So, listen to some advice I have for you!

In the years to come, you will wrestle with two major things: Your identity and purpose. Yes, I know that you have been trying to put your thoughts into words lately, so now you have them! Nice and Bold.

- Believe it or not, you will ask who you are in relation to many things such as education, career, political affiliation, and your stance on various social issues (Oh, and you will be exposed to a lot my friend) so be ready ... While you are asking how these shape you, there will also be the "so-what?" attitude. So what if I get a college degree (Will it fulfill me? Will it change the world?). So what if I meet people in modern day slavery (How will it affect me honestly? What will I do about it?). You will find your identity and purpose in what you believe, what you do, and whom you know.

- Chill with Dad. Go have some beer and share life... you actually like it more than you know.

- Encouragement: When you go to college, don't think only about the paycheck. A majority of your friends will do this and they'll express a lack of fulfillment in the years after you graduate, Enjoy the lack of money. Actually, I would think twice about going - you've always wanted to travel abroad, so go ahead and do it.

- If and when you get involved in political or social issues, be balanced and listen to those with opposing views (there is a lot to learn in this world).

- The summer you go to Amy's lake house and throw Daniel off the Jet Ski, be ready for the hospital :>)

- I know you are in complete denial and you play the game well, but I am calling your bluff.... You are full of anger, bitterness, hurt, and have issues with male authority from the words spoken over you as a child - but let me tell you something bro: You should forgive today, like right now... sit down and actually let it all go. Call your grandfather and you ask for forgiveness. This is only festering in you and it will almost ruin yourself and cause tension in your family. (No need for details, but dude- it is time.)

- One Christmas you will think you are a macho man and put the Christmas tree back up in the attic all by yourself, yeah - get some help...

- I would advise you to look into not playing football this year, your heart is to play soccer and you really don't want to look back and say what you say now...

- Porn. RUN away from this dude...the enemy is a liar. So, instead of getting trapped in nasty addictions, go ahead and get addicted to candy, sprite, or something else of that nature...  just too much hurt you are causing yourself... oh, and search out a man to share this stuff with.

- Which leads me to silence: Do not be a man of silence. It is killing a part of you. (So, speak now!)

- Less than a month ago, the whole world changed more than you realize. Sept. 11, 2001, something terrible happened in the United States. There will be a lot of debating for the years to come (As a matter of fact, 10 years was just remembered and dude, it is still an on-going war). Everyone will seem to have the solution to the world's problems, yet no one will have real answers.

- It is not the apocalypse, so please ignore end-times preachers who say it is. (Actually, just ignore them in all the years to come).

- People will start connecting less in person and more via the Internet. I know, this seems weird, but it will happen - like REAL SOON. So whatever you do, don't let your only friends be found on something called "Facebook." Make sure you remember friendship is not based on "how many," but rather "how loving" and "how loyal."

- Robby, listen to me: You are not stupid. You have wisdom. Ask questions all the time. Love does conquer all. Money comes and money will go. Commit to being a man of commitment all your life. Many people you think are lifelong friends will soon leave and new relationships will form. You will think you've found "the one" and you'll be completely wrong. You will not succeed at every venture you take up. Failure and loss are natural (Hint: Nursing). Embrace these all and do not be discouraged.

- I know that Don Ross Riggs drives you bonkers, but dude - love your little brother beyond your religious mindset and stop focusing on how he should be 'living', because you have no flipin' clue how you should live. Do not wait till a day in your future you get a phone call telling you, "We don't know how he is, if he will even make it, because he has been in an accident" and then have the epiphany that all you were called to do was to love him...so start today! Look at him with grace because boy, you have a lot grace covering your own life!

- Speaking of religion... dude, you are religious. Go get some deliverance and look that word up!

