Beyond Sunday
Welcome to Beyond Sunday, the Podcast that takes you deeper into the Word of God throughout your week, with your Host Pastor Lee Day.
It's Time to Inspire, Uplift, and dig deeper. Beyond Sunday starts now!
Beyond Sunday
Church Hurt And Total Restoration
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A lot of people don’t walk away from God in one big moment. They drift, one “reasonable” choice at a time, until prayer feels optional, church becomes a checkbox, and life fills the space with something else. Pastor Lee Day sits down with Chris Lee, a pastor’s son with a raw testimony, to talk about how that drift turned into Sunday racing, bar work, heavy drinking, blackout years, and cocaine and how God’s mercy kept showing up even when Chris didn’t want it.
We get honest about church hurt and the damage of assumptions, especially when someone is trying to bring hurting friends into the church and gets judged for it. Chris shares what he learned by watching his dad walk into hard rooms with quiet courage, and why sometimes the most powerful ministry is a hug, a calm presence, and a step of faith while trusting the Holy Spirit to give the words.
Then the story turns. A friend’s stage four colon cancer becomes the wake-up call that pushes Chris back to Scripture, prayer, and a foundation he didn’t realize was still holding him up. We also talk about what it means to stop living for someone else’s faith, realign work and family priorities, and finally go all in for God.
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Welcome And Why His Story Matters
SPEAKER_00Welcome to Beyond Sunday. I'm your host, Pastor Lee Day, and I pastor Christ Family Outreach Church, located in the one and the only Amelia Courthouse, Virginia. I've got a very dear brother in the Lord on the podcast today. It is his very first time on the show. Brother Chris Lee, how are you doing today, my brother? Truly blessed. Excited to be here this morning. Amen.
SPEAKER_02Long time coming. Yes, sir. Long time coming. A lot of running been going on, and I finally stood still.
SPEAKER_00Amen, brother. And I think we both knew this day was coming. You've got such a powerful testimony. Yes, sir. Being a pastor's son, you got a lot to say. Yes, sir. Obviously, we're not going to get through all of that, a lifetime of that on this particular episode, but we're going to do our best at honoring God and getting out there what we feel needs to be said in this particular episode. How could someone raised up in the church all their childhood end up running so far away from what God wanted you to be doing with your life?
SPEAKER_02I mean, it's just simple. It was separation from Him. You know, it was a uh it was it was a hurt that happened. And um, it began a small separation from me and the church, which led to a large separation, which led to me not being in his word, not being in prayer, yeah, and um not being in a church body. And um, the only thing that I had were prayers that I couldn't outrun, you know, from my father and mother and other members. And um, yeah, that's what it was. I mean, it's what it all, it's what it all comes down to. It was that separation from the church, yeah. Completely derailed everything.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah. So again, it had nothing to do with who your dad was in the church, not at all. It had everything to do with your own choice to separate from what God wanted for your life. That's right. As a child, if if if you were not having to be at school, in your testimony, you said that you went everywhere your dad went, from hospital visits to nursing homes, funerals, you name it. You were there with your dad. Yeah. Uh in your testimony, you go on to say, and I quote, I saw my dad navigate things that you would never want to go through without God, but he did it with joy, unquote. And as a pastor myself, I can totally relate to that statement when I read that man. It just hit me in a in a in a certain way. I I knew exactly what you were talking about. As a man now, though, Chris, you are a husband, a father, most importantly, you are a child of God, you're faithfully serving the Lord again. What do you think when you look back at your dad's life, seeing
Small Separation Becomes A Big Drift
SPEAKER_00what he went through and how he handled it? What do you think you've learned when it comes to handling people and situations in your own life now, simply by riding with your dad all those trips?
SPEAKER_02Those silent lessons, those lessons that I learned, not even realizing it, and the lessons that he was teaching me, not even realizing it.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02But uh, but man, just sometimes it's just being quiet. Sometimes it's just giving someone a hug. Sometimes it's uh, you know, everything's gonna be okay, brother. Sometimes there aren't words, and that's what I'm saying. Sometimes it's just that physical touch, that physical love. Yeah. And then the spirit will, if you allow him, the spirit will give you the word for that brother or sister that needs it. And um, that's that's really what I learned was just him not being scared of the moment, not being intimidated, yeah, and just stepping forward. Yeah, yeah, you know, and you you just gotta be willing to take that step of faith. And um, yeah, it's scary, but like Brother Wilbur always says, if you step forward willing, the spirit gonna tell you what to say. Yeah, that's all the time. And uh I I watched it my whole childhood, and um as I'm growing now and and truly trying to step into what I I believe God is calling me to do, I'll tell you, brother, it's real. Yeah, it's real. God will give you the words, amen.
SPEAKER_00Just be willing to speak them. He's always faithful. Amen. We we we've just got to be faithful in our pursuit and and do what he tells us to do. Amen. Your mom was an RN. Yes, sir. And as she worked a lot supporting the family financially, she also took care of the house. And I love what you said next in your testimony. You said that your mom, this is so beautiful. Your mom also took on the role of mending your dad when he would come home from the daily battles of ministry. And that that's so beautiful, right there. What what a gift you had that you knew your parents truly loved each other. Yes, sir. And and and I've been there before, you know, and Erica also plays that that that role with me. Sometimes it's hard. Relationships within the church can be hard, fighting the enemy can be hard, helping other people fight the enemy uh can can be extremely hard. Was there ever a time where you grew resentful for the church for what you saw your mom and dad going through?
