Being Authentic
For Chris V. (Fellows 2025-26), learning a new song from singer/songwriter Wendell Kimbrough was a highlight of the program’s kick-off retreat in August. “I loved how honest and transparent Wendell was,” says Chris. “He talked about how we get to be honest with the Lord. He wrote a song—I think based on Psalm 15—called something like, ‘Teach me how to tell the truth.’ That was just really impactful to me.”
Wendell and fellow facilitator Cory Willson (from Calvin Seminary) helped Fellows discover the emotional breadth of the Psalms at that opening retreat. They emphasized God’s invitation to his people to be “emotionally honest.” Whether what’s in our heart is praise or confession or anger or grief, God wants to hear it all.
Chris reports that the insights from that weekend stayed with him all year. “I’ve listened to [Wendell’s] song a lot,” he says. “I know that it was a smaller part of the program for that weekend, but it was just really influential.”
“I feel the Lord’s helping me to search myself and get to know myself beneath the surface level,” Chris says. He explains that he’s learning to excavate his heart, identifying some of the root motivations underlying his behaviors. “If I feel anxious or I feel excited, [I’m looking for] what’s actually driving these things. That has been super-duper interesting.”
“I feel the Lord’s helping me to search myself and get to know myself beneath the surface level.”
As he’s grown in understanding himself more, Chris says, he’s also growing in knowing Christ more deeply. “Jesus is the most understanding person in the universe,” he marvels. “ I don’t have to explain myself to the Lord; He knows everything that’s going on! And I feel like I’ve grown in my understanding of his understanding of me.”
Growing more authentic with God has deepened not only his walk with Christ but also positively influenced his relationship with his fiancée, Chris says. “We’re not only telling the truth to each other but taking it a step further. Like, I’m saying not just saying, ‘I’m sorry I got upset with you over blank,’ but trying to process that together [with her] and beginning to see that my actions were because of my own pride or selfishness or something. I’m just taking things a step further, just examining my heart [more deeply].”
