"Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient
paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for
your souls." Jeremiah 6:16
I recently came off the field completely different than
all the other times before. I am still not sure that I am able to sit and
convey to people what I walked through by shepherding 55 men and women for 5
months, but I do know these: I grew up a little more, identified more 'rubbish' in me to let
God have, I know deeper in my soul that God is my Father and I am His Son- and that
I am loved deeply, which brings me to... I AM madly in love with GOD and I
honestly want to walk by Faith in my life (a little nerve racking at times but well
worth it).
I have now been home since May 11th and for the
first 3 weeks I took care my mom who had surgery (Thank you for praying for
her, she is doing much better now) and it was such an honor to be able to take
care of her, chill with family, hang out with old friends, laugh, and just share
my heart with them all... but this time...I knew that God was starting to ask for
MORE.
I told one of my best friends recently that my first week
and a half of being back has been some of the hardest in a long time. In 2008,
I walked through a year of brokenness and now... my heart is rendered in
such a way of the broken hearted before God -that it calls me to be in a
vulnerable state with Him...always wanting to listen to His voice. Honestly, some
of these things hit me blindsided and I had to deal with them and not run, which
so many times I have in the past. Admitting things in your self (heart) I
believe is sometimes the hardest thing to do as a man. It hurt to admit some
truths and by doing this- it opened the door for the past to pounce in mocking
...once again-, this time though was not an issue because I KNEW I was redeemed, and
the devil has nothing on me as Son of God-but it brought me to a place knowing
that I need to always have my armor on. So, here I was, entering back 'home'
and really excited of what I have seen God do in 55 men and women...and without a
notice or hint, I was once again seeking God for some major direction/help in
many avenues in life.
Desperately seeking Him.
Believe this or not...I have never fasted and for the first
time in my life, I felt the Spirit leading me to fast and so I did...for multiple
reasons. And it was completely amazing.
After I was 'released' from feeding mom grapes and fanning
her with palm branches every day (ok, joke- but not the grape part), I went to
visit Josh and Tara Bruce for 10 days in Georgia and it was an incredible time.
One specific day, Josh drove straight to the core of me
and started asking "those" questions. 'Those' that really make you look at your
heart, admit 'those' things, and say 'those words', etc. I needed this for
myself and Josh is gifted in asking and approaching a person with love and
grace, so to answer him was simple. As we began to converse about life and such,
God showed up- Josh asked a deep question and one of 'those' prayers that I was
praying...came out of me as if I had known my whole life. I told him... "I have been
praying about my next step in life...and Josh- where God is asking me to go and
do...is actually great, coupled with a lot of risk and unknowns but for some
reason I struggle with saying yes to God this time," and as I continued, I
said, "This was/is the place in me realizing that; I will leave my family who I
dearly love for a long period of time, the possibility of my brother and
sister-in-law having their first child, 'loosing' relationships a long the way
(lets admit...it happens), the missing out on those family get together
happenings that I really like ... and so much more." All these things were
building up in me causing doubts, fears, but worse... that Still, Small voice was
being over shadowed and if I recall, the Lord asked if I were willing to give
everything up to -----Follow Him.
So, here I am today- in the smoldering heat of Texas and
yet... another chapter of goodbye is approaching, but I am confident in this that
the Lord is faithful, He is good, and I will trust Him for life.
Now, for you to know- I am making a long-term (2-3 years)
commitment to move to Spain and be apart of G42 in a much bigger way. I will be
writing more blogs soon to share what this looks like, etc. I will be mailing
you a few things, calling and sharing my heart/vision- but do know this- you
are my support system and mostly that where I am at today and where I am going
is by:
1.Jesus Christ
AND
2. All of you, who have supported me in the years past and
recently. You are my 'support belt' of which I am able to go and live out my
dreams and visions!
Thank you is not enough and as I begin this new chapter in
my life, I want to celebrate what God has done, is doing in the world, and what
He will be doing in those lives around me and in you in the years to come!
There once was a
small grocery store in Beaumont, Texas. One day, there stood a woman behind the check
out counter and a man who walked up to purchase food.
They happened to
meet and both would happen to have extraordinary love towards one another in
the days to come.
Then, that special
day came and it was all ‘fireworks and shotguns.'
It was April 30th
I am pretty sure it
was an awesome party afterwards.
They said, "I do,"
and now....
That love is deeper
and stronger than ever.
Rob Riggs (The
Rough Redneck) married Kelly Hartwick (The Beautiful Blond).