SPEAKER_02Honestly, yes. There was a part in my life where um where I had that separation from the church, and um, I was just looking at it as why can't you all take time for you? Why can't you have time for yourselves? Why can't you take care of yourselves for a little while? You know, and it was just that's where I was at in my life. It was like a selfish part in my life, but they weren't called for that. They were called to pour out, they were called to do. I mean, even even to this day, I mean, God bless my mama, you know, she's she's in a wheelchair, yeah, can't really do anything, but every morning she's texting God knows how many people, praying for them, texting them, God love you, have a wonderful day. Yeah, and I'm fine. I'm you're you're not, but I love your vision like that. You know what I'm saying? So yeah, I mean, there was there was a time where I was very resentful. I was like, you know, can y'all just leave them alone? Can they be retired? Can they have some time to themselves? But like Can they have a day off?
Quiet Ministry Lessons From Dad
SPEAKER_02Yeah, can they have a day off? Well, looking back, they didn't want that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that bro, yes, because when it's in you and it's who God created you to be. And I I feel like this for any calling that God calls someone to, whether it's worship or youth ministry or evangelism, going door to door, whatever it looks like. Or how about this? Just being a child of God.
SPEAKER_03That's right.
SPEAKER_00When you completely sell out, you don't want to take off.
SPEAKER_03That's right.
SPEAKER_00You you it's not like it's not like it's a hat that you come home or a coat and and you take it off when you walk through your door and you're no longer that person. You're always that person. And so it's ingrained in your DNA. It it literally is is is who you are. So I know exactly what you're talking about, brother. And and that type of excitement's what keeps me going personally. Yeah, yeah. Um from a very young age, you you you recognize that there was a foundation of faith that was being built in your life that now hindsight, you can see that eventually came back to actually be a blessing to you. Yes, sir. When you needed something solid to stand on, it was because mom and dad made sure you had that rock solid foundation of faith by taking you to church and making sure you had a relationship with Jesus Christ. In school, you used to get picked on a lot due to your size.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00So people that don't know you, tell them how tall you are.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so I'm like six four, six five. Allison says I'm not that tall, but I mean, I know what I measure. I know what I measured. Nah, I'm like, I'm like six four. Um, but like, so like in high school, well, I mean, I'll I'll take it back to uh elementary school. So in elementary school, I was already fifth grade, I was already like five foot four, five foot five when I was like 180 pounds. Yeah, yeah, you know what I mean? So like they wouldn't even let me play rec football. They're like, you're gonna hurt the other kids. You know what I'm saying? So I mean, like I was big, but then it just like it got to an unhealthy big to where like my senior year in high school, I think I was like 450 pounds, man. Wow, like no muscle, no anything, just four pounds. Just 450 pounds. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00So because of that, you you end up getting picked on a lot. And in your testimony, it said
Resentment Toward Church Life
SPEAKER_00that um you hung out with the jokesters and the misfits because you felt like that's where you simply fit in in school. Um, as you got older and on into high school, the members of the church begin to make assumptions. So now we're gonna talk about church hurt for a moment. The members of the church begin to make assumptions based off of the group of friends that you hung around with.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_00And, you know, what were they thanking and how are they judging you, those folks in church?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so I mean, it's just it's small town things, everyone goes through it, but um, but yeah, it was uh there was a couple really close friends of mine that I had that really went through some tough losses. Um I had one one young man, his brother got killed in an accident. Um, and you know, his his brother did a lot of drugs, um, but he still got killed in a car accident. Yeah. And um, I brought Patrick to church and was, you know, hanging out with him a lot. And, you know, oh well, you know, that family, you know, they smoke a lot of weed, you know, your son's probably doing that too, you know, this, that, and the other. I'm like, I'm just trying to bring my friend Patrick here so he can get something out, you know. Yeah, that's right. You know, get something out of church.
SPEAKER_00Church is supposed to be the hospital for the sick. Yeah, that's right. That's right. Not to country club. Yeah, that's right.
SPEAKER_02That's right. So, you know, and um it was just a couple instances like that, you know. Another friend, same deal, you know. In Blacksburg or in McCoy where I grew up, there wasn't like hard drugs. It was you drank alcohol or you smoked marijuana. Yeah. And um both are bad, but I'm saying that there wasn't the craziness that there is today. And they were like, oh, well, you know, that family, they've been known to sell drugs, you know. Your boy's hanging out with their boy. What are you doing, you know, letting that come up in here? And I'm like, at that to this, to that point, I'd never tried anything. Yeah, you know what I mean? It was just all assumptions. Yeah, you know. You just wanted a friend to come to church. That's right. I just wanted a friend to come to church.
SPEAKER_00I didn't pay attention to their family life. Your dad knew it was having an effect on his son. So your dad made you promise something. What was the promise and how long did it last?
SPEAKER_02Um, so dad made me dad made me promise that I would always come to church, no matter what, you know, that I would that I would be in church on Sunday mornings. Um and I was okay with that. I was I was good with that. I respected him for that. And um, I did that. Um I did that up until um I began um, you know, working out a lot, doing a lot of things, and um actually as a as a as a reward or as a gift, my father bought me my first motorcycle, my first dirt bike. And um I got really good pretty quickly. And um, unfortunately, I wanted to start racing, and that racing happened on Sundays. That was what kind of opened that door for me not being at church on Sundays. Now you had a a reason. Correct. Now I had a reason not to go. Oh, well, I'm not doing anything bad, I'm just gonna go race. Right, right, right.
