{"id":12601,"date":"2017-08-16T17:47:59","date_gmt":"2017-08-16T21:47:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/?p=12601"},"modified":"2017-08-16T17:49:20","modified_gmt":"2017-08-16T21:49:20","slug":"chris-pratt-leans-faith-public-split","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/2017\/08\/chris-pratt-leans-faith-public-split.html","title":{"rendered":"Chris Pratt Leans on Faith After Public Split"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"9361569097_ff82c47b02_b\"<\/a>Chris Pratt has returned back under the shining lights and into public eye for the first time since announcing his split from wife Anna Faris, and he used this opportunity to glorify God.<\/p>\n

At the Teen Choice Awards Sunday night, Pratt was honored to take home the Choice Sci-Fi Movie Actor Award for his role in this summer\u2019s blockbuster hit \u201cGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.\u201d He began his speech with the typical thank you\u2019s before reiterating his strong belief in his faith.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would not be here with the ease and grace I have in my heart without my Lord and savior, Jesus Christ,\u201d the 38-year-old actor said.<\/p>\n

Most actors would have taken a hard pass on all award shows after such a public break up, but Pratt showed up to the stage with his wit and charm still intact. While he skipped the red carpet for the event, he was still able to face his fans through grace he found in his faith.<\/p>\n

Pratt wasn\u2019t the only one to celebrate Christ in his acceptance speech. Vanessa Hudgens also encouraged her fans by saying “God made you you for a reason, so know that in your heart you are enough, and the more that you understand that, the brighter you will shine.”<\/p>\n

Chris kept the rest of his speech light by sharing his own Hollywood origin story.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I came to Los Angeles, I came from Hawaii and I had all of this blonde hair and I was tan and I met an agent because I really wanted to be an actor and get an agent and he said, \u2018Wow. Bro, you must surf?\u2019 And I said \u2018Yeah,\u2019 and that was the first of many lies I told to get where I am today,\u201d he told the crowd.<\/p>\n

Pratt was noticeably not wearing his wedding ring, a reminder of the personal struggles he was having in his marriage. Pratt and Faris announced their separation last week. They had been married for eight years.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe tried hard for a long time, and we\u2019re really disappointed. Our son has two parents who love him very much and for his sake we want to keep this situation as private as possible moving forward. We still have love for each other, will always cherish our time together and continue to have the deepest respect for one another,\u201d the couple announced on social media in a joint statement.<\/p>\n

It has been obvious that Pratt is leaning on his faith since separating from Faris. He took their 4-year-old, Jack, to church hours before the award show on Sunday, smiling for the cameras as he carried his son in the parking lot.<\/p>\n

This is not the first time that Pratt has shared his Christian faith with his fans. In February, Pratt said his brother had made him a custom wooden tray inscribed with one of his favorite Bible verses. The verse came from Philippians 4:13: \u201cI can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.\u201d And back during Easter last year, Pratt took to social media to share tips on how to erect a cross to celebrate the holiday.<\/p>\n

It was in Hawaii that Pratt says he was saved and turned his life to Jesus as a teen.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was sitting outside a grocery store\u2014we\u2019d convinced someone to go in and buy us beer. This is Maui. And a guy named Henry came up and recognized something in me that needed to be saved. He asked what I was doing that night, and I was honest. I said, \u2018My friend\u2019s inside buying me alcohol.\u2019 \u2018You going to go party?\u2019 he asked. \u2018Yeah.\u2019 \u2018Drink and do drugs? Meet girls, fornication?\u2019 I was like, \u2018I hope so.\u2019 I was charmed by this guy, don\u2019t know why. He was an Asian dude, maybe Hawaiian, in his 40s. It should\u2019ve made me nervous but didn\u2019t. I said, \u2018Why are you asking?\u2019 He said, \u2018Jesus told me to talk to you…\u2019 At that moment I was like, I think I have to go with this guy. He took me to church. Over the next few days I surprised my friends by declaring that I was going to change my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

You can watch the full speech given by Pratt below.<\/p>\n