Tuscola Commencement Address Transcript

The following is the transcript from the Commencement Address I gave at Tuscola High School's graduation, Wednesday, June 10, 7:00 pm, at Western Carolina University:



Thank you…
Dr. Garrett, School Board members, Principal McDonald, Administration & Faculty -- thank you for hosting this special time. And thank you to the class of 2009 for the honor and privilege of speaking to you tonight.

Class of 2009, graduation is about you! Graduation is a time for the world to come to a complete stop while every name is read, every tassel moved, every mother and grandmother can squeeze off a few more shots on her camera. Tonight you will receive your diploma – and there 'ya go. You're done! Tonight, the spotlight shines on you!

So when you receive your diploma, make sure you look at it closely. Make sure your name is spelled correctly, that there is actually a signature on this document. Make sure you didn’t get someone else’s diploma. And check on the back, too. Because on the back of your diploma are printed rules on how to live a successful life! You’re all set!

Not really! If there are rules printed there, they are in invisible ink. Squeeze some lemon juice on that diploma and hold it up to a black light. But it’s still not there. The development of your character is now your responsibility.
Someone once asked this question, "Would you rather be well known or worth knowing?" For me, it's the latter. Making a lasting impression on the people who mean the most to me is what really matters. I would much rather be remembered by a few dear people on rainy days as the friend who listened for hours in a coffee shop or on the phone --than have my name on a building or plaque for thousands of people to pass by and see. Being remembered as a youth pastor or leader matters less to me than being remembered as someone who was a good listener, gave great advice, showed good judgment, and really cared about what I did and who I did it with every day.
For most of you, it's been your parent’s job to worry about you late into the night. And they will continue to worry, to love you, pray for you, and encourage you. So will I! So will all these teachers, and administrators. But the big news bulletin that you need to read before you take off is this: YOU ARE A GROWN UP! It is your job to get up early, go to school or work each day, raise your family, and enjoy your life. No one will live it for you. And no one will pursue opportunity for you, on your behalf, like you can!
If you wake up one morning, and the fish are biting, you will have to load up and go catch them.
If you get a hot tip on a great job, you will have to send in a resume.
If your teeth hurt because you ate too many Skittles, and now you've got cavities, you will have to dial the dentist for an appointment.
You are the best person to chart a successful course for your life. – But YOU will have to make it happen.
Commencement doesn’t mean the end of anything, it means the beginning! Get in the habit of finishing what you start. An unfinished project is like leaving Legos scattered all over the floor. The podium, the spotlight, the television screen – are all reserved for those who have finished well. Parents, one day we’ll celebrate as we look to the evening news, or read a news article – celebrating the achievements of “our” Tuscola graduate. The truly successful person has formed the habit of doing things the failures will not do: Successful people don’t like doing them either, but their dislike is subordinated by their strength of purpose and character. Oswald Chambers once said, “Drudgery is the touchstone of faithfulness.” We might simply restate – Don’t avoid hard work, value it – and allow it to strengthen your character.

For the graduates of Tuscola High School, you should begin to set your course in a way that shows honor to this community. Continue to give your time, resources, and experience – lending a hand to Haywood County and Tuscola High School whenever you can. And wherever you go, be the kind of citizen that makes deposits into the well-being of the community. When you leave a place, people should notice. Make sure to weave your family into the fabric of your neighborhood, and lead your family in giving to the community.
You will find resistance in this world to being selfless and community minded. The Bible says “Those who measure themselves by themselves, and compare themselves among themselves are not wise.” You can keep our nation from becoming a dog-eat-dog country. You have a role to play in lending a hand to the weak, the underprivileged, and – as the FFA Creed says so well, promoting ‘less dependence on charity, and more of it when needed.’ Though you have witnessed much taking in your lifetime, resolve to be the one who gives more than he receives. Yours will be the greater reward.