Both making a covenant
with one another that they wouldn't even grasp at that time.
Soon I would
disrupt the ‘flow' and add a twist to their lives and then 3 years later- Don
Ross would bring a whole new twist :>)
They celebrate 28 inspiring
years today and I want to share my heart.
This video is in honor of
you Dad and Mom.
I look around and
see marriages falling apart for such simple and grandeur reasons... but when I
look at you- the man and woman that God set before me for such things as these-
you have exceeded love far greater than many.
As a 26-year-old
man now- I am completely humbled and satisfied of whom you are in my life.
Thank you for
loving each other so deeply and wonderfully to Donny and myself- we have such unique
gifts in our lives.
No longer will you mourn oh people. No longer will I sit and look at you.
I'm a
jealous God, a God who hears my people. I'm for man! I've created you with such
delight. Such delicacy. Why do you run from me? Why do you chase after your own
idols and self worth?
WHO TOLD
YOU I WAS NEVER ENOUGH?
How dare
people say I'm not enough- I've created this place. I saw it would be your home
long before anything appeared.
I sometimes
wonder where you sit at and ponder the little things of life- I sometimes
wonder where you would be if you would stop dealing with yourself and looked at
your brother and the love he was craving.
I'm the
real deal. I'm the Alpha and Omega. I breathe and life forms. I speak to the
wind- where you see him through seasons- I'm speaking to Him. Grab hold of the
movement. It's my spirit.
I'm a
chaser after you. More than you realize. Yet, you are blind because it's about
you. I want my church to awaken from a slumber and battle what's happening.
Anger- I
told you to love one another as I have loved you and you struggle because you're
sinful. You struggle because you have been hurt- I'm not her, I'm not him! I'm
the creator of love and all I want is for you to arise and become my beloved.
For my beloved is mine... you are
mine.
Away with
fear, and away with the lies of the enemy! Arise and walk because today I am
waving a banner over you- a banner of hope- a banner of self worth- a banner of
integrity.
Men and Women
Fight for
freedom you desire. Fight for me. I fight for you in the morning and throughout
the day and as you sleep- I sing over you because it's simple...
As always, I hope you enjoy this and thanks for your continuous love, prayers, and words of encouragement through the last few months.
Thanks Chris Telfer (check out his website) for just allowing the Spirit of God to flow through your words and sharing your music with the world...keep doing it man! Thanks for those who shared your pictures with me. I really appreciate it. Peace and Grace Always to you...
But first, I need
to backtrack and tell you my journey in meeting him.
Here in Australia,
Tara and I chose to travel the month and spend quality time with each of our
teams in the locations they were stationed through the Territories.
I have been
witnessing God tearing down the walls of the hurt in these men and women, I
have seen Him pouring His blood of purity over the un-pure areas of hearts that
were closed off and screaming to be set free and it becoming white as snow. I
have seen moments of joy spill over in these lives and Him romance them in it. Many
are walking in a new freedom, and the Lord is doing an incredible thing with
each individual.
My last team to
visit this month was Team Glo. They are amazing men and women of God, and I had
an amazing time with them. While there, God showed up and BLEW me out of the
water with only 2 days in Beeswick.
This is the Outback,
and it is the place where the Aboriginal people dwell. It is a place where you can
smile and sweat pours forth from every place of your body. This is a place where the spiritual
climate is freakin' intense...this is the place that I met Justin, age 36.
Justin is not aboriginal.
He has a mixture of Peruvian, Aussi, and Kiwi. A unique mixture of cultures
creating such a unique heart.
I have not had
headaches in a while... but as I drove closer to Beeswick my head became a
ticking time bomb it seemed. It was getting pretty ugly, and I knew that I needed
some meds, prayer, and rest. Little did I realize, I was entering a crazy war
zone (spiritually), and it was having a direct effect on me...
Upon arriving with
team Glo, I walked into the kitchen and there stood Justin who was colossal and
looked like he could easily smash my skull in with one fist. What I saw, though,
was his smile, and what I felt was his love and joy. It seeped from him, but
what I felt the Spirit speaking was that he wasn't a believer...interesting
because of the love he had for people.
The next day, David
and I had some great talks with men throughout the community about the Lord and
encouraged them to live out their faith boldly, and I enjoyed every minute of
it...later that evening we saw Justin, and He was holding his lung and looked
like he was in pain. I asked what was up, and he said that it was from smoking
for 10 years. It was killing him
little by little. In those moments I felt the Spirit of the Lord tell me to lay
my hands on him for healing. I didn't do it. I still am learning. So...
