After nearly 1 year of not posting, a friend inspired me to re-activate a blog. All previous posts have been deleted, so get ready for a fresh start. For easy access, you can visit, www.RobbPierce.com - very easy to remember. So, what’s the purpose of this blog? Good question; I dont like to just do things because everyone else is, I don’t like to jump onto the bandwagon that so many do. This blog will serve as a place I can share things that God has taught me, and the experiences that follow. Jesus came to give us abundant life, and I am living life very abundantly and want to share that with others. Many out there think that abundant life is so far out of grasp, they do not even attempt to attain to it, but through Christ, we can do all things and He gives us this power. I desire to share this abundant life with all.
Though I now live life abundantly, I haven’t always. As a follower of Christ, I’ve always been very blessed. God promises to meet our needs. He has given, and continues to give us so much and doesn’t ask for a lot in return, though for some, it seems like to much. I entered adulthood early. God had a purpose and a plan for my life, and He didn’t let me live without purpose. My dad instilled a very strong set of ethics when it came to work when I was young, and it hasn’t left me. I got my first real job at 14 years old, working for TCBY yogurt. I knew the owner of the company, a family friend, and approached him for a job. Before I knew it, I was running the downtown PS booth at the Village Fest making & selling coffee in the winter, and shave ice in the summer. I worked on and off for TCBY for a couple of years and proved to be a strong employee. I got fired by a manager who felt threatened by me and when the owner found out, he fired the manager and hired me back. I moved on from there to work for a golf course. They traditionally only hired people starting at 16 years of age, but at 15, I began collecting golf balls from the desert and returning them to the club house to trade for free golf, but instead of that, they were impressed and hired me. I worked there about 2 years throughout highschool. During high school, I was planning to be an accountant, however the Lord changed that direction and introduced me to something called a computer, of which I’d never really used one before, except to type a paper up for school now and again. I caught on very quickly and began assisting the teacher. I came across a computer company and talked myself into a job with them, working only a couple hours after school during the week. The very first week on the job, granted I was only 17 and just beginning my senior year, I knew this was my future, at least for a while - I sat down with my new boss and began asking him about his future and the future of the company, and told him, my first week on the job, that I wanted to buy his business from him when he was ready to retire in 3 years. He was impressed with my desire to grow. At this point, I was very ready to drop out of high school. Something had happened in my life; I realized that I was going to school for many hours 5 days a week and coming home with lots of homework, and nothing to show from it, never enjoying my time. Then I could work for a couple hours, really enjoy what I was doing, and get paid for it. School all of the sudden didn’t make any sense to me, and I wanted out; I could perform at my job, have fun, and get paid for it. I reluctantly, thinking of the wrath of what my parents would do, stayed in school and graduated. My dad insisted that I go to college, so I opted to do night school at my local Jr. College, and dropped out as fast as I could - I was on my way to success and I hadn’t even turned 18 yet. While most of my friends were out partying and doing youthful things, enjoying the summer, etc., I was moving up the ladder of business. Within those 3 years, I had surpassed all other employees and became the general manager. I was practically running this company, making decisions, hiring & firing, billing, etc. Several times I walked into my boss’s office and would request a review and get very large raises in pay. After 3.5 years, I decided it was time to talk to my boss about his retirement. Things were going so well, I was running his company, he just laid back and collected from my work; he had no desire to retire anytime soon, and said another 3-4 years. I was a bit distraught as I was hoping to take over completely. Some family, my dad primarily and others, told me I should look at starting my own company, so I did just that. At 20 years old, I started a company, walked into my boss’s office and resigned - I was a free agent. I immediately began enjoying life even more - no more 8-5 schedule, I could work whenever and do whatever I wanted and the money was flowing in. At a mere 22 years of age, I bought a house with 9 acres, bought my 2nd new car, had an offroad vehicle, a quad, a street bike, and anything else I wanted. I had practically fulfilled the american dream and was living high on the hog spending money left and right, going out for expensive meals, buying overpriced junk, anything I set my heart on I got. My goal was to buy a lamborghini and began looking into what it would take to finance one, heck, I was almost making enough per year to pay cash for one. I thought I was living the abundant life, I had every piece of junk I could get and was doing whatever I could to find fulfillment in stuff, in the American dream, but it was never enough. I became very active in missions and in my 23rd year of life, I traveled through 8 countries