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:

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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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The post  The Impact of Charles Stanley’s Ministry on my Family ~ LINKUP ~ {The Atlanta Journal-Constitution} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.

“You have a magical green thumb, daddy!”

“No, I don’t. I just take care of my plants, that’s all. I was but a little boy when my dad taught me a valuable lesson. We didn’t have much money, so father planted vegetables in our backyard. One day, I was helping him sow some seeds. I had just placed some in the ground, put dirt back in the hole and was patting it with my small hands, when he said something I’ll never forget: ‘You are responsible for everything you sow, son. If you don’t water these seeds, they will not grow. And if you don’t take care of the plant, it will certainly die.’”

We were talking about the beauty of his front yard when he told me this story. As it has happened a thousand times before, my 83-year-old father was once again inadvertently imparting the wisdom he portrays in life. If I’ve ever met a man who knows how to care for what he loves, that man is my dad.

“You reap what you sow, more than you sow, and later than you sow.” Dr. Charles F. Stanley – Life Principle #6

I’ve been blessed to be a member of Dr. Stanley’s church for 18 years. His Life Principles bible has been a favorite since it was originally published in 2005. Within its pages, the pastor and bestselling author included 30 life principles based on lessons found in various passages of Scriptures.

I personally call it “the farmer’s principle,” and it could not be any simpler: Farmers know that they cannot expect an apple orchard where they planted orange seeds. They also know that one single seed can bear a tree that produces hundreds of fruits. Lastly, even though some crops may yield a harvest rather quickly, one usually must wait a while before reaping any fruit. It’s a simple principle, nevertheless pregnant with depth.

There is hardly anything sadder than to witness this principle portrayed in the life of someone who either did not care for the seeds God gave him, or allowed weeds to kill the beauty of his crop. I once knew a man whose life was a perfect translation of this metaphor. He spent his youth accumulating wealth with little regard to family, taking advantage of people and doing whatever it took to get ahead. Money and pleasure: Those were his gods. As he grew old, bitterness and loneliness were the harvest his life yielded. My heart ached for him.

On the other hand, I have witnessed people like my dad and others, whose choices and commitment to take good care of their family and friends yielded a life filled with peace and joy in their old age. People like that are usually never alone to endure life’s trials, and their countenance displays the peace and joy that only God and a clean conscience can bring.

The apostle Paul used the farmer’s principle in his letter to the Galatian church to admonish first-century believers: “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.”

There’s a reason his admonition starts with a warning: “Do not be deceived.”

Truth is, no one makes a conscious decision to destroy his or her own life. Whether out of impulse, selfishness or anger, we usually do not stop to think of the future consequences of our actions … or neglect.
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No one thinks: “My child will resent me for this when she grows up. We will not have a good relationship. I’ll do it anyway.” Nope. We wreck relationships and build mistrust because we are deceived into thinking that our actions will have no harsh consequences. That is simply not true.

Whether you believe in God or not, this principle is tested and proven, certain and true:

There is a time appointed for the harvest, and it is usually much later than when it is sown.
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The question is: Are we planting love, compassion, forgiveness, righteousness and grace, or rather, seeds of neglect, selfishness, immorality and corruption?

Our answer determines the fruit our lives will yield, and the peace or turmoil we will experience in the future.

This article was originally published in Patricia’s column for The Atlanta Journal Constitution on Saturday – July 21, 2018.

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I was new to the Christian faith when my husband and I joined First Baptist Atlanta in 2000. I had just moved to America the year before, and those first years away from family and friends were extremely difficult. Although I had broken the language barrier long before moving to the U.S., I found myself fighting feelings of loneliness and inadequacy, while immersing in a new culture, far from all familiar faces and surroundings. Charles Stanley’s practical Bible teachings every Sunday helped me find peace, joy and a renewed sense of purpose in that new chapter in my life.

In October 2016, Charles Stanley released his much-anticipated autobiography “Courageous Faith.” I was one of the first in line on the day of his book signing at FBA. That very afternoon, I started reading about the life of the man whose ministry impacted my faith walk forever.

Charles Stanley’s autobiography is undoubtedly the most selfless memoir I’ve ever read. From beginning to end, as he recounts each story, each trial and victory, he points the reader to the Author and Sustainer of his faith – Jesus Christ. One cannot turn the last page of the book without realizing that, in his darkest hours, when enemies came against him and fear would threaten to steal his peace, Charles Stanley’s response was always the same: He fought each battle on his knees, surrendering each trial to God, and trusting His Maker with the outcome.

Whether you share his beliefs or not, one cannot read his life story without at least becoming puzzled by this man’s faith – where many would question God or give up, Charles Stanley pressed on. The result is evident and unquestionable: His courageous faith weaved a thread of victory through the hardest circumstances, as his ministry kept growing, stronger than ever before.

