Weekend Update

1. I dominated all four of my fantasy football games, whoohoo!

2. I had a great time with my family and I'm glad they were able to visit. They loved People's Church and I look forward to seeing them again at Thanksgiving.

3. College football was crazy this weekend with many upsets.

4. Jace's birthday party was Saturday and we had a lot of fun with all of friends that came. Jace also had a lot of fun with his cake.

5. I think I got sick Sunday and I'm not feeling good today at all. I hate being sick.

6. I'm excited to announce I will be setting up an Epic podcast soon on itunes. Stay tuned for when this happens.

Random Thoughts

1. My mom, step dad and little brother are visiting us right now. It's great to have my family here and I'm enjoying my time with them.

2. Jace turned one years old on Thursday, September 25th. Wow, I can't believe he is already one years old. He had some cake on Thursday and at first he wasn't sure what to do with it but then he tried to stick the whole piece in his mouth and tore it apart. It was awesome to watch him with the cake. I love Jace a ton and look forward to many more birthdays with him.

3. One year of fatherhood has been amazing too. I absolutely love being a dad and I can't imagine our lives without Jace. Everyday Jamie and I wonder how can we love this little person soooo much! He is amazing.

4. Jamie also made a very yummy cake for Jace's birthday.

5. USC lost to Oregon State, whoohoo! I watched the whole game and loved it.

6. I'm still cutting the weight and am down to 220 pounds. 10 more pounds to reach my initial goal.

7. Wednesday we talked about Dirty Thoughts at Epic. I spoke to the students about what they are allowing to enter their minds and I know it really challenged them. Next Wednesday we will address student's questions about sex as we end this series.

8. Our next series is Meet the Parents and this will be a very insightful series that no students should miss. Parents also make sure your students don't miss this series, it's gonna be lifechanging as we talk about parent/child relationships.

People who have influenced my Life Pt. 2

I met Brett Payne when I was a sophomore at Central Bible College. Brett was the Student Ministries Director of theburn at Hope Community Church and I was attending Hope and wanting to get involved in his student ministry. Brett allowed me to get plugged in and gave me many opportunities`to serve at theburn. He allowed me to preach, teach Sunday school, lead a small group, plan retreats, a summer camp and some outreaches. Brett didn't know but I wasn't enjoying Bible College and I was ready to drop out of CBC and leave Springfield to serve at my home church in Indianapolis when we met, but serving at theburn gave me something to look forward too and so I stayed at CBC. It not only gave me something to look forward too but I also learned things from doing ministry at theburn that I would have never learned at Bible College. The experience was priceless and I'm very grateful to Brett for giving me so many opportunties.

Serving under Brett I was able to glean a few things. One is he really showed me the importance of building a team, Brett was great at this and ever since I have always tried to build a good team to do youth ministry. He also really challenged me to live a life of prayer. I began to particpate in prayer meetings and even start some. Ever since then I've tried to pray as if it all depends on God and live as if it all depends on me. I've also really tried to challenge students to live a life of prayer in youth ministry. I thank God for putting Brett Payne in my life. Brett is currently the GM of US Operations for Endis, Inc.

People who have influenced my Life

This week I'm going to blog about people who have helped mold and shape me as a person as well as those who have helped influenced the way I do student ministry.

First up is Paul Hinzman. I met Paul when I was 17 years old at Abundant Life Church in Indianapolis. He was the new youth pastor and I was told I needed to check him out. So I visited his youth group and the first thing I remember is he about crushed my hand with his handshake. I wonder if he know I was a heathen dog who may give him some trouble. Anyway from the first time I met him I was impressed because of all the unconditional love he showed me. Even though he knew all the garbage I was into he never treated me differently. Matter of fact, in my eyes he went the extra mile when he visited a musical I was in (bye bye birdie) where I played a drunk guy and many other roles. That is something I will never forget and it had a huge impact on me as a person and in the way I do ministry. Because of Paul going to my play I have always tried to visit student's games, musicals, band competitions and once I went to a fencing tournament. Paul was real and always communicated God's truth which eventually led to me giving my heart to Christ under his ministry. After that he mentored me, allowed me to lead worship, preach, gave me many ministry opportunities and has always been there for me. I also learned the value of being tactful, which when he first knew me I had little to none, but after a few years with him I got much better at it. Today he is one of my closest friends and continues to impact my life. I thank God that he put Paul Hinzman in my life. Currently Paul is the District Youth Director of Illinois.

Weekend Up's and Down's

First the Down's (these aren't major downs):

1. The Colts are 1-2 for the first time in a long time and 0-2 at home for the first time since 1998. I guess I would rather them stink early and finish strong.

2. Sunday night was the last game at Yankee Stadium. This is a stadium I always wanted to go to but never got a chance. I will definitely visit the new one.

3. I lost one of my fantasy games.

Now for the Up's:

1. Pastor Herbert preached an awesome message on "how to have an affair". Check it out at www.peopleschurch.tv. It was very practical and one every married couple should listen to.

