2012 Chapel Audio

In the Christmas story, God reached down to Zachariah, Mary and the shepherds with the same message – I hear your prayers and you are highly favored. Our heavenly father is involved not only in the grand scheme of things, but also in our personal story.

The most critical question is, “who then can be saved?” The answer is simply those who decide to follow Jesus; laying aside anything that has a grip on our heart.

In response to grace, we must move from merely believing to producing fruit. Christ’s death not only purchased our salvation, but serves as an example of how we are to respond laterally with love to our world.

We live in the tension of Christian consumerism vs. activism, but what Jesus wants is a relationship with us. God’s mission on this earth will end, this world will end, but God’s presence never ends.

Our Christianity is not based on what we do, but how we see. Our human attempts to control God are pointless and predicated on fear. Jesus Christ modeled the compassion and view of the world we need. God is with us.

Christ came to proclaim the joyous news to the humble, and exhorts us to life our lives beyond the prescribed lines into the realm of extraordinary. God comes out of heaven into us through his transforming grace, so life can be worth living and Christ is real.

Leadership is about big ideas, but leadership is also about small things, too. We can do no great things, only small things with great love.

Our heavenly father is waiting, ready and able to awaken our senses so we can look with His eyes, listen with His ears, and understand with His heart, but we have to invite Him to transform our hearts of stone into hearts of flesh.

God calls us to occupy the world until He returns, and He is building His kingdom. God is faithful to bring into completion the things He begins. We are to mix with humanity in order to take divinity into the nations. He is able to raise up a tomorrow as you give your life away.

A compelling message that Jesus Christ calls us to join him, and he is able to sustain us on the mission to which we are called. As we listen to the heartbeat of our heavenly Father we are assured of His sustaining power.

The story of grace is an ongoing story. We can experience the fresh waters of cleansing poured over us and remain wet from our experience with Christ. As we come with open hands and commit our lives anew, his grace continues to transform our lives.

God’s amazing grace is a seeking grace, a saving grace, a sanctifying grace, a sustaining grace, and a carrying grace. His grace is enough.

What is inside shapes every aspect of our lives. Christ communicates directly to the heart of the matter in the sermon on the mount and points us to the truth that change comes from the inside out through the work of the Holy Spirit.

Above all else, guard your heart. The only way we can change is through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives changing our heart. Change happens from the inside out.

We do not have to be defined by our circumstances. To live is Christ, because we can choose to rise above the pain of our experiences.

The story of garden of Gethsemane, like the story of the Garden of Eden, reveals our nakedness. When faced with the challenge of discipleship, we all fail. We all run from the garden naked and ashamed. But Christ, in his grace, refused to allow our nakedness and brokenness to have the last word. So he redeems even the “naked man” in the garden.

The miracles in Mark almost always have to do with blindness, deafness, or muteness. The symbolism is that sometimes, even the most religious of persons, are blind, deaf, and dumb to the nature of the Christ’s kingdom. The only way to be healed is through prayerful connection to the heart of God.

The grace of God not only is at work in the darkest places in the world, but it also delivers people from the oppressive structures that are at work within us and outside of us.

Discovering God’s peace in the midst of the troubles and challenges of life.

God is at work everywhere, in everyone, all the time, for the sake of restoring us. The grace of God is always at work even when we cannot see it. God is still in the business of creating new hearts.

Community nurtures life, and lack of community kills. Within the context of a community whether it is a church or a university campus, we must learn to bow to the divine in others. Honoring others, because we see Christ in them, is the journey of community.

It is easy to get a skewed picture of our heavenly Father, such as happens in a caricature drawing which focuses on one aspect. We need to carefully view the whole character of God. Our Father wants to include us in the circle of fellowship experienced by the Trinity. He invites us to the table and commissions us to do the same by including others.

The difficult experiences of our life can cause our hearts to be hardened. It is easy to justified this response or assume a faux Christianity mantra of forgive and forget. God wants us to cry out in a Davidic way asking, “where are you God,” “where am I supposed to turn,” and “what are you going to do about this.” God wants to walk with us through our brokenness and give us hearts of flesh.

The actions of our life do not emerge from nothing; they faithfully reveal what is in our heart. If we are not careful, we will wander away and our hearts will become hearts of stone. Only God can change our hearts of stone into new hearts of flesh as he sprinkles clean water on us.

