Christopher is one of the founding authors of foundwhoiam.wordpress.com, a blog that has he’s been writing for several years. He is 18-years-old, likes soccer, piano, and… well, we’ll just let you find out for yourself. 🙂
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What inspired you to start your blog and what is it’s purpose?
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In December of 2013, some really good friends of ours came into town for a visit. My brother and I got talking with our friend about how there was a need for encouragement to walk according to Scripture. So, we decided to start a blog we could all contribute to, with the goal being to encourage other Christian teens in their walks with Christ through uplifting and motivating posts, videos, and interviews.
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What are some obstacles you have faced while doing your blog and how has God taught you through them? How have you overcome them?
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The biggest obstacle for me has been learning how to work with others and handle expectations. With any team, there is still a need for one leader- this creates better organization and effectiveness. As the oldest, I gravitated towards that role. I knew what I expected of myself in terms of how many posts to crank out each week, and as a team we agreed on a certain number of posts to write each month. Unfortunately, it became clear very quickly that one of us wasn’t going to be able to keep up with that. It was frustrating for me because I felt like we as a blog team had been let down when someone didn’t stick with their commitment. God used that to really help give me patience and understanding in those situations. It was a crash course in how to lead and adjust when things don’t go as planned, and through that, I really feel like God helped me understand that He’s still in control, and while it is frustrating and disappointing when someone lets you down, there are graceful ways to handle it and alternative paths to take in order to “roll with the punches.” This was good because it’s happened more than once with this blog, so I’ve had many opportunities to practice what I learned. God has always been faithful to bring other people to contribute when we needed more- it’s been neat to see His provision.
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What have you learned though the writing of your blog?
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I often say that as writers, we probably learn more than our readers do! Because each post is rooted in Scripture, we are forced to really delve into God’s Word and explore the context and all the cross-references relating to the specific topic or passage we’re writing about. In a way, all the posts I’ve written are a compilation of small studies I’ve done. It’s really neat to think about all the time I’ve poured into each post, and how it has all added up over the last couple years. I’ve learned so much about God and His character through all the posts I’ve written.
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What would your one most important piece of advice be to teenagers and tweens about honoring and serving God in their youth?
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My advice is to persevere, surround yourself with like-minded believers, and aim high. There will be times when you will feel like you aren’t having an impact. In fact, I believe Satan really uses that in order to discourage people from serving Christ. But don’t buy that lie. If you really believe that God led you to do what you’re doing, stand firm and chug through it. As we find in Hebrews 12, “Let us run with endurance the race set out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” There were many times I thought about stopping the blog due to discouragement, but I’m so glad I didn’t! There are rewards for persevering in God’s work. Next, surround yourself with like-minded believers. I’ve found this extremely difficult, and there were many times I didn’t feel like I had any others to surround myself with. In these times, don’t settle. There is a popular saying based on a Scriptural principle that essentially says that you become like the people you spend your time around. Read your Bible so you can be sure of who you are striving to be, and then surround yourself with others who have that same vision. Finally, aim high! I play soccer, and there’s a common principle for playing that applies to all of life- you miss every single shot you don’t take. If you want to interview someone, ask. If you would like to write a book, contact a publisher and see what you can do to get the ball rolling. Pray, follow God’s direction, and aim high. You’ll be rejected some of the time, but you’ll have success here and there.At the very least you will have tried. And in essence, you had nothing to lose!
What is one thing you want to accomplish in your life (if it’s in God’s plan of course!:))?
There are so many things I enjoy doing and am pursuing for now and the future, but my ultimate goal in life is to have a business that affords me the time freedom and financial ability to spend time investing in my future family and lead them in following Christ, as well as using that freedom to help distribute God’s Word to believers around the world who can’t get a copy for themselves.
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What is your favorite scripture, and why?
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My favorite verse is Joshua 24:15, which says, “And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” This verse is spoken by Joshua towards the end of his life. He has just given his farewell address to the Israelites, the people he has led for many years. And then, at the beginning of chapter 24, Joshua has gathered all of Israel together before the Lord. He gives a brief overview of their history and how God has acted on their behalf when they honored Him. In verse 15, Joshua issues a challenge. He tells the people to pick their side- if not the Lord, choose any of the pagan gods. But as for him and his house, they’ve following Yahweh. I love it because it’s an abandonment to the Lord regardless of what other people are doing or saying. It’s an abandonment to the Lord that is final. It’s a declaration for my life now and the family I will have one day: As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
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Thank you, Christopher!
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What inspired you to write the Blades of Acktar?
It was a combination of experiences I had at a secular university and researching my own family history during WWII in the Netherlands. That, and I just one day woke up with this image of a dark room with black-clad men sitting around a table. I knew one of them was Third Blade Leith Torren and he didn’t want to be there. The rest of the story came from there.
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