"When God Calls"

Imagine you get a personal phone call from Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. asking you for a favor. Let’s say he asks you to come to his office right away so that he can talk to you about something very important. He tells you not to worry about your class schedule; he can have his secretary take care of that for the rest of the day. He is adamant about needing you there immediately because the window of opportunity is small. Do you drop everything and go? Are you excited about the possibility of sitting in his office and visiting with him about how you can help him? Or do you share with him that you are busy and do not have any free time until tomorrow afternoon? What about simply not showing up at his office and ignoring his request? What if he called you personally every day for a week…would you go meet with him?

Ken Davis brought us a challenge on Monday during Convocation (watch it online if you missed it! Ken Davis). If God clearly and miraculously revealed Himself to you and called on you to do something for Him…how long would it take you obey? We were reminded that God speaks to us every day. When God comes near and speaks to us we are standing on holy ground. God promises to build His Kingdom but He chooses to use our lives to do the work. Moses was a less than capable ordinary guy empowered by an extraordinary God. For every excuse Moses gave as to why he could not do the job, God reminded him that it wasn’t about his abilities…it was all about God’s abilities! “God will never ask you to do anything He hasn’t first prepared you to do.”

God wants us to experience live to its fullest. Full life is directly connected to our level of obedience when God calls. We cannot do our own thing, ignore God’s call, and assume we should enjoy the blessings of being fully alive. How often do we believe we should be given more blessings than we already have? Is God loving when He tells us “NO”? Is it right for God to withhold from me when I refuse to obey His call? Which excuse am I using to ignore God’s call to me? “Who am I?; How should I explain who You are God?; What if they don’t believe me?; What if they won’t listen?; What if they doubt me?; What if…?” God tells us “You can’t…but I can!” Will you trust Him?

“Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.” John 14:21 NLT

"Who Gets the Thanks?"

Have you ever realized a habit or tradition you practice regularly but have no idea why or what it's purpose is? You have heard of the husband who asked his wife why she cuts the holiday ham before she cooks it. Her answer was, "My mom always cut it". One day out of curiosity he asked his mother-in-law why she cut the holiday ham before cooking it. She answered "My mother always cut it." Now he had to know why this family always cut the holiday ham in half before cooking it. One holiday they were all at grandma's house so he asked her: "Grandma, why do you cut the ham in half before you cook it?" She answered, "That's simple, I never had a pan large enough to cook a whole ham!"

How often do we stop to consider why we hold to the traditions we do? I think this is an excellent time of the year to consider the purpose of holidays, most specifically Thanksgiving! I have always been amazed at the many people who celebrate Thanksgiving, yet have no appreciation for God or what He offers us through His Son Jesus. They believe they are self-made and have no appreciation for the blessings God has given to them. If one does not believe there is a God who sovereignly rules and is the source of all blessings, then there must be another answer. Here is an answer I found online: "The Pilgrims had the first Thanksgiving, because they wanted to give thanks to Squanto and the Native Americans for teaching them how to do things and live life in different ways, not just the ways the Pilgrims used to live like. Without the Native American's, they probably would have died. Today, at Thanksgiving time, we express gratitude for the good things, people, and events in our lives and the greater world around us." So basically some believe we are simply thankful to each other for what we have. We fail to mention that the Pilgrim's gave thanks to God Almighty.

President Lincoln's Thanksgiving Day Proclamation was pretty clear: "...To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. ...They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God...I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens..." 10/3/1863

Maybe you can help someone better understand the history of Thanksgiving Day in America by pointing them to the goodness of our Lord. We are so blessed and enjoy the many gifts that have come from His hand even though we do not deserve any of it. Let's help each other keep a proper perspective this year as we remember to give thanks to our Creator God! Happy Thanksgiving to each of you!!


"Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation." Psalm 100:3-5

"Choosing Friends"

How much thought have you given to choosing friends? Should we be concerned about those we spend great amounts of time with?

• "Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence." (George Washington) 
• "When you choose your friends, don't be short-changed by choosing personality over character." (W. Somerset Maugham) 
• “A good friend will always stab you in the front.” (Oscar Wilde) 
• "Don’t make friends who are comfortable to be with. Make friends who will force you to lever yourself up." (Thomas J. Watson)

Is it true that friends can help make you into more than you are but that they can also break you and prevent you from becoming what you could be? This appears to be a valid consideration for all of us to process.