doing “the Lord’s work”, or so I thought. By age 24, everything began to fall apart. I was so strapped on cash for my monthly commitments to financing, that I became a slave to work. The economy had started it’s downward spiral, work was drying up, and my financing was continuing to rise as percentage rates increased. I began to struggle as I was beginning to lose it all. Family was starting to turn against me, I was losing hope, all ministry dried up, clients began using other competitors, etc. I wanted out of this life, and began looking everywhere. I began applying for new positions, in professions I was not trained in, new locations, etc. An opportunity jumped for me to go to Africa and teach the youth, and I thought, this is it, this is God’s out for me, and I was completely convinced that was my new path in life, but that didn’t work out, I couldn’t even get enough money to get a plane ticket there. I found a dream job in Colorado, traveling the world fixing computers for a Christian organization. The position had been open for many months with no applicants, I thought, perfect, I fit that position to a T. I applied, no answer, I called in a few times and found they were having Human Resources issues, and were not hiring but would be by the next month, so I continued to be persistent, knowing that it was a cinch and I had the job, but next thing I knew, they had another applicant and hired him/her immediately. I was so mad, but eventually realized, it was not God’s plan. Then I was like, I’ve always wanted to be a cop, so I began moving myself into that direction, passed the initial test with flying colors, and thought, this is it, but yet again, got shut down. All hope was leaving, and very fast. I had no one to lean on, no one to help support me, it was just me. I ended up losing the house, all of the property, had IRS issues, collections everywhere I looked, and moved into a house, renting a room with 5 other guys. I had finally gotten to a position where my rent was so low, I could actually begin working on my finances again. It was a year from hell living in a very busy house with guys, who called themselves Christians, but lived very different lifestyles. We didn’t get along so much, just shared a space together. During this time, I was working on new ministry ideas, South America was my goal, take off for 18 months with another guy travel in our truck to the tip and back, sharing the Gospel along the way. He was ready, I was ready, but something happened, his ex-wife came back into the picture and their marriage was restored. Though I was bummed about the expedition, I was excited to see the re-union. During this time, my pastor came to me about Africa, and asked me to consider moving there for a year and living at an orphanage, but my heart was no longer with Africa and was now in South America. When that trip fell apart, a couple, very close friends of mine, had made the decision to go to Uganda for the year, so that was out as well. I thought, well, I’ll just stay here where I’m at with these 5 other guys for now. The rent was cheap, and I was starting to get caught up on things again. 2010 was ending, and 2011 was beginning and I felt a calling to join my friends in Africa, at least for 3 weeks to help get them established, so I went. The time in Africa was so refreshing, and I was glad to be back, but 3 weeks came and went, and it was time to go, but my heart was not ready. I got home, and realized, this place is not home. Things began to fall apart once again - the house I was living in, the owner decided that he didn’t like me any longer and wanted me out immediately - he even tried to change the locks on me to get me out. I was feeling hopeless again, when the call came from Africa - come and live with us they said, come teach in the new computer lab being built - it was like a dream come true, so I said yes. After meeting with church elders, it was shut down, and fast. So here I sat with nowhere to live, nowhere to go, and no vision for the future. Now many times during these rough years, I began crying out to the Lord, but I was never really ready to hear from Him I dont think, because I was still living for myself. That year of living with those guys was really a breaking point though, and I was stretched more than I’d ever been before - there were so many trials, but I grew a lot, endured temptation, criticism, and the like. God spoke to me and told me to call my old youth pastor. It turned out, he was in an in between spot and could use a little financial help, and allowed me to stay with him for a few months while I figured out what God’s plan was for my life. This was the beginning of a new life for me. My old youth pastor got a new job at a church 20 minutes away and decided to move closer to his new church. About the same time, another pastor that I knew started a new church and I decided that during the time of seeking the Lord, I would help him out with the new church and serve there for a while. It became apparent very quickly that God was doing something new. I was experiencing ministry in ways I never had and as I prayed, I felt, this is where God wants me right now, serving at this new church. The more I prayed, the more I knew it was true. It was a crazy thing, because I have never been open to the idea of serving here in the states - my heart has been in 3rd world countries since I went on my first missions trip to Honduras when I was 17. The idea of serving in the states was not part of my plan, and there for it wasn’t part of “God’s plan”. I had failed to realize for many years that