Class of 2009, once you have resolved to develop your own character, and to be a significant contributor to your local community, look up with your eyes and see your generation’s need to give aid to our planet. Your generation is my generation’s ‘Great Hope.’ And our hope tonight is that you will see yourself not as yet another transient tourist of the world and its splendors – but that you will go from an intellectual understanding of science, nature, and biology to an actual experience in the world as a global citizen. And that can be quite shocking!! Imagine it like this: from studying your science textbook, you understand that there is such a thing as gravity, and that it works in a particular way. Great! – Then you fall off a cliff. – Now you know what gravity is. Our hope is that you will KNOW the issues that affect planet earth in a way that makes you conscious of the effects of your decisions, and how millions and billions of decisions each day affect the environment, the economy, the spread of disease, poverty and global health. And we hope you will act in a way that makes this world a better place.
Your adversary in the quest for responsible global citizenship is straight-up greed! It’s easy be greedy!! Its’ been said that the only reason a great many Americans don’t own an elephant is that they have never been offered an elephant for a dollar down and easy monthly payments! Fight greed by having a vision of financial responsibility – be charitable with your income, be a benevolent sponsor of the good things that are being done in our world, and you are sure to benefit from it.

Beyond personal, local, and even global needs that you need to be concerned with are the unresolved issues of injustice that plague society – the child who has no food, the suffering who cannot defend themselves…our American definition of poverty cannot compare to the injustice suffered by millions around the world. And the enemy here is apathy, an attitude that nothing can be done. But you, the visionaries, the stewards of progress and change, you have the opportunity to fight for the freedoms of the worlds forgotten. Vincent Van Gogh said, “You read books to borrow from them the force to stimulate your activity, but I read books searching for the one who has written them.” Understand that there is something beyond you and all that you can think or imagine in this world, there is a God of Creation who longs to bring justice, with compassion, to those who have been passed over.
In closing, I want to say to the parents and teaches of these amazing students, “Thank you.” From the community, from the world, thank you for your contribution to a better tomorrow. We’ve done these students no favors if we encourage them to discover what they can do before we challenge them to discover what kind of person they should be. And these students have been more than ably challenged to accept the highest callings, dream the biggest dream, and achieve the most daring feats this world has ever known.
Class of 2009, thank you! And God bless.

#30#

Breaking Ground

This Sunday I got to preach at New Covenant Church about "Breaking Ground." Here is a wonderful picture of the Boll Weevil Monument that I mentioned.

The plaque at the base reads, "In profound appreciation of the Boll Weevil and what it has done as the Herald of Prosperity, this monument is erected by the citizens of Enterprise."

The lesson: don't despise your greatest 'pest.' God may want you to plant a more prosperous crop!

Cleaning Up

This week I’ve been doing a lot of cleaning…cleaning out, throwing away… you can imagine how it goes. It’s important to keep things orderly to prevent undue stress, and for me that means getting rid of things that are cluttering up my desk, my inbox, and the places that I spend time with God. I know God wants to speak to me, but if I have a thousand things stacked up in front of me that need attention, it’s really hard to hear! So, I’m putting things in order so I can see and hear what God has for me. He is doing cool stuff ALL THE TIME and I don’t want to miss it! The God of the universe, who made brown cows eat green grass under a blue sky only to give red meat, yellow butter and white milk, that creative God of rainbows, and waterfalls, and platypuses – or platypi? – has set us up to experience His creative majesty all through the days we walk on earth. I have found one of the biggest problems with my personal evangelism is not that I don't tell people about Jesus, it's that I don't label the miracles I see around me every day. – Little stuff that we miss when our lives are cluttered with cares and concerns that we don’t take care of. God just loves blessing his children, and our testimony will shine when we take out the trash!

The way I learned this lesson was through a piece of toast. One day I dropped a piece of toast, and it landed on the floor – butter side up! Yes! I thanked the Lord for my little miracle, and now I tell people all the time – give God credit for all the good He is doing in your life. All of it! And keep your life uncluttered, so you can see ALL of God’s goodness clearly!

I hope you are encouraged today! Be blessed in the Name of Jesus!!!

God I Don't Know!

"There are times that we don't know what we don't know!" Those are the words of an older friend and mentor who called the other day. By older, I mean someone from a generation who can look at me and say, "Now, you don't remember this, but..." That's older. The wise old sages back home are known as barnacles, and if you are one that won't offend you.

Anyway, my friend had a conversation with the Lord and was led to these passages of scripture:

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.

