My New Life Ep. 2 with Chris Colwell

Please note that we experienced some technical difficulties during recording, and we sincerely apologize for the audio quality. However, the message shared today is too impactful to miss, so we highly encourage you to listen all the way through to catch every bit of encouragement. In this episode, Bro. Chris joins us to share powerful wisdom on navigating the spiritual journey, focusing on the vital importance of pushing through adversity in your walk with God. We dive deep into what it truly means to accept the grace and redemption of Jesus Christ, even when life gets heavy. 

As the conversation unfolds, we explore the inspiring "New Life" that Chris is personally walking in today. You will hear firsthand how he is using his own transformation to lead, mentor, and inspire others to find their own path toward spiritual renewal. Tune in for an honest, uplifting discussion about faith, resilience, and the life-changing power of redemption that will leave you motivated to keep pressing forward.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:01

Hello everyone, and welcome to another episode of the Middle of the Fire podcast. I am Steve, sitting here with my good friend Chris Caldwell, and of course we are continuing our new series, My New Life. Chris, I'm going to be asking you three questions. Where were you before you met God? How did you meet God? And where are you now? So go ahead and uh tell us about your story and give us your testimony, buddy.

SPEAKER_04 0:26

I guess it all started, I guess I was saying in high school. Never really been in church a whole lot before, except for when I was about I think between eight and nine years old. First met uh God say when I was we went to a Christian school. It was a UPC church, went for about a year. Dad was in the military, so we moved away and uh army. Cool. And so but after we moved to North Carolina, we went for about six months and quit going. So it wasn't again say till I was about seventeen, I could felt God doing something again, you know. I was just all of a sudden one and started reading the Bible. Just didn't know where it was going and graduated high school, decided to move back here to Smithfield, Tennessee, and started going to a few local churches, and even one time God saw me, so you know you're not supposed to be here. So I started going back to New Life Pentecostal church when I was about eighteen. Did that for a few years. My uh uncle, he was uh pastor at McMillan, so I felt like God was wanting me to go up there to help him start a new church and did that for a few years and then that's things started got in my way and kind of broke me.

SPEAKER_03 1:40

Took me away from God for about ten years or so. What kind of things?

SPEAKER_00 1:47

I became real bitter towards people, didn't want to be around church people, didn't didn't talk to God, didn't didn't do anything.

SPEAKER_02 2:06

Did you fall into atheism or is it just kind of a thing where you just didn't want anything to do with it?

SPEAKER_04 2:10

I just didn't want anything to do with it. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 2:14

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 2:14

So became really bitter towards him with things that happened that I thought was beyond my control, but it still hurt anyways.

SPEAKER_02 2:24

Gotcha, gotcha. So you said you were out uh for ten years it was about like that? Yes. Yeah. So keep telling me about that.

SPEAKER_04 2:32

So it was in the process, you know, became in the drinking, did some pot and stuff like that, became more or less a heavy drinker. It was the stronger it was, the more I liked it. I can relate. And so uh I did that. Somewhere along the way, uh met my wife I'm married to now, we started dating and and somewhere along the way my grandmother well I quit drinking because I had a grandmother that she was a heavy drinker, and when she died an alcoholic, they kinda that helped me wake wake up and I was just I walked away from it, didn't touch another drink again. Cold turkey. Cold turkey. Wow. And so uh my uncle that started the church in McMillan, he was all uh he had now moved to Arkansas. He was at another church there, and we told him he was gonna come visit. So we was uh at another church up there, even though I didn't want to go, I was just being respectful since I know that was their lifestyle, and we went to the church, and me and my wife we sat in the back, pastor the church, and brother hewling they came up and said, Do you care if we pray for y'all? I said, I'm not gonna tell you no. I remember we bowed our heads, and even though my eyes was closed, I could see. I knew there was me and myself, I think it was uh brother Long and Brother Hewland, and also told somebody else, I said there was also four other sets of feet. I could see, I leaned over and told my wife that we're not alone. Hmm. That was kind of freaky, and then even then we came back, and eventually Brother Hewland and his family, and they moved back here to Smithville, Tennessee. Yeah. New life was having like friends and family days, and uh, I remember my cousin Ron Hewland, he and he invited me two or three times, and each time I was like, nope, nope, I'm not doing it. So finally one time he just went straight to my wife and she said yes. And I told her she was crazy that I'm not doing it, but well that was in 2008, and we've been there ever since.

