YOUNG, RADICAL, HYPE (HAVE YOUR PRAISE ELEVATED) AND UNASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL
Yezzir, I'm in there like swim wear. I'm officially a WORLD RACER. I never thought I'd be going on a journey like this, but we all know being a child Christ it's always a journey. I remember a man once told me "plan for your plans to change when you are walking with God." Well my plans have definitely changed since God has graced me to live the straight and narrow. More importantly my life has changed.
I was an individual who grew up in the church but never had a true relationship with God. I didn't understand the Gospel nor did I live the life that Christ commands us to live. I was bound by so many things and I bought into the cultural Christianity that I know God hates and will spew out of his mouth. The Christianity that says just read hear and there, go to church every other Sunday and umm pray only when you need him. I went through the motions just to go through them thinking I was good when in actuality I was perishing because of my lack of knowledge. My thinking was futile and Everything I did before I had Christ was WRONG. Why? Because it was all about me. I was a slave to iniquity and I hated that which was righteous.
I've judged, I've lied, I've cheated, I've fornicated, I've idolized, I've committed adultery, I've deceived, I've betrayed, I was never truly repentant, I've doubted, I've lusted, I've been prideful, self righteous, I LEARNED HOW TO PERFECT THE LIFESTYLE OF BEING LUKE WARM.
Thank God for his unfailing Love and mercy. Words cannot explain how thankful I am that God has delivered me and saved my soul from eternal damnation. It is funny how God work. It wasn't until I got to Fargo,ND in 2005 that I really began to see God move in ways I've never seen. I came to Fargo, ND to play football for North Dakota State University. My motive, my intentions, my heart, my God was all for football. I planned to come here, play my 4 years, try out for the NFL then go from there. I didn't care about education or anything else. It wasn't until I my Jr. year of college that things really began to shift. So what was the shift? The big INJURY! First game of my Jr. year I was hit hard and immobilized from the neck down. My options at that point were to sit out a year and have surgery on spine or never play again. Well never play again wasn't an option in my mind. So I decided to have surgery on my spine and I came back for 2 more seasons. Fortunately, the 9th game of my senior year I had a relapse, after being hit and Immobilized again. The reason I say fortunately is because that's when God took everything I valued away from me and I had no choice but to seek him. That was the greatest thing that has ever happened because what God began to do in me from that point on I wouldn't trade for a million dollar NFL check. I do not know when I got saved, but I do know that God placed me in a place and brought people into my life that he used to teach me about brokenness, true worship, true regeneration, his authority and sovereignty, who he is, his promises, who I am, what the gospel truly is in it's full context, the list goes on. I now delight in the things of God. He is so precious and he deserves ALL of me. My biggest prayer then was God bless me with this and that and do this and that now it's God cause my heart to delight in you, break me more, cause me to be contrite over everything out of your will, have mercy on me, save souls, cause me to be meek, mild, lowly, humble before you to honor you, to relish you, and to cling to you and nothing else. I truly can say that I am in Love with him because now I love to obey his commands. I worship him for who he is.
Basic Info:
Name: Richard Bowman
Born & raised: Houston, TX
Family: Mother, father, sis, niece, nephew, brother in law (niece & nephew= double trouble) Love em though 🙂Occupation: Athletic Academic Coordinator
Favorites:
- Scripture: ALL OF THE INFALLIBLE WORD OF GOD but Psalms 119: 9-21 really are the very words my heart cry out.
- People in Bible: Christ of Course & David
- Hobby: Reading, praying, sports, exercise, music, movies, barbering, planet & star gazing, acting, praise dancing, being goofy, swimming,
- TV show: Martin ( Produced and created by Martin Lawrence, funniest show ever from 90's)
- Food: Seafood & Sandwiches( ya boy gotta have some chips with that please)
- Movies: Higher Learning, Troy, 300, Nothing to Lose, Gladiator, Not gone lie though, I am a sucker for romantic movies (walk to remember, note book, pearl harbor, titanic,) maybe God used those to soften me 🙂 Joke
Interesting facts:
- I hate coleslaw and Chit lens (for those of you who don't know what Chit lens are it's pig guts, pig intestines; need I say more. They are cleaned, seasoned, and boiled to perfection served with cornbread and black eyed peas. This is typically a traditional southern New Years meal)
- 2005 moved to the coldest place in America Fargo, ND
- Received a bachelors and Masters without paying a penny for tuition (God really blessed me)
- Was paralyzed from the neck down 3 times my whole life. 1/high school, 2/college
- First time I ever seen snow was when I got to ND
- First time I ever jet skied was when I got to ND
- First time I ever swam in a lake was when I got to ND
- First time I ever heard people say I can't understand what you are saying your accent is differn't was when I got to ND
- First time I ever been tubing was when I got to ND
- First time I ever been called Rich was when I got to ND
- First time I had the opportunity to do missions was when I got to ND
- First time I heard about the Mall of America was when I got to ND
- Learned how to cut hair when I got to ND
- First time I ever been sledding, ice skating and snow mobiling was in ND.
- Never thought at state could get to -60 degrees
- Did not find out what a churro was until I went to my first baseball game at that age of 23. The way I found out was embarrassing
- I am scared of spiders
- I hate snakes
- Been to Great Wall of China
Well enough about me. Hopefully this is enough to get you started lol. More blogging to come. If you have read this please pray for my squad and everyone out on this journey. In the meantime I'll be praying for my brothers and sisters in Christ. LOVE
WORLD RACE HERE WE COME