1 John 4:4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

John 3:7-8
You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

My friend said that during his daily walk in the pine forest near Purify Bay that he encountered a suspended piece of pine straw. This is not unfamiliar to those who spend any amount of time in the woods, but usually you can see a spider's thread connecting the straw piece to the tree. In this case the fine wire was invisible, an amazing feat!

After another mile of hiking, my friend came to the spot where the straw was and realized that it was still suspended, and the thread invisible from any angle. Taken with curiosity, he used his walking stick to move the invisible thread, blindly poking an area where the thread was sure to be. Sure enough, the straw moved, and the curiosity was satisfied.

What is the Lord saying through this? According to John 3 the Holy Spirit is at work, but we can't see Him! He is holding, suspending, lifting, moving, .... pick your verb of hope, He's at work doing it! And we benefit from this invisible but powerful expression of God's love.

My friend on to say that the lesson he learned from the Lord was this: Never focus on your problem or issue. Always focus on the Power of God. Rarely can we make any real lasting difference in the nuts and bolts of a problem, but we can trust and believe that the invisible, infinite, omnipotent God we serve, by His Power, can make real change happen. We are called to command the special ground on which we stand, and that means taking authority over the issues we face, and relying on the Power of the Holy Spirit to make the change. But most importantly, "You must be born again!"

Sunday Sermon Notes - November 9, 2008

There have been a lot of requests for copies of the material that I used in my Sunday sermon, the final part of a series Pastor Nick and I did together called "The Great Debate." Here are some of those items:

Angelina Grimké Weld's speech at Pennsylvania Hall

Men, brethren and fathers -- mothers, daughters and sisters, what came ye out for to see? A reed shaken with the wind? Is it curiosity merely, or a deep sympathy with the perishing slave, that has brought this large audience together? [A yell from the mob without the building.] Those voices without ought to awaken and call out our warmest sympathies. Deluded beings! "they know not what they do." They know not that they are undermining their own rights and their own happiness, temporal and eternal. Do you ask, "what has the North to do with slavery?" Hear it -- hear it. Those voices without tell us that the spirit of slavery is here, and has been roused to wrath by our abolition speeches and conventions: for surely liberty would not foam and tear herself with rage, because her friends are multiplied daily, and meetings are held in quick succession to set forth her virtues and extend her peaceful kingdom. This opposition shows that slavery has done its deadliest work in the hearts of our citizens. Do you ask, then, "what has the North to do?" I answer, cast out first the spirit of slavery from your own hearts, and then lend your aid to convert the South. Each one present has a work to do, be his or her situation what it may, however limited their means, or insignificant their supposed influence. The great men of this country will not do this work; the church will never do it. A desire to please the world, to keep the favor of all parties and of all conditions, makes them dumb on this and every other unpopular subject. They have become worldly-wise, and therefore God, in his wisdom, employs them not to carry on his plans of reformation and salvation. He hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, and the weak to overcome the mighty.

The entire speech can be found here.

FEAR vs. Loneliness Quote
Not only does democracy make every man forget his ancestors, but also clouds their view of their descendants and isolates them from their contemporaries. Each man is for ever thrown back on himself alone, and there is danger that he may be shut up in the solitude of his own heart – Alexis de Tocqueville


Scripture Concerning Submission to Authority
1 Tim 2:1-3
I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone- 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.
Rom 13:1-3
Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.
1 Peter 2:13-17
Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.
2 Peter 2:10-11
This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature and despise authority. Bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings; yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not bring slanderous accusations against such beings in the presence of the Lord.
Jude 8-12
In the very same way, these dreamers pollute their own bodies, reject authority and slander celestial beings. But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!" Yet these men speak abusively against whatever they do not understand; and what things they do understand by instinct, like unreasoning animals-these are the very things that destroy them. Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam's error; they have been destroyed in Korah's rebellion.
Titus 3:1-2
Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.

