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Chris Hill

I'm a twenty-something husband and father trying not to waste my life.

Posts

  • March 18, 02:08 PM

    Something New

    In the book of Joshua, God has some interesting battle plans for Joshua and his army. Click here and read about it. It's pretty specific and quite bizarre as far as battle plans go. In fact, it's the only historical account where God instructed an army to take over a city in this way.

    What does that mean for your ministry?

    There's great value in learning from other successful ministries, but when it comes to implementing a plan for the one you've been placed over, abundant success comes from the strategy of listening to God and doing what he says.

    Is it possible that God has a strategy for your ministry that's never been done before? Are you worried about what others might think?
  • March 12, 11:08 PM

    Feedback




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    Feedback from Chris Hill on Vimeo.



    Very soon, I'll be posting sermon responses from people at The Ridge through a video series called Feedback. I can't wait to share stories of how God is speaking to people every week.
  • March 08, 05:48 PM

    From Reactive to Proactive: Seeking the Need

    The Ridge Community Church exists so that people far from God are awakened to life in Christ. We believe this is God's vision for our church through our pastor, Bobby Williams.

    Making sure our people's needs are met is a way that we fulfill God's vision and also spark community at The Ridge. At our current size, it is easy to find out what specific needs can be met for each family who come through our doors. We make an effort to seek out the needs of our people and our community before they are reported to us.

    The anticipation of need is critical to any company who values customer service, so I believe the Church should value this philosophy as well. From what I've learned about care ministries of most churches, it seems like many needs are being discovered and met through emails, phone calls, and word of mouth. Right now, the average care ministry seems successful as a reactive ministry. However, if you make strides to become a proactive care ministry and find new ways to seek out needs, I believe this will create new opportunities for community to happen on a level most haven't yet experienced.

    I've heard people say, "See the need, meet the need." However, before you can see the need, you must SEEK the need.
  • March 07, 12:03 AM

    Who am I?



    Tonight I attended a Hollywood theme birthday party. Any guesses at who I'm dressed as?
  • February 24, 05:00 PM

    Used Bookstore Score

    I'm a bookstore rat. Especially when it comes to browsing the aisles of a used bookstore. I found a hardcover copy of The Wordy Shipmates by one of my favorite writers, Sarah Vowell, for $8.

    I noticed it was in "new" condition when I picked it up, which was a plus. I opened the book in the car after buying it and noticed it was autographed. Very cool!
  • February 17, 02:03 PM

    Solace in Hard Times

    This week, The Ridge Community Church was featured in a story shown by WVLT news here in Knoxville, TN. The feature was about how your spirituality was effected by a tough economy.

    My wife, Melissa, was interviewed in the story because she was laid off last year and our family has gone through lifestyle and budget changes because of that. I thought she and my pastor, Bobby Williams, did an excellent job in the interview by staying positve and sharing a message of hope through trusting in God when times are tough.

    For the full story and video, check it out here: http://www.volunteertv.com/home/headlines/84490832.html
  • February 17, 10:08 AM

    Get Mad Church Disease free on your iPhone/iPod touch

    This is a special offer that will only work today (2/17) so hurry!
    Here's how:
    1. Download the free Amazon Kindle app for your iPhone or iPod touch here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000301301
    (by the way, this is a great app. Access to all Kindle versions of books and lots of free classics)

    2. Download the Kindle version of Mad Church Disease & have it sent to your iPhone/iPod touch for free using this link: http://www.amazon.com/Mad-Church-Disease-Overcoming-ebook/dp/B001NLL8HE/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2
    (yeah, that's a 100% discount and you'll have access to the book with or without 3G or wifi)

    Thanks Anne Jackson!
  • February 05, 05:09 PM

    1st Haircut

    Presenting Amelia's new do. Today, my daughter got her ears lowered for the first time. Actually I guess she got her eyes lowered since that's the only part that was cut. At least she can see where she's going now. I'm outnumbered by girls at home. So it pays to have a mother-in-law stylist.
    (In other words, I don't have to pay for their haircuts.)


    Excerpt from one of my favorite movies "The Man Who Wasn't There":


    (Ed and Frank are barbers)


    Ed: Frank.
    Frank: Huh?
    Ed: This hair.
    Frank: Yeah.
    Ed: You ever wonder about it?
    Frank: Whuddya mean?
    Ed: I don't know... How it keeps on coming. It just keeps growing.
    Frank: Yeah-lucky for us, huh, pal?
    Ed: No, I mean it's growing, it's part of us. And we cut it off. And we throw it away.
    Frank: Come on, Eddie, you're gonna scare the kid.
    Ed: ...I'm gonna take his hair and throw it out in the dirt.
    Frank: What the...
    Ed: I wanna mingle it with common house dirt.
    Frank: What the hell are you talking about?
    Ed: I don't know. Skip it.
  • February 03, 01:21 AM

    Who Cares?