Is it really possible that the choice of friends made by Amnon, king David's son, is what led to his murder? In 2 Samuel 13 we find the story that our Convocation speaker, Pastor Jentezen Franklin, used to sharpen us with on Wednesday. He has challenged us to reflect on the importance of surrounding ourselves with the right kind of people. Young ladies were challenged to protect themselves from young men who do not have God's ways in mind, and likewise for young men regarding young ladies. How many of us really believe this subject is that critical today? We often do not see ourselves choosing friends that could ever be like Jonadab ("a very shrewd man"). Do we really believe that a choice of friends could lead to our murder (that's pretty drastic isn't it?). Isn't it possible that we could change that person who may be a little rough around the edges, after all we always have fun times when they are around! "I don't think I need to stay away from them, it's not like I will become like them." Aren't we entitled to unbridled fun during this time in life? We can always get serious later, right? Is it realistic for us to to say to someone "I like you, but I love Jesus!", and then put some distance between us and them? Is it OK to be alone for a season...aren't we missing out?

We were reminded by Pastor Franklin, that the enemy always wins the battle when we get on his turf...in the darkness of sin. "Sin is not your friend, but it will disguise itself as such." The problem is that we often do not realize when we are in his house! The solution is to have friends that will warn us! Will you honestly consider the dangers of having the wrong friends? Consider your behavior, have your friends changed you over the last 6 months? Your call.


"A righteous man is cautious in friendship, but the way of the wicked leads them astray." Prov. 12:26

"Steven Furtick: How to Approach God"

It’s common practice to teach your kids to say "please" and then "thank you" when they have requests. It’s considered proper protocol. And when talking to adults, it is. But with God, things are a little bit different.

God has a protocol for how He wants to be approached. And it starts with thanksgiving:

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalm 100:4-5

With God, "thank you" should always come before "please." The first thing that needs to come out of my mouth in prayer and worship needs to be praise for who God is and what He has done. Not just instructions for what I want or even need Him to do.

Thank you is the key that opens the door to God’s house. There’s a lot of reasons for this, but more than anything, it’s about perspective.

If you thank God for everything before you ask Him for anything, it makes you realize you deserve nothing. It gives you the worldview that but for the grace of God, you would be in hell. And in turn, it makes you even more thankful because you’re not. And because God still answers your prayers.

Additionally, starting with "thank you" is just practical. When we start with praise, we establish the goodness and greatness of God right off the bat. Now all of our subsequent prayers and complaints can be answered by a good and great God who can both respond to us and who wants to.

It’s impossible to be self-absorbed and God-conscious at the same time. Realign your perspective in prayer today.

Start with "thank you." And then move on to "please."

by Steven Furtick

"Understanding Prayer = Effective Prayer"

I continue to meet people who honestly admit that they do not fully understand the game of football. Now most of us would be surprised at this revelation, thinking that clearly everyone understands such a well-known popular past-time! Yet the reality is that some people watch the game without: really making sense out of all of the plays or the penalties; knowing what the individual referees are responsible for (why do they need so many?); knowing why there are so many coaches among the players; or why so many players stand around on the sideline dressed in their jerseys, without pads on, but don't look injured! There may also be some confusion about the various rules: is it the knee or elbow on the ground...or both, that stops the play; how many feet need to touch before it is a catch; does a touch-back come out to the 20 or 25 yard line...is that on a punt or kick-off; why can some guys grab with their hands but others try it and get a yellow hankie thrown at them; why do they call a safety when a safety tackles the QB in the end-zone; what about downs, conversions, PAT's, illegal touching?, huddle, snap, flea-flicker, swing-pass; and the list could continue...

I believe that prayer is similar in a way to football. It is easy to listen to it, talk about it, watch it, participate in it, and even like it, without understanding it. When we do not understand something well, we are at a distinct disadvantage when trying to explain it to others, enjoy it fully, engage in it, teach it, lead it, improve it, or simplify it. In other words, what does it take for our prayers to be more effective? Is it possible that many people who pray or those who would like to pray more than they do, might not understand what they should about prayer? Like football, is it simply easier not to ask the questions because we might be embarrassed for not knowing the answer? Could it be though, that the answers would actually lead one to a greater understanding of prayer or football, which would also open up greater enjoyment and appreciation on our part? I imagine the difficulty in recruiting for a class on "Becoming a Better Fan - Understanding Football Better"...would anyone attend? I have discovered that when people hang out with those who truly know the game of football and humbly share what they know, knowledge of the game is passed along, understanding increases, and appreciation for the game grows. Is it possible that it would be the same for prayer? Let's talk about prayer....