Word for Today, Mon, 23 Apr 2007, "We Are All Hokies Today"

#1 · April 23, 2007, 11:45 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on April 23, 2007, 11:45 pm
Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

My good friend in ministry, Larry Davies, is a resident of the state of
Virginia, currently living and serving as the Senior Pastor of the Timberlake
United Methodist Church of Lynchburg, Virginia, perhaps ninety miles or so away
from the awful events of last week. What I did not know, and from what I
gather from the first sentence of Larry's message today, is that Larry is an
alumnus of Virginia Tech. Just as I am a Michigan Tech graduate of 1979, Larry
has a few years on me, and he graduated from the great class of 1975 at another
great institution, Virginia Tech.

In his message today, Larry reminds us passionately that Jesus promised that he
would NEVER leave us or forsake us "and lo, I am with you always, even unto the
end of the age..." Larry puts it in modern language, reminding us that Jesus
has not left the people near and dear to Virginia Tech, any more than He has
left any of us.

If you are still stinging from a loss in your life, whether directly from the
terrible events at Virginia Tech, or you have another loss or disappointment
that you are presently dealing with, or have recently dealt with, personalize
Jesus' words, as Larry has done. This is not taking scripture out of context,
it is putting it into the context of our lives today and reminding us of the
constant relevance of the Bible.

No, Jesus has not left the Hokies. He hasn't left 'dem Huskies, He hasn't left
you, and He hasn't left me.

What about us? He said He would never leave us and never forsake us. But what
about the words Jesus said to the seven churches in the book of Revelation. To
the church at Ephesus, he noted that they had done many good works in His Name,
and yet they had left their first love - Him!

The rock group Petra, a group from the seventies and eighties, once wrote the
song, "First Love":

First love, my first love, my soul longs after You.
First love, my first love, I want my heart to be so true.
Because You first loved me, Jesus, You will always be
You will always be my first love.

So many times that has been my own prayer. Yet, being honest, there have been
moments where I have left my first love, forgetting Him for other things,
which, when examined in the light of scripture, were clearly far less
important, I mean, WAY less important. When I've come to that realization,
I've had to come back to Christ in repentance, apologizing that I would leave
my first love - and return back to Him.

Wherever this message leaves you today, please consider your first love. Jesus
has not left the Hokies, and He hasn't left either you or me, either. Some of
us may have never even truly come to Him yet, acknowledging His gift of love,
where, first of all, He gave up the Kingdom of Heaven and His place beside His
Father, God, to live among us, to show us the very nature of God (read
Philippians 2). Then He did a LOT more than that, He became sin in our place,
bearing the full punishment of sin, and went to the Cross, falsely accused,
bearing the full price of the sin of man, that those who would accept this free
gift would not be judged for sin at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Only those
who refuse that wonderful gift will have to face the terrible Great White
Throne judgment.

I want everyone who reads this to know Christ in His fullness and to make Him
their personal first love. Have you done that? Will you? To those who accept
His free gift He gave the right to become sons (and daughters) of God. Yes, we
can all be Hokies today - one in the Spirit. We can grieve together for the
unrighteous act, grieve with those who have lost lives, friends, and loved
ones, grieve with a community in disarray. We can also lift up those who are
weak. We can pray for healing, and do our part to help it happen.

Will you respond today?

Yours in Christ,
Brian

Sowing Seeds of Faith
Larry Davies

"We Are All 'Hokies' Today" April 23, 2007

I have always been a proud "Hokie" from Virginia Tech, class of 1975. Precious
memories include:

* The walk from dormitory to class crossed a drill field in the center of
the campus. Many mornings the fog was so thick you couldn't see and people
eerily appeared out of nowhere.
* The football stadium on a mountain where the air was so windy and cold,
sitting through a late season football games was a test of endurance.
* The Duck Pond surrounded by nature's beauty where lovers met and romance
bloomed.
* Dormitories in boxes of four or quads. In the center, you tossed a
Frisbee, while listening to sound systems blasting "Stairway to Heaven" from
dorm windows.
* Our rings designed each year by the graduating class. My ring even
features an engraved door symbolizing the infamous "six-inch" rule for open
doors whenever dates visited our room.