    This year I'm going to spend a lot of time working on a project that I'm very passionate about. I'm creating a non-profit organization. It's vision/mission is still under wraps.

    I have my project plans all laid out and I'm working on a way to spread the idea. The current stage involves creating a "who cares" list.

    My "who cares" list is a compilation of names and contact information of people in my cloud of acquaintances that will benefit from this project. These are people who I have an good indication will be willing to jump on board when I raise the red curtain.

    This list will help me focus in on my goal and strategy because actual people's personalities and interests are involved.

    You just may be on this list. If you are, you'll be hearing from me shortly.
  • February 03, 12:56 AM

    A Million Miles in a Thousand Years


    I never read a book so quickly or gripped a cover so tightly. My white knuckles and Don Miller's words revealed a side of me that's been locked up by fear.

    I'd love to dive into a deep review of what touched me most about this book, but I could go on and on for hours. Just pick up a copy and read it. Trust me.

    Bottom line for me: God wants to help you write an amazing story for your life. Just ask him to help you. Listen to what he says and do it. Your life, with God's guidance, has the potential to become a much better story than you can write on your own. This is like an opportunity to ask Hemmingway to help you write a story about death and emasculation. God knows what your greatest possible life's story holds. He's already walked it.

    Seriously. Pick up "A Million Miles".
  • February 01, 11:34 PM
    Here's a pic of me playing a show at Patrick Sullivan's in Knoxville's Old City around 2003 or 4. Those were fun times. I love sitting with friends and talking about moments past. Though I feel like I'm in a stage of life where the past moments are getting stale. It's time to create new moments that I can sit and talk about in the future. It's time to jump on opportunities.

    What's next?

    I can't wait to tell you about it.
  • February 01, 11:34 PM

    Pause




    My life was too noisy. So I decided to turn down life's volume a bit and take a break from all things "social" online for 21 days. Throughout this week, I'd like to share with you what happened.

    Part 1

    1. I didn't realize how addicted I was to it. A few days after being away from the "comforting glow" of the computer screen, I felt lonely. I felt out of touch. I realized that my need to contribute to a conversation and the need for affirmation from others online dictated my mood.

    2. I'm learning how to live in the here and now instead of always feeling like I need to be in on the cutting edge of everything. I've never felt so out of touch with the rest of the world. On the other hand, I feel like I've taken steps to reconnect with the "real-life" moment I'm in; including the steps taken closer to my family at home. Instead of relying on the glow of the computer screen and the attention of others online, I'm relearning how to focus my attention where it needs to be;

    -In tune with God through his word and not only praying, but just listening for his voice.

    -In tune with my family

    -In tune with God's word about doing everything for His glory; including the productivity level at work.
  • December 22, 12:51 AM

    Christmas Rock Night 2009

    Jesus. Worship. Rock n Roll.
    You can read more about this event over on bobbywilliamslive.com, but I thought I'd share a quick vid with you. Enjoy!



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    Christmas Rock Night 2009 from Chris Hill on Vimeo.

  • December 16, 10:37 AM

    Need a Remedy?


    Knoxville, TN readers: I now present to you Remedy Coffee.

    When walking into Remedy for the first time, you'd never believe they've not yet celebrated their first full year in business. Remedy has nestled itself into Knoxville's Old City community in a way that will quickly boost itself to "city landmark" status. It just fits. (Oh, and also free wifi which you know I love.)

    I've been a coffee & tea lover for years and I don't think I've experienced a more knowledgeable staff of baristas. These guys and gals kill it when it comes to quality service and consistency. And of course, they only serve 100% organic direct trade & regional roasted beans to ensure freshness. Their kindness, attention to detail, and caring attitudes match the excellence of the products served at Remedy.

    By far the most impressive tidbit of info about Remedy, that often goes overlooked, is their generosity to the community of Knoxville. Here's a quote from Remedy's website:

    "100% of our after tax proceeds go towards serving and helping the people and
    organizations in Downtown Knoxville who need it the most. Our goal is to help
    the people who are doing amazing things in our city like:
    - Habitat for Humanity
    - Tribe One
    - Beardsley Farm"

    Remedy Coffee: The name could not be more suitable.

    All the details about Remedy can be found on their website here: www.remedycoffee.com/

    Pictured above: Loose leaf chai served with soy milk and honey prepared by Jennifer Kisabeth (for less than the price of a grande chai latte at $tarbucks)
  • December 15, 08:01 PM

    Primal by Mark Batterson



    I agree with Bobby Williams on this next statement. Mark Batterson can say more in one sentence than I can communicate in several paragraphs. Primal, the new book release from Mark Batterson, peels back generations of religion and gets down to the heart, soul, mind, and strength of Christianity. Not the consumerist, plastic, American Christianity most of us have grown up with, but the true longing to know our God on a deeper level and the faith journey where we'd risk everything just to simply love our God.