2. Many people were baptized today at People's Church, it was awesome! I love seeing people get baptized.

3. The Buckeyes finally started Terrell Pryor and he had 4 touchdown passes.

4. I know I won one fantasy game and will hopefully win two more after tonight.

5. I booked an awesome worship band named Freely for our fall retreat. They led worship at the camp we went to.

6. I had two really good workouts and ate pretty well this weekend and am looking forward to meeting the scale this morning. I never thought I would have said that.

7. Heroes and Survivor start back up this week, these are two shows Jamie and I like.

Random Thoughts

1. Tomorrow I will be playing outside with Jace, cutting the grass, watching college football, relaxing, hanging out with a friend and eating an amazing Italian dish made by my wife. It will be a great day!

2. At Epic our Got Sex? Series has been going very well. We only have two weeks left and then we will start a new series called Meet the Parents. I'm really looking forward to teaching this new series about student/parent relationships.

3. The Colts have a tough division game against Jacksonville this Sunday but I'm expecting them to pull it off at home.

4. My mom, stepdad and little brother are visiting next week and I can't wait to see them. I love hanging out with my family and I'm really excited about them visiting People's Church.

5. I'm hoping for another 4 wins with my fantasy teams this weekend.

6. Every week at Ignite we are seeing new faces and I'm looking forward to another great experience. College and twentysomethings bring a friend this Sunday night!

7. Jace got a white Peyton Manning jersey for his birthday coming up which matches my white Reggie Wayne jersey. He's my little quarterback.

8. I've decided that since the Yankees will not make the playoffs this year I'm going to root for former Yankees and it won't be Lou Pinella of the Cubs. I'm pulling for Joe Torre and Don Mattingly of the Dodgers. Go Dodgers!

9. The fall is approaching and I'm super excited becasue I love to wear jeans and hoodies. I could wear them everyday.

10. Jamie did some clothes shopping for the first time since she's lost weight and got some new jeans. I must brag that my wife looks mighty fine in her new jeans. For those that read to much into things she always looks fine, it's not just the jeans :).

222

After my cheat night at the fair I was dreading going to the scale because I knew I had probably gained some weight. So today I went to the gym, worked out and then approached the scale. I stepped on and expected to see 228 or any number over 224 and to my suprise it showed 222. Yeah!!!! Pretty soon I will be breaking below 220 and I can't wait.

Wednesday Night

Tonight was part 2 of our Got Sex series and it went very well. We talked about how Sex God's Way (waiting til marriage) protects them physically, emotionally, spiritually and their future marriage. I shared a lot of statistics and the students responded very well to the message. We also had at least 9 commitments to Christ. Preaching on sex can be uneasy at times but it is a series I will do every year because I want to see students honor God by remaining sexually pure. We live in a very sex saturated society so next week we will talk about dirty thoughts and how media can affect our mind which plays a big part in our sexually purity. I believe this series is changing lives and setting up our students for success.

OK State Fair Cheat Night

Tonight we went to the Oklahoma State Fair on "Two Dollar Tuesday". Prior to going to the fair I asked a few people what was the best part? What should we experience? And the overwhelming answer was the FOOD! Nobody said rides, karaoke, the petting zoo or the games, everyone said food. Not only that they got specific, I was told to try a corn dog, sweet potato fries, turkey leg, funnel cake (elephant ear where I'm from), fried oreo, chocolate covered cheesecake, Indian taco and more. When we got there we saw all these foods and more like fried twinkies, fried cheese on a stick, chicken on a stick, basically everything on a stick. For dinner I did pretty good, I had grilled chicken on a stick and part of Jamie's Indian taco which is a lot of lettuce, cheese, beans on a yummy taco shell. Then came the cheating, I don't know why but I felt like I had to try chocolate covered cheesecake and a fried oreo, so I did. I shared the cheesecake with Jamie and only ate half of a fried oreo because it was ridiculously rich. I cheated a little but it was a little and will remain a little. The old Chris would have pounded the whole cheesecake and ate all 4 fried oreos. The new Chris just had a little cheat night.

Weekend Update

1. Ohio State took a beat down which stinks for the big ten, which now looks as weak as the MAC. It was a tough game but I expect them to win the big ten, go to the Rose Bowl and win!

2. The season is over for the Yankees so here it is...I guess there is always next year.

3. The Colts had an awesome comeback win and I got to watch every minute of it. Whoohoo, if you heard screaming Sunday around 3 pm it was me watching the game.

4. I dominated all 4 of my fantasy football games.

5. I'm still at 224 pounds and working on getting under 220 by the end of the month. I feel great and have started to work out more.

6. Jace gets mad when Dungy plays with Dungy's toys and doesn't let Jace grab them. It's hilarious.

7. It's been nice and cool in OKC so the air conditioning is officially off.

8. Tuesday we are going to OK state fair for the first time ever.

9. It was a great weekend and now I'm looking forward to a great week.

Random Thoughts

1. This is going to be a great football weekend. Last night had an awesome game between USF and Kansas, today we have Michigan vs. ND, USC vs. THE OSU and OU vs. Washington, tomorrow I get to watch Colts vs. Vikings (whoohoo!) and then cap it all off with Cowboys vs. Eagles on Monday night.

