College Hour

celebrating Commencement @ FPU St. Luke 2:8-14 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” Dr. Luke, the great physician writing this text, is writing for a gentile audience who wants to know the story of Christ and the history of his lineage—how did he get here, why did he come, and what was his purpose? Here we find that Christ himself had a heavenly escort that came before him, they were angels and they proclaimed the word of the Lord where the people of Judea, the shepherds that day, would find the living Savior. That’s why we’re here today celebrating this great month, because December reminds us of the birth of Christ and why he came into the world. Scripture says that God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him would not perish, but have everlasting life. The most important thing to me about this text is that within it we see something marvelous. When the angels gave the good news to the shepherds, the angel said, ‘this will be a sign to you, you will find a babe in swaddling clothes lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” The angels were declaring a promise for us today and I want to declare the same promise to you. That’s my prayer for you; that in your hearts, in your mind, God would be glorified and that there would be peace and goodwill toward you today. Let me pray for you now: Father God, thank you for this wonderful reminder of the Christmas story. Thank you for our students, our staff, our faculty and administration. Lord would you be praised this season and may there be peace and goodwill on earth toward all men. We love you and we thank you for this advent season. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Have you ever heard of a micro aggression?  Micro aggression’s are assumptions made with words, displayed with actions that usually intend to offend people by other people who are deliberately miss behaving. Micro aggressions are those incidents and verbal expression's that say harmful things without thinking about and or being concerned how they hurt individuals on purpose. Such things as racial jokes, or statements for people who hold power over others. Micro aggression’s are not Kingdom like nor are they from the heart of those who love you and seek the very best for you. They are assumptions being made, statements, questions, or thoughts that come to offend someone seeing you as a lesser status than themselves. Micro aggression's come from a heart filled with pride and most times of certain biases. The Christian university has no business engaging in micro aggressions of any type toward anyone. When these are found in the University they must be questioned and rebuked. Because people are God's people regardless of who they look like or what cultural group they belong to and every human being has been created with dignity and divine impartation from God. The Christian university ought to see humanity with these lenses. We are never to judge or describe people as anything less than God has created them to be. Finally, let me say Micro aggressions portray verbally what is often time discerned in the heart and the mind of the one doing the aggression or saying the offensive statement. Micro aggressions are sinful. The Bible says that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. We all know that Sin is bound up in the heart of a fool, and when the fool speaks it is usually sinful. As the University Pastor  and the Chief Diversity Officer, I am called and challenged to be a spiritual leader of the University. It is very difficult, and very challenging, I have to be careful of taking in my mind stereotypes, micro aggressive thoughts, negative images, and secular thinking.  I've been called by God to work in diversity, with a diverse population, because of this I must constantly and consistently take my calling serious as a divine work of the Almighty. So I am grateful for the challenge of doing spiritual formation and diversity in the Christian liberal arts university. Help me today by joining the campaign to eliminate "micro aggressions" in the Christian academy!

Good morning everyone, I want to thank the staff of  Treasure Valley Community College for extending me this privileged opportunity to be with you great men of promise. I call you men of promise because you represent the future of this educational program, and all that is good and excellent because of your hard work and labors. I salute you brothers and desire to share a few inspirational nuggets of truth with you, which may help you on your journey to greater things. “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." -Martin Luther King, Jr. My dear brothers and fellow strugglers in life. I want to ponder some serious thoughts with you for a moment. Life itself as you know is full of challenges, obstacles, setbacks and back sets. All of these things are usually laced with trouble and bad news. Yet in every situation that produces pain there is a silver lining if we only look hard enough to discover it. As men of promise I offer you today the idea of success within the confines of struggle. Look at what you have accomplished this day and tell me what it really is all about. You have succeeded at completing something that the masses will never understand or be able to do. Had they had to travel the road of life that you are on, many would have given up long ago. Therefore, I salute you today, for these accomplishments. As I pondered the thought of this ceremony, I was reminded of the motto of Samford University. The motto of the school is “For God for Learning for life”. I like this motto because it speaks of three primary things that I call the triangle of promise.

1. For God
2. For Learning
3. For Life

Together these big three make up pillars that if linked all together can be a powerful formula for life. I want to engage you men of promise today to become men of purpose, while you travel through the school of adversity. Dr. King said that “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." I submit to you the thoughts of this great leader that they were given out of his struggles and obstacles in leadership. Just as Dr. King struggled in life you and I struggle also. However, it is in the struggles that we can learn the ultimate measure of true manhood. When it is all over said and done, we will be measured in this life according to how we handled challenges and controversies. No real man of promise and purpose is ever measured in relation to their achieved comforts in life, but rather we remember them for the lessons they teach us from their pains, and perplexities.

• Dr. King
• John F. Kennedy
• Mahatma Maghandi
• Jesus of Nazareth
• Apostle Paul

All of these historical leaders left us lessons and legacies of leadership that inspire, instruct, and create room within us to do great and noble things. They had a life model that works for me “For God For learning for life.

• They were passionate about what they did
• They were passionate about what they believed
• They were passionate about what they desired
• They were passionate about life and serving others.