- I know you struggle with Church and all the shenanigans that go along with it, I know that you are freaking out inside and you do not know how to share this with people. So, listen: Your beliefs will change in the years to come...radically dude! Stop wigging out, you'll still be a Christian (Maybe, J/K) ß FYI that means just joking (yeah, lingo changes too). Some things will take place and you will understand God as "Abba, Daddy" and it will forever change you.  Do not let your life be ruled by all your doctrinal edifices. Remember at 14 where you understood Austin speaking in tongues over you at a local Missions Week and everyone else heard gibberish - that moment you were never the same, so embrace this! This is you more than you know...

(Ps: He tells you that you actually are more of yourself in the supernatural rather than the natural). Have fun with that thought!

- Watch foreign films... you actually enjoy their uniqueness and authenticity.

- Don't make church a business. It's about people.

Your pal,

I cannot believe it has been four years since my team all met under a tent in the deep woods of Georgia. We traveled the World together, saw amazing wonders, experienced the Power of God in ways that we were told did not exist any longer, cried together more than we thought we could or would, learned what it meant to fight for one other past our own crap, had real honest talks that led to a lot of different things, yelled at the top of our lungs in anger in the bush of Africa only to expose our weaknesses, and learned what it meant to love each other past our arguments, our rights, our 'past' and how amazing it has been to have continued our relationships through the years...

If you are a future racer and ever come across this... please understand that the each person on your team carries the Spirit of God in them and this is the beauty. Though you may not have a clue or have ever met them yet, believe in Faith that it is and will be good.

If you are currently on the field, Teams - a little reminder: These men and women carry the Spirit of God. The ones that you are looking at now, you see every stinkin' minute of the day, when eating together on the ground with roaches around you, sleeping in the same room with a thousand children screaming, all these and those moments of frustration and questions of "Really, is this it?"-The answer is YES! PLEASE know it is so - so - so good. You are gathering a lot in your Spirit more than you realize in these moments... you are in the perfect place at the perfect time.

Honestly- the years will fly by and you will laugh at the things that bothered you... you will see it really was irrelevant. But the most important thing that I can say to you now, is to EMBRACE this season of your life to the fullest! Experience God in new ways, go crazy with who He is, and do not let this pass you by!

At the end of the day... Please hear this: Love one another more than you know how to love. Go beyond every thought of what it that is presumed to look like, or what you have ever seen... dive deep with one another and let your heart open to knew revelations.

Men, be real with your men. If you need to a punch in the face and your bro knows you do, than let him... If you need to cry in front of a man for the very first time ever- than do it- so much life will happen and it goes beyond 11 months. It flows into your future marriage, life, community, etc...

Your love for me helped shape me more than I realize and as I reflect and rejoice for the fact that it was you all who had to put up with me and my junk- I am honored. We seriously could write books about our adventures and what we walked through. Know that I completely stand next to you and I continue to say YES to the plans that the Lord has for you all. Four years later, I am still excited to watch your lives unfold more and more...So ladies, continue to be rock stars! Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your lives and husbands, thank you for allowing me. You women are incredible and having so many memories with you all... makes me smile a lot.

Eli, thanks for sharing your life with me even after the race. You know how important you are to me and how grateful I am of our friendship. You truly are a man of God and no matter what you hear, perceive, or think of yourself...there are people needing what you have in you... Continue to dive in the Lord and allow yourself to change/mold more into His image.... I am proud of you brother!

The last two months, I have been witnessing a multi-generation of people grapple with their identity in Christ. Being involved with numerous training camps ranging from a 12-year-old boy to a 32-year-old man has completely rocked my world, again. More specifically, watching high school boys and girls start a journey of confronting what they have let shape their identity thus far in life and seeking it to become more like Christ has brought another heavy realization of what I am involved with through AIM. The last two years, I have had this continual thought but more recently of.... "Oh crap, God, you actually trust me with your People, so do your thing because this is deep stuff I am speaking about."

