Here’s something you wouldn’t expect to hear from one of MTV’s reality stars:
“These days I really speak on what the Lord has put on my heart for that week or day or month,” says Chris Graebe, known for his roles on MTV’s Road Rules: South Pacific and Battle of the Sexes 2. “The Lord has really opened the doors for me to share my testimony and all the awesome things that the Lord has done. I have a passion to inspire and encourage everyone to stand up for their faith.”
Wait. Wasn’t MTV all about sex, drugs and rock-n-roll? Good-looking young people are supposed to be into all that stuff, aren’t they? Maybe not. MTV recognizes that some teens and twentysomethings are interested in living more spiritual lives, and, thus, you’ve got people like Graebe on the network’s shows to accurately reflect society’s seemingly recent interest in God in pop culture.
Graebe will speak to young people about his faith at this summer’s Kingdom Bound Christian music festival, an annual event attracting people of all ages, including busloads of teens, at Six Flags Darien Lake amusement park in Upstate New York near Buffalo. He can’t wait to try the roller coasters at Darien Lake, like the Superman: Ride of Steel. He’s a big fan of coasters. But, more importantly, he’s coming to Darien Lake to let people know Jesus changed his life for the better.
“I wish students and adults would understand how much Christ loves them and that He is calling them to great things,” says the 24-year-old. “There aren’t any words to describe how Jesus has impacted me. He is my reason for breathing. He pulled me from death to life with His grace & mercy. I am a totally new person.”
For those who come to see Graebe speak at Kingdom Bound, they’ll get to discover a little about his life before and after Jesus.
“I ask that no one come to see me because I’m nothing and if you come to see me, Chris Graebe ‘the person,’ you will always be disappointed, but I ask that you pray that Jesus will be there and that you will be there to have an intimate encounter with Jesus. I believe that if our hearts are in the right place, then the Lord will show up and touch us all.”
Graebe wants to inspire young people to “grab hold of their gifts from the Lord.”
“I think so many people are telling young people, ‘Do this, don’t do that,” and they’re sick of hearing that,” he says. “They just need to understand that the Lord created each and every one of them for one certain thing that only they can do.”
Graebe, who lives in Nashville, Tennessee, is married, and his wife is expecting their first child at the end of August. Will they check out Niagara Falls while visiting Western New York for Kingdom Bound?
“That depends on how my wife is feeling, as that will be her last month of pregnancy.
When I’m out and traveling I like to see the sights, but sometimes it’s just nice to chill. My ideal day would probably be by a lake with my family, a nice breeze and a jet ski.”
To learn more about Chris Graebe, visit his website at www.mtvchris.com and to get tickets to see him speak at Kingdom Bound August 1, 2005, visit www.kingdombound.org or www.itickets.com, or call 800-461-4485.
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