The 'True/False Test'

Dear Friends,

For months now my email Inbox has been besieged by nearly hysterical warnings about what will happen if Barack Obama becomes President. I have been encouraged to be worried, afraid, concerned, prepared for disaster, and a whole host of other maladies if this happens. I do not deny the importance of this election, but it seems to me that we need a dose of perspective. So here, on the eve of the election, I would like to start my own email concerning this election. It’s a “True/False” test. I’d like for all of us to take it.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, Jesus will still be King.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, our responsibilities as Christians will not have changed one iota.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, the greatest agent for social change in America will still be winning the hearts and minds of men and women through the gospel, not legislation.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, my primary citizenship will still be in this order – (1) the Kingdom of God, (2) America, not vice-versa.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, the tomb will still be empty.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, the cross, not the government, will still be our salvation.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, our children will still be more concerned with whether or not we spend time with them than with who is President.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, my neighbor will still be my neighbor, and loving him/her will still be the second greatest commandment. (Do you know the first?)

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, the only way to see abortion ultimately overturned will still be winning men and women to a high view of life through the gospel of Christ.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, the only way to see gay marriage ultimately defeated will still be winning men and women to a biblical view of marriage through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, my retirement will still not match my treasure in Heaven.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, “Jesus Is Lord” will still be the greatest truth in the Universe.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, we will still know that God is in control.

Wyman Richardson, Pastor of First Baptist Church in Dawson, Georgia.

Cheering for Our New President

Several friends have asked to repost this bulletin from November 5th concerning the election of Barack Obama. If you would like to repost, feel free.

***************

I rarely make a public post, but after being flooded with HUNDREDS of posts about the doom and fear and panic and socialism and rising cost of pretzels, &c. that so many are feeling, I would like to add a voice to the mix. Hopefully you will find balance and reason in these remarks.


In 1906, Teddy Roosevelt gave a grand speech at the dedication of the House Office Building in Washington, DC. At least I think it was the House Office Building...something big, nevertheless.


Anyway, in that speech, Roosevelt called on the American people to temper their fury in political matters and look up toward a brighter tomorrow.
Here is an excerpt of what he said on that April day:

>>>In Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress" you may recall the description of the Man with the Muck-rake, the man who could look no way but downward, with the muck-rake in his hand; who was offered a celestial crown for his muck-rake, but who would neither look up nor regard the crown he was offered, but continued to rake to himself the filth of the floor.


In "Pilgrim's Progress" the Man with the Muck-rake is set forth as the example of him whose vision is fixed on carnal instead of on spiritual things. Yet he also typifies the man who in this life consistently refuses to see aught that is lofty, and fixes his eyes with solemn intentness only on that which is vile and debasing. Now, it is very necessary that we should not flinch from seeing what is vile and debasing. There is filth on the floor and it must be scraped up with the muck-rake; and there are times and places where this service is the most needed of all the services that can be performed. But the man who never does anything else, who never thinks or speaks or writes, save of his feats with the muck-rake, speedily becomes, not a help to society, not an incitement to good, but one of the most potent forces for evil.
--Theodore Roosevelt

*! Cheers, applause, and general good will...!*

So, I join my voice with Roosevelt, John Bunyan, and others in asking everyone, particularly those who call on the name of the Lord, to PUT DOWN YOUR MUCK RAKE! We are at an exceptional moment in time, where the people who call on the name of the Lord can showcase His splendor and majesty, not so much by protesting the sewage, but by celebrating the splendor of His majesty, and taking hold of His promises of an eternal kingdom and life with Him!!!

Furthermore (if you are still reading this far down) I would like to take a moment to say, for the record, that I believe Barack Obama to be an honest man. And in so declaring, believe that I have the right to challenge his policy direction on the basis of substance and fact, rather than character. Until proven otherwise, president-elect Obama does not just deserve my prayer, but my respect as a fellow American, and my support. I look forward to praying for him and his family as our leader, and refuse to offer a begrudging, dishonest petition to the Lord as one who simply is fulfilling a dreary obligation.


Today could be the best day of your life! Here is an encouragement from Roosevelt's speech:

At this moment we are passing through a period of great unrest—social, political, and industrial unrest. It is of the utmost importance for our future that this should prove to be not the unrest of mere rebelliousness against life, of mere dissatisfaction with the inevitable inequality of conditions, but the unrest of a resolute and eager ambition to secure the betterment of the individual and the nation. So far as this movement of agitation throughout the country takes the form of a fierce discontent with evil, of a determination to punish the authors of evil, whether in industry or politics, the feeling is to be heartily welcomed as a sign of healthy life.


