of the wilderness and back to the world he once knew with renewed purpose. (Exodus 3)

APPLICATION:  I am no Moses.  God called Moses the most humble man who ever lived (Numbers 12:3). Yet he was a man given to anger, held a holy discontent about injustice, was insecure in his abilities to lead and even murdered a man for beating one of his fellow Hebrews without cause.

All of Moses’ weaknesses gives me hope after all, for being a man who wants to please God and have a Godly legacy.  Even in Moses’ mess… his heart longed to be close to his God. Without God’s presence, nothing else mattered.  It would be all for nothing if God didn’t go with them.  Moses’ desire was as mine is today – “Show me your glory!”

This morning I’m encouraged that just like Moses, we serve the same God. We no longer have a ‘Tent of Meeting’ as Moses did (Exodus 33).  The pillar of cloud doesn’t show up when we enter God’s presence nor do our faces glow from spending time with God.  Or does it?…

I believe God blesses His sons and daughters who seek His face.  The same God speaks to us face to face to face.  Just like Moses, God calls us by name reminding us who we are. Then He gives direction and purpose for our lives.  If we choose to follow Him, people will recognize God’s presence in our lives.  By the way we live, love and lead. (Acts 4:13)

I want to be such a man. I want to be a man who sees God face to face as a Friend and a Father.

Jesus, The Son of God, has made a way for us to do so more intimately.  Through His life, death and resurrection we now have access to the Father and the throne room of heaven… this side of heaven!

A Friend and a Father.  God not only tells us who we are and His calling for our life, He desires an intimate relationship.  We now have what Moses only dreamed of.  We can see Jesus face to face.  So close does Jesus invite us in, that we can even see who we are in the reflection of His eyes.

In a world where we are labeled by many things, as sons and daughters, we are found in Jesus. It’s my heart cry today for Jesus to be my mirror…

PRAYER:  Simple prayer this morning Jesus – “I want your eyes to be my mirror…Tell me who I am in your gaze…Face to Face…”

“Gentle General”…

SCRIPTURE: “ If I must boast, I would rather boast about the things that show how weak I am.” (2 Corinthians 11:30)

OBSERVATION:  Paul was and is a General in the Kingdom.  And yet, he was Gentle.  I long to be a man like Paul in this way, a Gentle General in the Kingdom.

APPLICATION:  As I read the bible through the years, I’m amazed at how relevant God’s word is day by day.  Jesus is alive and is “The Word”.  For me I’m praying through where I am in life and am so thankful.  When I look in the mirror, I see an aging version of myself.  I’ve always looked younger than my age.  But after the past 2 years, I have noticed how quickly life’s demands have etched into my reflection.

There wasn’t much time before to look into the mirror and take inventory on who was staring back at me.  I’m in a new season and there still isn’t much time.  But there is more than before.  I’ll take it!  So as I see this person looking back at me, the question I have to ask is, “Do I like him?”  The answer is not summed up by the word ‘Like’.  What I’m talking about isn’t the clicking of a button on social media to ‘Like’ a person or a post.  My answer is summed up on one word, “Respect”.  I respect the man that is looking back at me.  I look a little different now, and I embrace it.

The face I wear ins’t one of an untested youth.  I have been sifted and tested over the years…severely.  I will not boast about those seasons.  What I will boast about is my King.  Jesus is my Lord and Savior.  He is my best friend and counselor.  He is my rescuer.  When I had nothing left to give.  When I had no strength within me.  When I wasn’t enough.  When I was wounded. When my heart flatlined… Jesus came to my rescue.  Every time.

My weaknesses are not to be ashamed of.  Neither are yours.  I don’t know who you are reading my words.  I write them to encourage myself.  And yet, may I encourage you?  If you are in a season of looking into your mirror and not recognizing or respecting your reflection.  Allow your heart to be opened to Jesus.  He will help you see yourself differently.  He is the only one in heaven with scars.  He chose to keep his scars for all to remember and remember well.  His love changes everything…if we let it.

As Paul, there are life chapters that he wasn’t proud of.  And yet, Jesus chose him.  God even changed his name from Saul to Paul.  His heart was opened to Jesus in an instant.  Once the scales fell off his eyes and heart, his life was used mightily for God. Instead of killing Christians, he gave his life to the equipping of the local church.  When Paul wrote these words, “If I must boast, I would rather boast about the things that show how weak I am” – He broke the false teachings and pretenses of being someone he wasn’t.  Yes, he was a General in the Kingdom.  But he knew who he was in his reflection.  A broken man who was completely dependent upon his King.  He was nothing without Jesus… and he knew it.  Owned it.  And led out of this place of humility.

