I glanced down at my then-10-year-old’s church notebook and smiled. There were a couple of small pictures in the margins, but unlike many other church notebooks of children her age, the page was full of notes.

She copied them fiercely from the television screens above the row where we sat for many years in the back area of First Baptist Atlanta’s sanctuary, reserved for choir members. Our baby girl copied big sister, writing and doodling in her notebook, as a children’s Bible sat on her lap.

Their eyes were glued on the screen as our pastor spoke in his gentle, deep voice, conviction and love for the gospel piercing through each Sunday message.

This was the beginning of each week in our household for 20 years.

Dr. Charles F. Stanley, the celebrated author of more than 70 books and pastor who counseled and prayed with presidents and dignitaries worldwide, was “Dr. Stanley” to us — our family’s beloved pastor and spiritual mentor.

Dr. Charles F. Stanley, the celebrated author of more than 70 books and pastor who counseled and prayed with presidents and dignitaries worldwide, was “Dr. Stanley” to us — our family’s beloved pastor and spiritual mentor. @AJC…
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A mix of joy and sorrow filled the airwaves and social media early Tuesday morning, April 18, as the news of Stanley’s passing came out. As I read through the countless articles and posts on social media, I thought about the impact of one simple man’s obedience to God’s calling and how it shaped the lives and eternity of millions of people around the globe.

By all accounts, Charles F. Stanley was a success story. He grew up in Dry-Fork, Virginia, during the Great Depression and experienced poverty during his childhood and teenage years. His mom, “Becca,” raised him by herself after his father’s passing when Stanley was a baby. From humble beginnings, he built a ministry that expanded to countries all over the world; his messages were translated into over 127 languages. His is indeed a God-sized story.

His sermons often contained stories from childhood and adolescence, when his mother’s simple faith shaped his understanding of God and his word. But it wasn’t until Stanley was 17 that God’s calling became evident, and a visit to his grandfather changed the course of his life.

I do not know how often I heard the story from the pulpit, but it never grew old:

Stanley had felt God’s calling to become a pastor and decided to visit his grandfather, who was a preacher himself. Stanley felt inadequate, and the thought of carrying out the calling to preach the gospel was daunting.

He recalled his granddad’s words that shaped one of his 30 life principles based on scriptures that he lived by and preached for decades:

“Charles, if God tells you to put your head through that brick wall, you run for it. It is his responsibility to open a hole.”

“Obey God and leave all the consequences to him.” This principle, born from this conversation with his grandfather, shaped Stanley’s life and became one of the cornerstones of his life-long commitment to following God’s ways, no matter the cost. That is one of 30 life principles, beautifully weaved amidst biblical accounts in Charles Stanley’s Life Application Bible.

Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him. ~ Dr. Charles F. Stanley @ajc @intouchmin #CharlesStanley
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Following the practical teachings based on these biblical principles gave me guidance and courage to start my ministry. Thanks to the truths preached every Sunday from Stanley’s pulpit, my husband and I found the strength to press on through life’s challenging valleys. Through the principles taught by this man of God, we found the guidance to raise our girls.

His Impact

“Dr. Stanley’s” impact was evident as my husband and I traveled down I-75 in the back of our 20-year-old’s car on Easter morning, as she and her sister took us to visit Passion City, their church. They shared about growing up and their gratitude for the home we built.

During worship, they stood beside us, hands lifted in praise as they sang. As Pastor Louis Giglio delivered the sermon, I looked down to see the same scene from years ago:

Notebooks filled with notes, highlighted and well-worn Bibles, and eyes glued to the screen, where a man whose ministry was also highly influenced by Stanley’s teachings delivered a message filled with the uncompromised truth of God’s Word.

Our world has indeed lost one of the modern-day giants of faith. But his influence, like ripples from a pebble thrown in a lake, will undoubtedly live on.

Thank you, dear pastor. Well done.

This article was originally published in Patricia’s column for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Saturday, April 22, 2023. Click HERE to find it on the AJC’s website

LINKUP PARTY opens on April 26 at 6 am!