SPEAKER_00I've got an event I gotta be at. Yeah, that's right. Something else on the calendar. That's right. In the way of church on the calendar, right? So so you end up starting to exercise, you lose a ton of weight. Yeah. Uh your dad buys you this dirt bike, you quickly fall in love with the sport of riding, and you get pretty good pretty quickly, and you begin racing. And as you mentioned, these race, these race days, they're on Sundays. That's the catch, right? That's the catch. As it is now in a lot of sports where you have to travel, unfortunately. You know, and in in and even local, just counties up counties next door. You know, you've got Sunday morning, Sunday afternoon, Sunday evening, Sunday night sports. But that's the trap. That's right. That's that's the trap. As as you got better, the racing got further away, yeah, and the bikes and the gear got more expensive. So that's right. So do go out, you get a job.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so went out, got a job. Um, you know, because you know, small town country church, dad wasn't doing it. Mom was, you know, paying the bills essentially with her job. Um, so yeah, I went out and got my first job and um, you know, really started to work hard. Um, it was uh subway at first that lasted, man, I don't know, maybe six months. Yeah. Uh then it ended up at Foodline. And then I was with Foodline, man, for almost 12 years, I think. Oh wow.
SPEAKER_00Okay, you had a good run there. Yeah, yeah, good run.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, good run.
SPEAKER_00Stock and shelves.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, stock and shelves, cashiering. Uh, well, I was cashiering until you know I got taught doing things I shouldn't have been doing for friends and selling alcohol to underage people, but whatever. That that's a whole nother story, man. But uh whole nother episode. A whole nother episode. But uh, but yeah, I was there for a long time and uh was enjoying it, but it still wasn't enough money. And um, that's where you know it kind of led into a another job opportunity that I that I was faced with um from someone at the gym.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Um, so it was uh someone approached me and they're like, hey, yeah, you we see you in here working out. You look like you're in pretty good shape. You want to make some fast, quick money, you know, doing security work down at a bar. And I was like, what kind of money are we talking about?
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Oh man, you can make, I don't know, a few hundred bucks, a few hundred bucks
Bullying And Finding The Misfits
SPEAKER_02on a good night, about a thousand dollars a week, you know, if you work a bunch. And I was like, Man, that's a no-brainer. What are the hours? Yeah, you know what I mean? Oh man, you work, you know, 8 p.m. till three in the morning. Yeah. Well, man, that's another no-brainer, man, because I can work all morning in a food line and come here and do this.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that's right. Now you got two jobs.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, now I got two jobs.
SPEAKER_00Making a pile of money. Making a pile of money. Being a young man. Being a young man, yeah. Yeah. So so at this time though, so you're you're you're working, you're working at this bar. And at this time, you're still not drinking, right?
SPEAKER_02No, I'd still I'd still not started drinking. Um, nah, I I'd still not started drinking. I tried marijuana maybe once or twice. It wasn't my thing then. Yeah. And uh, but still was still sober because I was so focused on working out, being more healthy, and wanting to race. Like that was my thing. My I wanted to continue to be better and grow in the sport.
SPEAKER_00And here's the thing, though, even though you weren't drinking yet, you had smoked weed once or twice, didn't like it. People were still assuming that you were doing those things simply because of the company that you kept. And I say it all the time: your circle really does matter. It does. You know, it's not that we can't invite those types of people that are struggling with those things to church and talk to them about Jesus, but we really got to be careful who we're breaking bread with. Absolutely. Because it can really hinder or impact your own personal testimony and your own reputation. And that's really what you struggled. Yeah. Write down to the people who really should have been loving you the most. That's the people in your dad's church. Yeah. Really. Yeah. Uh so let's fast forward a little bit, brother Chris. You you started working at the bar and then rumors really started flying around at that point. Uh, you had had enough. Now, this wasn't local. Share with us again at this point where you were living at. So this was in uh outside of Blacksburg, Virginia. Outside of Blacksburg, Virginia. Okay. And what was your mindset, Chris, at that point in life with people accusing you of doing something you were not doing, and then you decided to do what? Well, if they're saying I'm gonna do it, I'm gonna I'm gonna do it. Yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. I was finally, I was I just gotten to that point where you know what? If they're gonna say that I'm doing it, then you know what? How about we gonna do it?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, you know, don't you feel like that was the enemy's way of just giving you an excuse to just buckle?
SPEAKER_02Oh, bro, that was that was the hook. You know, the the the bait was thrown in front of me with the motorcycle and everything, that was there. And then as soon as I said, you know what, I'm fed up, I'm just gonna do it. Yeah, and he knew he'd set the hook.