Paul didn’t let his past life chapters define him.  He allowed Jesus to give him a new name and a new identity.  He was a Leader of Leaders, Pastor of Pastors and yet he had the heart to be gentle.  I want to be more like Paul.  I naturally have the leadership gift within me.  Because of my life story, it has been confirmed many times that I am a General in the Kingdom.  My life isn’t public anymore.  Doesn’t need to be.  The war that I have come through and how I stand today, scars and all, do not point to me.  They reveal my very real weaknesses.  I’ve chosen to wear my weaknesses well.

I’ve chosen a life of meekness instead of weakness.  Jesus’ great Power is under control within my heart.  His grace shines when I have nothing to offer.  I don’t shy away from my weaknesses.  I own them and allow God to use them to demonstrate His strength.  Easier said than done, believe me… I know this.  But it is worth the exchange.

So yes, I am weak.  Because of this, I am strong.  Meekness is now the chevron I have been entrusted with by my King.  They are not pinned on my shoulder as a soldier would receive.  Jesus is the King of the Angel Armies.  He has called and chosen me to be a man who walks with a new heart.  He has given me a new sword and with it, touched my heart with the chevron of not only being a General in the Kingdom, but the calling to be a Gentle General.  Scars, wrinkles and a few extra pounds from the stresses of life are all worth it!  Meekness is the mantle that I walk with now.

I am a work in progress.  I get the General side of me.  I can swing the sword with the best of them.  In this new season, my mission is to grow in gentleness.  I understand this is an area in my life that will not come easily after all I’ve been through.  But I choose to be a better man instead of bitter.  I will engage in battle if I must.  But until then, I am focused on walking with my King in this new season of peace as a war-torn man who made his decision to stand tall and walk proudly knowing that all I am and all I have is from my King.  I am and have nothing apart from Jesus.  My life is not my own.  Because of this, I stand with an authority within me that is embraced by some and hated by others.  So be it.  I am not living for you.  I am living for my King.

My work today is to grow in the area of gentleness.  This general won’t be known for the battles I’ve led and won in Jesus’ name.  I will be known as a husband, father and follower of Jesus who chose to allow my King to balance my heart out. My heart is now capable of swinging the sword and smelling the flowers off the battlefield.  This is who I am.

So the man in the mirror is a guy I respect.  I get where he has come from.  I get his very real weaknesses.  And I respect the way he wears them.  Not hiding behind a mask, but rather choosing to live a life of genuineness and authenticity.  Some will run because of this.  That’s ok.  The hearts that remain are learning to follow Jesus as I am.  We are a work in progress.  We are weak while strong.  How?  Because we do not walk alone.  We walk heart to heart with our King.  He’s greater!

PRAYER:  Jesus, thank you for the victories won in Your name.  Without the leadership training and life disciplines learned, I would not be in this promised land today.  But that is not enough for me.  I choose to wear the lines in my face and the scars on my heart proudly as You have chosen to wear Yours for the love You have for me.  I choose to be a man whose heart is known as a Gentle General.  Thank You for the chevrons on my heart from recent war campaigns… and the ability to appreciate flowers off the battelfield.  Being a “Gentle General” is a mystery to me, but I want to be more like You Jesus.  You are Greater!

“So Yes, I Stand Tall”…

SCRIPTURE: ““But who are you?” Joshua demanded. “Where do you come from?”” (Joshua 9:8)

OBSERVATION: Joshua was lied to.  He was fooled to think an enemy wasn’t who they really were.  It begs the question, “Who are you and what are you doing here?”  to those who come against us.  But we also at times, must take the time to look inside our own selves and ask the question, “Who are you and where do you come from?”

APPLICATION:  Sometimes life takes us through seasons that take from us.  It’s not a matter of if but rather when.  When these seasons come, endure!  Endure through to the end.  You will without realizing it find yourself standing with absolutely only what is core to your being.  In those seasons there is no luxury of carrying what isn’t necessary.  The person standing at the end of that season will be sifted.  You may be worn out, scarred and weary from the journey… but at that point, you may be standing truer to yourself than any other season of your life.

Sometimes life takes us through these sifting seasons.  This morning I’m spending time to look inside myself and make sure I am being true to who I am.  The sifting season is over.  Thank God!  But now I want to make sure that I’m moving forward with what I want for my future.  I may be alone in this, but self assessment is a way of life for me.  I get lost sometimes when I’m going throught the motions of life.  I tend to do well under pressure but when life has no sense of direction, I get discouraged.

