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Robert "Bobby" Grisso returned to Virginia Tech
where he received his bachelor's and master's in agricultural
engineering (AgE) in 1978 and 1980, respectively. He obtained
his doctorate in AgE from Auburn University in 1985. Some
personal information is included so that you have a sense
of my background and being...
I am a Christian and as a Christian, I believe that we humans
were created by God for His Glory, and we remain here in this
earth because of His goodness.
I believe that we are lost until we accept Jesus Christ as
our personal Savior and Lord of our lives. At that point,
we come under God's grace and receive the gift of everlasting
life.
I further believe that our sojourn on this earth is full
of opportunities to serve and to live out our convictions
and participate in the joy of belonging to God through faith
in His Son, Jesus Christ. Our beliefs do matter since they
govern our behaviors.
"If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and
believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you
will be saved, For it is with your heart that you believe
and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess
and are saved… for, 'Everyone who calls on the name of
the Lord will be saved." Romans 10:9, 10, 13.
Personal Testimony:
I was raised in a Christian home that valued church, family
and doing good in the community. I did not always enjoy the
fellowship of the church but anytime the doors were opened
my parents, and by default, I was there. I enjoyed several
elements and gave my heart to Jesus when I was 9-10 years
old. Eventhough, I was active in youth church activities,
I drifted from the Lord, because of the crowd I ran with (primarily
work related) and experimented with several things that put
me at risk.
During my senior year of high school, one of our classmates
died from injuries in a motorcycle accident. The only outwardly
visible sign was a small bruise on the his neck. During that
spring, one of my friends and I were out riding on my motorcycle
and we only had tennis shoes, a helmet and shorts on (not
much protection). We were headed to my house, when a small
slick patch of asphalt on a curvy road, knocked the bike from
under us and sent us rolling and sliding across the asphalt.
My friend ended up on top of me; so I had several bad abrasions
and cuts but we had no broken bones. The experience was quiet
painful, and one of the injuries on my shoulder was heart
shaped and for a long time that made an interesting scar on
my shoulder.
From that experience, the Lord convicted my heart that if
I stayed on the course that I was on that it would only lead
to destruction and grief. I responded and recommitted my life
to the Lord and started to change my associations. What a
difference it made! My outlook on life had more promise and
my life was filled with peace. Eventhough I had many important
decisions to make concerning career and marriage, I had this
peace and confidence that God was taking it all into consideration
and that He was watching over me.
As I went to college, I was involved in several Christian
things that strengthened my faith and I was discipled by several
people that wanted to see God revealed in power in their and
our lives. This set a course that founded me for following
Christ in all things and being confident that He was good
and only wanted the best for me.
For a long time in my Christian experience, I thought I was
less than most around me. The world had an attitude that if
you lived according to God Word that you were lacking in social,
rational reasoning, and intellectual skills. What I found
was with the Holy Spirit, I was more than that and I had God
leading and directing me. He was providing a way and insights
where there seem to be little encouragement to go. My grades
were substandard but I had a desire to go to graduate school.
One reason for this desire was that no jobs were available.
But I survived and thrived in graduate school having a great
experience and people to work with.
I can say that God has changed my life and that He has forgiven
me for the wrongs and sins that I have done. He has given
me a new future and hope to see things in a positive and fresh
way. He has opened creative elements and insights that I would
have been to "chicken" to attempt. He has also given
a hope that others can have the potential to live their lives
more fully (or wholeness) and part of my role as a Professor
is to tap, develop, direct and encourage those potentials
that I see in others. I am convinced that Christ makes a difference
in every part of my life. He will do the same for you!
Bobby Grisso 4/26/02 What
do I believe? |