SPEAKER_00Because at the end of the day, if you look at the root issue, it the people in the church accusing you and just people uh maybe around town or whatever, thinking that you were that type of person, you know, that's one thing, but can't nobody really make us make that decision but ourselves. That's right. You know, that may have pushed against your flesh a little bit and bothered your mind, but at the end of the day, Chris Lee made the decision for Chris Lee to pick that up. And I want to bring that point up because if there's someone listening, odds are there are who's being tempted to do something. It's so easy, isn't it, brother Chris, to use someone else as a scapegoat, someone else as an excuse, someone else to, you know, as a reason of why I'm gonna go mess up because of this person or XYZ.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that's right. It's it's always easy. It's that deflection game, man. It's so it's
Church Assumptions And Real Hurt
SPEAKER_02so much easier to deflect it on somebody else. Well, they're they're thinking I'm doing it. You know what? I'm gonna sort of do it. You know, I'm gonna prove them right for once. Yeah. But it it's like you made that decision.
SPEAKER_00That's right. You made it. You can't put the responsibility off on somebody else. That's right. Of our own decisions. That's right. And and so let's talk about your job because you're you're knocking down hours, which means you're you're raking in money. Yeah, you're you're working at food line 30 to 4 30 to 40 hours a week. Yeah. Uh, you're you're you're still working out in the gym, you're still riding the dirt bike, but but now you've added drinking into the mix. Yeah. And you you're you were drinking from the time you got to your job at the bar until 3 a.m. most nights. So you're you're you're you're crashing on back. Yeah. And in your testimony, you said basically, this is how you were living rinse, wash, repeat four to five nights a week. Yeah. So the drinking had become a constant. And on top of all of that, at this point, you were only going to church for special occasions. Your heart wasn't in it when you were there. That's right. You're you're going for your dad, really, not for yourself, not for God. So basically, you say this, you say it was a check in the box. Yeah. And for a long time in your life, church, you were playing that game. Church was just a check in the box. Yeah. When when mom and dad retired and moved down here, you stayed in Blacksburg, Virginia, right? Yes, sir. And then and then the wheels fell off. Why was why was that?
SPEAKER_02Because there was no, I mean, even though it was just a check in the box, I still feel like it was something there. I was still somewhat holding myself accountable. I was slowing up enough to where, even though I was living bad, I was checking up some. You know what? This is a little too much. Yeah, this is a little too hardcore, this is a little too extreme. Um, but when they retired and um they were gone, they were no longer there, you know, he wasn't a part of the church anymore. I just went buck wild. I mean, I'm just gonna say it. I just went buck wild. I mean, everyone thought, you know, I was the party guy, I was this guy, everyone wanted to hang out with me, I would throw money around. It didn't matter. You know, I thought these people were friends, but they weren't, man. They weren't.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah. They were just there to have a good time at your expense. That's right. Uh, in your testimony, you said, and I quote, I was living faster than the bikes, I raced, and I was burning the candle at both ends and in the middle once cocaine got involved. Yeah. And then you said, now that cocaine was involved, you said, now I didn't need sleep. I had more time to party. That's right. End quote. Uh, what was that time like, Chris? And did your dad know about the cocaine while it was happening?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, no, dad never knew about that. He didn't know about that until uh I think it was it was one men's meeting um that you had invited me to kind of share a little bit of my testimony when we had started coming, and that's when you know he found out about that because I was completely honest with him. Um, did you give me a heads up before going into the meeting? Nah, man, I just let it happen. So he learned with all the rest of us. He learned with all the rest of us. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Hello, Pops.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, hello, Pops. Here you go. This is what happened. Wow. Um, so yeah, man, that was that was probably about a year and a half to two years of a uh of a pretty vicious road. I mean, it would be, you know, day, two days, three days, no sleep. You know, I just grind out, work. I never missed work. You know, I never I'd never called out of work. I never did any of that. I would just push through, but it was pushing through with either, you know, doing drugs, you know, doing a little bit of cocaine to get me through, or if I felt hung over, I'd just start drinking here or there, get the shakes to go away, and then get going with my day, you know. Whatever you had to do to make it happen. Yeah, that's right.
SPEAKER_00And this was the vicious, ugly, nasty,
Dirt Bikes And Sunday Racing Trap
SPEAKER_00sinful cycle that you lived in for quite a while. Yeah. You were making, you mentioned that you were you had the reputation of being a party guy that everybody wanted to hang out with. That's right. As a as a young man, you were making almost fifteen hundred dollars a week, and your bills for the month were only three hundred dollars. That's right. So you had a ton of money to play with. That's right. And and to kind of hand out. That's right. And at this point, also, because of the alcohol, you you you were getting angry. Yeah. And in your testimony, it says you were willing to fight anyone and everyone.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_00And the alcohol only made you meaner.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_00And then when you would go to work at the at the bar at night, you had a goal with your anger. What what what was the goal at night at the bars?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it's so embarrassing to bring it up now, man. But yeah, so I had a goal every night. I'd want to make at least one person cry, whether it was male or female. Um, that was my goal for the night um when I was bouncing at the bar. And uh it's it's shameful looking back on now. Um, but it just shows me how far away I'd gotten. You know, it's like a reminder. I never want to be there.