For the first time in my life I am in a place of questioning my direction.  I find myself lost in the traffic coming and going to work, the suburbia lifestyle where I’m surrounded by many but no one knows my name.  I feel as though I am 1 in 10,000 living without much purpose nor direction.  Ever been there?  Ever had a plan for your life only to have it fall apart?  I think we all have to a degree.  So when this happens, what do you do about it?

Today, I’m making sure that I sit down with myself and go back to the beginning.  I need to correct back to the core of who I am in order to move forward with clarity.  This is a transition season in my life.  It’s such an odd place to be in.  I don’t like it at all. I have let go of what was and long for my future, leaving me with the present.  And in the todays of my life, I want to get beyond where I’m at so badly that I tend to be of no good in the present.  Ever been there?  Not me… this is all new to me.

I’m a leader.  I need vision.  But in these transition seasons, there is a balance of looking backwards as well as forwards to gain clarity on where God is taking you.  I realize emotions are fleeting.  I will not live a life led by emotions.  I will embrace them and dig deeper to understand the why’s behind them.  Today I am doing the hard work of raising the tide of leadership. Allowing God to remind me of who I am so I may rise above some of life’s low lying obstacles.   Looking backward helps the tragectory of dreaming forward.

This is the heart and art of living ‘Present – Future – Past”.   Taking inventory on what today brings, dreaming about what will come, while staying true to yourself by remembering well.  

Most people don’t do this.  They just push and pull through life with their head down to the ground or high in the sky.  Both perspectives are only half of what you need in order to live a life of legacy.  Many leaders teach never to look back.  This sounds nice, but it’s horrible advice!  Seriously stupid advice!  We must remember well from where we’ve come from in order to be true to ourselves, to not repeat the same mistakes and to stay motivated by the “Why’s” we have chosen the path we will not waiver from.  ‘Present – Future – Past’ thinking will give you a rounded perspective that will help you hold in when emotions drain you leaving you susceptible to lifes obsticles.

Most of us won’t look into the past because it’s painful.  I’d rather check in once in a while to life chapters that define me instead of having life brutally repeat some of the same life-lessons. I’d rather stand strong knowing who I truly am and the why’s that brought me to this point than live a life in denial and running from the truth.  I want to be a man that stands.

How are you doing on this one?  How tall are you standing today?

I’m not talking about being puffed up.  I can’t stand guys that walk around like freakin’ Peacocks.  Yes, that’s what I call them, “Peacocks.”  They cover up for their weaknesses and insecurities thinking that they have fooled everyone.  Yes, most everyone is fooled by these plumes and puffing.  Not me.  I refuse to be like these men.  Shallow, selfish and fake.  I’d rather face life head on and get the shit beat out of me rather than pretend that I’m something I’m not.

I have had people tell me that I walk with authority.  Some people are threatened by this.  They have told me to my face:

• “Who do you think you are? “
• “You think you are so much better than us?!”
• “We’re so sick of you acting like a leader around us, even using big words… it’s ridiculous!”

Others are intrigued by who I am and declare they recognize a leadership ‘Presence’.  They too have told me to my face:

• “When you walk in the room your presence is felt”
• “You don’t have to say anything Eric, by simply being here your leadership helps”
• “I have never been around a man with such unspoken authority and strength”

So yes, I stand tall.  But it’s not out of insecurity, pride nor proving myself to others. I stand tall because I have fought for who I am and what I have.  I am a man that has been sifted and lost everything and more that was dear to me.  I am a man who comes from humble beginnings.  A small town boy who didn’t have much growing up.  But I had family who loved me.  I had friends who were true.  I worked hard for everything I had.  I took care of what I had because blessings were hard to come by.  I set goals and accomplished them with teams who became life-long friends.  I failed and got back up time and time and time again. I was surrounded by people who pulled me up when I couldn’t do it on my own.

I am a simple man, but I like who I am.  My past has made me who I am today.  And because of this perspective, I will continue to improve with these core values.  I live for legacy.  It’s who I am.  So when people look at me and hurl insults my way, it’s not because I am doing anything wrong.  Rather people are insecure in themselves.  The ‘Peacocks’ that puff up their plumage get riled up because they have met someone who walks in authority in the past, present and future.  They can’t put their finger on it, but it pisses them off to have someone with this authority without public display.

Most of these people live in the past, re-telling stories of glory days long past.  I refuse.  And my story…my whole story, is saved for a trusted few.  I don’t have a colorful, coveted life to show off in front of others commanding respect.  What I have is far more valuable.  I have integrity and character held close to my heart.  I have fought for them and have earned them at a great cost.

