Robertson - Si-renity: how I achieve peace and comfort through faith, family, and fun

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Copyright 2016 by Si Robertson

Scriptures marked NIV are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Howard Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

First Howard Books hardcover edition September 2016

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Jacket design by Bruce Gore

Author photographs Steven Palowsky

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All photographs courtesy of the author

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Robertson, Si, 1948author.

Title: Si-renity : how I achieve peace and comfort through faith, family, and fun / Si Robertson.

Other titles: Serenity

Description: First Howard Books hardcover edition. | New York : Howard Books, 2016.

Identifiers: LCCN 2016013091| ISBN 9781501135439 (hardback) | ISBN 9781501135446 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Robertson, Si, 1948- | Television personalitiesUnited States Biography. | BISAC: BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Rich & Famous.

Classification: LCC PN1992.4.R5355 A3 2016 | DDC 791.4502/8092 [B]dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016013091

ISBN 978-1-5011-3543-9

ISBN 978-1-5011-3544-6 (ebook)

S omebody told me that Duck Dynasty had made me a celebrity, and I didnt know exactly what that meant. I was told it meant I was famouslike the Kardashians or Charlie Sheen. Hey, if being a celebrity means I have to act like them, I dont want any part of it, Jack!

Since Duck Dynasty launched in 2012, my life really hasnt changed much. Sure, things are better for my family and me financially. Thanks to the Good Lord, we wont have to worry about paying a bill ever again, and that beats having to wonder how Im going to pay my mortgage or utility bills, which is how it was for much of my life.

Even though I might have a few more dollars in my bank account, Im still the same guy. I like fishing and duck hunting, and I enjoy the beauty of what God created. I still attend church every Sunday morning to thank the Almighty for what He has done and what He will do, and Im continuing to share the Good News with as many people as I can.

Its my faith in God that helps me stay on an even keel. Hey, Jack, I learned a long time ago that I can count on His promise to be the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). He is the one who held our family together when I was a kid and money was scarce. He is the one who stood beside me through all the trauma I experienced in Vietnam. He was there when I had my heart attack. He was even there when all the hoopla started with Duck Dynasty. He had a plan all along, and Im just on for the ride.

Not only is God the same yesterday, today, and foreverbut being the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow is one of my own goals. Even though our lives are now on display for all to see, and even though we have more money in our pockets than we did before, I find peace in knowing who I am and Who I belong toand that will never change.

And hey, Im still madly in love with the woman I married in 1971in fact, we renewed our wedding vows in May 2014. Even after all the Duck Dynasty fame, what I enjoy most is being with my wife, Christine, and the rest of my familymy brothers and sisters and their children, and my own kids and grandkids. Family is what matters most to me, and being with the Robertson family is what I love more than anything else in the world.

Even when we were children, my brothers and sisters and I were exceptionally close. Everything was centered at the dinner table. We ate together every night and discussed what happened during the day. Even today, we share many meals together.

Ill never forget a conversation I had when I was stationed in Germany with the United States Army. One of the soldiers who worked with me had to fly home on emergency leave to attend his fathers funeral. He came back about a week later, and I could tell he was struggling emotionally.

Because of my service in the Army during the Vietnam War, Ive always had an interest in helping veterans and active soldiers.

Hey, why dont you go back home? I said to him. You still need time to grieve. You need to be with your family.

Why would I want to be at home? he said. Why would I want to be there, watching my brothers and sisters fight over what little money my dad made?

That conversation saddened me then, and it saddens me today. A lot of people believed Duck Dynasty wouldnt last as long as it has. They thought money and fame would rip our family apart, like it does to so many other families who appear on reality TV shows. But hey, they dont know the Robertson family. Duck Dynasty started as a family affairand it will end as a family affair. And at the center of it all is our faith in the Almighty.

One thing that has changed in my life is that Im able to be more generous. The Good Lord has blessed my family and me mightily, and Im so glad I now have the financial means to help others who are in need. Youll read about some of the childrens charities and ministries Im involved with in the chapters that follow. It warms my heart to help others, especially kids.

Even when I didnt have a lot of money, I tried to help anyone I could. That might have meant fixing a neighbors roof, mowing an elderly womans lawn, or taking food to a needy family. Although I didnt have much in terms of money and material possessions, I tried to assist others whenever possible. Its what the Bible says were supposed to do. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God (Hebrews 13:16).

Our country has gotten away from helping each other, and I think America would be such a better place if we got back to taking care of each other. The love of God should compel us to help one another. How can we not share what God has entrusted to us?

I still have a hard time believing the plan God had in store for me. Honestly, I could have never imagined it being like this. In Ephesians 3:20, God tells us, Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Hey, its true. God has blessed me more than I could have ever imagined. I cant believe the people Ive met, the places Ive been, and the things Ive been able to do. Watching what the Almighty has done with my family and how He uses us strengthens my faith in Him even more, because I know that none of these good things would have happened without Gods hand.