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02You know, I never want to get back there. But yeah, man, that the anger was a bad thing. And when I say fight anyone, anything, it didn't matter, man. Yeah. And um, it was it was it was nasty. My my interview when I had my first interview with Northwest, um, they called me in and Northwest at Northwest, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, for the hardware store. And I had my first interview with Nathan, which is one of the owners, Nathan was like, uh, so Chris, I see here, you know, you worked at this bar. I was like, Yeah. He's like, Do you remember when you threw me down the stairs there? No, really. And I was like, uh what are you talking about? He's like, Yeah, you threw me down the stairs there one night when I was drunk. And I was like, if I did, I'm sorry, man. Like, I I there was about two to three years of my life I don't remember whatsoever. I was like in a constant blackout. Yeah, and we kind of laugh about it now, but like I didn't know what to say, dude. I mean, I was just like, wow, yeah, yeah, wow. Yeah, that's uh jaw on the floor movement. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And uh, but I mean thank God I got the job, but I'm just Say it, you know what I mean? Like that that's yeah, praise God there. But I was like, wow, man, like I
Chasing Money Leads To The Bar
SPEAKER_02I never really knew, I guess, how bad it was until looking back on it. Yeah. You know, writing this down.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. In in in your testimony, you said that you knew you were dancing with the devil, yeah, and you were okay with it. Yeah. I mean, that that's yeah, that's far down the road. I mean, at the beginning of this episode, I said that you had gone off the rails. Yeah. I'd say that's off the rails. Yeah. Yeah. When you know that the partner you're dancing with is the devil and you're you're okay with it. However, here comes the butt god moment. And I I want to run through this, and I know this is just but a snippet of what God has rescued you from, but I want to run through this and give God glory here. Uh so some butt God moments because through everything going on in your life, brother Chris, you you never got arrested. That's right. You only had one DUI, and there could have been many. Oh man, so many. You you you never got injured. That's all God right there. That's right. Yeah, you hit a guardrail head on and went airborne doing a barrel roll, right? And and the roof of the car scrubbed against a telephone pole and landed on all the wheels, right? And still uninjured. You also hit a tree head on at 45 miles per hour, broke the steering wheel and windshield, only broke your nose, and uh the passenger that was with you completely was was not injured at all, praise God. You also um went went on to have in your testimony it says you had a gun pointed at your head, you've had knives drawn on you, uh, you've hit men from biker gangs that you were able to to talk down and calm down from from hurting you. And and and let me just say that it wasn't that you were bulletproof, it was just that God was there the entire time. Absolutely. He was there. You know, I say this a lot. We can run a whole lifetime away from God and we can stop and turn around, and he's right there. That's right. He's hit he's been there the entire time. We don't have to turn around and run back five years of the five years we've been running. We don't have to run back another five. He's he's there the entire time. And yeah, and that's that's really the beauty in this whole thing that through all of your silliness, your sin, your foolishness, and folly, just like all of mine and everyone that's listening, God has been there keeping us spared the entire time. He's been sparing us, keeping us safe the entire time. Absolutely. Eventually, you go on to meet what would be your future wife. Her name is Allison. Yeah, you guys have your first daughter, Carter, is born, and you said that your wife was the best blessing of your life besides salvation. Absolutely. Why is that?
SPEAKER_02Allison was a godsend. Um, we met when I was still in Blacksburg,
Rumors Become An Excuse To Sin
SPEAKER_02um, living terrible. Um, when we first got together, I messed it up. And then uh after I moved down here, I had to really fight to get back with her. Yeah, and uh, but when I say that, it's because she is truly she brings the best out of me every day. You know, God brings the best, but she's right there behind God because she's the one pushing me to do better, yeah. She's the one supporting me. And um, it's it's it's truly a blessing that God put her in my life. It really is. Amen, brother. Amen.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, she's your helpmate. Yeah, yeah. Eventually, you two wanted to start going to church again. Yeah. And your dad had been filling in as the pastor at a small country church near Blackstone, Virginia, which is where you guys are at now, right where you live. Uh, so you guys started to attend at the time, yeah, that little church. How did it feel sitting down, being able to hear your dad preach God's word again?
SPEAKER_02It was it was truly amazing. Um, I was at a point to where I was appreciative of it. And um I was I was regretting all the time. I guess I had lost listening to his word.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that's a good word right there, brother.
SPEAKER_02You know, there was a lot of lost word that I missed. And um, so I was really I really enjoyed hearing him again and watching him and and and sitting right in the front. And um, you know, all ministers have their own little mannerisms and what they do and how they hold their hand or how they hold their Bible, and it's just just seeing that again. Yeah, you know what I mean? And just seeing him, you know, or just seeing him just close everything down and set it to the side and then just shoot from the hip because he was going with what the spirit put on him right then. Yeah, I love that.
SPEAKER_01You know, I love that.
SPEAKER_02That that was that was great.
SPEAKER_00You know, that part of it was truly great. Yeah, but then there's a problem because it wasn't long and the enemy begins working on trying to get you and Allison out of church. Right. Uh, what were the church members saying about the the baby being too loud?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah. I mean, just you know, she's making too much noise, you know, she needs to be quiet. You know, you you should take her down to a classroom, even though they didn't have a classroom, her age group, they just wanted Allison to go down in the basement where the classrooms were and sit
Alcohol And Cocaine Take Over
SPEAKER_02with her.
