A Man of His Word

The other day I was really feeling worn out emotionally. I was sad and a wreck. I called Chris and he comforted me, but I still just felt overwhelmed. So as I sat down at the computer to start working I pulled up one of his teachings called Advancing Through Adversity. As I sat there listening to him, I began to feel my spirit lift. The more I listened the better I felt. I called him to tell him that his message was really helping me get over my situation and before I knew it I was back on the wagon. The funny thing is that when I listened to him I didn’t think of it as him. It was as if there was another person coming out of the headphones. Then I thought about it,

I had him comfort me on the phone as my husband, but he encouraged me as a spiritual leader.

It was at that moment that I realized: Chris is a minister. I was shocked, because in my eyes I hadn’t seen him like that since 2006 when I first came to his conference. Of course I KNOW that he is a minister, but he has mostly been just Chris to me. There is no separation between his behavior behind the pulpit and in our home. He is the same person no matter what.

One of the things that I admire most in Chris is his commitment to The Word and his commitment to his word. There is not a day  that he has not spent time with God in the morning through reading the Bible and praying…not one. There also has never been a time I can remember him not fulfilling his word to me and to others. If he says he will do it, he does it. This integrity is what made him a leader on Wall Street, co-captain of the Brown Univ basketball team, prom king, and led him to receive so many awards and popularity contests in high school that they changed the rules to make more fair for other students.

Remind me to scan the Prom King photo…the blue tux will give you a hoot!

As I continued to listen to his message I heard the door open. It was Chris! He had come home early to bring me food and hold me for awhile. I couldn’t believe it. He walked over to me and pulled me up from my chair and hugged me. He was not content with me listening to him over the phone or in a message, he wanted to be there. It was in that moment that I realized the precious gift that this man is to my life. While he wasn’t just teaching me how to overcome my adversities, he was there to help me through them as well. He literally made the Word become flesh in this simple act of kindness. This was true ministry… This was true love! I am so grateful that my husband, friend, and spiritual leader is Chris and that he is a man of his (the) Word.

Please wait for yours to come and be grateful if he has already arrived. It is worth more than words can describe.