SPEAKER_02 4:55

Wow. Okay. So tell me a little bit more about uh coming to to New Life whenever you uh started getting back at because you said that you had gone to New Life before, right? Yes. And that was was that under Pastor Sanders?

SPEAKER_04 5:20

That was underneath Brother Sanders.

SPEAKER_02 5:21

Yeah, okay. Do you know what year that was?

SPEAKER_04 5:24

I started, I think it was about n 1993.

SPEAKER_02 5:27

93, okay, yeah. Definitely under Pastor Sanders. Yeah, that was that was the year that they built the 860.

SPEAKER_04 5:33

I think they had just got start this got done that thing when the brother Paul Stringer was still the youth pastor.

SPEAKER_02 5:40

Okay, yeah, okay, yeah. That was when they had just finished the 860. So, and you left then, and so it had been okay, so it had been a long time. Uh what, fifteen years had passed. Um and so you come. So what was your tell me about your your first uh impression of new life under Pastor Cornelius. Was it how did that what did it feel like going into that atmosphere?

SPEAKER_04 6:14

It was something different. I was uh my experience with pastors, I always thought they had to be older men. Somebody that was 60 plus years old. It seemed like everywhere I'd been, everybody's always really old older men. So then when I found out pastor was just a year older than me, it's just a different experience. It's like I didn't realize that a pastor could be my age because at the time I was just in my 30s, so it's just like that was something new for me. And it's just I just had a greater respect for for him just because it's like he's doing this at my age. Yeah. So it kind of something I it's just something new for me, I didn't know that it actually happened.

SPEAKER_02 7:03

So seeing your life at that moment versus you got a pastor and he's practically the same age as you. Yes. And so did you did you see did you see that as kind of inspirational?

SPEAKER_04 7:19

I was seeing it as it just puts something newer new in me that you don't have to be someone that's older that can do something. Yeah. You can be of any age.

SPEAKER_02 7:32

Yeah. Yeah. So man, that that's a really cool story though that you told earlier about how they were praying for you and you saw uh more sets of feet, and you said that you had closed your eyes but you could still see. Yes. So basically, God had given you a vision of of what's going on around you.

SPEAKER_04 7:55

I was thinking he was also showing that we wasn't alone that the way I take it, it was angels filling in the gap. Okay. I just know it they wouldn't it wasn't human that I seen. So what did you feel with that? Wasn't scared, but at the same time it was you know how to didn't know how to react.

SPEAKER_01 8:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 8:19

But I wasn't fearful or it was something I never experienced before up until then.

SPEAKER_02 8:26

Yeah. I've never experienced anything like that as far as like like visions and stuff goes. I hope I do. Because that sounds awesome.

SPEAKER_04 8:36

It is. I mean, I ha I've seen other things that I I think that will happen. Have they happened yet? No. Is this one of those things that dreams or visions? I'm not sure which was which. I just know times that you're doing something, all of a sudden you see something more than once, and it's like has has it happened yet? No. Do I think it's gonna happen? I'm sure. When it happens, it'll butt. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 9:04

Confirmed. Um, all right, so you uh so it was 2008 whenever you started coming, whenever you started really attending New Life. Yes. So tell me a little bit about how that affected your life coming back to church. When when did things start really moving for you? Because you are a lot, you're a a minister, right? Yes. So when when did you start moving in that direction towards ministry?

SPEAKER_04 9:38

Actually, when I was in church before, I'd actually felt like that's where God was leading me. And at the time when I was underneath Brother Hewlett and I talked to him about it. That's one of those things I wouldn't know what it was, and he he confirmed it for me that he believed the same thing that I was being called into ministry. Not saying like a preacher, um preacher or whatever, it's just I told God, if there's something you want me to do, then here I am, and I left and I pushed that aside, and when I came back, it was the exact same thing I'd felt before. God's like, okay, you come this way. And I think it was one time I was riding my pastor over to his house and I told him what I felt, and he said he prayed about it, and he'd come back tell me, basically confirmed it all over again ten years later. You know, I was thinking, well, that was it wasn't gonna happen because that was something in the past, but it was one of those things that God said, Yeah, I'm still I still got plans.

SPEAKER_02 10:40

So whenever whenever you got that confirmation, was it something that you just jumped right into? Or did it take you a while?