SPEAKER_00And I think I think there's a lesson there as those of us who attend church, yeah. Make sure we're being loving and accepting. Because when we're when you know you you throw a judgment out there and you don't ever know the wounded person that that arrow you just shot across the room is hitting. And what what we don't want to be is an arrow that the enemy uses to run someone else out of church. That's right. Your your dad goes on, unfortunately, to suffer a stroke, and and due to his complications, he's unable to continue preaching. And not being able to walk in his calling, obviously, your dad is hurting. I I couldn't imagine it. I do at times think about it myself like what would it be to not be able to preach? Yeah. Yeah, I I truly look forward to the opportunities every time during the week that I'm able to share the word of God. Yeah. But your dad's hurting because he's hurting, your mom is hurting.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_00But not just because of him. Also, she had a role in this too. Yeah. You know, she she's called, she was called to be a pastor's wife. That's right. And so there's hurt on both ends there. And you knew you had to do something. So you end up reaching out to a longtime family friend who lived in in the area and you asked them where they went to church. He invited you guys out to CFO. Yeah. Yeah. Where you go now with us. And yet again, we see the power of an invitation to a church. I mean, people just don't understand the power that is behind a uh invitation to church. And so the very first Sunday you guys come, you said that you're a little shell-shocked. Yeah. Those shell shocks. It's different. Very different. Uh, and and you're wondering what your what your mom and dad's thinking. Yeah. You know, your dad was a disciple of Christ pastor.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_00And now here he is. Uh I'm up front on on the stage blowing a shofar to start the service, praise and worships going on for 30 plus minutes. Yeah. People are going to the altar and praying for one another and laying hands on one another in faith. And and then, and then I get up and preach for a solid hour. Yeah, solid hour. This isn't no 15-minute, 30-minute come and get a snack and go. It's certainly beat, praise the Lord. That's right. And in your testimony, I love this part. In your testimony, you said that you were thinking, you know, man, what did what did we get into here? Right. What did we get into? So the ride home with with your mom and dad was interesting because your testimony says that you asked them what they thought. And let me just say this before I say your dad's response. When when I read this, I cried. Yeah. Oh. I cried when I read your dad's response. So here I've preached an hour at least. And on the way home, you asked your dad, what did what did he think about service? And your dad's your dad's response is, and I quote, it's about time a man didn't let a clock stop him. That's right. And I'm going to tell you, man, when I read that, I lost it, brother. Yeah. I mean, it just hit me. Yeah. You know, uh, because I always want to focus on I don't care if 99% of the room gets the topic of what I'm preaching in 15 minutes into the service. Right. There could be one person that won't get it to that altar call. That's right. And we're going to stay. That's right. As a family, we're going to stay and we're going to honor every word that the Lord has given me to give to every person in that room. That's right. And it just blessed me hearing that come come from your dad. Even though you're back at church, you're still just checking a box.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah. That's what it felt like, man. It it had turned into we were coming and I was enjoying what was going on. Yeah. But I was still, it was back to still doing it for my mom and dad.
SPEAKER_01Right.
SPEAKER_02You know, I was still doing it for them. You know, looking back on it now, that's exactly what I we were doing it for them. Yeah. We weren't living for Christ for us. We were living still for them. Still for them, right?
SPEAKER_00To honor them.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that's right.
SPEAKER_00Uh now, but something happens with your friend Nick. Yeah. And and this really starts is what God uses to start to change your perspective. Yeah. And make it not about checking the box. That's right. But about you. Share with us what Nick was going through.
SPEAKER_02So uh we had had a uh we always did a friend and family vacation every year, and um we would go to the beach. Um, and Nick was always a part of that. And he was having some issues that week, you know, kind of played it off. Oh, I think I got a gluten allergy, you know, this, that, and the other, was changing his diet. Uh about a week after we got back from vacation, he called me. He's like, I have stage four colon cancer. Um, and it spread to my liver and my kidneys and uh other areas in this in his abdomen region. And I was like, man. It was tough. It was real tough. That was a tough diagnosis. Um, and that's really kind of that was the first thing that made me take a step and put my foot back on the foundation that I that had been laid on in my life between all the the surgeries that he had, um early or early morning things, early morning doctor visits, the traveling that I would do to go see him. Man, looking back on it, it was just falling back into what I learned. It was second nature to me.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02You know, I was okay with sitting in the hospital for three hours. They the first procedure I went down to, it was at Duke. He was in there for three hours and they came out and said, we couldn't do anything. Wow. Because it's too much. It was, you know, in this procedure was they were essentially gonna take everything out, slosh chemo, you know, liquid chemo, slosh it around in his body cavity and put everything back in it, sew it back up and be like, it may work. Yeah, but it had spread so much they were like, we can't even do that. Couldn't even do that. And um, that's when I really started sharing scripture with him. Yeah, and um you gave you gave him a Bible, yeah. Gave him a Bible, highlighted scripture in it, highlighted scripture in it, sent it to him, and um, I would start sending him scripture every day. And um it was a beautiful thing. Um, it really was. It was hard because it was out of my comfort zone, especially with how you know me and Nick met when we were living in that life. You know what I mean? We were in the muck and mire together, we were in the trenches working side by side, we lived together, we were roommates, you know, all this. So to make that transition with him, man, just yes, it changed my life.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, you were with him the last day he was alive on this earth. I was, and you knew when you left him that it was gonna be his last time. Yeah, and when you were leaving, you said that you sobbed, you wept in the vehicle uh because you knew that that was gonna be it, but you had such peace knowing that this time, right, you you knew that when he passed that he was gonna be in heaven with God.