This "stuff" is, Identity. It has become a pillar in my life since September 2007 as I prepared for the Worldrace. In those days, I was completely shocked from the LACK of identity I walked in as a child and Son of God. I lived in fear, lies, darkness, shame, guilt, unforgiveness, hurt, and anger - but the years have gone by now and I have chosen to FIGHT my battles for the sake of my life and God - honestly. I believe the LORD roams the earth searching day and night for men and women who are battling for their security/identity in Him and not the things of this world. When we come to a place of rest in Him, He can than entrust us with His inheritance (His people). BIG deal!

I have stood in front of many youth lately and my heart has been broken, torn, confused, and more passionate about this generation than ever! These guys are at the stage of questioning themselves, what they believe in, is all this 'Christian' talk real, etc. It is pivotal to begin exposing the lies and speaking truth over them and fighting for them now. They live in a world that I did not grow up in really and perhaps if you are older than me, a world you do not understand. The common factor in many of us I believe, is that they and you could silently be yelling for someone to listen, to be real, to love endlessly, and to call out something. That something is the greatness God has placed in them.

Growing up, I was really good at acting (or so I thought). I completely shut off those around me from the 'depths' of myself because of my past with people, encounters that were not healthy, and the lies I heard on a daily bases. No one had a clue what I was going through in my teenage years and even into my young adulthood. When I was 23 years old,  I actually began a journey to identifying lies over my life that I had been walking in for so long and asking God to heal my brokenness. I never had a Youth Pastor or Pastor be vulnerable about the struggles we encounter on a daily bases from the pulpit and that was exactly what I needed, it was like a hidden mystery or shame to even speak about in the Church. So I have decided that I would be a man who would be honest, raw, and vulnerable with the 'stuff' in our lives that no one else likes to speak about because I believe Freedom in our identity is key to our walk with Christ. 

I have spoken about real life matters in front of these students lately: How cutting themselves is common and happens more than you know, how rushing to the toilet in a 'sly' way after every meal is now the norm for some , staying up late at night to watch pornography in a bedroom is ruining lives and families more than people realize, that sex is rampant among us because no one explains the value of intimacy and why God created it, that drugs are just 'normal' now, and the list goes on and on...(This is what I have encountered over several weeks and it has completely brought me to my knees).

Can you believe there is actually a God who is big enough to take care of all this? Who can handle our addictions, fears, shames, etc. Let me tell you a secret though, it has been redeemed already! But it will be you who chooses a new mindset as well, to fight for yourself when you are all alone in your room, to act differently when you walk into a room that has familiarity written all over it, and to run for the TRUE identity God has given us!

So, no longer be bound by the lies of the enemy.

The truth shall and has set you free.

-Robby-

PS: If you need an ear for someone to just listen, I am always available. Email me!

I also enjoy sitting around 'kitchen tables' and sharing life with anyone. Hearing someone's heart about a certain matter, listening as they share their brokenness without being ashamed, watching an idea pop up and spark passion, and cultivating a place of freedom to ask questions about God and life without being shunned away, this may be one of my favorite things in this world.

 It was April 2007, the morning was bustling with life from Gods creation while the hint of summer was lingering around the corner and I heard God whisper..."Robby, apply for the Worldrace." God, that's great BUT.... It is now April 2011, and I am grateful by what I have seen around the world through the years...    

 

Currently, life is shifting and on April 15th, I will be moving to Gainesville, Georgia to start working full time with Adventures In Missions. My primary roll will be overseer of the Ambassadors Program (14-18 year olds Youth Mission Trips). In doing so, AIM is a non-profit organization in which I will need to raise support.

I am looking for people to partner with me in this ministry who would like to be credited with helping mobilize and disciple a generation of young adults all over the world. I am in need of individuals or families who are willing to support me for $25, $50, $100, or $1000 per month or a one-time donation. I have a support goal of $20,000 for this year. Your support will enable me to continue my position on staff, and MOBILIZE a generation of YOUTH!  All donations are tax- deductible.

In addition to becoming a ministry partner, you will also receive my newsletters in the months to come, stories from the field, and regular updates on the progress and development of the Ambassador Program. The world of missions is amazing and the need across the States and world are immense.