SPEAKER_04 10:49

It took a little while. It still makes you nervous of you still don't know not sure why it you want me to do something, you know. We're human, we want to know what's gonna be, and still not a hundred percent sure of everything what it's gonna gonna be, but I know God says he's gonna do something and I'm just like, okay, here I am.

SPEAKER_02 11:13

Yeah. The um tell me about whenever you received the Holy Ghost.

SPEAKER_04 11:23

It was I can't remember what year it was now, but I know it was around the ninety-three, ninety-four time frame. I remember when I always went to up front to worship. I would be I'd close my eyes, I'd be on one side of the church. When I came to, I was on the other side of the church. How I got there is just one of those I'm not for sure, but it was one of those times that I'm over here, next thing I know you're talking in tongues, but you're somewhere else in the church. I just know one of those I was I guess I went I was everywhere.

SPEAKER_02 12:04

When God took over, I just let God take over and so was it one of the was it a time where someone w people were praying for you? You just did it all on your own. Uh or like by yourself, I should say.

SPEAKER_04 12:20

I think it was one of those where when I was worshiping, you couldn't really be around me too long because my hands were flopping around, so you might get punched. So you might get hit, you know, whatever. So people I think people was there was just giving you space. Giving me space. Because I know a lot of times that I could feel myself, my hands and body are just doing going every which way. But I just I know when it happened or I know it happens. I can't really say one person was praying with me for me. I just know it was one of those times that I'm I'm here, I get the Holy Ghost, but when I came to, I'm on the opposite side of the church.

SPEAKER_02 13:03

Yeah. Just somehow.

SPEAKER_04 13:05

I was over there, but now I'm over here. I didn't feel myself moving, but I know I had to since I'm on the opposite side.

SPEAKER_02 13:12

That's one of those that's one of those beautiful moments though, whenever you get into the Spirit of God where it's so heavy, and it's just you and him, and there's nothing else. Nothing else matters. It's like it's like you and Jesus are the only two in the whole world. Mm-hmm. And it's almost like you're not even here on this plane. You're you were in you and Jesus are conversing in your spirit. And man, that that right there, that's as close to heaven as we're gonna get on this earth. Because it's just all his presence. And yeah, there's I I know exactly what you're talking about. Where you're s just so focused on him, and you'll you know, I'll open my eyes and like I'm like I said, like you said, I'm totally standing in a totally different area. Don't really know how I got there, but man, I love it whenever whenever God meets you like that and uh just kind of takes you away. Yes.

SPEAKER_04 14:28

That's been the last time I actually did behind the pulpit was nine years ago. Oh yeah? Not that I don't feel like it's I have to, you know. Like Pastor just said before. Be behind the pulpit is not the whole the whole thing, just teaching Bible studies and stuff like that, and find your lane and get in it.

SPEAKER_02 14:54

Yeah, being just being active.

SPEAKER_04 14:55

So I don't feel like I'm not being used because I'm not behind a pulpit preaching. It's just doing one-on-one Bible studies and then tell God I'll do what you want. Doing groundwork. You're on the front lines. So I'm not I don't feel like I have to be behind the pulpit and do something.

SPEAKER_02 15:16

So yeah, because you and Tasha, you you guys do that now, right? Bible studies and stuff like that. Yeah, how's that going with the with the Bible study ministries?

SPEAKER_04 15:24

I mean, it's been going good. I mean offhand, I know 25 and 26. We've had a quite a few Bible studies. I know that we can't do it all, but there's other people that come to us and so they say they want to teach a Bible study. It's just okay, just keep us updated, let us know where you're at. Is it gonna be a short one, long one, if you need help with something?

SPEAKER_02 15:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 15:50

But sometimes we recommend some you're gonna start a Bible study with somebody. Start with a real short one that might be just, hey, this is introduction, fill and then fill it out. You think they want something more, and then go in something deeper, and and the times we've had people that actually have been in the church for a little while and they just they want to know more, and so okay, so we'll go ahead and jump into a a deeper Bible study. They've been established, just wanted to go in deeper.

SPEAKER_02 16:22

So that's where so the the the three phases of this are where were you, how'd you come back, and where are you now? So that's where you are now, right, is is handling a lot of these uh handling the these Bible studies and outreach and and that kind of stuff. How how rewarding has that been being put into that uh that kind of outreach ministry, getting getting things on the ground level, seeing, you know, aha moments happening to people that you're that you're gonna be.