SPEAKER_02That's right. You that's right. You just knew it. That's right. We had had we had had other friends and stuff had had passed away. Um, and you know, before, you know, living in that life, you know, someone would die or someone would go through something. What would you do? You would drink to celebrate, or you would, you know, party and oh, you know, wish them well. But this
But God Moments And Near Misses
SPEAKER_02time it was uh we had scripture and prayer and peace, knowing that his last breath here was gonna be his first breath in glory. And that was just it was a beautiful thing. But yeah, I mean it it hit me, man. I I cried from Bluefield. He lived right in Bluefield, uh, West Virginia. So that whole ride from Bluefield, West Virginia back to Blackstone, Virginia, that almost four hours, man. I was yeah, nightmare. Yeah. Snot, tears, everything.
SPEAKER_00Droll. Yeah. Now you and eventually you get back and you end up asking me if we could talk.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_00And and we did. Yeah. Share what happened in that meeting and what changed with you after that.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah. So I I I believe I sent you a text message, or maybe I called you and I said, When did you know when you were called to minister? Like when when could you tell? And um, you're like, hey man, you know, why don't you meet me up at the church? You know, let's let's sit down and talk for a little bit. So we did. I drove up here and we uh we got in your truck and we drove around to the back of the building uh in the in the very beginning of the where the cemetery field, and we sat there and talked, man, and it was uh you essentially said it it's a calling that you know, but the only way you're gonna know is if you get in the word. Yeah. And when you get in your word and you get in prayer, God will lead you. Amen. And um that's that's what it took was getting in the word. Amen. You know, getting in the word.
SPEAKER_00So good. And and getting in the word, that began to make changes in your life. You begin to make strides, you quit listening to the heavy metal music. Yeah, man. Started listening to more Christian music, you begin attending men's meetings at CFO, uh, but still in your heart, in your mind, you're still a little reserved.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, still a little reserved. And yeah, and it was uh because of art, you know, I have a special relationship with you just because I've lived that back side of your life. Like I I lived behind the scenes, you know, I grew up with it, so I know the pressure. Yeah, I know what it's about. Yeah, and so uh I found myself being very protective of CFO, of you, but also of myself. I was making it about myself because I didn't want to let anything stop me from wanting to come from CFO.
SPEAKER_00Right.
SPEAKER_02I was like, nothing's gonna keep me from coming here to the point to where I just wasn't being around brothers. I wasn't trying to be open, I wasn't trying to do things because I didn't want anything to happen to be like, you know what, I'm done. Yeah, see, here it is. Yeah, see, here it is. Another one of these churches, it just took longer to show up, you know. That's right, that's right. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00So it's during this time that you've been blessed with an opportunity to run the hardware store, Northwest, that you had referenced earlier in in the town where you live. And while it was a blessing in many ways, you said that your life began to get out of balance again. So what was going on? Because in your testimony, you said that you're at a point in your life where you're no longer trying to outdrank everyone, but now you found yourself trying to outwork everyone. So what's going on?
SPEAKER_02So I was just trying to uh I was just trying to be the best of the best. I mean, I'm a very competitive person, um, and it comes out sometimes in a very bad way. And well, I say bad way this way it wasn't bad, but it was because it it was taking me away from church. Yeah, I was so determined to have the best store, the fastest growing store, and a successful store that I was working 60 or 70 hours easily. Yeah, and um, I wasn't checking up
Meeting Allison And Returning To Church
SPEAKER_02at all, like not checking up at all. You know, if I had to work Sunday, I didn't care. If I was losing time with the family, I didn't care. I was just so hyper focused on the store and the store's performance that it just, yeah, my life got completely out of balance.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah. You recently shared with me how so much has changed since your dad has passed. Yeah. And how spiritually you you've been growing in in leaps and bounds. Explain to the listeners, brother Chris, what what you are experiencing in your spiritual growth since your dad is now gone on to glory. What's different now? Why?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so uh the biggest thing, you know, Allison and I, we were talking about this when we were going through, and um, you know, this is this is gonna sound very odd to a lot of people, but this is just this is this is how kind of the spirit has has put it on me to understand it. The greatest gift, the last gift, the last lesson that my dad taught me, or the greatest thing he did for me was actually when he passed away because I needed that separation from my earthly father to truly give it all to our father in heaven. Yeah, and um and that's that's where I'm at because I'm no longer checking that box or doing it for my father, yeah. I'm doing it for God to be a better man for my wife and then for my family, and then for my brothers and sisters around me. Yeah, so it just it was that it was that final thing, man. That final, you know what? My prayers, they've caught up to you, son. Now it's your turn. Now it's your turn. Now it's your turn.
SPEAKER_00Your turn to be all in. That's right. One Sunday in an altar call, you came forward for a specific prayer. Yeah. Uh share with the people what happened.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. So I uh I came up and uh I I I came to you. I was I was crying, man. I was like, I want to get back to that person that was talking to you in the truck.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02I want to be back to that person. And um, man, it wasn't I don't know, a few weeks, maybe a month or so after that, um, I got the opportunity or was presented the uh the opportunity to to move up in the company and to go from a store level employee to a regional manager. And um at first I was worried what that was gonna look like, but now that I'm not store level running a store, I'm making my own schedule. Yeah, it gave me that opportunity to put church first again and to take Sundays off again, praise God and to get back in these doors where I needed to be.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, amen. That's so good, brother. That's so good. And and as you realign and as you refocus, you're you're you're at CFO on a regular basis. We love seeing you and having you be a part of it. You you look up on stage, you see two new faces up there. Yeah, man. Yeah, you've got brother, brother D. Yeah, brother D, and you got brother Frankie, yeah, and you're kind of wondering what are these guys all about? And you know, again, you want to protect me, you're wanting to protect a church. And that's right. And then all of a sudden, you know, because that's what you said in your testimony, you know. Yeah, and then and then all of a sudden you hear D give a word that was really encouraging. You hear Frankie in his honesty give a word that was really encouraging there.
