This adventure that we are getting ready to embark on has gotten me thinking about what exactly led us to this point. And I have been having conversations with a lot of people asking me what in our lives has brought us to a point where we are ready to leave all that we know and move to Colorado?
Hopefully the list below will answer some of those questions. It is a list that pays tribute to all that Colonial Hills Baptist Church has been to the four of us. All of us are products of our environments and we are products of Colonial Hills and the investment that the people there have made in our lives.
“MOST Of What I Need To Know I Learned At Colonial Hills”
1) I learned the value of authenticity.
2) I learned how to not get “Calaway’d”
You may not call it “being Calaway’d”. You may call it something very different. But all of us know a “Calaway”. That’s right. He’s that guy or girl that has the magical, mystical ability to convince you to do something you were absolutely positive you didn’t want to do. Our “Calaway” is Jerry Calaway. He is our worship pastor at the church. He’s this great guy and he might be one of the most passionate people I have ever met. That's him in the picture below. The kid on the back was Calaway'd into riding with him.
I’ve known Calaway for 18 years and I learned a while back how to avoid getting “Calaway’d”. It’s really very easy, so be very quiet and listen carefully -- Don’t get caught in a room alone with the man. That’s where he strikes. He catches you off guard, which confuses you and leaves you with your defenses down. And the next thing you know, you’re running a spot light in the Christmas pageant. BAM. You’ve been Calaway’d, sucka.3) I learned the value of discipleship.
One of the biggest sources of my own spiritual growth has been discipleship. I have been blessed to have people in my life at Colonial Hills who invested in me, mentored me and who have been amazing examples of what spiritual maturity looks like.
4) I learned the value of buying a falcon that has a high self-esteem.
If you don’t go to CHBC, I apologize because that makes no sense to you. You see, our senior pastor, Robert, is a man among boys. He could simply hunt with a gun like most normal people, but that is too easy. Robert chooses to fly falcons, which in turn do the hunting for him. It’s very fast and graphic and might be one of the most manly things I’ve ever seen someone do.
But lacking the same passion for life that Robert has, most of his birds have killed themselves. I’m convinced it's an issue of self-esteem. Simple lesson. Buy birds of prey with a healthy self-image and they won’t kill themselves the first chance they get. It’s much more economical. If I ever man up enough to own a falcon, this is a lesson to take to heart.5) I learned what it means to live a missional life.
At our church, missions is a huge priority. That is evident in everything from our local outreach Mission Tyler, to the amount of international mission trips that our church has taken over the past 10 years. My first mission trip was with CHBC to Mexico. My first international trip was to Guatemala. Since then, I’ve been to Russia, England, Scotland, Brazil and all over the United States. This picture is of some of my students at the summit of an active volcano on our day off in Guatemala. Being missional is about being an adventurer. Living life boldly. Colonial Hills encourages me to live a missional life because that is what God created me to do. I know that God wants to use me as a means to reveal his truth to the rest of the world. At CHBC, missions isn’t something that is just talked about, it is something that we do.
6) I learned the value of having a church staff that loves each other.
Contrary to popular belief, church staffs do not operate in some sort of utopian state where they all get along all of the time and everything is perfect. Our staff is no exception. We occasionally disagree with each other or sometimes rub each other the wrong way. But I can say that those times are few and far between. All of the pastors on our staff are genuinely great friends. We invest in each other and spend time together. We laugh a lot and joke a lot. We also pray together a lot, we grieve when one of us is hurting, we celebrate when our kid’s soccer team goes to the playoffs. Being a close staff makes a staff that is of one mind and one direction. And that makes a difference in the growth of our church.
7) I learned about God’s grace and what it means to live the Christ life.
Nowhere else have I ever heard a purer, more simple presentation of the gospel than at Colonial Hills. I have learned what it means to be covered by God’s grace and how that effects the way that I live my life. I have learned what freedom truly is and that the abundant life begins now. I learned that because of my identity in Christ, He has set up shop in my life and desires to live his life in me and through me. This takes a great weight off of my shoulders when I realize that living successfully for the cause of Christ has nothing to do with my own performance and everything to do with His power working in me.
