Christian George

Crimson Magazine, Samford University

Issue date: 4/16/08 Section: News

Author and Samford graduate Christian George will speak in Reid Chapel on Tuesday April 22 at 10 a.m.

George released his second book “Sex, Sushi, and Salvation,” at the beginning of this year. George’s thought behind this eye-catching title is spiritual authenticity aimed at his generation.

“We are ready for a raw faith—a sushi faith—that takes seriously our need for Jesus Christ. “Sex, Sushi, and Salvation” is about how God satisfies the three hungers of the human heart: intimacy, community and eternity. I’m finding that most people like one of those three things, and it’s usually not the sushi,” George said.

The raw faith that George discusses in his book will also be his topic for Convo on Tuesday.

George began writing his freshman year of college and, although an art major, the beauty of words and how they fit together drew him to writing.

“Sex, Sushi and Salvation” took George about three months to write while he was attending Beeson Divinity School.

“I didn’t have a lot of free time. But for me, writing is a calling. It gets me out of bed in the morning. It still shocks me a bit—that God could use someone as flawed and ordinary as me to accomplish his will in this world,” George said.

From teachers to buildings, Samford has inspired George’s writing.

Dean Chapman, his freshman Communications Arts teacher, exposed him to the skill of writing, while art professor Lowell Vann demonstrated that Christian faith can be integrated into every discipline.

Students may catch George on the second floor of the Davis Library, which is one of his favorite writing spots.

George hopes to motivate Christians and churches to stop living bland lives in order to make an impact on the world.

“I hope my books help college students discover a faith that falls from our heads to our hearts. Because once it’s in our hearts it circulates throughout our bodies and affects every part of our lives,” George said.

While speaking at colleges and churches this spring, George found influence for his next book, “Godology: Because knowing God changes everything.”

“I’m noticing a revival brewing among 20 somethings. It has become my prayer that “Godology” will provide another look at the God who Wal-Marted himself so that every one of us, no matter who we are, or where we live or what we do can have access to his glory and grace,” George said.

This summer, George plans to move with his wife Rebecca, to St. Andrews, Scotland to begin his PhD. in theology.

After Convo, George will be signing his books outside of Reid Chapel.

by Carol Ann Autry

What do you get when you step inside the octagon with a 170 pound, nine-time Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight titleholder? A whole lot of pain. Just ask any of Matt Hughes’ opponents. With victories over B.J. Penn and others, Hughes, who was Black Belt’s 2006 NHB Fighter of the Year, has achieved an astounding 43-5 record. In this exclusive interview, the champ talks about the roles that fighting, faith and family have played in his rise to the top.

Black Belt: Did you ever see yourself rising to such influence?

Hughes: Back when I first started this sport, I was just doing it as a hobby. I never thought I’d be on TV or make enough money to support a family. I just did what I wanted to do.

BB: Did you have a lot of support along the way?

Hughes: Yes. I’ve had a network of support that have helped me get here. There are two types of people out there—talkers and doers. Through my wrestling and school people came to know that I was a doer. I was one of those guys who just happened to get things done. I had a great amount of support.

BB: In mixed martial arts, what style is most important?

That’s a tough question to answer. You’ve got to be well rounded. Wrestling plays such a huge role because you can control where the fight is going to be at. Wrestling is definitely up there.

BB: How do you train for the two days leading up to a fight?

Hughes: I work out hard all the way up until weigh in. I just enjoy it. The day before weigh in, I only have two practices, about an hour and a half each. I’ve got my buddies there. So we have a good time just doing what we need to be doing.

BB: Do you follow a strict diet?

Hughes: I eat healthy. You don’t need a bunch of saturated fat or processed sugar. I like honey. It’s not as bad for you as processed sugar. I’ll have a sweet potato and put honey on it.

BB: What foods do you stay away from?

Hughes: I’m not a big fast food guy. You won’t see me going through McDonalds or Hardee’s. I don’t like it. Something like Subway—I do eat Subway. If you need something quick, go to Subway.

BB: What’s the first thing that goes through your mind when you step inside the Octagon?

Hughes: I try to focus on my opponent and try to figure out what I’m going to do. Is my opponent a stand up artist? Then I use my wrestling offensively, pick him up, put him on the ground, and beat him up. Or is he a good submission artist? Then I use my wrestling defensively and keep him on his feet and try to win the fight there.

BB: What’s the most important factor in executing an effective “ground-and-pound” game?

Hughes: Learning to strike on the ground is hard to do. You just have to work on it.

BB: What other strategies do you keep in mind when you’re fighting?

Hughes: Well, I don’t bob my head a lot. Like a boxer will do that. I don’t. I think that you move your feet and get out of the way. A boxer doesn’t have to worry about knees and kicks like we do.

BB: Does your family every get nervous watching your fights?

Hughes: I know my wife gets extremely nervous. Some of my family won’t even go and watch because there’s so much pressure. My grandmother just sits behind a TV and prays.

BB: What is the benefit of training spiritually as well as physically?

Hughes: The big benefit is that I take a lot of pressure off my shoulders because I always ask that’s God’s will be done. It’s up to him. If it’s God’s will that I lose, I’m fine with that. I don’t worry about that.

BB: How did you find God?