    I was challenged and awakened by these words written almost in passing, "When you tune out the convicting voice of God, you also tune out the comforting voice of God and also the guiding voice of God."

    Dig into this book in 2010 and make it the first book you read after the new year begins. It's a quick read because you'll be engaged from the very first chapter. It was a privilege to be able to review a pre-released copy of Primal. I want to thank Mark Batterson & Multnomah Publishers for allowing me to do so.
  • December 08, 08:56 PM

    Flavors.me

    You really need to check out Flavors.me. If you utilize multiple social networking/media sites, this serves as a great landing page for all. It's super customizable and user friendly. It's currently in beta stages, but soon will allow some amazing free features. Check it out.
  • December 01, 10:27 PM

    Just in case you forgot....



    .....I think my wife is talented and our daughter is beautiful. Need a photographer for your child's special moments? Hire Melissa Hill. You'll be glad you did for years to come.


  • November 28, 10:52 AM

    Being Present


    "Being present" is a very valuable way of thinking/living. It's something that's becoming increasingly difficult for our generation and generations to come. Things like instant status updates from everyone, being constantly solicited to, & more media than we could absorb in a lifetime at our fingertips are training us to feel like we're always missing out on something. Truth is: what we're really missing out in is already happening. It's right now. This moment. To quote Donald Miller, "We've been given a pen and it's up to us to make our life's story amazing." ...& it starts right now. A life's story that consists of always looking for what's next and filled with indecision isn't very interesting, it's kind of stressful actually. No one would read that story.
  • November 24, 10:05 PM

    Audiotool



    This is so much fun. Thank you Pastor B for letting me know about it. Hours of fun.

    Check it out here.
  • October 22, 11:04 AM

    Putt the line, not the cup.

    I've learned a lot about life from golf and also a lot about golf from life. Here's an example:

    When you putt the line instead of the cup, your chances of hitting the mark are increased. When you putt for the cup, you lose sight of the line and increase your chances of missing the break of the green all together.
    If you're putting for the cup in life and leadership, you miss the path and the lessons that can be learned on the path. You may even forget the line, push people out of the way, and putt through the break in order to reach the goal. When I look back at my life, I realize that most of the time the process has had much greater value than the goals.

    btw...If you want to buy me a putter, I'll take a Right-Handed Nike Unitized Retro Blade. They're discontinued and hard to find.
  • October 17, 01:37 AM

    Two Kinds of Ramps

    The motocross high jump ramp will get you a lot of attention because it's relatively new, boost you very high very quickly, but doesn't get you very far.

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    The distance ramp will take longer to get air born, require more gas, not appeal to some because it's been done before, but will launch you much further.

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    I'm not going to be motivated by using the most hip methods of whatever to boost me quickly to the top only to come back down and realize I haven't gain much ground. What about you?
  • October 10, 04:45 PM

    10-11-09 Set List for The Ridge

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  • October 02, 12:08 AM

    Updating Twitter with Google Wave

    Click picture for larger image:

  • October 01, 11:56 PM

    Google Wave Screenshot

    Click picture for larger image:
  • September 28, 11:33 PM

    My Coaching Network Guys





    The list below is the group I've been spending one Friday a month with for the last six months. I can't tell you how much I've appreciated the time I've been able to spend learning with/from them. If you are in a leadership position or you are a developing leader, keep up with these guys & seek advice from them. I'm looking forward to keeping up with everyone and seeing where God leads them and their ministries.

    Adam "New Dad" Coates - Syracuse, NY - http://www.syracusevineyard.com

    Brian "Fanny Pack" Moon - Tampa, FL - http://www.thechurchinsider.blogspot.com

    Crull "That's My Real Name" Chambless - Houston, TX - http://www.focusexpands.com

    Dave "Cubs Win!" Davis - Chicago, IL - http://www.davedavis.typepad.com

    Geoffrey "Big Truck, Bigger Heart" Janes - Monroe, NC - http://www.geoffreyjanes.com

    Hal "Father of Finance" Hunter - Jacksonville, FL - http://www.thechurchatargyle.org/

    Jason "Gen Why?" Young - Loganville, GA - http://www.jasonyounglive.com

    Kevin "Creeker" Lloyd - Augusta, GA - http://www.kevinlloydlive.com

    Lance "Sugar Tit" Martin - Greer, SC - http://www.lancemartin.net

    Marc "Chuck Taylor" Cauthon - Wichita, KS - http://www.marccauthon.com

    Stephen "I Prefer Metal" Lowe - Atlanta, GA - http://www.slowethinking.com/

    Tony "I'm Skinny, Therefore I'm Smart" Morgan - Atlanta, GA - http://www.tonymorganlive.com
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