Christian Bloggers, come share your Blog with our audience below:

1. Add your Link.

2. Visit the blogger before or after and encourage them with a comment.

3. Share on social media. Click below to share on Twitter that you are joining us! We would love to have you follow the ministry on Twitter and Facebook as well: Soaring with Him FB Page

LINKUP is open. This week, I share my column for the @AJC, where I talked about the eternal impact of Dr. Charles Stanley on my family. This story is undoubtedly repeated in the lives of countless people throughout the world. Join us…
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Atlanta. Home of Margaret Mitchell, Martin Luther King Jr., Ted Turner, and Kanye West.

Coca-Cola, UPS, Delta Airlines and Home Depot are only a few of the Fortune 500 companies headquartered in this great city. Our town harbors the busiest airport in the world and is also home to the 1996 Olympic games. These facts are widely known and certainly contribute to the charisma of this beautiful metropolis.

But a fact that is not widely known outside of Christian circles is that some of the most influential Christian organizations and leaders of our time started their ministry in Atlanta. Names such as Dr. Charles Stanley (In Touch Ministries), his son Andy Stanley (North Point Ministries), Louie Giglio (Passion City Church) and Dr. Michael Youssef (Leading the Way) stand among prominent Christian leaders whose ministries flourished from the Peach State and into the world.

This week, we said goodbye to one of those men: Ravi Zacharias. The Indian-born Canadian-American Christian apologist established his worldwide ministry’s headquarters in our city, from where he led a team of nearly 100 speakers around the world. The primary mission of his ministry is “to reach and challenge those who shape the ideas of a culture with the credibility of the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” with a vision focused on “a fivefold thrust of evangelism, apologetics, spiritual disciplines, training, and humanitarian support (…)”

Zacharias was born in Madras, India. He was still a young boy when he moved to Delhi. Although his family was Anglican, Zacharias identified as a “skeptic” until the age of 17, when he became a Christian after trying to commit suicide. While he lay in a hospital bed, a Christian worker, a Christian worker brought him a Gideon New Testament. Zacharias was so weak from the dehydration after swallowing poison that he could not raise his arm. The worker directed Zacharias’ mom to read from John 14, which contains the words of the resurrected Christ to Thomas, one of the disciples. When sharing his testimony, Zacharias said that Jesus’ words in verse 19 touched him as an invitation to shift his life’s paradigm: “Because I live, you also will live.”

Zacharias often said that day was vivid in his mind: “The power of the word of God cracked open the encrusted heart of a young man who never had the wisdom to open it before. And I began to pray, ‘Lord, if you are the Lord of life, take me out of this hospital room. I will leave no stone unturned in my pursuit of truth.’”

'The power of the word of God cracked open the encrusted heart of a young man who never had the wisdom to open it before.' A tribute to Ravi Zacharias @AJC @RaviZacharias #RaviZacharias #ThankyouRavi #apologetics
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With a renewed purpose and committed to his promise, Zacharias rose from the ashes to dedicate the next nearly six decades of his life to preach the gospel and equip others to defend the Christian faith.

My appreciation of Zacharias’ ministry is entirely personal. Like Zacharias, I was once a skeptic as well. I became a Christian at 25 by blindly putting my trust in Jesus, but (in my mind) that did not mean that I would accept every doctrine and belief indiscriminately. And so, the following years were dedicated to pursuing answers to many questions in my down-to-earth, pragmatic mind.

Zacharias’ ministry’s emphasis in apologetics and unwavering focus on spiritual disciplines helped many Christians like me to become “prepared to give a reason for the hope that is within us,” as the Apostle Peter admonishes Christ’s followers to do.

Ravi Zacharias' ministry's emphasis in apologetics helped many skeptics become 'prepared to give a reason for the hope that is within us.' 1 Peter 3:5 @AJC @RaviZacharias #RaviZacharias #ThankyouRavi #apologetics
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True faith is indeed blind. But sound and unwavering faith must be built on facts to thrive. Zacharias dedicated his life to showing the world that the same belief that saved a young 17-year-old from the miry pit of self-loathing and despair can withstand the toughest philosophical attacks. In this day and age, when a biblical worldview is repeatedly assaulted and questioned at every turn, Zacharias stood as a man capable of debating life’s most profound existential questions with kindness, and yet tenaciously defending God’s word. It was a beautiful thing to watch.

