Chris Wilson

  The gunmetal gray clouds hung low over Broadway, as if the Devil himself had come to take stock of what was happening on Music Row. It was Wednesday and in the heart of the Bible Belt, it was the perfect night for a midweek revival service in the Neon Steeple at Chiefs. Smoke, from the burnt offering on the altar of Rodney Scott’s BBQ, filled the early afternoon air. While the threat of rain and the quickly dropping temps would’ve served as a deterrent to venture out on most nights, this wasn’t most nights. This was one of a select few nights where, weather be damned, the faithful were going to gather. The stained-glass, lit from the inside, cast a soft welcoming glow on the wet pavement as it marked the destination of the pilgrims headed down Broadway. Each window served as silent and vibrant reminder of the saints and sinners who’d come before and were in some way responsible for what was about to take place. Legends of country music from bygone eras and sports legends with the...

We live in a society that, for the most part, is morally and spiritually bankrupt. Our culture is a culture of consumerism. How sustainable is that? - Benjamin Bratt I'm not one for New Year's resolutions, personally. However, in the past few years I have allowed the end of the year to stir thoughts in me about long-term changes I can make that would better my own life, my family's life, and the lives of those that are in my life. As 2022 gave way to 2023 I began to consider what it would look like to begin to orient my life and our family's life around being cultivators rather than consumers. What does moving along the continuum from consumer to cultivator look like? I'm not entirely sure. But I do know that working toward being freed from the incessant cravings of consumerism is not something we will regret in the end. One thing that I became increasingly aware of in the latter half of 2022 was how consumerism was driving me to view everything as existing solely ...

Flowers to be admired, though their beauty is ever fleeting. Reminds me of the truth, your love is all exceeding. Time cannot diminish what grows stronger through our days. Though seasons may batter and life may bruise, It’s our love for each other that carries us through. Books to be read, ideas to be stirred, our imaginations left to dance, To the unheard lyrics of love that can only be passed between those Who delicately hold on to life together, like the yet to be turned page Balanced between the thumb and index finger. Breath bated with excitement and anticipation of what comes next. Coffee to be sipped slowly, as the steam curls up from the cup, A reminder of how fleeting this life we share really is. But we live and love for more than the here and now, don’t we? We live and love for our girls to see, really see, What commitment and sacrifice look like. We live and love for forever, eternity. Of all the evidences of grace I’ve known, you stand above them all. Towering in your bea...

I grew up in a time when going to a local shopping mall, Valley Hills Mall in Hickory NC to be exact, was the high watermark of the weekend. As with most malls then, and the malls that still see traffic today, there were various kiosks spread throughout the upper and lower levels. All manner of trinkets, skincare products, and toys were sold to passersby who were unfortunate enough to make eye contact with the person working the booth. Around Christmas there would always be the arrival of the 3D pictures called “Magic Eye.” You remember them, right? The poster size picture of a random pattern full of bright colors that had an image hidden in plain sight. At least that is the story I was told. I could never, and still to this day cannot see whatever image is hidden there. I’ve tried all the tricks and followed all the instructions of those who can see the picture in less than a minute. Nothing I’ve done works. As a kid it frustrated me to no end to have people tell me what they wer...

During the early afternoon of March 4th we sat in the darkened room as the screen in front of us came to life. As the sonographer began to work the wand over my wife’s abdomen, we saw the unmistakable outline of our child. Everything with her, from measurements to heartbeat, was as it should be at roughly 9 1/2 weeks old. With an exhale, we both relaxed our shoulders and breathed deeply as the greatest fear of any ultrasound is the loss of a child. The sonographer continued her work and as she continued to measure and take pictures it became clear to my wife and I that there on the screen was the unmistakable outline of a second child. The twins we had joked about and secretly longed for were going to be a reality. What would we do with four kids under 6 years old? How long could we stay in our current house? How much would a bigger van cost? All of those questions flooded through my mind. Then the measurements for Baby B were recorded with clinical precision on the screen, 6 week...

It cracked us open to the depths of our being. Every fear and insecurity, exposed in a moment. It had the audacity to tap us on the shoulder and remind us of our mortality. It was in the cracks, past the superficial depth we had grown accustomed to, that we found out how needy we were. For what we thought we could live without, hope, humility, and community became the very things we knew we needed most. We were made in the image of God and it reminded us that those who before were so easily classified as enemies were like us, fearfully and wonderfully made. The story is still being written and none of us knows how it ends. But when the dust settles, we will be glad we have one another.

Last year at this time I read Your Best Year Ever  by Michael Hyatt. I followed the S.M.A.R.T.E.R. framework for goal setting Hyatt lays out in his book. I ordered the Full Focus Planner  from his online store and filled it in with the ten goals I hoped to accomplish in 2019. I was prepped and ready, like a kid laying out the next year's supplies the night before school begins. If I could hit my target and knock out these ten goals I would be, I thought, a better husband, father, friend, pastor, et al. I awoke on January 1, 2019 with a rush of excitement, the air alive and crackling with the energy and promise of 365 days to explore, push, and grow into who God had called me to be. January bled into February, each gray day bending and folding itself into the next. Time moved quickly and I was making no progress on my goals. I felt behind. I was stressed. Anxiety began to rear its head. I thought I needed more coffee. I thought I needed to redouble my lackluster effort. I rem...