We are all in need of a new heart, and God makes a promise to provide one. This promise has to be appropriated through a prayer such as the plea of David’s in Psalm 51. Our heavenly Father is a promise keeper, he will answer our prayer.

An overview of chapel highlights from the last year was presented by Chaplain Holcomb in this final chapel service for the 2011-2012 academic year.

Christian comedian, Brad Stine, unwrapped some topics through the use of humor. His vivacious presentation creates an instant connection with the audience.

God’s calling to pastoral ministry is one that comes with the promise. It is a call we honor, and as Dr. Leth articulated it is a gift from God.

The senior class president (Kayla Rolling), class chaplain (Jacob Salem), and class members prepared a service aimed at blessing the underclassmen. Through worship, cardboard testimonies and a blessing to other classes, the seniors gave witness of changed lives. The message pointed out how the Lord is at work in our lives and continues to move us in the direction He has prepared.

At this Maundy Thursday chapel, Chaplain Holcomb shared thoughts on the preparing ourselves for Easter. The sacrament of Holy Communion was shared at the conclusion of the service.

Easter is not a debate, but rather a declaration. In a retelling of the story from Simon of Cyrene’s perspective the reality of coming face to face with the possibility of carrying the cross for Christ was a moment that changed the trajectory of his life forever. Every individual will at one point be confronted with the same question: are we going to carry the cross of Christ?

Mike shares his story of a homosexual lifestyle that was a result of gender identity issues coupled with sexual abuse he experienced in his formative years. His path to redemption came through a friend’s persistent love and prompting. The calling to ministry he received at a young age is being realized today in his life as an author and speaker. God has restored this life completely with the blessing of a wife, two sons, and an ongoing ministry to women and children that need intervention.

As we examine how Jesus related to people, we see the model to follow. Jesus was in the midst of people extending love to them as he did with the Samaritan woman. He is our model, it is the Holy Spirits job to convict, God’s job to judge, and our job to love.

Nicole candidly told her story of the sexual abuse she experienced over a period of several years at the hands of her step-father. Freedom from this abuse happened when she chose to break the silence. No one deserves to be abused, and one voice speaking out can bring help and hope. God meets us where we are and journey’s with us to restoration.

The father of Rachel Scott, one of the thirteen student killed during the Columbine High School shooting, shared a story of forgiveness. We can choose to forgive ourselves and others. Acts of kindness and forgiveness can start a chain reaction of powerful impact.

We are called to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect. In the purest sense this means discovering who you are designed to be and living out your God given identity.

Trust proceeds obedience. Dwayne and Bethany shared their story of how God has prepared them for the next step in their journey which will involve a move to the under-resourced community of Martinsville, Kentucky. God’s call on our life continues to happen each and every day if we are willing to listen and follow. We can trust God confidence that He will be true to His Word.

Through dramatic presentation, Jim Shores and Carol Anderson-Shores portrayed lessons on forgiveness. The reoccurring theme, “when you forgive you set the captive free, and realize that the captive was you,” emanated from each unique vignette.

As we enter the Lenten season, Chaplain Holcomb explains that we are a people searching for a hope on which to cling, and that our life represents our character. Lent is a subtle reminder of how we are to live all year long. A tension exists between grace and the law, but our move toward God starts in our hearts and minds and works its way to our hands and feet.

What does a girl need from her Daddy? Fathers’ have the power to bless and affirm, and that is exactly what a daughter needs. Father’s confirm gender identity, and when the role of a father is absent it can cause gender confusion. The essence of femininity is the ability to receive. Females need the love only a father can give, and need to see their Fathers’ as Jesus sees them.

To a male, a wound of any kind is shameful and represents weakness, but a real man is a man that is real. Christ can give us freedom, courage and strength if we will ask for it and receive it. In the process we must ask, “What IS Jesus Doing?” When we lose our agenda and walk in obedience, we can partner with what God it already doing.

The greatest problem of the spiritual life is how to habitually live at a high plain. The greatest challenge is growing tired, discouraged, and giving up. How do we live this life with perseverance and purpose? Tools to help us run with perseverance include: Throw off everything that holds us back. Lay aside the sin that trips us up. Run with purpose and perseverance. Remember to keep looking to Jesus.