SPEAKER_02Just to touch on the D and Frankie. I love you, brothers. I really do. I love you. I'm so blessed to hear in my life, man. But like when I first saw D up there, I was like, man, who's this guy in these bedazzled jeans, man? What's going on, man? They got the fancy stones on him and stuff. Like, what's going on? I mean, he's praying everywhere. I was, I was a little nervous. And then uh, man, it was like three Sundays in a row. Dude, like he ended either ended his prayer or how he read his scripture, literally the same inflection of his voice, like the same word. It was like looking at my father up there. Yeah, and I was like, all right, God, that's that's that's one. All right, I see you. Yeah, brother Frankie, you know, I love Frankie, man. He's got that swag to him, you know. I really like it. Yeah, he gets up there and gets convicted. God, it ain't about what I look like or how I'm dressed. I had this pretty coat on, but it's not about me. It's about you, God. It's all you, God. And I was like, all right, man, that's number two. All right. And um you preached on that splinter, and it made me realize, man, my splinter, I was still holding on to this church hurt, man. Yeah. This uh, this this hurt that happened so many years ago that I just didn't even realize was still getting in my way.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02And I was like, you know what? I need to pluck that out. Yeah, you know, I need to quit being so afraid of, you know, I don't need to protect you. You got God, pray on it. I don't need to protect the church. We got God, pray on it. I don't need to worry about them. I pray on it. Like I had to just pluck it out and realize it ain't nothing ain't nothing of mine to carry. Yeah, yeah, you know. Let's just
A New Church And A Powerful Invitation
SPEAKER_02talk to God about it and just walk away from it. Yeah, yeah, you know, and that's what it made me realize. And man, just what a blessing. I mean, my life completely changed, bro, after that one sermon, literally on the ride home. It just convicted me so hard. Like, what have I been doing? Yeah, you know, yeah.
SPEAKER_00How do you see life for the Lee family moving forward?
SPEAKER_02Oh man, it's uh completely different than what we than what I would have said, you know, a year ago or even six months ago. Um it's a blessing to see how much my wife has grown in her walk with Christ. Um I I'm I'm sad that she had to be the spiritual leader in the household, but for a good two years she was. Yeah. Because I was working, she was bringing the girls to church. She was bringing them to church. She was bringing them to church. And um I think in a way that was a blessing. It wasn't at the time, but it was a blessing because now our spiritual growth is kind of on the same plane. And as a as a being married, having three kids, having just so many things going on, when spiritually you're on that same field, you know what I'm saying? It makes things easier. So it's like when you're when you're called, you know, hey, there's a brother calling me, she's like, Go handle it. Yeah, go handle it. You go handle it, you know. So if I'm on the phone an hour or an hour and a half, you know, it it doesn't upset her. Yeah. She's just like, is everything okay? Yeah. And the same with her. Like if she wants to go and do whatever, baby, I got the girls, you know, not a problem. Yeah. So it's awesome. It it's a beautiful thing. It is like now we're we're we're making time for the functions at church, for being here, for doing the extras and and and making ourselves present because that's what we need to do. We want to build that same foundation in our girls. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00You know, that's so good. Yeah. And that's the importance of what scripture calls being equally yoked. Yes. It it takes so much of the arguing out of the marriage when we are equally yoked with the same vision, same goal, same process, just wanting to honor God and whatever that looks like.
SPEAKER_02That's right. First Timothy, um, we're going to start with uh verse 12. I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a prost and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
SPEAKER_00That's so good, brother. Explaining your life right there. Absolutely. And the mercy and the grace that that God has extended to you through his Son Jesus Christ. Amen. Well, Brother Chris Lee, I appreciate you coming on and sharing your testimony. Yeah. We're gonna have you on another time because I know there's so much more to it. Yeah, we can take different angles. Absolutely. But but I know uh over the course of this past 50 minutes or so, it has been an honor uh to have you on here uh here at the table. I'm grateful that you came in, and I know this episode is gonna bless everyone that's listening to it. So let's pray. Yeah, Father, I'm grateful for my brother here, and I'm I'm thankful for his honesty and sharing the downfalls, uh, the moments of getting off track. Because the truth is, Father, is that as we've heard through his testimony, you were there the entire time. The entire time. And maybe there's some folks listening out there that that are just so far off the rails or just so far gone, and they just need to be encouraged by way of this this testimony from Brother Chris Lee that that God is there and God is keeping them safe. The only reason they're not destroyed yet is
Nick’s Cancer And A Faith Wake Up
SPEAKER_00because God loves them and cares for them and has mercy and grace and forgiveness. And so if that's you listening out there, I just encourage you to cry out to Jesus. Cry out to Jesus, come home, come to church. If you're not close enough to come to CFO church, get to a good Bible-teaching, God-fearing church. Get plugged into a church body that wants you there, that you can be a part of. Father, bless and anoint and favor all those that have listened to this episode, Father, that they would be encouraged by it. In the name and the blood of Jesus Christ, we ask all these things, and all God's people said Amen. Amen and amen. Amen.
