My full name is John Franklin Robison III, after my father and grandfather. I was born in Plainview, Texas into a military family. Consequently I grew up in many places in Europe and the U.S., rarely living anywhere more than two years.
I entered full-time Christian service in April of 1974. I committed my life to Christ August 8, 1977. That may seem like a reversal of the normal order of things, and yet in many ways it is fairly normal. Many people, like me, serve and worship the Lord before reaching the point of accepting the Lord as Lord and Master of their lives. Only then do they realize what they have been missing.
While serving with Covenant Players I met my wife (36 years next January). We traveled extensively: 49 states, 5 provinces of Canada, 13 countries of Europe, and 5 countries in Africa. We ministered in 6 languages, although German is the one that became most fluent.
In our travels we have had a number of ‘adventures:’ Bush ministry in Alaska, smuggling Bibles into the Soviet Union, being guest lecturer at Vancouver Bible College, in Germany at the time of re-unification, in South Africa during their first elections.
These are stories and in the months and years to come you will hear them all, as I will hear all of your stories. But stories are the ‘what’ a person had done, they are not the ‘who’ a person is. ‘Who we are’ is deeper, often more guarded, and usually contradictory. Who we are opens up the infinite mystery of God’s creation, for we have been created “little lower than the angels.” We fallible and glorious human beings are the pinnacle of His creation. Realizing and accepting that is an awesome responsibility.
I can tell you that I love being with people and I love the quiet contemplation of the monastic life; that I am ‘highbrow’ enough to enjoy reading Biblical Commentaries for pleasure, and ‘lowbrow’ enough to tell some of the worst jokes you will ever hear; that I laugh a lot and I cry at Lassie movies and the birth story out of Luke.
Finally, I promise you that the grandest adventures of all will always involve other people. We are all embarking on a grand adventure with each other, hand in hand, with Christ.
Shalom,
Pastor John