Hey ya’ll! My name is Christine Chapman, and I am 23 years old. I graduated from college back in May of 2006 with a degree in Applied Ministry from Oklahoma Baptist University. Even though I went to school in Oklahoma, I was born and raised, for the most part, in God’s country…otherwise known as the great state of Texas!
When I graduated form OBU, I thought I knew what I was going to be doing…going overseas and loving on those who don’t know Jesus. I took a job at my church to start saving up some money, I waited to hear from God, I left the job at my church, waited some more, found another job, and waited some more. I was beginning to wonder when I was going to go out and do the thing God had created me to do. It took me a good year to finally realize my plans were not God’s plans for me. Through godly friends, mentors, different Bible studies, and my own time spent with God I realized the importance and the necessity of waiting and being still before the Lord. After this I began to look at my situation a little differently. I began to enjoy going to work to minister to and love on the people God had placed in front of me at this moment. I lived out the phrase, “God meets us where we are.” I began to really experience the peace that surpasses all understanding. And it was during this time I came to realize the Lord was leading me in a similar but totally different direction than what I had originally planned…a race around the world.
I want to spend the rest of my life loving on people in the name of Jesus. I want to spend the rest of my life trying my hardest to be Jesus in skin. I want to do this because He has done such a wonderful thing in me. He has rescued me from a pit that was bottomless, a pit that was death itself. He took me out of the muck and mire and set my feet upon dry ground. I want to share with people the freedom that only comes from Christ…the paradoxical freedom of becoming a slave to Christ and yet living life to the fullest. This has been my desire every since my junior year in high school, and I am so excited to finally get a chance to live this desire out while traveling around the world!
I have no idea what this next year has in store for me, and frankly the idea of not knowing is all part of the adventure! I have traveled to the other side of the world, but I have never done anything like this! The idea of the unknown is pretty scary…what am I going to do when this happens?…what am I going to do when I get back?…who am I going to be when I get back? I have no idea what the answers are to these questions, but the wonderful news is that I don’t have to know. The Father knows, and all I’m supposed to do is follow Him, love on others, and be Jesus in skin.
With blood and sweat and many tears, with sleepless nights and fruitless days, they pray as if it all depends on God and live as if it all depends on them.
Their DNA chooses JESUS. (He breathes out, they breathe in.)
Their subconscious sings. They had a blood transfusion with Jesus.
Their words make demons scream in shopping centers.
Don’t you hear them coming?
Herald the weirdos!
~From “The Vision”