my plan wasn’t equal to God’s plan and that I was being disobedient. I was given a college group to teach in 2006, and couldn’t get out of that fast enough. I had been a part of several ministries through the years, but never being satisfied, always looking for that greater calling in a distant land. In about 2008 or 2009, someone prophesied over me that I would teach the youth, primarily high schoolers. I was like, yeah, whatever, I dont think so, high schoolers dont like me, and I dont like them, I’m a missionary. Here it is mid-2011, and I’m working with this new church, evangelizing and watching it grow. I had no desire to make a future there, just wanted to help out for a while. It soon became apparent, this new church needed a youth group. I began praying, and knew God was leading me there. I came to my friend, the Sr. Pastor, and told him, “I’ve been praying and I want to commit myself to your church, for a time, in whatever you want me to do”. I never spoke of the youth, nor hinted at all prior to this, it was something I was quietly praying about. He was grateful for my desire to serve, and responded, we need a youth group. It was complete confirmation from the Lord. Now, up to this point, most of the ministry that I’d been a part of, was quite selfish, I did it to look good, or to feel good; it was always about me, I even had a website about it, detailing all of the missions work I was doing. This was the first time I ever began to just serve. I had never really understood serving, always thought, there are other people to do that, I’m a missionary; but here I was, serving, doing whatever the Pastor needed. So I started this youth program and for the first couple of months, there was no one, not one single youth. I had organized an outreach, brought in bands, food, passed out fliers, talked with kids, etc. The outreach was nice, low attendance, but some kids got saved, even a drug dealer. It was worth it just for them, but they lived far away and were not interested in traveling to go to our church, which is understandable, so I would show up each Sunday, willing and ready, being humbled that there were no youth. During this time, work dried up completely again. It was a very rough summer, I had no work, money was gone, I ended up losing 3 friends to various deaths, there was no youth group, but I continued to seek the Lord and never lost hope. I trusted completely in Him. A few months went by and things began to turn around, work was becoming busy, I was able to finish getting out of debt, no more credit cards, no more collection calls, satisfied IRS, things were really starting to look good and wouldn’t you know it, youth began showing up. We now have a steady youth group that continues to grow slowly. God is doing amazing things. I was praying one day, during the middle of nothingness saying God, I trust you, I’m not losing hope and during that time, God spoke to me and said, “You are in the center of my will”; that changed me so much. I couldn’t ever remember being in the center of God’s will, ever. I always wanted to be, I tried to be, but could never get there. I was now in a place where I wasn’t making much money at all, but at the same point didn’t require much to live, and was devoting my life to serving God, not under my own power, not using my own plan, but trusting completely in Him, letting Him lead my life, and having a peace that I’ve never had before. I think back to when I had it all (in reality it all had me) and though I was very happy with all that I acquired, I never had that peace or joy. I was living in abundance, but was not living abundantly. Here I am now living entirely for Jesus, not living in abundance, not owning much, and I find that I’m living more abundantly than I ever have before. I have never enjoyed life so much. There isn’t a day that goes by where I’m not filled with joy and peace; every day is fun. I get to do some amazing things, visit amazing places, and hang out with some amazing people. It’s amazing what complete surrender to the Lord can do for us. Some of us are more hard-hearted, hard-headed than others, and we just can’t get to that place of surrender, and sometimes Jesus has to take it all away, and bring us to a place where we just can’t go on any further, and it’s finally in that place where we surrender, we say, Ok Jesus, I’m tired of doing this myself, it’s Your turn, You lead me, You make my decisions, I give it all to You and want Your will, lead my life. Once we finally get to this place, He can go to work in our lives and He can give us that abundant life He promised. So many times we want God to be our genie, and give us everything and He’s standing there saying, I want to, I really do, but you are so filled with all this other stuff, there’s no room for what I have for you, you need to empty yourself of all that junk and let me fill you up with the best stuff. Sometimes it’s very difficult for us to get there, but once we do, it’s so worth it. If I can leave the reader with anything, it’s this: Get to the place of complete surrender to Jesus Christ. Don’t fool yourself any longer, you can’t do it on your own, there is nothing in this world that will fulfill you, you will always be searching for more. Today is the day, give it all to Him today, you won’t regret it, I promise. If you were like me, and just can’t give everything up, pray, pray, pray. Ask God to take all that junk away; it may be painful, you wont like it, but it will be life changing and so worth it. Let your life glorify the Son of God, Jesus Christ, our Creator, Salvation, & Redeemer.