Ahhh, life. Life and gladness make for an enjoyable day, and friendliness with your pillow at night.


The God I serve and worship is crazy about me (and you)! And He is ready to bring an end to the lamentations and get the party started!

Ps 16:5-8
LORD, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
You maintain my lot.

The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Yes, I have a good inheritance.


I will bless the LORD who has given me counsel;
My heart also instructs me in the night seasons.

I have set the LORD always before me;
Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.


By the way, I voted for John McCain.

Antichrist and the Election of 2008

I got a question from a friend the other day, and I have decided to post the question and my answer below. I hope it is helpful to someone!

[[ The Question ]]
----------------- Original Message -----------------
Date: May 3, 2008 9:05 AM

** This is being sent around myspace as a bulletin.. I tried to look it up online but I don't know what verse(s) it is, Sooo can you Please tell me if this is a real Bible verse???? Just wondering..
"According to The Book of Revelations the anti-christ is:

The anti-christ will be a man, in his 40s, of MUSLIM descent, who will deceive the nations with persuasive language, and have a MASSIVE Christ-like appeal.... The prophecy says that people will flock to him and he will promise false hope and world peace, and when he is in power, will destroy everything."

Thanks, tell Cindy I said Hi please I miss her sooo much=)

[[ The Answer ]]

I will try to be brief, but here it goes!

1. There is NO description of the antichrist in the Bible that is that specific or descriptive. Over the years, people have called lots of people the antichrist, most notably the Pope, Mikael Gorbachev (President of former Soviet Union in the '80s), Hitler, and others who fit the description.

2. For some reason ( I do not know why ) many scholars think the antichrist will arise in Europe. Perhaps because the European Union has such strong political pull, and because the people in Europe seem to be easily united for political reasons.

3. 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 is the longest passage about the antichrist. It says that the power of the 'man of lawlessness' will be displayed in counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing.

4. For those who are Christians, it would seem, the deception will not have any effect because they love the truth. It is those who do not love the truth and who are not saved that will be deceived.

5. Verse 11 of 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 is the scary part: "For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness."
a. For this reason - verse 10 says 'they perish because they refused to love the truth.' That means that the delusion is a judgment from God against those who do not accept Christ as savior, and demonstrate that they love the truth.
b. God sends - the judgment comes not from Satan, though he is used in this. It comes from God. whoa.
c. powerful delusion - it would seem that even people who try to 'think it through' would be unable to think clearly enough to figure out that this guy (anticrhist) is a fraud. Not hard to understand, seeing as how Hitler deceived so many.
d. believe the lie - many people believe that antichrist will have an over-arching theme or campaign of peace or hope or change...so it is easy to tag this one on a persuasive presidential candidate. My guess is that a potential antichrist would offer some wonderful solution to a pressing global problem, like hunger, that unites a significant part of the world in a common cause. The result would be miraculous, and as he gained power he would literally begin to do supernatural stuff (healing people, raising people from the dead, etc.)
e. all will be condemned - the Bible teaches that "there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ." So, these people will be those who have not trusted Christ with their life.
f. who have not believed the truth - people who have heard about the truth of Christ, but now choose to believe the lie of antichrist
g. delight in wickedness - basically, living any way you want, without concern for your relationship with God.

6. Barack Obaman is probably not the antichrist,

7. Antichrist is satan's attempt to rule the world through another being. Think Anakin Skywalker leaving Obi Wan Kanobi and going over to the Dark Side as Darth Vader.

8. Here are verses for you if you want to do some homework:
a. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-11
b. 1 John 2:18
c. 1 John 2:22
d. 1 John 4:3
e. 2 John verse 7
f. Matthew 24:11 (false prophets)
g. Matthew 24:15 (abomination of desolation)
h. Matthew 24:24-25 (Jesus says, "I'm telling you in advance.)

Bottom line: we can figure all this out, but because God has promised to send a delusion on those who do not already believe, then what difference does it make? Once antichrist comes, those who did not already trust God will be unable to sort out the facts and choose the truth instead of antichrist.

This isn't the 'Happy Happy Joy Joy' kind of subject that gets lots of laughs, but it is interesting. I hope you will take the time to do a little study for yourself. You will probably enjoy it!