2. I'm a football junkie I could sit in my house and watch football all Saturday and all Sunday. I love it!!!

3. I'm praying for those in the gulf coast, this hurricane season has been crazy.

4. We had a staff dinner last night and it was a ton of fun. It's also great to watch Jace play with other kids since he is walking.

5. Today Jace and I are going to play in the rain, whoohoo!

6. Missionary friends of ours are getting ready to have their baby and I can't wait to find out what they had and it's name. Bart and Melissa we are praying for you.

7. I just saw a player get hit so hard in the Maryland vs. Cal game that he started throwing up. It was green and it was nasty.

8. I'm looking forward to an amazing day at People's Church tomorrow. We are doing an awesome series called Roommates, Bad Dates and Great Mates.

Jamie Did It Again

My wife never ceases to amaze me with her awesome cooking. Tonight she grilled Kebabs and they were off the hook. I have never had kebabs before and this was a meal I could eat multiple times. She grilled them in a mesquite marinade perfectly. I seriously considered eating two because they were soooooooooooooooo good, but I had self control and realized I can enjoy the other one on another day. She also made some awesome guacamole and salsa this week. My wife absolutely tears it up in the kitchen. She loves to cook and I love to eat her cooking.

Cram Night and My Leaders

Tonight we had cram night and it was awesome! Even though it rained we had a great 3 on 3 bball tournament, giveaways, a phenomenal service and most important 44 students committed their hearts to Christ. Thank you Jesus!!! Tonight had a great energy, unity, diversity and I'm expecting many students to come back for the conclusion of our "Got Sex" series. Not only was the night amazing but my leaders were off the hook. Without my leaders nights like Cram night would not be possible. Thank you guys so much for your commitment and heart for students. They take care of so much my main focus tonight was preaching and meeting students. I have some amazing leaders and I thank God for each one of them. You guys are awesome. We have had two weeks in a row of good momentum and the great part is the best is yet to come. Students make sure you are at Epic next Wednesday at 7 pm as we hit part two of our Got Sex series.

Weekend Update

1. NFL is back and I'm lovin it, although I did not love the Colts performance. They need to step it up.

2. Ohio State also looked pretty weak against Ohio, hopefully they can bounce back against USC. I can't wait to watch that game.

3. Saturday I gave Dungy a bath and played with Jace in the water in the backyard, it was fun.

4. I fit in some 36 jeans this weekend, whoohoo! It's been a while since I could fit in 36's.

5. Pastor Herbert preached an awesome message on "Things to consider before you say I do". Check it out at www.peopleschurch.tv.

6. Bignite was a big success. We are growing every week and this experience is gonna impact the lives of many college and twentysomethings.

7. Sunday we skyped my grandparents who are in Belgium and they got to see Jace for the first time outside of pictures. Technology is amazing.

8. I've talked about my weight loss a lot, but Jamie has lost a lot of weight too. She is an amazing woman.

Recap of Got Sex Pt. 1

Yesterday we had an awesome service at Epic. I talked about how God created sex for marriage. The students were very attentive and many students committed to God and their future spouse that they would abstain from sex until they are married. We also had 15 students commit their hearts to Christ, thank you Jesus!!! It was an awesome night and to God be all the glory. Next week is our Craziest Fan Cram night and we are expecting many more students to commit their hearts to Christ. God is doing a great work in the lives of students in Oklahoma City and I'm honored and humbled to be apart of it.

224 Baby

I'm officially under the weight I was when I got married. I am 224 and still going down. I probably haven't been under 225 since high school. My weight is dropping like crazy and it's evident my eating habits are making a huge difference. I have also started to work out more because I know it will be tough to get down to 210, but I have complete confidence that I will be there by Thanksgiving. Thank you Lord for the strength to do this!

Jace is Walking

Wow crawling has not lasted long. Jace just turned 11 months and is officially walking. Watching him grow up is pretty amazing. With walking has come some bumps and bruises. This weekend alone he has busted his lip and cracked his head on the chair because of his new learned skill. He is fearless and his personality is growing. As I speak he is getting mad at his bowling pins and throwing them around. It's cracking me up. I love this little boy to death and it's crazy how fast he is growing up and he's not even one. His bumps and bruises this weekend reminded me that when we are learning something new not everything is going to be smooth. We will have moments of frustration and get mad and throw bowling pins, which Jace is continuing to do. Sometimes our walk with Christ can be like this when God is stretching us to do something new, we will have bumps, bruises and get frustrated but the key is to never give up. Jace is upset but he is still playing with the bowling pins. I don't even know what he's frustrated at but I'm sure he will figure it out as long has he keeps playing with the bowling pins. So from me and Jace, keep playing with the bowling pins no matter how frustrating it is, God will help you figure it out.