It was Friday night
and we were leaving early the next morning, and I knew that I still needed to
talk with him...the reason was unknown, but the Lord just kept pressing that He
needed Justin now. The night was drawing to an end, but God was just getting
started- Justin walked in and came straight to David and I... He sat down and
started to share his life...sharing the secrets of his heart that he had never
told anyone...he mentioned how tired he was of being surrounded by darkness. He even
wanted to end his life a few times. He was shameful, guilty, addicted to an
assortment of things, etc...and now he was screaming inside for help. He had
actually mentioned seeing a spirit around his room...yeah that's right- he even
had asked the spirit her name and she said..."Jezebel" and get this... Justin had
no clue she was mentioned in the bible-he was yearning for rescue.
As David shared the
gospel, I knew more and more I had to pray with this man- it was heavy on me.
Desiring to be more
personable, we moved into his bedroom to pray hard core prayers over him...continuing
the conversation with Him about the Lord, he looked at us and said, "I know my
problem-I have never accepted the Lord because I have been addicted to such and
such-the "pleasures of the world"... So, I just went into talking about
addictions and the freedom we have in Christ-the power of Christ. As we spoke
about these things, it became apparent it was the time to make the choice to
get rid of addictions and darkness and let the light come in and break years
and years of darkness off of him. He wanted it, and so we prayed!
We prayed with Him
for an hour or more...we went through some tough spiritual warfare, but we
encouraged Him to speak out and plead the blood of Jesus over himself. We
encouraged Him to tell Christ how he felt...it was REDEEMING...it was POWERFUL...it
was ALL GOD! Through the end I felt the Lord pressing for me to place my hands
on his lungs and pray for complete healing- and this time, I didn't hesitate.
That night was
special, Justin accepted the Lord as HIS personal savior/Father. It was beautiful.
When we finished
praying- he said, "I feel lighter, I don't feel/see that spirit here anymore,
my mind is clearer, my lungs don't hurt, and I can also breath deeper and more."
This was incredible to witness. I loved every minute of it- seeing a man literally
leave the lies and walk into the truth of Christ...
Justin is now my
brother in the Lord- I don't know if I will ever speak or see him on this earth
again- but I can tell you that I will rejoice the day when I see his face in
eternity. I can tell you that He will bring the Kingdom of God to Beeswick and will
be a LIGHT that shines out of the darkness that hovers there. I will testify
boldly that the seed fell on good soil and that it will grow and multiply into
hundreds. My faith says so.
This is what I love...the
dead coming alive in Christ- the savior redeeming a man.
My God is a God that has given TARA, Me, N Squad, and ALL
believers the AUTHORITY and POWER to TEAR down the walls of HELL!!
My GOD is a GOD of TRUTH!
My God is the Alpha and Omega.
My GOD IS LOVE.
My GOD IS ETERNAL.
I am in my second month now in Australia and I am in a new state
of humility and brokenness. It seems like the last few years of my life I am
consistent in these, but this is truly new.
I am completely humbled that the Lord has placed me where I
stand today, that His love never fails, that He never left me in my own hopelessness,
self-pity, self-centeredness, etc; and that He still.... STILL whispered hope and
love to me.
----------------
Today was awesome with some of my teams at the beach. I just
needed rest. I seriously believe the last time I was really alone for more than
an hour was a few days before Christmas...maybe.So, I took a trip on a train to just sit with God-and honestly
to really rest in Him.
I love how I just can sit in His lap and just chill- He is
cool like that. My Abba!
On the train, I reflected on many conversations from
different people on the squad- amazing and difficult ones. I smile, cry, laugh,
and rejoice that I am being blessed beyond measure to witness the power of
Christ bringing new freedom to areas that have been held captive from the enemy... I pray hardcore and realize how much love
and hope I have for them and how awesome it is to just see Christ radiating
uniquely through each one.
I am praying that I will become even more of a man who
reflects the attributes of Christ daily. That each day I spend here-the Love that I
share and give would represent that of Christ, that the Joy would be a complete
representation of the Christ in me, and that my Hope for this squad in becoming
men and women who WALK in COMPLETE FREEDOM and become FIRE BREATHERS for the
KINGDOM OF GOD would FLOW out of my soul and burn in theirs.... and that I would
never forget where He has brought me from...that His love endures.
