Hi, I’m Don Robertson. I am from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. I am a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. I grew up in a Christian home and went to church each week. Although I was “religious” I was not really born-again – my life could be summed up by these words from 1 John 2:4: “He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” I claimed to know Him, but my life proved I did not. It was not until 1978 that the Lord really got my attention and saved me. I was 20 years old and on that day I asked the Lord to forgive my sins, save my soul, and make me into the man of God He intended me to be (Romans 10:9-10, John 3:16, John 1:12, Ephesians 2:8-10).
After high school I joined my father’s cabinet shop and learned the trade, and moved into sales. Full disclosure: I have no degree, no formal training, and no letters after my name. I have not walked the halls of the great schools of theology nor sat in lecture halls among revered professors. I am a simple man of simple faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Perhaps, what was said of Jesus’ disciples can be said of me: “they…perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men…and they realized that they had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13). The apostle Paul also speaks this way, “For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called…But God has chosen the foolish…the weak…the base…and the things which are despised…that no flesh should glory in His presence” (1 Corinthians 1:26-31).
I have served my Lord and Savior for more than 40 years and my life verses mean more to me now than ever before: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6). What amazes me is that the Lord can use someone like me at all to bring glory to Him.
In 1978 I sensed the Lord calling me to serve Him through the application of Jeremiah 1:4-10. In 1979 I was accepted into a small training program at a church in California called the Discipleship Intern Training Program (DITP) where a group of 12 men studied the Bible together each day. Two men discipled us – Jean Gibson and William MacDonald. During a period of 9 months, we studied through the entire Bible, as well as topical studies on major doctrines of the Bible. The mornings were filled with the verse-by-verse study of the Bible in a side room of the church. We spent afternoons and evenings studying or engaged in practical ministry opportunities ranging from evangelism, campus outreach, small group studies, home visitation, and more.
At the completion of my studies in California, I traveled with William MacDonald, and three others to 13 European countries in 3 months to serve with evangelistic teams, to teach, and to minister to missionaries and churches. It was in Vichy, France that Bill asked me if I would pray about coming to California to serve with the team at the DITP. He literally ended the conversation by saying, “Will you come starve with us?” This challenge to step out into a life of total abandonment to the Lord Jesus was appealing to me. It met the desire of my heart to trust the Lord, not only for salvation but for every practical need in my life. I chose to live by faith in the Lord, and continue to live without making any of my needs known to anyone but Him. The question lingering in my mind was this: “If God was calling me to serve Him, could I trust Him to take care of all my needs for the rest of my life?” (Spoiler alert: Yes, of course!)
It took about one year to work out the details, then I joined the DITP in 1981 as the administrator and as a teacher.
The Lord has allowed us to serve Him in various capacities and we are forever grateful. As we stepped out saying, “I Will Trust In The Lord,” we saw the Lord direct our paths. We have been amazed at how the Lord has opened doors of service for Him. I agree with the Psalmist, David, who said, “I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread” (Psalm 37:25). It’s been over 40 years…and counting.
In the future, we hope to share some of our life stories to demonstrate that if God can use me, then, He can use anyone who will simply take Him at His Word and trust Him for each step of life’s journey.
Hi, I’m Krista Robertson. I am from Seattle, Washington. I am a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. I grew up in a Christian home and went to church every Sunday. I heard the gospel message throughout my life and like many children brought up in the church, I thought I was saved. But I had a nagging conviction of sin that would not go away. The battle in my mind led to anxiety and depression and life seemed to be sapping all of my strength. I had to come to believe what God says, “For there is no Savior besides Me” (Hosea 13:4). I saw more clearly that:
- A Christian upbringing cannot save my soul.
- “Self-help” books and positive thinking does not lead to salvation from sin.
- Filling my life with travel, visiting ancient Bible sites or other distractions could never bring me closer to God.
- Human philosophies failed me and could never produce peace with God.
Yet, I wanted to know the joy of having my sins forgiven. I wanted peace with God that seemed so elusive. One day, as I was reading my Bible in the family room, I came to these verses: “When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. Selah. I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I did not hide; I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD’; and You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah” (Psalm 32:3-5).
I finally came to the end of myself and believed the Gospel – that Jesus died on the cross, was buried, and He rose again the third day. I believed that He died and shed His blood for me and paid sin’s debt in full for me. I trusted in Him and received His salvation.
I saw, from the Scripture, that God had a purpose and plan for my life. These verses meant a lot to me: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:11-13).
I began to grow as a believer through TCL (Training in Christian Leadership) at Lakeside Bible Camp, on Whidbey Island and through a Navigators Colossians 2:7 Series. As I grew I began to help new believers grow, too.
Some years later, in 1983, I traveled to California to visit my sister and brother-in-law and that is where I met Don. He likes to say that when he first met me, “it was as if God hit him over the head with a 2 x 4 and said, ‘this is the girl you are going to marry.'” My first impression of him, on the volleyball court, was “this guy is crazy!” But kind of crazy in a fun way! He’s the passionate, zealous, devoted, enthusiastic kind of crazy fun. We met in April, were engaged in June, and married in September, 1983.
Don and I have served the Lord together in many ways. The Lord has continued to guide and lead us in every area of life. We hope to share some of the stories of God’s work in our lives to encourage you and strengthen you in your walk with Him.
For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
November 21, 2020. by Don Robertson
Round 2. Cancer has struck me again. I was diagnosed with slow-growing prostate cancer in 2016 and underwent high dose radiation treatments that sent it into remission. Almost two years later, the follow-up PET and CT scans found no cancer.
In June 2020, however, my doctors discovered that cancer had returned and this time with a vengeance. It is confirmed through an MRI, PET scan, and biopsies that I now have terminal Stage IV cancer that has traveled to the lymph nodes.
Whether it’s COVID or cancer, accidents, or natural causes – life is short! The Bible illustrates the brevity of life with these phrases. Life is:
- Faster than a weaver’s shuttle
- Like a breath or a sigh
- Swifter than a runner
- Like swift ships
- As an eagle swooping on its prey
- As a few days
- Like a fading flower
- Like withering grass
- A shadow that flees
- A handbreadth
- A vapor that…vanishes away
It all points to one thing – life is short!
I have walked through graveyards and every age is represented there from infants to centenarians. We all know we are going to die, we just don’t know when. No wonder the Bible says, “So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” – Psalm 90:12. As we say at Christmas time – Wise men still seek Him!
Whatever the outcome, I have this solid assurance – “…so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” – Philippians 1:20-21.
The very fact that Jesus died for my sins and rose again the third day gives me the freedom to sing this taunt song to death: “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?… But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” – 1 Corinthians 15:55, 57.
I hate to break the news to you – but you are dying, too! The Bible says of man, “He comes forth like a flower and fades away” (Job 14:2). Man’s days are determined by the Lord before there is one of them and God has “appointed his limits, so that he cannot pass” (Job 14:5). We all started using up our allotted days the moment we took our first breath. But do you know with certainty that when you take your last breath you will be with Christ in Heaven for all eternity?
You can know! Jesus offers eternal life to all who will believe in Him.
“If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” – Romans 10:9-10.
Isn’t it time that you said, “I will trust in the Lord?”