Christoph profile picture

Christoph

hurry up and wait already

About Me

Born and raised in Oklahoma. Lived in NYC, Chicago and most recently San Antonio. I spent a year in Albania...miss that place!I used to be a corporate guy stuck in a cubicle with the suit and tie, watching the florescent lights suck the life right out of me, making and spending cash ... and hearing nations in my head say "where is the truth?...there has to be truth and true love out there". So a year ago (March 2006) I bolted. Feels great by the way.I am fascinated by maps and all the different people and cultures of this crazy planet. I want to go everywhere, eat stuff sold by street vendors, maybe even get lost in the wrong parts of town, roll with friends that are literally fireballs of power, humor, and compassion and grab them arm in arm and yell from every rooftop that God wants to be friends again...and He made the first move. Best story ever and it is still unfolding today...amazing.Love, pain, joy and things like it in our humanness are still a tad (yes a 'tad'...which is just a little more than 'bit') mysterious to me...all the while knowing that they probably don't have to be. I probably spend a lot of time wondering why things get over-complicated and thus further complicating things in life. Sidenote: I really don't like trying not to laugh when something is flipping hilarious. You know what I mean...like when something is probably really inappropriate or embarrassing but so stinkin funny that you hold it in so as to be polite. I really don't enjoy this feeling. I am just going to laugh from now on.I am a cheeseball. Some call me a panther. Others prefer to use me for my giftings ... these are (but not limited to): movie quoting, impersonating Will Ferrel impersonating Harry Caray, a good pair of ears, financial advice, random world facts...Wanna know more? ask me...

My Interests

music, iPods, snow skiing, nestle crunch ice cream bars, and Christian mission work ... oh yeah, anything having to do with the country of Turkey.

I'd like to meet:

On the earth: Jack Bauer from "24", Kelly Clarkson, Bob Saget, Danny, the guy who invented boxer briefs, the person who wrote the screenplay for "Spies Like Us", Spud Webb, Bobby Fisher, did I mention Kelly Clarkson?When I get to heaven: (do I need to say Jesus?) ... Paul, Thomas, Ruth, David, Esther, the thief, St. Francis of Assisi, the 40 million martyrs who have died since Christ's death, MLK, a sibling I never got to meet, William Carry, Hudson Taylor, my ancestors, and of course Elvis.

Music:

shane & shane, audioslave, shawn mcdonald, thousand foot krutch, adam watts, switchfoot, U2, Bebo, coldplay, david crowder, david gray, derek webb, death cab for cutie, the killers, snow patrol, edwin mccain, foo fighters, frank sinatra, ben harper ... to name a few ...

Movies:

office space, bottle rocket, napoleon dynamite, saving private ryan, waiting for guffman, best in show, last of the mohicans, star wars, dumb and dumber, blade runner, indiana jones, gladiator, identity, bourne identity, sahara, pirates of the caribbean, elizabethtown, king arthur, tombstone

Television:

man vs. nature, travel the road, history channel

Books:

the bible, let the nations be glad, blue like jazz, desiring God, seizing your devine moment, don't waste your life, narrow road

Heroes:

(in no particular order) apostle paul. debi. my dad is a big hero of mine, as is my sister and my 2 nephews. the Albanian youth, my mom of course, Sara-n-Tina, KayZ, Comp, papa Steve, Bryce, the Austins, MJ, Hudson Taylor, William Carey, Harry Carey, Iranian Christians, Turkish Christians, Block, Bruners, E, California Steve, Tam, DT

My Blog

on the mend

Have you ever had that feeling that something is just off inside? People have told me that when you go overseas for a lengthy period and then come back to the States that you feel some re-entry shock...
Posted by Christoph on Mon, 13 Aug 2007 01:59:00 PST

Hello America...nice to see you

Just a quick update to let you guys know I am back from Albania. Everything went well and after 4 flights and over 24 hours of travel I am back in the land of the free and home of the brave. My amaz...
Posted by Christoph on Wed, 06 Jun 2007 06:54:00 PST

Macedonian Border

Thought you might enjoy a fairly 'normal' peek into life in Albania...A foreigner is supposed to leave the country every 30 days (unless you have paperwork to be here...which I don't of course) ... I ...
Posted by Christoph on Thu, 17 May 2007 09:59:00 PST

earthquake

so, there was an earthquake here in Elbasan about a month ago. actually, there have been a lot of them but most you don't even notice. but the one a month ago was interesting. i was sitting with Fe...
Posted by Christoph on Fri, 27 Apr 2007 05:59:00 PST

words spoken

words. words spoken. words don't mean anything until spoken.i have never really considered myself much of a writer. i like to blog and journal but i don't see these things as being 'skills' that i ...
Posted by Christoph on Mon, 26 Mar 2007 07:43:00 PST

tea and sympathy

I woke up today in Istanbul and had a song flowing through my brain ... which was actually a continuation from yesterday.  So, I figured I was supposed to write something about it.  The...
Posted by Christoph on Thu, 01 Mar 2007 01:59:00 PST

old lesson reborn

so... things are different when you live every day in a seemingly foreign place. i say 'seemingly' because for some people living this way actually feels like home. change, and the recurring of it, ...
Posted by Christoph on Sun, 18 Feb 2007 02:08:00 PST

words to live by

"If Jesus Christ is God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him." ~CT Studd
Posted by Christoph on Fri, 12 Jan 2007 02:32:00 PST

Kriza Energjitika

that means "Energy Crisis" in Albanian ... here's the deal: right now we have about 8 hours during the day where there is no electricity.  honestly, it is not that big of a deal...except for the ...
Posted by Christoph on Tue, 09 Jan 2007 02:41:00 PST

Poor Boy

Like a breath of fresh air and the wind at my backToe to heel with strong strides taking miles off the mapIn this journey called life where I..ve walked so farUnder the heat of your sun and the shine ...
Posted by Christoph on Mon, 11 Dec 2006 03:30:00 PST