#chriscruz

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COMEDIAN, CHRIS CRUZ, PILE-DRIVES HECKER ON STAGE!! 😂@chriscruzcomedy Chris Cruz joins the cast to talk about his most extreme moment on stage with a heckler interrupting his show. Swipe to see the video ⬅️. 🚨LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE ON iTUNES🚨 #pildriver #heckler #chriscruz #standup https://www.instagram.com/p/B372_-xFu1H/?igshid=1osz5iokci86g

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A Conversation With Chris Cruz

A Conversation With… is a regular feature on this blog. It’s my way of being able to interview people who I find inspiring. I hope you enjoy reading this series as much as I enjoyed making it.

“He who works with his hands is a laborer. He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman. He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist.” -Saint Francis of Assisi 

Chris Cruz is both a pastor and an artist; He works with his hands and with his heart. 

Chris lives with his wife, Lana, in Redding, California and is a full time pastor at BSSM. He is also a blogger, a young adult's leader, and serves the local church at Bethel Redding.

Between their messages and their music, Bethel has completely redefined what it means to be a pastor and what it looks like to be on staff at a local church.

Due to their influence, I think many believers are realizing that we are no longer imprisoned by the four walls of the Church; we are empowered by them. Chris can attest to that truth - I think his life is already doing so.

I was recently able to talk via email with Chris and ask him a few questions about his church, career, and value for creative thinking. 

I am really impressed with the overall feel of your blog. Would I be correct in assuming that you value aesthetics? 

I love graphic design and aesthetics! In my life, creativity feels like a nonnegotiable. I am always looking for creative outlets.  

My wife and I will go to other cities just to be inspired by the architecture, design, and landscapes. I value the form of something just as much as its function. Everyone wants a functioning door but it should not be ugly. The form of that door is equal to its function and if at first can’t be equal, we need to try as hard as we can before we give up.

Describe what it like working at a church that values both spirituality and excellence so highly.

It’s a pretty fun place to work, who am I kidding - it’s great! The atmosphere is so conducive to experiencing God and also doing the best work that you can. 

We have a high value for excellence and trying to do things well. Along with our value for excellence is a deep rooted commitment to grace as well.

We know that we will not hit a home run every time and that’s o-k, God is gracious with us. In order to have a culture that values excellence, you need a culture of grace. Otherwise people will end up fearing failure so much that it becomes about executing for the sake of excellence rather than us partnering with God in an excellent way.

Describe a typical day in your life.

It usually starts with a nicely brewed cup of coffee - with quality roasted beans - using our AeroPress. I usually follow this with catching up on what is going on in the world via social media and email. I will then head into work, and what that looks like varies from day-to-day. It could be a class to teach or a staff meeting; intern meeting or student meeting. All of those happen on a cycle so it’s a pretty consistent part of my week. 

Once work is done I go to CrossFit for an hour and head home for dinner with my wife. Then my wife and I will have some quality time, hear about one another's day, and probably watch the West Wing (man, we are addicted to that show!). I finish my day with journaling, prayer, and reading my Bible.

Bethel has long advocated for the inclusion of the Arts within the Church. From your perspective, what has that looked like on a practical level? 

Our corporate value for the inclusion of the Arts hits my family every week. Everyone in my family is doing something creative and artistic. My mom actually is one of the painters on stage on Sunday nights and conferences. 

On another practical level, our Senior Pastors Eric & Candace Johnson really value the Arts, so they champion for artistic expression in all kinds of ways.

Creative people tend to have a lot of vision for their life, but also seem to have a difficult time managing the details that would make that vision possible. How do you personally balance the vision and the details?  

Creatives do have a history being a little flakey, don't they? (Laughing)

It’s funny because my job has been a huge help in making sure I actually execute my vision well. I do not have the luxury of having big vision and not having it take shape or form. I look at all the things I want to accomplish and I make sure I schedule out steps to make those things happen.

I schedule out what is important to me and what needs to be done and I do my best to keep that calendar. I also have interns who help me with responsibilities in the school - which is a life saver!

Both you and your wife have stellar Instagram feeds! What is it that you like about Instagram?

I value Instagram specifically because we get to see what is meaningful and beautiful to someone. 

It was not until Instagram that we would stop to look and find beauty in ordinary things. We think twice about moments now. 

People say Instagram keeps you from enjoying a moment, but I say Instagram helps make that moment a memory. We ask ourselves how we can make our coffee look better. Because we now think our moments are important enough to share. 

I do know that social media can provoke this “false life” mentality so it needs caution. But social media is a neutral power, it is not evil. 

Social media puts on display what is already there or what is already growing. If you get jealous of photos or you try to get people to think that you are important, that was a problem before Instagram.  

I love seeing pictures of all the different cities you and your wife have visited. Tell me about some of your travels. 

My wife and I love to travel! We have a little goal of going to a city every summer. This summer we’re going to Paris as "the last trip" before we start having kids. 

We really enjoy good food, culture, and creativity - cities provide that for us and we come alive in them.  

What advice do you have for someone who is looking to make an impact on the world, while staying true to their passions?

I would say you are already making an impact on the world, but it is probably by accident. The question becomes how do I do it on purpose? 

We all have an aftermath - something that happens because of what we do or do not do - I would find out how your passions and values can make a difference and the do that thing. It doesn't mean you have to preach while doing it, but give it meaning.

Every individual leaves a mark, and they should harness it toward the renewal of the world. My goal is to make the earth look as much like heaven as I can in this lifetime. 

Thanks for answering some of my questions Chris! And thank for sending me a few pictures to use, as well. 

If you want to check out Chris' blog for yourself go here. Also, sign up for his newsletter if you get a chance. It is a monthly email with words of wisdom and even some free stock photos (see below).

[chrscvaldes]

DAN CARDINALE _ youtube.com/chriscruzskateboarding