Chris Lee
7 min read ⭑
“The world is loud and aggressive and tries to teach us about ourselves. It tells us we’re this or that based on successes or failures. But our identity is not earned; it is given!”
Dubbed “the internet’s favorite vicar,” Rev. Chris Lee is best known for his livestreamed 60-second sermons featuring tidbits of wisdom on topics like faith, family, career, self-care, community and self-worth. When he’s not sharing spiritual content with his 170,000+ Instagram and YouTube followers or hosting his popular “Come Read With Me” podcast, he’s busy serving as the vicar of St. Saviour’s in West London. He’s also the author of “The OMG Effect: 60-Second Sermons to Live a Fuller Life” and his newest book, “Know You Are Beloved: Press Pause, Breathe Deeply, and Be Known by God.” Today, he’s sharing with us a glimpse of his real life beyond the social media hype. Be encouraged and entertained as he chats about the competitive side of his personality, the importance of identity, how he feels the Holy Spirit’s presence and more.
QUESTION #1: ACQUAINT
There’s much more to food than palate and preference. How does a go-to meal at your favorite hometown restaurant reveal the true you behind the web bio?
It was our 13-year anniversary a couple of weeks ago. My wife, Jenny, and I met at Cambridge University, fell in love and got married on graduation. We currently live in London with our three kids, not far from the River Thames.
For our anniversary, I booked a reservation at a really nice local pub called the Dove. The pub’s sign is the dove returning to Noah with an olive branch in its beak over a rainbow. The pub sits on the river and has great views. It was a hot day, and the staff knew it was our anniversary, so they gave us a table outside on the river for drinks and the best table inside in the pub for our food! It was great. Jenny had a seafood linguine, and I had the steak. We reminisced about falling in love and reviewed the past year over a lovely bottle of red. It was great.
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QUESTION #2: REVEAL
We’ve all got quirky proclivities and out-of-the-way interests. So what are yours? What so-called “nonspiritual” activity (or activities) do you love engaging in, which also helps you find essential spiritual renewal?
I love sports. I have always played sports and find that not having an active competitive outlet is bad for my mental health. So I play hockey. I was a Cambridge Blue and have always played a high level of hockey.
I also play tennis when I can. Having these competitive channels as a pastor is funny because sometimes people say, “Oh, you’re quite competitive for a priest!” I just smile and score another one past them!
QUESTION #3: CONFESS
Every superhero has a weakness. Every human too. We’re just good at faking it. But who are we kidding? We’re broken and in this thing together. So what’s your kryptonite, and how do you hide it?
It triggers me if I’m cast off out of hand. If I’m not taken seriously by someone, I find my first reaction is to try to prove myself and earn their respect. I might show off my achievements and parade my success before them. Or I get frustrated with them and dislike them. I’m working on it and have gotten better. I think it’s an identity thing. Being an identical twin, I think I grew up trying to show people who I was and trying to prove my worth. Thank God for Christ!
QUESTION #4: FIRE UP
Tell us about your toil. How are you investing your professional time right now? What’s your current obsession? And why should it be ours?
For me, standing on my true identity is so fundamental, and helping others find theirs has been so much of my mission. The world is loud and aggressive and tries to teach us about ourselves. It tells us we’re this or that based on successes or failures.
But our identity is not earned; it is given! Our foundation is that we are loved by God, and we need to rediscover this. That’s why I wrote the book “Know You Are Beloved.” I wanted to help people know they are loved — not in some wishy-washy way but through Scripture, historical teaching and the early church. I feel like God’s call upon my life has been and will continue to be to help people understand the love of God. Once we know this, we will have more ability to face anything in life.
QUESTION #5: BOOST
Cashiers, CEOs, contractors or customer service reps, we all need grace flowing into us and back out into the world. How does the Holy Spirit invigorate your work? And how do you know it’s God when it happens?
My walk with the Holy Spirit begins every morning. Feeling and knowing God is so important. I don’t want to think about God; I want to know him — just like I don’t want to think about water; I want to taste it! I want to experience God’s love as well as believe in it.
I feel God’s grace and love guiding me in my quiet times when I sit before the Lord and bathe in his gaze. As the psalmist writes, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:10, ESV). As I see my kids play or as I sit, talk and pray with a new member of my church, I see God’s fingerprints. I’m excited to partake in what God is doing.
I have heard God speak audibly to me. I have been transported, seen healings and been part of deliverances. This is all encouraging, but the daily whisper of God’s love being with me is the vital sustenance that I need to walk a life with Jesus.
QUESTION #6: inspire
Scripture and tradition beckon us into the rich and varied habits that open our hearts to the presence of God. So let us in. Which spiritual practice is working best for you right now?
The daily pattern of morning prayer by myself — where I sit still, breathe and be with God — really sets me off. I also practice a night prayer called “compline” where I pray historical, monastic services by candlelight and incense with members of my church. It’s short, but in the busyness of London life, it’s a real wellspring.
I also feel God’s pleasure when playing sports! When I do it well, I feel alive, and that helps me to know God.
QUESTION #7: FOCUS
Looking backward, considering the full sweep of your unique faith journey and all you encountered along the way, what top three resources stand out to you? What changed the game and changed your heart? What radically altered your life? What changed your reality?
One of the biggest changes for me was when I started making decisions for my life rather than relying on family and circumstances to dictate where, what or who I should be. At 21, I decided to quit my job, put my house on the market and go to Tanzania. This was a huge decision, but in order to find your calling, you have to have courage.
I was hugely challenged and encouraged by “What’s So Amazing about Grace” by Philip Yancy and then, later on, in Cambridge, “The Life of Saint Antony” by Athanasius and “The Sayings of the Desert Fathers.” All these books challenged who I thought God was and what it looked like to believe and follow him!
We all have things we cling to to survive (or even thrive) in tough times — times like these! Name one resource you’re savoring and/or finding indispensable in this current season, and tell us what it’s doing for you.
I’m currently reading John Mark Comer’s “Practicing the Way.” It’s been great to hear a teacher who lifts up and acknowledges the rich tapestry of monastic-informed models of living and who is not afraid to challenge current church models — for instance, encouraging churches and individuals to adopt a rule of life. I think having practices that help you live out your faith daily is invaluable. Thanks, John Mark!
QUESTION #8: dream
God is continually stirring new things in each of us. So give us the scoop! What’s beginning to stir in you but not yet fully awakened? What can we expect from you in the future?
I’m super excited about what God is doing within my local church ministry, the new people joining and what might be! I look at the global church today not in fear but in hope for a fresh outpouring of confident disciples filled by the Spirit, looking to show the world a better way.
I’m also excited to see what God will do with my global reach through books, TV, conferences and the like. The way God has used me has always blown me away. I can never say, “This is how it will be.” I only trust that he will use me and try to make myself available for him!
Some people follow calming rituals before bed to help sleep better, like drinking camomile tea, taking a warm bath or reading a few chapters of a book. But we love Chris’ nighttime ritual of compline — an ancient night prayer incorporating quietness and stillness.
Here’s a snippet of a hymn commonly sung during these night services:
“Before the ending of the day,
Creator of the world, we pray
That you, with steadfast love, would keep
Your watch around us while we sleep.”
What are some other ways you could invite Jesus into your daily bedtime routine?
Rev Chris Lee is the vicar of a growing West London church. He is a published author with a new book, Know You Are Beloved, coming out in September with Tyndale. He has been called the “viral vicar” and the “internet’s favorite priest” for his popular 60-second sermons published on Instagram (@revchris7) and hosts a popular podcast called Come Read With Me.