That is that... I just believe in them. So, thanks for
believing in me and always supporting me...your love and support with the power
of Christ has brought me here today! You are all rock stars! For realz...
I have been flooded these last few days with so many memories of how I felt when I left 2 years ago for my own race...the Lord keeps reminding me constantly of my personal thoughts, journey, etc... and it has been a pretty intense road, but the most victorious road I have ever traveled down. Some how, this journey brings you out of all the comforts of life we relish in at home, it draws you in the freakish unknowns, so many of them...cultural diversities to learn to live with, no more "junk" food, no comfortable beds, no internet at times, heck- sometimes no water to shower with, and the most challenging are those 7 new people you live with 24-7 now for 11 months. How do we deal with these things all at once????
As I look out this morning and see these men and women of God who have left it all, to pursue something more in life, I hear the Lord whisper something amazing. He has been whispering it now for 2 days and this morning I say, "Listen, for the Lord is speaking this over you all."
Psalms 133:1-2 is this whisper--- "How good and pleasant it is when brothers and sisters live together in unity! It is like the precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron's beard, down upon the collar of his robes."So, parents, friends, loved ones of squad M and N.... The Lord is pouring out this sweet aroma over them all and I see this "oil" running down on them representing the anointing of Him. They are safe, they are walking in more freedom from only 3 days of being here, and they are anointed to proclaim the year of the Lord!
How great and precious it is when brothers and sisters live in Unity....Luke 4:18-19-- "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
The Lord is great always.
Grace and Peace
Robby
P.S. For the next few weeks I will be hiking and camping, doing some amazing relational ministry. This however will mean I will not have access to the internet until closer to the end of the month. Talk to you then!
I didn't know this until now, but today was really my last step of getting rid of a major past fear, issue, failure, that I had let run my life until this past May. Rummaging through my clothes, shoes, papers, and books, etc. I noticed that this would not be easy.
Let me brief you on why today was difficult. You see, I went to College with the mindset of hopefully being a Doctor in Pediatric Oncology. Growing up, I wanted to work with children and medicine together...it was/is intriguing. In my sophmore year of college, after my paw-paw had a stroke, I would go visit him and observe the Doctors and Nurses and I noticed a lot. Lots what I didn't like from the doctors. One day, I thought to myself, "I really don't want to loose this passion of helping people in me because I will be so concerned with being sued, or wanting to get paid more for what I do, and also the potential of turning my patients into "objects to take care of..." The nurses grabbed my attention. Their joy, attitudes, and relationships we built with them changed my perspective for medicine and people. In those days, I decided to go into Nursing School to be an RN. I was accepted by Gods grace and upon entering school I had a lot of fears that were completly hidden from the world- I may have looked confident on the outside, but I wasn't at all. I was more afraid than anything...afraid of failing, because my whole life I had called myself "dumb and stupid" for reasons that aren't needed to express through here. Test were always hard for me in school, I freaked out, and I never told myself I was smart and could do this, it was just...
"Robby your dumb and stupid and you won't amount to much."
In a year and a half through Nursing- that fear became a reality by 1 point. I missed one more than I should have on my final test which had the consequence of me being kicked out. It was another defeat and I just started to give up completly about myself. These thoughts almost ruined so much of who I was as a person...it affected everything of me..confidence, my love for people, my trust, the list goes on and on...
Today though- I am proud to say I am a new man in Christ- I believe in myself now like no other, I love like no other, I will trust like no other- I am Robby because of Christ in me and His all consuming fire that has and is and will always burn everything away that is not of Him in me...these last 2 1/2 years of my life have been incredible and no words can describe the victory!
My main mission today was to clear out the past forever! I looked and saw TONS of papers, books, etc. of nursing...the voices started coming back as I looked at those books for nursing..."You see, Robby- told you. You were dumb and stupid, and still are!" Man, it was hard- looking through these papers, the time I put in, the money I put in and still am, the memories and voices creeped in like a flood- but today I stopped them from running over me again because I claimed victory over my life in May and believe that God is bigger than a thought and so I told those voices to leave and then I burnt it all!
This was part of my victory I didn't know I needed to do until I did it...it is complete freedom and now- I will walk more into my destiny...I am a Son of God!
On my last run to burn, this verse was stuck on the bar which read..."I am with you and watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land, I will not leave you until I have what I have promised" Genesis 28:15
It is time to share something new...some of you know, some do not.