On Martin Luther King Jr. Day this year I did not post a quote or picture to social media. It was an intentional move because I had become aware, through listening to others in person, online, and in print that it was pointless to tip the cap to Dr. King if I had no intention of actually picking up on the work he had given his life for. Throughout Black History Month I continued to listen to what my African-American brothers and sisters in Christ had to say. What I learned was that I needed to educate myself on the history of African-Americans in the United States, outside of what the school history books taught. Not only do I need to re-learn history in general, but I especially need to learn the role of the evangelical church in the history of slavery in the United States. So I spent the past month finishing up gathering resources and creating a reading list to help me become more educated and better equipped to lead as a pastor in the years ahead. I want to be able to speak winsomel...

In August of last year, Kristen and I took our oldest daughter, Ramsey, on a special day trip for her 3rd birthday. We were driving down the highway when I began to experience dizziness and faint tunnel vision. At first, I didn't say anything. I thought I needed to adjust my legs and that I would be okay. Unfortunately, that didn't help and I immediately moved over to the shoulder and told my wife what was going on, knowing I didn't feel comfortable driving in this state. She drove the rest of the trip. For the rest of the day, I battled a severe case of vertigo. As I reflected back on the experience, I realized how badly it could have gone had I not been able to get to the side of the road safely. Since then, thankfully, I've had no recurrence of vertigo. Fast forward to today. We were leaving a family vacation in the mountains and were on our way to see Kristen's parents. As we traveled down I-40 above Asheville, I began to feel as if I was going to have an onse...

Five years ago, I walked into the Smith Center to see Duke and Carolina play. Eight days earlier my wife and I and our friends, Adam and Sara, had gambled and bought tickets in the lower level for face value. We hoped and prayed the game would get rescheduled due to the snow and ice that began to blanket much of North Carolina that afternoon. We attempted to make the trek from Greenville, NC to Chapel Hill for the game on February 12, 2014, but it was no use. A slight cheer erupted in Adam's truck when social media broadcasted that the game would be postponed. We turned around and slowly made our way back home, relieved that we hadn't wasted our money but would get to see the best rivalry in sports, in person, after all. Two days later, on Valentine's Day, all the joy and anticipation of attending the game on February 20th was stripped away. As I was heading to work that morning, my dad called to deliver the news I dreaded, my Grandpaw Ray had died that morning. Along the...

A friend asked me if I would put together a list of books that I've read and really enjoyed. Below is a list of the 100 best books I've read over the past 11+ years. The books are listed in no particular order nor are they grouped by genre. After reading through the list drop me a few of your favorites so I can add to my ever growing "to be read" list! Fire  by Sebastian Junger Reservation Road  by John Burnham Schwartz Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth  by Richard J. Foster Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God  by Francis Chan The Wounded Healer: Ministry in Contemporary Society  by Henri J. M. Nouwen The Road  by Cormac McCarthy I, Isaac, take Thee, Rebekah: Moving from Romance to Lasting Love  by Ravi Zacharias This Momentary Marriage: A Parable of Permanence  by John Piper Outliers: The Story of Success  by Malcolm Gladwell Knowing God  by J. I. Packer Seabiscuit: An American Legend ...

At the end of our Leaders Collective Church Planters Cohort in May 2017, we had to give a fifteen minute pitch about the church we were planting. Think Shark Tank, but with gracious pastors who want to see you succeed at what God has called you to. There was a general sense of excitement among the group as we drew numbers to determine the order we would present. My own excitement was drowned out by fear and trepidation that this would be the moment I was exposed and told that church planting wasn’t for me. When it was my turn, I walked to the front of the small room, put both hands on the side of the music stand to steady myself, adjusted my papers to feel more prepared, and after a deep settling breath started to talk. For fifteen minutes, I tried to cast a compelling vision for why I planted Restoration Church in Wilmington, NC. In what felt like mere seconds ,the allotted time had expired. My mouth was dry and like a convicted criminal led to the front of the firing line, I...

It has been a while since anything has appeared on the blog and for that I apologize. I promise I didn't write a single post and then abandon this space. It has been a busy season in the life of our family and the church I pastor. However, I have made a commitment to giving time twice a week to writing and posting here starting in August. Stay tuned as there will be, I hope, some great content to engage and encourage you in your life and walk with Christ!

It’s been almost a year and a half and yet it still feels like yesterday. I can remember the cold air burning my lungs on the walk over to the cabin that morning. It was a chill that woke you up long before the coffee ever hit your lips; my kind of weather. As the sun made its way up over the trees, it burned off the last remnants of mist that clung to the water’s surface. I didn’t realize it then but that was an apt analogy for what God had in store for my life on October 26, 2016. Our Leaders Collective Church Planters Cohort was at The Barn at Valhalla in Chapel Hill, NC for a three day self-awareness retreat. Sunlight streamed through the A-frame windows into the living area of The Lodge. Elliot, the Leaders Collective Director, had just called us together to begin the days work. Tape had been laid out on the floor creating four squares, chairs were scattered about, and a fire was gaining strength in the fire place. We all knew we would be going through an intense one-on-one ...