Hughes: I became a Christian three and a half years ago when I took a trip to Guadalupe, Mexico. I didn’t go there to find God, just to work. I love hard work. There’s an orphanage and a school down there and we were doing construction work and building. Every night we had Bible studies and I had a lot of my questions answered. I was doing a devotional, bowed my head right then and there and found the Lord. It’s one of those things where people ask me, “How do you know if you are a Christian and how can I tell people about God.” And I say, “That’s very easy. The day, the moment, I became a Christian I felt it throughout my entire body. I know there’s a God out there because as soon as I became a Christian it was one of the greatest sensations and also a relief.

BB: How would you describe your relationship with God?

Hughes: My relationship with God is like any relationship. It’s a roller coaster ride—there are ups and downs. It’s similar to having a relationship with your kids, wife, brothers and sisters. It’s great to feel the presence of Jesus.

BB: The story about David and Goliath shows that the big guy doesn’t always win the fight. Were there any fights when you felt like the underdog, but went on to defeat your opponent?

Hughes: I kind of felt like the underdog when I won my world title for the first time. I’ve been successful my whole life—wrestling team, football team. God’s really blessed me.

BB: Do you have other Christians who support you?

Hughes: I get a lot of support through my website and forum. It’s just great because I’m like everybody else. I get temptations just like everyone else. And those people help me out and we all pray for each other.

About the author: Christian George is a freelance writer and martial artist.

To read the rest of this article, pick up Black Belt Magazine, February 2008, pg. 122-127

“My wife and I recently journeyed to Israel with a seminary group. We traveled across the sea of Galilee, where Jesus walked on water. We floated on the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth. We even saw Mt. Carmel, where God bar-b-qued a bunch of bulls. But for me, traveling for Jerusalem eclipsed them all, for it was there that Christ emptied himself on the cross and then reigned supremely from the tree.

A day is coming when faith will become sight and heaven will become home. The God who informs out thinking, reforms our attitudes, and transforms our lives travels with us from monastery to monastery, from grace to glory, until at last we will be embraced by the everlasting arms of the Almighty. This is the pilgrim way.”

For full article, see Conversations Journal: A Forum for Authentic Transformation, Vol 5:2, Fall-Winter 2007

I filed into the dark sanctuary in France, silent and hungry. Candles flickered here and there, illuminating faces focused in prayer. It had been four days since I’d eaten a decent meal, and the only thing on my mind was steak. After a few minutes, though, I was able to ignore my stomach so that I could feed my soul. After all, I wasn’t there to vacation; I was there to worship . . .

(For full article, refer to Christian Single Magazine, August 2007, page 40)

“By the lines carved in his face, I knew that Captain Owen had seen the sea. For 20-plus years, he’d taken pilgrims from the village of Port Magee to Skellig Michael, a rocky island off the southwestern coast of Ireland.

“So the water will be calm today?” I ventured, looking out at the sea.

The captain grinned and continued to prepare for departure. “Lad,” he finally said in a thick Irish brogue, “the stomach of the ocean is upset today. I hope you’ve had a small breakfast and aren’t afraid of getting wet.”

For eggs and three slices of ham churned in m stomach as I returned to my seat in the 30-foot boat. I hoped he was kidding.

He wasn’t. Up . . . down . . . splash. Up . . . down . . . splash. It was the scariest moment of my life. I can still feel the wild movement of the boat, tossing us around like an empty can caught in the hands of an angry ocean.

Frantically I turned on my video camera in hopes of submitting the tape to some TV show like “When Nature Goes Terrible Wrong.” After one sea-sickening hour, we docked at Skellig Michael.

Five hundred years after the birth of Christ, Christians docked on this island and built a monastery on its summit. A thousand-year-old stairway would take us to that site. Six hundred cracked and weathered steps held us to the hills. At times the path was only two or three feet wide, and the wet patches were extremely slippery. One small acident, a slight slip of the sole, and a poor pilgrim would fall on the sharp rocks hundreds of feet below.

The pilgrims I was traveling with were a good distance away, and for 30 minutes I climbed the rocks alone. Birds swarmed around me, wind slammed against me, and I began to doubt that I would make it to the top. My legs were weary, my lungs were weasy, and I felt that I was all alone, climbing a stairway to heaven with hell nipping at my heels.

But even in my loneliness, I knew I wasn’t alone. Plgrims are never called to walk alone. In even the most difficult circumstances, the God who pulls us to Himself joins us for the journey.”

(For full article, refer to Christian Single Magazine, March 2007, page 39)

The venerable R.G. Lee preached, “The roses will bloom again,” from the pulpit of First Baptist Church in New Orleans, during the early 1920s.

Today, as the city of New Orleans rebuilds in the devastating wake of Hurricane Katrina, these prophetic words, uttered over three-quarters of a century ago, continue to offer hope.

Lee, born in a log cabin on Nov. 11, 1886, became one of the most renowned preachers in the modern Christian world. He served in a number of pastorates, including Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tenn., but he had strong ties to the Crescent City. As pastor of FBC New Orleans, he witnessed over 1,000 new members come to his church, mostly by baptism. He also strongly supported the Baptist Bible Institute, which later became the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.

In 1948, messengers elected Lee to the first of three consecutive terms as president of the Southern Baptist Convention, and by the end of his life, millions of people revered him as one of the greatest Baptist preachers since Charles Spurgeon.
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