It is completely God inspired, yet by my "Yes and Amen" to my heavenly Father, I am doing something that relies only on His strength, His power, His provision, and His wisdom alone.
This January 2010, 2 years after I embarked on a run with Christ, I will now be co-leading a squad of 60 World Racers who are
starting their own journey.
Not long ago, I was at G42 in Spain where I learned an incredible amount of the word of God, had many new revelations about Christ, Christ in me, etc. and where I was challenged about my future in a new way. Through a few tough questions, God unlocked something very deep and real in my soul. I couldn't resist the Holy Spirit opening my heart and revealing exactly my desires for men and women.
My role as a Squad Leader will be one of creating and facilitating
an environment where my squad will be able to grow spiritually and
emotionally, while also looking after their safety, heath, and
encouraging them in the whole process. Tara Stephenson
(my co-leader) and I will stay out with the squad for 4 months with
the purpose of raising up new leaders from within the squad to take
over at that point. It is going to be an awesome opportunity to pour
all of me into this group of people as they go through abandonment and brokenness
and see them walk further into their giftings, callings, and character
for His glory!
This is me with the "N" Squad at Training Camp:
This past week I was in Gainesville, GA meeting my squad at
Training Camp. It was absolutely incredible, challenging, already learning more dependency from God, and full of excitement. God has been growing
my heart for each one of them, and I have seen some incredible freedom
and breakthrough in a lot of their lives. God showed up, the Holy
Spirit was present, and this group of Racers entered in deep to what God was doing in and through them.
My heart expanded a lot for each and individual one of them as they walked through their own years of brokenness, bondage, unforgiveness, struggles, questions, etc. I was able to witness them begin their own journey of letting Christ have it all, to let Him pour out His spirit even thicker over places that were long forgotten, stolen, or whatever, and be engulfed in LOVE. It was and is all God!
I would absolutely love your prayers right now and in the upcoming
months as I prepare to go out on the field again. This is a role as
leader that I have never quite held before, and it is one that I do not
feel fully adequate for-- needless to say, I will be relying a lot on
His equipping daily.
Please pray for:
-The squad itself, that they would be able to dive into
community, ministry, more empowerment in the Spirit, and their
understanding of their identities in Christ.
-Their protection as they go back home for two months after
Training Camp-- that everything they learned, saw, and gained freedom
in would be protected and sealed in Jesus' name.
-The countries I will be going to with them: New Zealand, Austrialia, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia.
-My time with God, that it would be protected, and that I would be able
to stay connected intimately with Him on a daily basis as I prepare and
leave.
-God's glory to be made known and His love to be revealed in a deeper
way to me, my squad, and those we will minister to in the nations.
-My family as I leave again!
And as much as I hate it, going back out on the field means I need
to raise more support. I realize this is a really tough time for
so many, and so I don't mean to press this matter. All I want to do is
make you aware of the amount I need ($10,000) and ask you to
simply pray.
If you do feel led to give, thank you so very much. Your support
will be sewing into me as I sew into this squad of 60 Racers. You can
either send a check to Adventures In Missions, 6000 Wellspring Trail,
Gainesville, GA 30506 (with my name in the memo line) or click here to give now.
If you have any questions please click on the "Contact Me" box in the upper left!
Thank you so very much for all of your support and prayers as I go back out!
If you desire, these are some scriptures to join with me as I pray over my squad these next 2 months as they prepare to leave!
wanted to work with children and medicine together...it was/is intriguing. In my sophmore year of college, after my paw-paw had a stroke, I would go visit him and observe the Doctors and Nurses and I noticed a lot. Lots what I didn't like from the doctors. One day, I thought to myself, "I really don't want to loose this passion of helping people in me because I will be so concerned with being sued, or wanting to get paid more for what I do, and also the potential of turning my patients into "objects to take care of..." The nurses grabbed my attention. Their joy, attitudes, and relationships we built with them changed my perspective for medicine and people. In those days, I decided to go into Nursing School to be an RN. I was accepted by Gods grace and upon entering school I had a lot of fears that were completly hidden from the world- I may have looked confident on the outside, but I wasn't at all. I was more afraid than anything...afraid of failing, because my whole life I had called myself "dumb and stupid" for reasons that aren't needed to express through here. Test were always hard for me in school, I freaked out, and I never told myself I was smart and could do this, it was just...
On my last run to burn, this verse was stuck on the bar which read..."I am with you and watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land, I will not leave you until I have what I have promised" Genesis 28:15
