A Toast to a Bro

I would like to tell you about my friend and Brother Chris Cochran.

This handsome chap in the kilt is a king among ants.

I have known Chris Cochran to carry 5 packs of cigarettes with him at all times.

I have seen Chris drink every bit as much as I drink, if not more...  And folks, I can drink a lot.  Chris is a wee man.  He's - MAYBE - a third my size.

(I didn't say he held it as well as I do, though...)

(I've seen him pretty drunk, is what I'm saying.)

And lest you think that I'm performing a character assasination on my friend, let me assure you that I am writing about Chris for the simple fact that I realize that not everybody can actually meet him and know him the way I do, but I wish that everybody could, because my goodness, is he an awesome guy.

Ever since I left Searcy in 2009, Chris's place, whever it has been throughout the past few years, has always been the place to be.  Not just for me, but for everybody.  When class or work was over, everybody showed up at Chris's place.

Whether it was for Twilight Zone Thursdays (it was Thursdays, right?), or just for a smoke, a beer, and some time with the boys, it was where you went.

I've never been to "Chris's place" when it was just Chris's place.  Chris has always had roommates, and he definitely didn't aim to cause trouble with them, but if you needed a couch, Chris had two, plus the air mattress if you'd rather sleep on that.  If you hadn't had a beer in a while, Chris would wet your whistle.  If you hadn't had a bite to eat, Chris was already pulling something out of the fridge for you.

I was at Chris's once when Chris was not - this is just how Chris lives his life, he never knows who will be in his house once he gets there, but he is never upset to see that you are in his house - but Freddie and Dave were, along with a few other guys.  When Chris came in, arms laden from a trip to Walmart, his eyes met Freddie's.

"Oh, good, you're here!"

Chris set a bag down and picked through another until he pulled out a 12 pack of really nice toilet paper, which he chucked to Freddie.

"Now, STOP stealin' my damn TOILET PAPER!"

Freddie laughed, I laughed, Dave laughed, Chris laughed... not quite as much as we did...

They weren't stealing Chris's paper to mess with him - they were out of toilet paper!  Often!  And too negligent to buy more!

And what does Chris Cochran, this...  oh, this SHINING example of nicotine-stained vodka-soaked Love...  what does this AMAZING man do?

HE GIVES THEM TOILET PAPER.

AND NOT A SMALL AMOUNT OF IT.

That is awesome.  This dude rules at life.

Let me drop some more truth on you.  Here's the contents of a text message conversation between myself and Chris:

Me - "Just F your I...  Corwin and I will be rolling in late tomorrow night."

Chris - "Yeah since it seems there was some miscommunication, I'm already in vermont..."

Me - "When do you get back?"

Chris - "Not till after you leave I'd guess.  Next thursday."

Me - "Well...  Shit.  We still love you.  October?  Or are you coming to Frank Turner?"

Chris - "We will see.   Money is tight with loan payments."

Me - "I hear you."

Chris - "Life is life.  Make sure my boys give you the treatment you deserve and I'll repay them."

Chris (six minutes later) - "Cause I'll be damned if my missionaries don't get their vacation."

IS THAT A DUDE, OR IS THAT A DUDE?

Chris Cochran introduced me to Frank Turner.  Chris Cochran is a dude that loves the music of Frank Turner.  You should listen to Frank Turner.  Frank Turner is playing in Dallas in early October.  I know Chris Cochran well enough to know pretty well where seeing Frank Turner live in concert ranks on his list of life priorities.  The dude does not know if he will make it to see Frank Turner.

But look at the NEXT THING HE SAYS!!!  THE VERY NEXT THOUGHT HE COMMUNICATES!!!

The dude is not even going to be in town when we visit and he insists that our desires are met at his expense.

The guy is in some straits with the money, on a different side of the country from us, not even gonna maybe get to catch us KINDA, and he will not hear of me and Corwin going without.

My GOODNESS, what a dude that is.

I know some generous folks.  I have been crazy blessed by the people in my life here in Arlington, and a lot of those people are definitely on the list of reasons why I can say with absolute surety and certainty that God has called me to work here.

But even still, I wish everybody could see the insane GOODNESS in a dude like Chris Cochran, and be more like THAT.

He's not gonna call me a liar for saying that he spent a good part of his recent years as an angry little man who drank a lot of his problems into temporary submission, and then when the drinking caused problems, he drank those problems into submission as well.

But that's all past-tense, folks.

God has moved in this man.  God has accomplished wonders with his life.  God has BLESSED him.

The dude would not only give you the shirt off his back, he'd give me three shirts off of his floor to sew together into something I could maybe wear.

That guy?  With all the different cigarettes and the crankiness and the iron liver?  He is absolutely one of the most loving dudes I have ever met, and I pray that I can be more like him as he tries to be more like Christ.