True faith is indeed blind. But sound and unwavering faith must be built on facts to thrive. A Tribute to Ravi Zacharias for the @AJC @RaviZacharias #RaviZacharias #ThankyouRavi #apologetics
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May God bring the Zacharias family and friends peace and comfort, knowing that his legacy will remain as steady and alive as the faith he vowed to defend.

This article was originally published in Patricia Holbrook’s column for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Saturday – May 23, 2020. Read it on the AJC website: HERE

LINKUP PARTY opens Wednesday at 6 am!

Christian Bloggers, come share your Blog with our audience below:

1. Add your Link.

2. Visit the blogger before or after and encourage them with a comment.

3. Share on social media. Click below to share on Twitter that you are joining us! We would love to have you follow the ministry on Twitter and Facebook as well: Soaring with Him FB Page

LINKUP is open! Please join me in sharing a tribute to a faithful servant of God, #RaviZacharias. Thank you, Ravi, for your impact in our world for Christ. Join us & share your blog!
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A Great Way to Celebrate

I had been waiting for this day for a while. And isn’t it just like God that it actually happened two days before the official release  of the paperback version of my first book Twelve Inches on retailers! I didn’t plan it that way at all. God is just that GOOD!

I have spoken at conferences with over 500 women in attendance before. I’ve spoken at live television shows. Yes, it never gets old and I always tremble. Yesterday, as I stood before the man who was used by God to impact my spiritual life forever, it wasn’t any different. My hands shook in humble excitement as I showed him the acknowledgements page in my book, where I wrote, in a few words, of my eternal gratitude.

This was not the first time I talked to my pastor, but it was undoubtedly the most special one.  You see, when my husband and I joined First Baptist Atlanta in 2000, I was a young Christian. I had been saved for only 5 years and, in all honesty, I was still a baby in Christ. It was Dr. Stanley‘s teaching that instilled in my heart the desire to know Jesus in a more intimate way. It was his deep, serene voice that helped bring conviction, peace and healing to my soul through the years. It was through his teaching that I was inspired and challenged to “Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him“, which is one of his most quoted Life Principles.

And because I obeyed… because I said YES when my heart shouted “NO WAY!”, today I hold my published book Twelve Inches.

I wonder what would happen if every Christian followed that principle. Can you imagine the multitudes that would impact the world for Christ with their gifts and talents?

Obeying God is at times a scary thing, I admit. Because He does challenge us to blindly trust Him. And that’s the greatest test of our faith. But the consequences, oh! The consequences are priceless: Deeper faith… peace… and even some pretty awesome dream-come-true moments. Like having your name on the cover of a book that someone else believed enough to invest in.

Truth be told, I never imagined that I would be a writer one day.

When God told me to start this ministry, all I did was say yes, however inadequate I felt.

Then He said, “Step here” (so out of my comfort zone). And I did… and left the results in His hands.

“Talk to this person,” He whispered. And I did… and watched as He opened the doors.

“Give this up,” He commanded… and as I obeyed, He blessed me with something much better.

That still small voice spoke… and all I did was listen and put one foot after the other in the direction He showed.

True, I’ve lost my way before, caught up in the busyness of life… caught up in the doing, rather than in the being still (and knowing He is still God). But oh, am I ever grateful that the Holy Spirit is always there to call me back to the center of His Perfect will! Am I ever thankful that Grace never ceases to shout: “Come back!“, when I start to get my eyes off of His.

My heart may have said “NO WAY” a thousand times before. But I’ve learned to press on and silence it with what I know about my God. Oh! and by the way, that’s the core message of Twelve Inches: Tell your heart who your God is. Calm it down with the power of His Word. Trust and obey Him… and get ready to be amazed! 

“Obey God… and leave all the consequences to Him.”

Thank you, Holy Spirit, for these inspired words that changed my life forever.

Thank you, Pastor, for instilling in my heart the desire to be all God has designed me to be. I know it’s not about you. You’re the first one to say so. And I so get it. But I thank you for being obedient to the call through the years… Through the storms… and in spite of.

When I grow up, I want to be like you.

In His love,

Patricia

PS: Hey, would you like to learn a bit more about Twelve Inches and celebrate this day with us? Watch this 13-minute TV Interview at Atlanta Live and learn what this book is about and about my upcoming book tour with my friend and singer Sandra Onal. God bless!

