College football season is here! And a couple who works on the campus of the reigning national champions, the University of Georgia, join me on the “Run The Race” podcast – which if you’re not subscribed to, what are you waiting for? This husband and wife also went viral several years ago, with haters helping them gain some fame on national TV.

(2:27) Chris and Ashley Reed, who met at Columbus State University, are both on staff at Chi Alpha campus ministry at UGA – that is Greek, by the way, for “Christ ambassadors.” They give us a quick take of what the national organization is all about, essentially helping students find their faith and community.

(5:11) People may also know this couple from a selfie picture at a cousin’s wedding in 2015, while they were dating, that a friend also shared on social media, getting 1.4 million views overnight and half a million comments – a lot of mean ones about the “mismatched couple” and Chris being overweight and rumors about disability because he was making a funny face. She responded to the haters in a new post online, which also got tons of views. All of this got them on CNN and Good Morning America, where they had an opportunity to share their faith and forgive the people who made mean comments, like Jesus would.

They both feel like they’ve been called (13:55) to do ministry on UGA’s campus, where there are 30+ faith-based groups for 45,000 students. It’s been a step of faith for Chris and Ashley…but they know what it’s like to be scared going to college, party temptations, facing newfound freedom vs. Christian “rules” so they want to make following God cool - from scavenger hunts to trivia to Georgia traditions. The Bible also talks about the early church doing life together!

(24:01) Go Dawgs! As the reigning NCAA football champs, can football be a platform for sharing faith and getting more exposure for groups like Chi Alpha? This couple describes how they also get attention through giving out lots of free stuff and “tabling” random questions, which also causes some backlash and rejection.

(29:55) Married almost 6 years, Chris and Ashley are open about balancing their marriage with ministry and working together. They also get to model love for each other – and Jesus – for today’s college students who may be looking for Mr/Mrs. Right. (35:25) A sense of humor is also what the opposite sex is looking for. These too laugh at each other and at life, even when it gets hard. Gotta have fun!

Finally, we discussed (40:20) if things are back to “normal” now on campus. Ashley moved to Athens and started working at UGA just 2 weeks before the COVID pandemic hit. They also raise their own money as missionaries on this Georgia campus, saying God provides! If you’d like to help them, go to: https://www.globalstudentinc.com/reed?fbclid=IwAR3PwJWatxgicmlORXlHVhASG6B3tXmkK6HqbPHO6tp4HGqqTiwfWTuDaAg.

Chris and Ashley closed the episode in prayer, followed by my “Parting Gift” from the Bible. Thanks for listening to the #RunTheRace podcast! Also, write a quick review about it, on Apple podcasts. For more info, go to www.wtvm.com/podcast/.

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