From Roommate to Resident

LIONS SPORTS CROSSOVER

We are committed to producing athletes that excel both on and off the field.

From Roommate to Resident

by Chas Higgins

“Do you need a roommate?” That is how my first full conversation with Philip Abode started. This was especially weird, because we had only met once before. A mutual friend mentioned that Philip was also going to the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) conference in Chicago, and I hoped we could share a room. Little did I know what God had in store for me through that trip. Philip mentioned a family from Crossover was driving with their 4 kids to the conference as

well. I thought to myself, “who in the world would drive their little kids all the way to Chicago?” Justin and Leah Pickard would of course!

During this trip, God allowed me to get to know Philip and the Pickard family. Once I returned home I told my wife, Robin, about the people I had met and the CCDA, and I “informed” her that we were going to be moving from Bixby to north Tulsa. Her

reply was “hahaa, of course not!” until the Pickards invited us over for dinner at their house which was missing a few walls and windows because they were “working” on it. After talking with them and seeing their heart for not simply repairing homes but for repairing broken lives, two months later we moved into Brady Heights.

We have lived in north Tulsa for 8 years and every day has been a blessing from

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God. God has had his hand in everything we have experienced here, and the idea of moving back to Bixby has never entered our minds. Once we moved, I believed that I had little to offer the Crossover community. The only thing I feel I am fairly good at is being a dad, so we started a baseball team.

God has brought such joy into our family through the relationships he has created through the baseball team. Unfortunately, due to age restrictions, last year was our final season as a baseball team, so we decided to have a pool party to celebrate what God had created! We also felt God’s prompting to start a Bible study. With the help of a fellow church member and his two boys we started a weekly all boys study. One of the boys in our group lost his mother last year and his dad passed away in February. Because of God’s direction, my family and I are here to love him during this difficult time.

Our boys would consider all their friends to be from this baseball team. Baseball and Bible studies with the kids in our community lets us share all of our lives with them, and it allows us to be a part of their lives as well. Most importantly, we see the great qualities

Pictures above: Chas and his baseball team through the years

they bring into our boys’ lives, and we have seen things we have lacked, as a result of having been isolated out south our first 30 years! Kids here actually play and walk outside! It’s great! Life out north has been nothing but amazing in every aspect. As far as I’m concerned… “South Tulsa be boring!”

Chas Higgins has been married to his wife, Robin, for 17 years, and they have 3 children: Solomon (13), Gabe (11), and Rorie (9). As a family, they are known for loving people well especially through hospitality. He is the owner of Higgins Homes and is responsible for the first home renovated and the first home built by Crossover Development Company. He has served at Crossover Bible Church since he began attending and his love for youth lead him to coach the baseball team from start to finish.

Crossover Sports Association has an array of sports offerings such as Football, Basketball, Baseball, Track and Field and Cheer. To learn more about Crossover Sports Association, please go to http://www.crossoverlions.org.