So yes, I stand tall.  Because those who have come against me have not taken from me what is most important.  My legacy.  I know where I’ve come from, where I am and where I am going.  I’m not where I want to be yet.  But how I get there is just as important as the destination.  Some people hate me for not giving up.  I don’t care anymore.  Deal with it.

I am living for legacy, following Jesus day by day,  loving and leading my family, praying and preparing for unanswered promises.  I’m living a Joseph calling.  The years of being betrayed, falsely accused and forgotten are over.  I stand tall knowing that my God will make it all count.  It’s His job to make my life chapters come together in such a way that gives Jesus glory.

So yes, I stand tall.  God will honor me for I have honored Him.  Deal with it.

PRAYER:  Make it count Jesus.

“A Simple Man”…

SCRIPTURE: “The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13)

OBSERVATION:  God has a way of changing simple lives into the extraordinary without compromising character.  We tend to do all we can to complicate life.  Jesus brings us back to simplicity.

APPLICATION:  I am a simple man.  For years, I hated this.  I saw so many leaders that I wanted to be like.  I saw gifts and abilities in others that I wanted for my own.  I emulated some of them for years only to be worn out in the end.  Correcting back to the core of who we are should be something of worth.  If we gain the world and yet lose our soul, what good is it?

Sometimes, I need to correct back to the core of who Eric Richard Robison is.  I am a simple man.  The more life I experience, the more I value who I am.  The more life I experience, I understand simplicity is worth fighting for.

On the side of being brutally honest, the core of who I am has been targeted and the sniper’s bullet has pierced my heart.  It would have been one thing if the bullet was from an enemy.  But the kill shot came coldly and calculatedly from the one I trusted the most.  Upon bleeding out, up-close scatter fire was delivered in the chaos. Words like daggers were delivered with intent to destroy my self-worth as a man.  It worked.  I flatlined………………………………..

Some of the words that finished me were:

• I want someone who is tall, dark and handsome
• I want someone who is successful
• I want someone who has money
• I want someone who isn’t a pastor
• I don’t want to be married anymore
• I don’t want to be a mother anymore
• I want to do what I want, when I want, with whoever I want, for the rest of my life.

How does one recover from something like that?  You don’t.  You simply die.  A part of you dies.

Sometimes, we lose everything only to gain everything. Sometimes, we are completely shattered only to have God do a miracle.  Sometimes we never know how much God loves us until He is the only thing we have.  Sometimes a heart stops only to beat again with new purpose and power.  Sometimes…  Sometimes…

21 months later, I still am affected by what happened.  The scars remain, but I have allowed Jesus to gently put me back together in such a way that He gets the glory.  I have not compromised who I was, who I am.  I am standing strong knowing who I am.  I am a simple man.

I am called to be a Husband, a Father and a Follower of Jesus Christ.  Although this has been brutally attacked.  I have remained true to who I am.  Even though I am divorced.  I refuse to let this define me.  In time, there will be another.  The way God brings this about will be good and right.  It’s up to me to stay true to who I am.  What motivates me is legacy. What I thought was all dead and gone, is beginning to breath with life again.  It’s a new season!

So as I ponder what has been and what will be.  I am encouraged knowing that I stand today with my integrity and character in place.  Yes, my heart stopped months ago.  But God has given me a new heart.  One that is unique, unconventional at best, one that bears scars, one that is simple yet profound.  There is power in simplicity.  I am a simple man.

Jesus’ disciples were known for spending time with Jesus.  People knew these were simple men, yet they were profound in the way they led their lives for Jesus.  Each of them had to pay a price for following Jesus.  They had opposition.  They had hard decisions to make.  We will have the same.

I have lost loved ones who decided to turn their back on Jesus.  It was personal… but not personal.  I trust Jesus to make it count.  I know who I am.  I have legacy with my kids.  I am in good standing with God and man.  And someday, in God’s timing, I will be married again.  Her heart will be made complete in Jesus, willingly compliment me and jofully love our family.  She too will understand that simplicity is worth fighting for.  She will be comforted that I am a simple man… Until then, I pray and prepare.

PRAYER:  Thank You Jesus that I am counted among your disciples as a simple man.  I am someone who has spent time with You.  My boldness, my passion is from following You.  In the good and the bad, you continue to tell me how proud You are of me for not giving up.  I’m still following You off the map.  I am proud of who You created me to be.  I am a Simple Man…