It Was Not Because of Me

By Bernard Robinson Jr

For a truly inspiring read, this theological author goes deep into the severe trials and tribulations he has faced, and how God the Lord Jesus Christ carried him through everything. Covering the good, the bad, and the ugly, It Was Not Because of Me contains 33 chapters of personal and heartfelt writings. It is highly relate-able for teens, young adults, and mature adults from all walks of life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Apr 12, 2016
• ISBN: 9781512757989

Bernard Robinson Jr

Bernard Robinson Jr’s expertise in computers started with him at the age of six years old in 1983. Bernard Robinson Jr’s father put his first computer into his hand which was a Commodore 64, and he took to it like a duck to water. Later on as a teenager, he went to a private junior-high and high-school called the Academy of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii from 1989-1995. Bernard Robinson Jr learned computers so well in high-school, that when he became the class valedictorian of his graduating class in 1995, he created a multi-media presentation to go along with his valedictorian speech. The only computers that could handle the multi-media presentation and high-tech vision of what he was doing was an Apple Macintosh PowerPC 8100/80AV, using only Adobe Premiere 4.0 software in 1994. You have to remember that during that time, it was three years before Microsoft PowerPoint in 1997, and nine years before Apple Keynote in 2003. Bernard Robinson Jr’s mother, who is a former elected official on the Board Of Education, inspired him to do well in school. Therefore, Bernard Robinson Jr did so well in high-school that, he was first recognized as a national scholar at the National Young Leadership Conference in Washington D.C. in 1993, in which he was featured twice on a state and national level as an academic scholar. Bernard Robinson Jr was featured in the Honolulu Advertiser as an All-State Scholar in 1995, and the Who’s Who Among American High School Students 29th edition book from 1994-1995. Bernard Robinson Jr made his first $1,000 creating multi-media VHS-taped slideshow presentations for people, at the age of 16. In January of 2001 at the age of 23, Bernard Robinson Jr was hired on the spot by America Online, currently known in 2016 as Aol. Bernard Robinson Jr was a software trouble shooting technician that was promoted three months later, to the advanced high-tech and high-speed AOL DSL department in April of 2001. Bernard Robinson Jr became a medical computer analyst technician since June of 2007 at Bernard Robinson M.D., LLC that is contracted with Tripler Army Medical Center. Bernard Robinson Jr completed the rest of his bachelor’s degree in Theology on May 15th of 2012. Bernard Robinson Jr also graduated with his master’s degree in Theology on May 13th of 2014 at New Hope Christian College. New Hope Christian College was established in 1925 and is based in Eugene, Oregon with its mid-pacific college site in Honolulu, Hawaii. Bernard Robinson Jr became an ordained theologian on August 24th of 2014 at Island Family Christian Church in Honolulu, Hawaii. Bernard Robinson Jr completed his 1st book titled “It Was Not Because Of Me”, and his 2nd book titled “Surviving Life Quick Tips” in autumn of 2015. Bernard Robinson Jr’s two books are nationally copyrighted and registered in the U.S. Library of Congress since December 11th of 2015. Bernard Robinson Jr became a published author and was welcomed into the WestBow Press and Thomas Nelson & Zondervan family of authors since February 2nd of 2016. Bernard Robinson Jr managed to achieve all this, even thou he suffered a severe brain stroke at the age of ten in 1987. The severe brain stroke he suffered caused partial paralysis on the entire right side of his body. Bernard Robinson Jr had to take a year of physical therapy from 1987-1988 just to relearn how to walk, talk and tie his shoes. Therefore, this is what makes Bernard Robinson Jr’s life so unique and miraculous by the grace of God in Christ Jesus.

Book preview

Chapter ¹) I

It Was Not Because Of Me

Jeremiah 31:31-34 and Acts 10:38-43 (NLT)

"The day is coming,’ says the LORD, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant, though I loved them as a husband loves his wife,’ says the LORD. ‘But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day,’ says the LORD. ‘I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the LORD.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already,’ says the LORD. ‘And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.’…And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. And we apostles are witnesses of all He did throughout Judea and in Jerusalem. They put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross, but God raised Him to life on the third day. Then God allowed Him to appear, not to the general public, but to us whom God had chosen in advance to be His witnesses. We were those who ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead. And He ordered us to preach everywhere and to testify that Jesus is the one appointed by God to be the judge of all-the living and the dead. He is the one all the prophets testified about, saying that everyone who believes in Him will have their sins forgiven through His name."

It Was Not Because Of Me

Acts 10:38-43 (NLT)

"And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. And we apostles are witnesses of all He did throughout Judea and in Jerusalem. They put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross, but God raised Him to life on the third day. Then God allowed Him to appear, not to the general public, but to us whom God had chosen in advance to be His witnesses. We were those who ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead. And He ordered us to preach everywhere and to testify that Jesus is the one appointed by God to be the judge of all-the living and the dead. He is the one all the prophets testified about, saying that everyone who believes in Him will have their sins forgiven through His name." And because of that…

It was not because of me that I survived a severe brain stroke at age ten in 1987.

It was not because of me that I overcame paralysis from that severe brain stroke in 1988.

It was not because of me that I survived five near fatal auto-accidents from 1996-2000.

It was not because of me that I survived numerous sickle-cell anemia attacks from 1977-1991.

It was not because of me that I survived multiple attacks of pneumonia in 1983, 1996 and 2001.

It was not because of me that I survived consuming large amounts of alcohol from 1993-2001.

