Christian Chrissian

 "FOURTEEEEN Centimeters!!" The four of us burst out laughing again, not really understanding why Alana, Erick, Ashton and myself find it so funny. This is Ashton's 10th time saying this in a southern accent and we laugh without a single care in the world, not really worried about how loud we are being either. Very seldom do I think about my childhood and core memories that come along with it. When I say childhood I more so think closer to 8th grade and everything before hand. This is the time of my life when I would hop on my bike and ride any and everywhere... so long as my mom didn't find out how far from home I went. I don't think I consider just how much of a blessing this time of my life was. No bills, no real worries, I don't even think I was stressed about getting a girlfriend yet (which became a headache for myself and all of my friends in 8th/9th grade).  Attached to the blessing of the state of my life were my friends. One in particular, Alana. As a

 I have to confess. I am writing this out of a high level of frustration. There is nothing that makes me more upset than someone speaking as if they know something and being entirely wrong. Just being WRONG and acting as if they're right or that what they're prefacing an entire conversation on, is not rooted in fact. That to me upsets me. Whether it be journalism, intellectual, or even casual conversation. I think it is what some would say is a pet peeve. It more than likely rooted from my own sense of doing the exact same thing when I was a kid. Growing disgusted with myself to a point I decided to stop talking about things when I truly don't definitively know, or better yet simply asking questions. Which brings us to our topic today. What is a Christian? I think in modern America, everyone can kind of guess or make the assumption that they know what a Christian is: Someone who goes to church and believes in God. I want to be perfectly clear, going to church doesn't ma

Deep reflection can be something that sets people a part in certain seasons of life. What goals did you have three years ago? Did you achieve them? What obstacles came up when you were striving to accomplish them? Are you still working towards that goal? Do your goals look different now? So many different questions you can start to ask yourself once you enter the rabbit hole. It is often times these lines of questions that I can find myself in at absolute random moments. (Maybe chalk it up to the short attention span). But of the times I find myself asking these questions, I take just a brief moment to sit down and think about the answers. I consider the work I've done in ministry to be a point of reflection that I embark on more often than other subjects. I ask questions that need to be answered mostly because reflection can help me put things into perspective. As I'm asking myself questions, I start thinking about the people who have served on leadership in the last few years

 And if you going through it, cling to God, let Him hold you It ain't the destination, it's the journey that molds you But when you going through it, cling to God, let Him hold you It ain't the destination, it's the journey that molds you   "Nick, I'm not looking forward to anything in particular three years from now other than the fact that in three years., I'll have known you for three more years than I know you now."  The words came out of my mouth without much thought but a whole lot of feeling. Nick and I had been discussing our youth and future in ministry and I realized that while we are young, we could often times look forward to things in the future without really caring for the present. In this instance however, I was considering the fact that Nick and I are better friends than I had thought recently. Not best friends, maybe not close friends, but definitely good friends. As we were talking I thought of how Nick and I have gotten to know eac

 Man, I'm really realizing I haven't made a single post since September! That is actually pretty wild considering I'm trying to use this as an avenue to keep everyone up to date on my life and ministry! Every time I write a new post I always say that I will write more often. Well, that apparently doesn't seem to ring too true as we see lol. Anyways, let me get into this update on my life. One of my favorite co-laborers in ministry over the last year has been Alexis Anthony. She's a young woman that has such a heart for discipleship and being intentional with getting to know people. Seeing Alexis' heart for discipleship has even grown my heart for it! Which is super encouraging for me. Seeing young people care so much for others and their walks with Christ really motivates me to do more of it as well.  Discipleship is oftentimes over spiritualized in modern times. We think we need to sit down and go over scripture, teach theology, or even be intentional with teac

I'm lying on my couch, literally watching paint dry. My fiancée, Erica, and I have been picking through paint samples. With our wedding soon approaching and her going to be moving into my home, this paint job will go a long way in making it OUR home. We just made our first big purchase together as a couple in buying a sectional couch earlier in the day, and our paint choice has to go with the new color we got (even though the couch won't be here until October anyway). My mind can't help but daydream at this point. Over a decade later, I'm with my daydreamed 12-year-old son and we are at the paint store looking at samples to paint his room. We already agreed he would pick out three samples and be able to choose from one of the three to pick his new room color. But like his mom, he just HAS to have one more option to compare. "Here's the thing, son, I'm not painting your room for at least another four years. If you agree to make it five, then I'll let you