As I read his book and later watched his son, Andy, recount how his father’s unwavering faith shaped his own, I found myself challenged, inspired and grateful to realize that my pastor has truly lived up to the principles by which he proclaims. Even when obeying did not make any sense. Even when it cost him much.

Andy Stanley writes, in the foreword of his father’s auto-biography: “Dad never ran from trouble or the trials of life, and that made an incredible impact on my sister and me. In my personal life and ministry, my takeway from having Dr. Charles Stanley as my father was that everyone can trust God with every outcome (…)”

During the interview, when his son asked him about retirement, Charles Stanley’s easy laughter filled the room. Anyone sitting on the pews of FBA knows better: He doesn’t believe in it. “Retirement is not anywhere in the Bible,” he says. He believes there will always be work to do for the Kingdom, and he intends to continue doing his part until God tells him otherwise, or “calls him home.”

“Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him.” That is one of Charles Stanley’s most repeated “Life Principles.” That is his life song. It has also become mine. So today, I cheer this man of God on, together with millions of people throughout the globe who listen to his voice on more than 2,600 radio and television outlets, translated to over 50 languages: Keep on preaching, pastor. We are listening. Thank you for a life of courageous, unwavering faith and obedience. Thank you for teaching us that God rewards those whose hearts are fully committed to Him. Thank you for opening the Word of God each Sunday, unapologetically proclaiming Its truths.

An international chorus of believers sings to you today: Happy 85th birthday, Charles Stanley! May God continue to bless and guide you, dear pastor.

Join the celebration at First Baptist Atlanta on Sept. 24 during both service hours: 9 and 10:45a.m. You can watch the interview on every market where InTouch is broadcast starting Sept. 23.

This article was originally published in Patricia’s column for The Atlanta Journal Constitution on Saturday – September 15, 2017.

The post Dr. Charles F. Stanley – A Life of Unwavering Faith {Atlanta Journal Constitution} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.

“Fight your battles on your knees.”

I have been privileged to sit under Dr. Charles Stanley’s teaching at First Baptist Atlanta for the past 16 years. This quote is one of “30 Life Principles” that he wrote, all based on Scriptures and his life experiences as a Christian for over 70 years.

I was reminded of that principle this morning during my morning walk. Both my children have recently had some bad experiences with friends who have proven to be unfaithful.

As my teenage daughter shared some of her struggles with me, I thought about my own battles as a teenager. I remember feeling left out, less than, as some girls who I thought were my friends isolated me or betrayed my trust. I remembered the hurt, pain, and how much it affected my self-esteem.

As I started thinking about how I could help, how I should put on the Super Mom cape and do something to rescue and vindicate my child, I heard this tested and proven “Life Principle” ringing in my heart. While thinking about what I should do, God reminded me of the many battles he has fought for me when I did not lean on my own understanding, and, instead of taking matters into my own feeble hands, simply prayed.

I just finished studying the book of Joshua again. Although I have read Joshua’s last words to the Israelites several times before, they echoed in my heart in a fresh way this morning. Just before Joshua breathed his last, he assembled the people to remind them of the faithfulness and power of their God.

He reminded them that it wasn’t their weapons that won battles against much stronger people as they entered the Promise Land. It certainly wasn’t Israel who defeated Egypt, the greatest army of their time. It wasn’t by their own hard labor that manna fell from the heavens every morning for 40 years. It was because, even though they turned from God and rebelled time and again, he was always faithful to forgive, protect, provide and defend them, every time their leaders prayed.

As I reflected on what made Israel a great nation, and the many times God came to her rescue, I couldn’t help but smile. Because I have seen the same sovereign hand in my life, time and again. As a teenager, when I felt betrayed and lonely, it seems as if God would always send me a better friend. When I moved 6,000 miles away from home, leaving behind my country, my entire family and friends, I prayed and watched God’s faithful hands planting new, wonderful people in my life.

As I reflected on these and other times, when I watched God act on my behalf, even when all hope and material resources were gone, I realized that one thing indeed stood above all else: I have always fought the fiercest, yet most successful battles on my knees, in submission and humble prayer.

And so I decided to pack my Super Mom cape, and chose instead to spend the rest of my morning walk praying for my children. As I came back home, my heart was full of confidence on the lesson I would convey to them. Instead of coaching them on what to do or how to respond to their enemies, I chose to spend some time reminding them of our pastor’s tested and proven principle: Before you do anything, say anything, or choose any weapon and tactics to battle against those who wrong you, remember — fight your battles on your knees. For God will always be our defender and mighty warrior, so long as we choose to obey his word, and trust his mighty hand.

Before chosing a weapon to battle against your enemies, remember: you fight best on your knees. http://bit.ly/2abOUkK
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Patricia Holbrook is a Christian author, blogger and International speaker. Her Book Twelve Inches is on sale at Barnes & Nobles, Amazon and retailers worldwide. Visit her website www.soaringwithHim.com. Email pholbrook@soaringwithHim.com

The post Allow God to Handle Your Battles {Column for the Atlanta Journal Constitution} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.