But notice that I put the word “MOST” at the beginning of my list. This isn’t because Colonial Hills failed at its job. It isn’t because there were some things that it didn’t do for me. I use the word “most” because there are some things that need to be learned that Colonial Hills can’t teach me. CHBC has been faithful to what God has called it to do, which is to prepare its people to go into the world and live for Christ, in whatever way that may be.
For the four of us, it means leaving the shelter and comfort of our own church and taking that leap of faith that is required to go where God is calling us. He is calling us to Fort Collins, Colorado. He is calling us to go and to share God’s truth with the people there. We have a lot of things left to learn in our own spiritual growth and we have by no means arrived, when it comes to our spiritual maturity. CHBC has done everything it was called to do in preparing us to live the life God has called us to live and now it's time to take the next step.
I ask you - What is God calling you to do? Where is He sending you? Is it across the office to strike up a conversation and start investing in a coworker? Is it to be involved in local missions, like volunteering with a local missions organization or planning or taking part in an outreach with your church? Is it across an ocean? How is God calling you to be a picture of His truth to the world? You were created to live large and it's time to leave the nest and begin to live the life God has created you to live.
6) I learned the value of having a church staff that loves each other.
Contrary to popular belief, church staffs do not operate in some sort of utopian state where they all get along all of the time and everything is perfect. Our staff is no exception. We occasionally disagree with each other or sometimes rub each other the wrong way. But I can say that those times are few and far between. All of the pastors on our staff are genuinely great friends. We invest in each other and spend time together. We laugh a lot and joke a lot. We also pray together a lot, we grieve when one of us is hurting, we celebrate when our kid’s soccer team goes to the playoffs. Being a close staff makes a staff that is of one mind and one direction. And that makes a difference in the growth of our church.
7) I learned about God’s grace and what it means to live the Christ life.
Nowhere else have I ever heard a purer, more simple presentation of the gospel than at Colonial Hills. I have learned what it means to be covered by God’s grace and how that effects the way that I live my life. I have learned what freedom truly is and that the abundant life begins now. I learned that because of my identity in Christ, He has set up shop in my life and desires to live his life in me and through me. This takes a great weight off of my shoulders when I realize that living successfully for the cause of Christ has nothing to do with my own performance and everything to do with His power working in me.
But notice that I put the word “MOST” at the beginning of my list. This isn’t because Colonial Hills failed at its job. It isn’t because there were some things that it didn’t do for me. I use the word “most” because there are some things that need to be learned that Colonial Hills can’t teach me. CHBC has been faithful to what God has called it to do, which is to prepare its people to go into the world and live for Christ, in whatever way that may be.
For the four of us, it means leaving the shelter and comfort of our own church and taking that leap of faith that is required to go where God is calling us. He is calling us to Fort Collins, Colorado. He is calling us to go and to share God’s truth with the people there. We have a lot of things left to learn in our own spiritual growth and we have by no means arrived, when it comes to our spiritual maturity. CHBC has done everything it was called to do in preparing us to live the life God has called us to live and now it's time to take the next step.
I ask you - What is God calling you to do? Where is He sending you? Is it across the office to strike up a conversation and start investing in a coworker? Is it to be involved in local missions, like volunteering with a local missions organization or planning or taking part in an outreach with your church? Is it across an ocean? How is God calling you to be a picture of His truth to the world? You were created to live large and it's time to leave the nest and begin to live the life God has created you to live.
We would love to hear your thoughts on how your church has impacted you. Feel free to comment.
As sad as I am to see you guys leaving CHBC, I'm glad your quote "practicing what you preach". You've always encouraged us to step out of our comfort zone and step out in faith and trust in God's plan for our lives. I have no doubt God will do big things through you guys and I hope to get the opportunity to serve with yall in the future. Chris you have played a huge role in my walk and my growth in my faith and made me feel at home at CHBC.
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