April 16, 2007 was supposed to be much like any other day for students and
faculty at Virginia Tech. Nearing the end of the semester; most were
preoccupied with upcoming papers and exams. Few knew about two students killed
in what local police believed was a domestic disturbance occurring in Ambler
Johnston dormitory. But news reports around the world soon reported the grim
news. Before the day was through, thirty three people including the gunman lie
dead and many others wounded.

In the midst of the tragedy there were heroes. Ryan Clark, the resident advisor
who lost his life trying to help a fellow student. Professor Librescu, a
holocaust survivor who held the door closed so his students could jump out
second story windows and escape. There were wounded students who managed to
block the door to their classroom and prevent the shooter from reentering the
room.

We should be especially proud of the students who kept calm while being
interviewed and often harassed by national news reporters trying to create a
story and point the finger of blame. Everyone talked of the importance of being
in mourning and a need to pull together as a school and community.

Who can ever forget the pictures of candlelight vigils or groups of students
crying and praying? Who will ever forget Nikki Giovanni's convocation address
as she emphasized over and over again: "We are Virginia Tech. We are sad today
and we will be sad for quite awhile. We are moving on, we are embracing our
mourning. We are Virginia Tech. We are the Hokies. We will prevail. We will
prevail."

Now what? How should we respond? What should we do?

1. We mourn and grieve openly knowing we are never alone.
2. We pray for the victims, their families, their friends, the students, the
faculty.
3. We pray for Cho Seung Hui not because we want to but because we are
Christian.
4. We investigate and learn from the mistakes made on that horrible day.
5. We are still God's church: We pray, mourn, inspire, teach and witness
God's grace.
6. We stop being a silent majority and take our role as citizens seriously.
7. We stop being pew sitters and take our role as Christians seriously.
8. We continue to teach our children. Every day lives can are changed.
9. We seek opportunities to practice acts of kindness toward others.
10. We are alert for the opportunities God provides each day to practice our
faith.

Times like this force us to make hard choices.

The world will say: this proves there is no God but I say this is where you
find God.

The world will say: give up but I say we're just getting started.

Every one can pray.

Every one can look for someone to help.

Every one can look for someone to listen to.

Every one can look for a ministry, roll up our sleeves and do it.

Every one can hold our heads high and say to the world in the midst of this
tragedy: "We belong to Jesus Christ and we will prevail."

Jesus last words in the Gospel of Matthew 28 were, "Surely I am with you always
to the very end of the age."

Surely I am with you when you are down and when you are up; when you are torn
and when you are whole.

Surely I am with you when thirty-three lives are cut short senselessly.

Surely I am with you in the midst of tragedy and I will offer comfort and hope.

Surely I am with you!

Nikki Giavanni went on to say: "The Hokie Nation embraces our own and reaches
out with open heart and hands to those who offer their hearts and minds. We are
strong, and brave, and innocent, and unafraid. We are better than we think and
not quite what we want to be. We are alive to the imaginations and the
possibilities. We will continue to invent the future through our blood and
tears and through all our sadness. We are the Hokies. We will prevail. We are
Virginia Tech."

And God says to each of us: "Surely, I am with you! Surely, I am with you!
Surely, I am with you!"

Live the Light

If you are going through storms.
If you are searching for purpose.
If you are seeking a new ministry.
If you want to deepen your relationship with God.
Then click here and check out this book.

Contact Information
Sowing Seeds Ministry/Timberlake UMC
Larry Davies

LarryDavies@SowingSeedsofFaith.com
Thank you
God is the Light but you have allowed God to shine through you.