The post Dr. Charles Stanley receives a copy of Twelve Inches appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.

Click here for PDF: Can Christians still speak up 05.13.15

Passage: Romans 6

Key Verses: “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?  May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?” Romans 6:1-3

The article grieved my soul. My 82 year-old pastor Dr. Charles Stanley was once again being attacked because of his convictions. An entire group of Israel supporters spoke up because of Dr. Stanley’s stances concerning homosexuality, threatening to boycott the event where he would be honored for his long support of the state of Israel. The issue? Dr. Stanley’s past statements that homosexuality is a sin.

The article proceeded to explain that the Southern Jewish Resource Network for Gender and Sexual Diversity protested the nomination because Dr. Stanley’s views are “incompatible with Jewish ethics and values”.

Pause. That statement alone is too hard to grasp.

I hate to use my weekly blog time to discuss this issue, but enough is enough. As far as I know, we still live in a country where freedom of speech is supposed to abound – although I dare say that Christians have been increasingly losing that right. Unless pastors, writers and speakers choose to come to the middle in the issue of homosexuality, we are labeled as bigots, intolerant, old-fashioned, self-righteous and plain hateful towards the gay people.

Oh, my goodness, does anyone else feel like screaming? I do, I do!!!

I know some gays. I love them. I have invited them to have dinner at my house before. Like Jesus, I believe we are to share His love for them, yes, yes and yes! I love them as I love the prostitutes, or the people who have had sex before marriage, or the drug users of the world. But, wait a second, when is it that my Bible started saying that I am ALSO to tell them that it’s ok for them to keep on sinning? Where did the Bible say that grace is supposed to be used to go beyond covering our sins to overlooking them? Someone please show me that verse.

When did we tear off Romans 1, Leviticus 18:22, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, among other passages from the Bible?

I don’t get it, I don’t. From where I stand, everyone else who hates Christians is the bigot here.

I happen to speak as someone who has sat under Dr. Stanley’s teaching for 15 years now. I know what the man believes. I know he is not an opinion-oriented pastor, much less a crowd pleasing one. I love him for that. One of the reasons I believe his teaching is because he backs everything up with Scripture.

I really don’t want to hear what pastors think. I care what my Bible says. And as far as ANY sexual immorality, the Bible is clear from Genesis to Revelation: God is holy and He hates all sins. For some reason, some of us have decided to put homosexuality in this holy bubble within our social and religious circles, and anyone who says that it is wrong is attacked beyond measure.

According to the Bible, sin is sin. Therefore, homosexuality is not greater than any other sexual sin. And yes, I am sure that Jesus walked among and showed the same love for the homosexuals of His day. I have no question that He extended the same loving hands to them as He did to the woman at the well, to the woman of the alabaster box, or to Zacchaeus. We are called to be like Christ and love all people, because we have no right to judge anyone as better than ourselves. We are all the same at the foot of the cross. But I also have no doubt that His message after forgiving each sinner was and is still the same:

“Go and leave your life of sin.” John 8:11 (these are Jesus’ words, by the way).

Or can you find anywhere in Scripture where, after forgiving the adulterous woman, Jesus told her to go ahead and jump in bed with the next man?

I don’t think so.

Do you see it coming?

“Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them.” Romans 16:17

“For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” 2 Timothy 4:3-4

I see the day when my blog will be blocked because of what I believe. I see the day when pastors will not be able to speak up God’s Truth from their pulpits. I see the day when churches will not be able to receive their tax-exempt status anymore because they won’t officiate homosexual weddings. Do you see that day coming? You better open your eyes if you don’t. The Bible speaks of that day (1 Peter 1-22), and I see it approaching at lightning speed.

Wake up, Christians. Enough is enough. Either we choose to believe our Bibles in its entirety, or maybe we should just start playing golf on Sundays.

It’s time to stop playing church and BE His church: Loving the sinner. Hating the sin.

It’s time we start telling it like it is, just as all the other religions and social groups do. It is our right until they say it isn’t anymore.

The window is closing and you better hurry up and stand.

** the image on this post was borrowed from christianpost.com

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