I am Robin Redick, founder of BASIC G5.6.

Leading a Jesus followers community that prioritizes God and people over religious business is my way of giving back to the Lord who first gave to me.

I learned to follow him after following myself to nowhere.

Some of us chose God at a young age. Others of us didn’t until we had “come to the end of ourselves” in some way. We ran out of hope, energy, or strength after chasing things that our cultural messaging called gold but turned out to be tinsel.

“There is a way that appears to be right to a person, but it leads to death”. — Proverbs 14:12

I did both (not the best way of overachieving).

I chose God at age 11 but then went my own way from my late teens into my early twenties. At age 22, I experienced a crash of conscience.

My home had been broken early on. My father left when I was five years old and never looked back, leaving my mother to care for me alone in a trailer park. While my mother over-extended herself to keep food on our table, I looked for love and meaning in a harsh, senseless world. Over time, I found some counterfeit forms that seemed to work for a while. In the midst of all that, I had learned about Jesus from my great-grandfather and decided to follow him, but without any closeby moorings (he lived five states away), my daily choices didn’t reflect that as much as they should have. This is most particularly true in my later teenage years.

A crash happened at age 22. Despite having worked hard, overcome childhood poverty, and attained many signs of what my stepfather called “the world in your hand”, I felt empty and despondent. Nothing was fulfilling, and I felt terrible about some ways I had ignorantly hurt people I cared about along the way.

This realization drew me (back) to the Bible and prayer, where I found God’s answers to my dilemma.

“I did not know that the things I did were hurting other people or offending my creator until the laws that God wrote down showed me. Now, I know…it condemns me because I can see how terrible sin really is…but even though I see it, I cannot stop myself. Instead of doing what I know is right, I do wrong. I am miserable. Who can save me?” Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord! — Romans 7:9-34

When we choose Jesus, God rescues us, restores us, and redeems us toward meaningful things. That’s exactly what happened to me.

“You have been set free (to a new purpose). Now, where you go healthy trees will grow in places once overrun by thorns. They will stand as a lasting witness to God’s glory.” — Isaiah 55:12-13

I fell on my knees and asked God to forgive me, take anything away from me that was hindering his will in my life, and lead me on his better path. He did all that without hesitation.

On that very day, God started changing me and my priorities.

After a few years of shaping me, God led me to a wife I had not earned, grew me into the kind of husband I did not yet know how to be, gave me two amazing kids, and helped me be the kind of father that mine wasn’t.

Then, he created opportunities for me to grow as a servant leader, for the benefit of my workplace, community, and churches I have served in many volunteer and pastoral roles.

For 18 years since then, many people have been saved and enriched because of a perfect Christ working through an imperfect but willing me.

I pray that God is just getting started with me, and I know from experience that he has meaningful plans for you.

“You are God’s poem, created in Christ on purpose for good purposes…You lived in this world without God and without hope. But now you have been united with Christ Jesus.

Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ (you didn’t do it).” — Ephesians 2:10; 12-13

At BASIC G5.56, we remember needing to be rescued from darkness and thorns. We know that we still need Jesus each day. In humbleness and gratitude, we want only to help other people find and grow in Christ too.

“I want you to know me, to trust me, and to understand that I alone am God. Only I can rescue and save. I saved you, so now you are my witnesses and evidence.” – Isaiah 43:10-12

“Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” – Hebrews 12:1

“You are (now) the light of the world…let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. — Matthew 5:14-16