--
Brian Masinick, masinick at yahoo dot com
Home page: www.geocities.com/masinick/

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
mail.yahoo.com

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

My good friend in ministry, Larry Davies, is a resident of the state of
Virginia, currently living and serving as the Senior Pastor of the Timberlake
United Methodist Church of Lynchburg, Virginia, perhaps ninety miles or so away
from the awful events of last week. What I did not know, and from what I
gather from the first sentence of Larry's message today, is that Larry is an
alumnus of Virginia Tech. Just as I am a Michigan Tech graduate of 1979, Larry
has a few years on me, and he graduated from the great class of 1975 at another
great institution, Virginia Tech.

In his message today, Larry reminds us passionately that Jesus promised that he
would NEVER leave us or forsake us "and lo, I am with you always, even unto the
end of the age..." Larry puts it in modern language, reminding us that Jesus
has not left the people near and dear to Virginia Tech, any more than He has
left any of us.

If you are still stinging from a loss in your life, whether directly from the
terrible events at Virginia Tech, or you have another loss or disappointment
that you are presently dealing with, or have recently dealt with, personalize
Jesus' words, as Larry has done. This is not taking scripture out of context,
it is putting it into the context of our lives today and reminding us of the
constant relevance of the Bible.

No, Jesus has not left the Hokies. He hasn't left 'dem Huskies, He hasn't left
you, and He hasn't left me.

What about us? He said He would never leave us and never forsake us. But what
about the words Jesus said to the seven churches in the book of Revelation. To
the church at Ephesus, he noted that they had done many good works in His Name,
and yet they had left their first love - Him!

The rock group Petra, a group from the seventies and eighties, once wrote the
song, "First Love":

First love, my first love, my soul longs after You.
First love, my first love, I want my heart to be so true.
Because You first loved me, Jesus, You will always be
You will always be my first love.

So many times that has been my own prayer. Yet, being honest, there have been
moments where I have left my first love, forgetting Him for other things,
which, when examined in the light of scripture, were clearly far less
important, I mean, WAY less important. When I've come to that realization,
I've had to come back to Christ in repentance, apologizing that I would leave
my first love - and return back to Him.

Wherever this message leaves you today, please consider your first love. Jesus
has not left the Hokies, and He hasn't left either you or me, either. Some of
us may have never even truly come to Him yet, acknowledging His gift of love,
where, first of all, He gave up the Kingdom of Heaven and His place beside His
Father, God, to live among us, to show us the very nature of God (read
Philippians 2). Then He did a LOT more than that, He became sin in our place,
bearing the full punishment of sin, and went to the Cross, falsely accused,
bearing the full price of the sin of man, that those who would accept this free
gift would not be judged for sin at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Only those
who refuse that wonderful gift will have to face the terrible Great White
Throne judgment.

I want everyone who reads this to know Christ in His fullness and to make Him
their personal first love. Have you done that? Will you? To those who accept
His free gift He gave the right to become sons (and daughters) of God. Yes, we
can all be Hokies today - one in the Spirit. We can grieve together for the
unrighteous act, grieve with those who have lost lives, friends, and loved
ones, grieve with a community in disarray. We can also lift up those who are
weak. We can pray for healing, and do our part to help it happen.

Will you respond today?

Yours in Christ,
Brian

Sowing Seeds of Faith
Larry Davies

"We Are All 'Hokies' Today" April 23, 2007

I have always been a proud "Hokie" from Virginia Tech, class of 1975. Precious
memories include:

* The walk from dormitory to class crossed a drill field in the center of
the campus. Many mornings the fog was so thick you couldn't see and people
eerily appeared out of nowhere.
* The football stadium on a mountain where the air was so windy and cold,
sitting through a late season football games was a test of endurance.
* The Duck Pond surrounded by nature's beauty where lovers met and romance
bloomed.
* Dormitories in boxes of four or quads. In the center, you tossed a
Frisbee, while listening to sound systems blasting "Stairway to Heaven" from
dorm windows.
* Our rings designed each year by the graduating class. My ring even
features an engraved door symbolizing the infamous "six-inch" rule for open
doors whenever dates visited our room.