They were passionate about their creator.As men of promise you too ought to be inspired to do great things in the earth. As men of promise you too ought to be inspired to achieve greatness in the area of your creativity. As men of promise you too ought to be inspired to make a difference in your world.Your life ought to be first committed to God. In Him alone you can find strength, courage, support, safety, security and substance to help you on your journey. One of the greatest needs for a man of promise is to find his power spot!

• The power spot is that place where he excels.
• The power spot is that place where he soars.
• The power spot is that place where he fires on all pistons.

It is what athletes call the “sweet spot”! That place where you get in the game and you are unstoppable.When a man of promise gets in this spot Amazing things happen. Things that cannot be explained, something divine takes place and takes over. Brothers you need to find where that is and get there on this journey. You will not begin to enjoy it until you do.Secondly, I want to challenge you to build your pillar of learning. It is the second pillar in the triangle of promise. The academic journey you are on is an endless mile of information. It is here that you will expand and grow, never being able to exhaust the mental muscles of the brain.This pillar will open your world and your understanding of the vast knowledge that is surrounding you. Education will give you the ability to process, ponder, produce, and provide the world with creativity, it has never seen. All of these things flow from the pillar of learning. It is from the pillar of learning that man has given us amazing things.

1.  sky scrappers
2. air planes
3. computers
4. auto mobiles
5. television
6. music
7. medicine
8. biology
9. anthropology & science

Learning is incredible, and learning is free. The measure of man can be found in the pillar of learning. You have begun to develop this pillar in your life. Your learning has been both experiential and academic. I salute you for graduating and or re-enrolling in the school of hard knocks, when you complete it you will fully know what you ought to do and what you ought not to do.The third and final pillar I want to introduce you to is the pillar of life. Harry Emerson Fosdick said: “Life is like a library owned by the author. In it are a few books which he wrote himself, but most of them were written for him. Men of promise as we grow and develop, we become the librarian of our own library. We know were the titles of our best times are located in the shelves of our minds. We know where the horror fiction selections are located in our souls. We know where the poetry is kept and the spiritual writings and experiences that we have encountered along the way are located. But most of all we are to archive the new stuff that we pick up on the journey, Things that will help others to grow and become men of promise. We are to be caretakers of knowledge and suppliers of encouragement, enthusiasm, support, and strength. As the librarian of our lives our inner shelves should be filled with things we have learned from others, lessons we have taught ourselves from opportunities that have come our way. I hope and pray men of promise that this opportunity to better yourselves doesn’t get misfiled on the wrong shelf. I hope and pray men of promise that this benefit of education does not get shredded in the trash bin of nothingness. I hope and pray men of promise that your time in the library of life will enhance your purpose for living and will develop in you a rich well of resources to be poured out upon some young thirsty soul, who can learn from your mistakes and benefit from your blessings. My name is Pastor Wilson, my high school education, came from the Jail house, my first degree came from a private Christian University. My second, third and fourth degrees came from private Christian Universities and my fifth degree will come from a private University. I’m a life long learner, and I love living in the library. My thoughts and intentions have been shaped by many great people, But my greatest and most important degree has come from reading the living books of men and continuing to stretch myself in the triangle of promise. I got to leave you now, but my sons will read my life today, they will study my thoughts tomorrow and long after I am gone, they will remember and rewrite the lessons I have taught them as their daddy. Tell me, who will read about you when you have gone off the scene? Who will ponder what you have said and done? Who will quote your deepest thoughts? From one brother to another, let’s make purpose out of promise and give them something to read about. Congratulations brothers, for a job well done.    

John 1:43 43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, "Follow me." NIV Make no mistake about it the God of Heaven and earth is still calling men and women to follow and obey Him. Jesus in today’s text is summoning Phillip to come and be one of His disciples. This call was a call to come and get to know him. This call was a call that came by invitation only. Jesus was inviting Phillip the sinner, Phillip the seeker, Phillip the lost one to come and to follow Him. This is a picture of the intimacy of God. God is yet calling for mankind to come unto him and to get near him to know him.

• Today there is call for someone to go deeper with God.
• Today there is a call for someone to closer to God.
• Today there is a corporate call to a believer to follow God in complete obedience and follow Him as he Leads guides and directs.

This lesson is to be brewed over and examined in a close manner, for the voice of God is speaking in a supernatural way. There are four aspects to this call:

• The call to surrender
• The call to serve
• The call to study
• The call to submit

As his Rabbi and teacher Jesus would call him to live in community, and to learn from the Master. These four crucial areas would be extremely important, if Phillip was to be a student who grew to know God more intimately .In order to become the believer that Christ is calling us to be, we too must follow Him and his direction and vision for His believer. Because he obeyed and submitted to God’s call on his life, he got to know Jesus, he got to interact with the Christ, he got to hear God speak, and he got to dwell with him intimately through relationship. He followed the call and the call led him to live and experience the encounter with God! Question:

• What about you today?
• What will this year hold for you?
• What does God want you to do with him?
• Can you hear him calling in your disciplines?
• Can you see him in relationships?

Is he calling for you to serve the poor? As you develop a life of worship… look for the call in the details of life. Look for the signs all around you, join a life group, a local church, bible studies in the nieghborhood, worship communities…. Chances are you are being pursued by the King of Glory, and His call is a serious adventure to journey with Him and get to know him in an intimate way.