It was not because of me that I survived consuming great amounts of prescribed drugs from 1997-2001.

It was not because of me that I survived rehabilitation of prescribed drugs and alcohol from 1999-2001.

It was not because of me that I survived three nights in jail without needed medication in 2001.

It was not because of me that I survived the pains of family member deaths.

It was not because of me that I survived many hurts of abandonment and betrayals.

It was not because of me that I survived depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

It was not because of me that I survived numerous suicide attempts from 1997-2001.

It was not because of me that I survived a complex near-fatal sinusitis infection in October of 2014.

It was not because of me that I became a National Scholar in 1993.

It was not because of me that I became a high-school Valedictorian on June 2nd of 1995.

It was not because of me that I achieved two AOL Time Warner certifications in 2001.

It was not because of me that I began my role as a theologian in January of 2005.

It was not because of me that I became a medical computer analyst technician in June of 2007.

It was not because of me that I achieved a Bachelor’s degree in Theology on May 15th of 2012.

It was not because of me that I achieved a Master’s degree in Theology on May 13th of 2014.

It was not because of me that I became an ordained servant of the Lord Jesus Christ on August 24th, 2014.

It is not because of me that I am still strong, sober and truly living life, to this day.

It was all because God the Lord Jesus Christ rose from death is the reason that I still rise.

Chapter ²) II

My Personal His-Story

Zechariah 4:6 and Philippians 1:6 (NLT)

"Then He said to me, ‘This is what the LORD says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.’…And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns."

My Personal His-Story

I am Bernard Robinson Jr., and I was born in Washington D.C. at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in 1977. I was born with sickle-cell anemia disease and I later developed depression. Sickle-cell anemia disease is a hereditary or genetic blood disorder which causes the round red blood cells in the human body to turn into a sickle shape which causes a traffic jam in the blood stream. During a sickle-cell anemia attack, this traffic jam in the blood stream, blocks blood and oxygen from going to vital organs and other vital areas of the body, causing severe amounts of pain, disability and even partial paralysis.

At the age of ten in 1987, I suffered a severe brain stroke due to sickle-cell anemia and I was paralyzed on the entire right side of my body. My right hand was my dominant hand, but since I lost the fine motor quality to my right hand from the stroke, my brain transferred to using my left hand as my dominant hand. I had to take a year of physical therapy from 1987-1988, just to relearn how to walk, talk and tie my shoes. I was in the fifth grade at the time this happened and when I was able to return to school, my school was simply unwilling to take on the responsibility of my ailments. My parents looked for other schools in Hawaii for me to attend but it was almost to no avail, until one school stepped up and was willing to accept me. The only problem was that I was a fifth grader at that time and this new school started at the seventh grade level. No other options were available to me, so I enrolled at that school as a seventh grader.

The new school ranged from the seventh through the twelfth grade level. I must admit that I struggled from the seventh through the ninth grade, but by the tenth grade as a sophomore I started making the honor roll. I also became recognized as a national scholar at the National Young Leadership Conference in Washington D.C. in 1993. I made the honor roll from the tenth through twelfth grade, and I graduated high school with honors as the class valedictorian of that new school called The Academy of The Pacific in 1995. Despite this great academic achievement though, I started becoming addicted to alcohol in 1993 as a sophomore in high school. The hard liquor was not strong enough for me to cope with an unidentifiable pain I was experiencing, so I became addicted to prescribed narcotics as well in 1997. Ironically, the only way to immediately stop and kill the severe pain of a sickle-cell anemia attack is through prescribed narcotics. So having hereditary sickle-cell anemia disease and depression, just simply turned my prescribed drug and alcohol use into abuse from 1997-2001.

In 1999, I also remember being prescribed Effexor which was an anti-depressant medication to combat my depression and post-traumatic stress disorder from sickle-cell anemia attacks. I as well had post-traumatic stress disorder due to five near fatal auto accidents from 1996-2000. I also was addicted to sleep aids or sleeping pills until November of 2001. Despite these negative bouts in my life, I managed to get a job with America Online in January of 2001, as a software trouble shooting technician. I achieved two AOL Time Warner certifications in Microsoft Windows and AOL DSL. During this time as well in 2001, I tried the Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous programs, but I relapsed after six months. I knew there had to be a better system or a better way than this. Fortunately for me, there was a better way with better promises according to Hebrews 8:6.

Therefore, on November 10th of 2001, I started my personal relationship with God the Lord Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit has cured me from my addictions and kept me clean and sober for over fourteen years now. Now what I mean by cured is that I no longer struggle with the disease of prescribed drugs and alcohol addictions, for the taste and desire of those mind altering substances have been completely eradicated and removed from me by the sovereign power of the Holy Spirit for over fourteen years. I no longer have long-term depression and have lost the need for anti-depressant medication, sleep aids, AA and NA programs and the need of being treated by a psychiatrist since November 10th of 2001. Once again, I am cured from these ailments by the grace of God in Christ Jesus alone. God as well has provided me with an anti-sickle cell anemia medication called Hydrea since 1991, which allows me to live a fairly normal life. Thanks to God the Lord Jesus Christ blessing me with the Hydrea medication, I never missed a day of high-school and achieved a perfect attendance. I used to be in the hospital twelve times a year with blood transfusions, until the age of fourteen in 1991. I no longer had frequent sickle-cell anemia crises for over fifteen years straight from 1991, due to the Hydrea medication working well in my life. The only other times I had a major sickle-cell crises was in 2006, 2010 and 2014.

Statistically in the 1970’s a person with sickle-cell