April 16, 2007 was supposed to be much like any other day for students and
faculty at Virginia Tech. Nearing the end of the semester; most were
preoccupied with upcoming papers and exams. Few knew about two students killed
in what local police believed was a domestic disturbance occurring in Ambler
Johnston dormitory. But news reports around the world soon reported the grim
news. Before the day was through, thirty three people including the gunman lie
dead and many others wounded.

In the midst of the tragedy there were heroes. Ryan Clark, the resident advisor
who lost his life trying to help a fellow student. Professor Librescu, a
holocaust survivor who held the door closed so his students could jump out
second story windows and escape. There were wounded students who managed to
block the door to their classroom and prevent the shooter from reentering the
room.

We should be especially proud of the students who kept calm while being
interviewed and often harassed by national news reporters trying to create a
story and point the finger of blame. Everyone talked of the importance of being
in mourning and a need to pull together as a school and community.

Who can ever forget the pictures of candlelight vigils or groups of students
crying and praying? Who will ever forget Nikki Giovanni's convocation address
as she emphasized over and over again: "We are Virginia Tech. We are sad today
and we will be sad for quite awhile. We are moving on, we are embracing our
mourning. We are Virginia Tech. We are the Hokies. We will prevail. We will
prevail."

Now what? How should we respond? What should we do?

1. We mourn and grieve openly knowing we are never alone.
2. We pray for the victims, their families, their friends, the students, the
faculty.
3. We pray for Cho Seung Hui not because we want to but because we are
Christian.
4. We investigate and learn from the mistakes made on that horrible day.
5. We are still God's church: We pray, mourn, inspire, teach and witness
God's grace.
6. We stop being a silent majority and take our role as citizens seriously.
7. We stop being pew sitters and take our role as Christians seriously.
8. We continue to teach our children. Every day lives can are changed.
9. We seek opportunities to practice acts of kindness toward others.
10. We are alert for the opportunities God provides each day to practice our
faith.

Times like this force us to make hard choices.

The world will say: this proves there is no God but I say this is where you
find God.

The world will say: give up but I say we're just getting started.

Every one can pray.

Every one can look for someone to help.

Every one can look for someone to listen to.

Every one can look for a ministry, roll up our sleeves and do it.

Every one can hold our heads high and say to the world in the midst of this
tragedy: "We belong to Jesus Christ and we will prevail."

Jesus last words in the Gospel of Matthew 28 were, "Surely I am with you always
to the very end of the age."

Surely I am with you when you are down and when you are up; when you are torn
and when you are whole.

Surely I am with you when thirty-three lives are cut short senselessly.

Surely I am with you in the midst of tragedy and I will offer comfort and hope.

Surely I am with you!

Nikki Giavanni went on to say: "The Hokie Nation embraces our own and reaches
out with open heart and hands to those who offer their hearts and minds. We are
strong, and brave, and innocent, and unafraid. We are better than we think and
not quite what we want to be. We are alive to the imaginations and the
possibilities. We will continue to invent the future through our blood and
tears and through all our sadness. We are the Hokies. We will prevail. We are
Virginia Tech."

And God says to each of us: "Surely, I am with you! Surely, I am with you!
Surely, I am with you!"

Live the Light

If you are going through storms.
If you are searching for purpose.
If you are seeking a new ministry.
If you want to deepen your relationship with God.
Then click here and check out this book.

Contact Information
Sowing Seeds Ministry/Timberlake UMC
Larry Davies

LarryDavies@SowingSeedsofFaith.com
Thank you
God is the Light but you have allowed God to shine through you.

--
Brian Masinick, masinick at yahoo dot com
Home page: http://www.geocities.com/masinick/

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
mail.yahoo.com