Ending

Well, it has been a long summer but it seems like it flew by. God has revealed things to me this summer and I am trying to work at them each and every day. He has taught me to be patient and that even when things seem like the end of the world, you will get through them on the right side of the equation. I have seen the path I have chosen based on my decisions and I know that it is going to be a real tough one. Then again, I have always chosen the tough road. I transfered after my Sophomore year in high school to make a better opportunity for myself, I moved out of state for college when I could have saved money by staying in state, I transfered after my freshman year to chase someone and to play a sport even though I found that it did not make me as happy as I thought, I made poor decisions for about 9 months from last July until April of this spring, and I spent the summer away from anyone and everyone that I knew pretty much. If I can say one thing, it is that I like to test myself and see where it leads me. I spent much of my summer busy and filling the rest of my time with pointless games and trips to six flags but I also met people who have impacted me and made me want to further myself with Christ because they see something more inside of me than I already am. I think I have said this before but the impact you have on people's life means a lot more than what you do for yourself no matter how great you think you are. In our walk with Christ, we focus too much on ourselves and saving ourselves that we leave others out in the cold. I watch To Save A Life a couple times in the past week and in the movie one of the characters named Jake asks in reference to God and church, "What is the point of all of this if you are not going to let it change you." Do we just go to church to say that we have done our good deed for the week or are we letting it transform us and are we letting our personal time with God transform us. Are the people we are closest to dying in front of our very eyes while we are caught up in ourselves and whether we are okay? I wish I could say that I am always reaching out to those around me and my friends who are dying because I care but in reality I feel like I am too big of a screw up to help them. It is not my job to help them, it is my job to point them to the answers so they can figure it out for themselves. I have to tell them that I am not perfect and that I struggle just as they do but I am willing to try and cast that aside and let Christ pick me up because of the price that he paid for me. I said today, progress is not perfection, it is working toward being the best that I could ever be."

Romans 10:14-15 states, "How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!' " God understands everything that we face and he wants to help us move past being all about ourselves so he provides a way for us to share his word with people. He knows people are going to view us as hypocrites but that is because they are too ignorant to understand what it means to be a Christian. In Titus 2:7-8 we are told, "In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness, and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us." We have to believe the things we tell people otherwise they are going to think we are crazy to expect them to follow it. We all make mistakes and I do not believe that people should only listen if you "practice what you preach" especially when it comes to the bible because it is not you telling them to do something because you set the rules, it is you informing them of the rules that God has set forth and just because you do not follow them does not mean that nobody does. Once again if you are actively pursuing what God has and you are moving away from a certain lifestyle that is one thing but if you are complacent with living in sin and still try to preach against it, then you are in the wrong and you need to find yourself on one side of the argument quickly. It is not all about reputation so to speak, its about doing what is good for others and reaching out to those in need. If there is one thing I have learned this summer, it is that I need to continue working at things myself but I need to be reaching out to those who might not be as fortunate as me or might need someone to just care about them. I will not be perfect at this but I want to improve and I am going to be working at it this year because I feel that reputation is too much of a cop out for people just because they want to be perceived as "normal" or the best.

I am going to try and stay up to date with the blog but as you all see I am more sporadic than I used to be. I need to make this more of my regular routine with Christ and praying before and after I post. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to leave them. Pray for me as I am praying for those of you whom I know read this. May God continue to lead you and bless you everyday.

God Bless,

Joseph Robinson