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<\/a>Pastor Chris Maxwell<\/p><\/div>\n
Yet, amidst the chaos and drama of life in the now, Chris Maxwell has written a book titled, Contentment: What You\u2019re Searching for Is Already Yours.<\/p>\n
The inspiration for the volume (Maxwell\u2019s thirteenth publication to date) originated toward the end of a counseling session in late 2024. As Chris prepared to leave, his counselor asked permission to speak a word, just one word, for Chris\u2019s contemplation: contentment.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew in that moment contentment was more than a counselor\u2019s idea. It was the mindset I needed then. I still need it now,\u201d Chris confesses. That word launched a search in the new year for the meaning of contentment: what it is not, what it is, and how to live it. He describes it as \u201cthe search that never had to begin.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chris Maxwell, a master wordsmith, addresses the topic from experience. Most people are capable of handling one or two, perhaps three, responsibilities at a time without breaking under the weight of duty. But accepting four, five, or six assignments is surely a recipe for bedlam. Yet Chris maneuvers through the maze of his busy life with peace as campus pastor and director of spiritual life at Emmanuel University; author of thirteen books; editor, and ghostwriter for other authors; speaker and advocate for a pharmaceutical company; and council member for the IPHC LifePoint Conference. Add to those appointments his role as a devoted family man, pastor of a local PH church (Goldmine), host of a weekly podcast titled, \u201cNext Step Leadership,\u201d and narrator for the IPHC Ministerial Credentialing Program videos.
\nSurely juggling that many assignments would cause most people to cave. Yet, Chris is enjoying his life and walking in thanksgiving and contentment. \u201cSomewhere along the way, I discovered\u2014and I continue discovering\u2014something deeper than all the noise. Something steadier than applause. Something stronger than shame. Something called contentment,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
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<\/a>Chris and his wife, Debbie, live near Emmanuel University. They met at the school when Chris was a student there.<\/p><\/div>\n
Meeting Chris today, one might wonder if this gentle and humble man has ever experienced a setback\u2014a time of confusion and hardship. However, he is open and forthright about rough seasons of life he has experienced.
\nIn March of 1996, Chris was pastoring a congregation in Florida when he became extremely ill. His doctors were unable at first to determine the source of his pain. It had begun with a headache that morphed quickly into hallucinations. After a ten-day bout in the hospital, the medical team pinpointed and diagnosed the infection–encephalitis, inflammation of the brain. The disease left Chris with severe brain damage that resulted in his dealing with epilepsy and an inability to remember and perform rudimentary activities, such as how to speak, eat, read, and even tie his shoes.
\nThrough extensive rehabilitation, perseverance, and hope in the healing and sustaining power of God, Chris eventually regained his faculties to the point that he is now in demand as a convention and event speaker. He also speaks as an advocate for individuals living with epilepsy.
\nChris\u2019s role as campus pastor and director of spiritual life at Emmanuel University opens doors for him to minister into the lives of students, some of whom are struggling to find their way out of confusion, disappointment, and anxiety. \u201cI want this university to be their place of hope,\u201d he says. \u201cThey need to experience contentment in the now. Not passivity, but spiritual grounding.\u201d<\/p>\n
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