Feels Like ’98

At the time of this post we are only 2 days away from the greatest time of the year… FOOTBALL SEASON. If I’m being honest, I actually don’t care about football season. Let me explain, I truly only care about Tennessee football. If there was a world where I could only hear Vols updates and never have to hear about Alabama, Florida, or Georgia, life would be great. If I am being honest, it’s been tough over the last few years; but without a doubt, I get just as amped for the start of a new season. I would be delusional if I didn’t accept the fact that my beloved Vols have had a rough go the last few years (a few is actually a stretch).

I am one of those guys that loves to know all of my facts before I say things. It makes me seem more educated and at the very least, level headed. For example, did you know that Tennessee still ranks as the 10^thmost winningest program in all of College Football? Tennessee is the home of Six National Championships. Tennessee has beaten Alabama more than any other team in the nation, 38 times to be exact. Tennessee has appeared in 50 bowl games with 26 victories, which also puts them in the Top 10 of Bowl Appearances and Victories. With all of this success though, the Vols of my lifetime have been all over the board.

In my first decade of life, Tennessee was one of the most dominate teams in the nation. In the 90’s, Tennessee won 99 of their 123 games; giving them a win percentage of 80.49%. The 90’s were great, most particularly 1995-1998 when the Vols went 45-5. Truthfully, I didn’t know what I was getting the privilege of experiencing as a fan.

The next decade saw a bit of a slowdown and the exit of the Winningest Active Coach; leaving our decade record to a mere 83-44, a winning percentage of only 65.35%. But alas, things began to get even worse. In fact, we still have a year left in this decade and we have lost only nine fewer games than we did in the first 20 seasons (two decades) of my life.

At this point, you are probably thinking, “why did I just get a history lesson on Tennessee football?” The reason is quite simple. You can see that I am vested in this team returning to the Glory Days. Without a doubt you can see my passion for Tennessee football. You can also see my hopefor better seasons to come.

People regularly question my hope in the return of a dominant Tennessee football team. (Mostly bandwagon Alabama fans that wouldn’t even be able to tell you who Mike DuBose or Dennis Franchione are). But do people ever question my hope in Christ?

Paul writes in 1 Peter 3:15- “Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.”

Paul wrote that knowing that if we are truly living as Christ followers, non-believers (the world) would look at us and questions our hope. He knew that if we were living the called life that we would stand out from the crowd. Paul shows us that it’s not a question of “if” we are going to be asked about our hope, but a question of “when”.

I can honestly say that I have been questioned more about my hope in the Vols than I have about my hope in Christ.

Reflecting on that reality and on Paul’s verse, it forced me to do an inward examination of how I live out my faith. I want to live a life that is so full of faith and hope in Christ that people question where it comes from. I want to live a life that doesn’t allow circumstance to effect my thoughts or actions. I want to live the life that Christ has called me to.

We are all called to live life more abundantly in Christ. When the odds are stacked against you, when the diagnosis wasn’t what you hoped, when the finances aren’t adding up… we are still called to live more abundantly. It is in these moments that people begin questioning your hope in Christ the most. You have a choice. Allow the circumstances to dictate your situation or place your hope in Christ.

“ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” John 10:10 (ESV)

Hope in Christ Alone.

Finding Joy in Your Work

Have you ever had a job that you didn’t really like? Maybe the job wasn’t terrible, but the boss that you worked for made you dread every moment of being at work? I‘m sure we’ve all been there at some point. When I was in high school, I worked for a large grocery store chain for a short period of time, and I hated every minute of it. From that moment, I used that experience as my metric for if a job was “bad”. After leaving my job there, I went to work for a family friend at a BBQ restaurant. That experience turned out to be just the opposite—it was hands down my favorite job in the world. (If I’m being honest, still one of the questions I ask today on a new job site is, “is this as enjoyable as my time at Whitt’s?”) As silly as it sounds, that became the metric I used for job satisfaction in my early working career in the political world, and then working in an insurance agency.

As time passed by though, I forgot about that little test I used to use. A year into owning my own business, I thought…“this is worse than working at Kroger.” I thought it was going to be “sunshine and rainbows,” but really I was just as miserable as when I worked for someone else. The years leading up to the point of opening my own agency were three years, that in full transparency, were not focused on the plan of God or the purpose God had for my life. The three years that lead to this point where I am today focused on me and my plan. They were focused on accomplishing what Charlie wanted to do; on achieving the things that I desired– money, power, and fame. I was slowly realizing that the endless pursuit of those things wasn’t going to bring me true joy.

The first year of owning my own agency became a very difficult year, both personally and professionally. It was difficult personally because I felt like I was at rock bottom. From the outside though, it looked great. In the political world, I learned how to master the art of making a fake façade, which is exactly what I did for everyone around me. It was difficult professionally because the demands of the business caused me to be crippled by overbearing business expenses and unrealistic expectations to maintain the success of our Agency. On top of that, I was finding no joy in what I was doing. In fact, I became resentful to the company I represented, the agency I created, and the industry I was in.

If I were to say that I have completely found true joy in running my business, I would be lying. The reason for that though is not because I don’t enjoy it, but rather I know that is not where true joy is found. Joy is not found in material things, or in things that we accomplish; but in living out our purpose.

Over the last 15 months, God has put me on a journey that I never thought I would be on. As I have leaned into God, I’ve begun to see there is a direct calling on my life and there is a purpose that God has for me. The things I desired have changed too; it’s no longer about money, power, or fame, but instead about wealth, influence, and making Jesus known. (I’ll share more about this in another post.)

If you’re reading this, I hope that you see that no matter where you are on your journey, God has a calling for your life as well. He has called each of us to a specific purpose. I simply ask you to take the next step. For me, it all changed when I adopted Proverbs 16:3 as my verse of the year in 2018, and I released control to God. I encourage each of you to go on that journey for your own life.

“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” -Proverbs 16:3

Who is Charlie H. Brooks?

Charlie H. Brooks is a business owner, entrepreneur, and innovator. At the age of 25, Charlie took his first step into the business world by opening his own insurance agency. Through Charlie’s strength of building and developing a team coupled with his passion of serving others his agency quickly experienced exponential growth while receiving numerous awards and recognition. Following a challenging year both personally and professionally in 2017, Charlie reignited his relationship with Jesus Christ and began to take serious his calling of spreading God’s Word. As an entrepreneur at heart, Charlie is continually looking for ways to use his talents and skills to positively impact the world. In addition to running his insurance agency, Charlie is currently serving as a Fellow for OneHope and pursing a master’s degree in Global Ministry Design at Moody Bible Institute.

Charlie H. Brooks is based out of his hometown, Nashville, Tennessee. Charlie and his fiancé, Paige, are getting married on October 18th. The two are currently parenting a 2 year old chocolate lab named George. They are both looking forward to what God has in store for them and their family in the years to come!

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. – Proverbs 16:3