SPEAKER_04 16:59

I mean it's nice when they say like the last couple we did, they was she hadn't been baptized yet, and it was one of those she was thinking about it, and one of the Bible studies we did before when she was thinking about it was over baptism, and I think it was either a week or two after that she went to pastor and they had she got baptized and that was awesome seeing that now that they've actually been teaching uh somebody they I think somebody she works with some of the stuff that we get taught her in Bible study, she's turning around and telling somebody else.

SPEAKER_02 17:38

Oh, fantastic.

SPEAKER_04 17:39

That's just that's a reward in itself seeing them doing something they thought they couldn't do and I was like, anybody can do it. Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 17:48

Just believe in yourself and you know I was like, you don't have to know the Bible word for word to give a Bible study.

SPEAKER_01 17:56

It's Right.

SPEAKER_03 17:59

It's like as long as you're reading it and God'll bring back to memory as long as you're putting it in there.

SPEAKER_02 18:05

So what are some uh what are some words of encouragement that you could give to somebody who's wanting to maybe get into that line of ministry? Because that like you know Bible study ministry is some is something that's um well obviously it's extremely important. So uh so what are some words of encouragement for somebody who might be looking or or wanting to start uh doing Bible studies?

SPEAKER_03 18:39

I would say make sure you're reading the Bible. I mean try to memorize what you can put into your heart. Like the Bible says that word I have I hid my heart. My heart's may not sin against thee. I guess you could say yes. Somebody told me once I was talking to somebody that 'cause I love reading the Bible. I read it or I listen to it going to work.

SPEAKER_04 19:10

Something I like doing, and even somebody else I talked to, they said I can see why you're over Bible studies and I'm not because I don't like reading. I know I have to read the Bible, but it's not something I enjoy this is in general I don't enjoy reading so but you like reading I can see why you like being that's why you've been put over Bible studies because you enjoy being in the Word compared to where I'm doing it because I'm supposed to.

SPEAKER_02 19:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 19:44

I'm doing it because I want to.

SPEAKER_02 19:46

Right, right. What what is it about the Bible that brings you back to it all the time? Because it's the living word of God. I you know what? I knew you were gonna say that. The second I that question came out of my head, I was like, because it's the living word, and that's exactly what you just said. Amen. That's so true though. What about uh what uh well since we're on the topic of the Bible? Um what's one of your favorite uh passages?

SPEAKER_04 20:23

I guess for me it's always been, I think it's Isaiah forty-three, verses ten and eleven. It says, You are my servant, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I am chosen, that you may know, believe, and understand that I am He. Before me there was no go God form, neither shall there be after me, I even I am the Lord, and beside me there is no Savior.

SPEAKER_02 20:44

Why is that one of your favorite?

SPEAKER_04 20:46

It's just something that's always ever since I've seen it, every time I get to it, it's just to me it's just it's always in big bold letters.

SPEAKER_00 20:56

And God says that you may know, believe, and understand that I am He. Once I've seen that, it's always that's been my biggest one, God Bible verse that I know there's only one and you know you have to know, believe, and understand.

SPEAKER_04 21:23

And God showed me that revelation of that He was that I am, it's always been there. Man There's a light switch when it flips.

SPEAKER_02 21:34

Yeah. So before we sign off here, Chris, um if there's somebody listening listening right now that is considering walking away from the church or considering or getting frustrated and angry. With God, like you had before. What are some words that you can give to them right now?

SPEAKER_00 22:10

Don't give up, don't quit. Because even that I mean I just heard it here recently.

SPEAKER_03 22:19

Jesus told Peter he was going to mess up. Jesus already knew that he was going to mess up, even though he hadn't done it. But he also told him that he was going to bring him back. So just believe that, yep, you're going to mess up. People are going to hurt you, even though if whether they mean to or not, but God still has a plan.

SPEAKER_00 22:45

He knows what he's doing, so believe in him and stand when even you don't feel like it.

SPEAKER_02 22:53

Do you think it's worth losing some friends over your walk with God? Yeah. Because you're gonna lose friends.

SPEAKER_04 23:00

It's I've lost friends and family, and God has brought some of them back.

SPEAKER_01 23:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 23:07

Some friends I haven't seen since I've been in church, and that's I'm okay with that.

SPEAKER_02 23:16

Yes. Hey Chris, man, I appreciate it. Thank you so much for sitting here with me. Thank you. Tell me your story. Not a problem.