- May 18th, 2007, 4:44 pm
#85244
FALWELL CONFIDENTIAL
Insider weekly newsletter to The Moral Majority Coalition and
The Liberty Alliance http://www.moralmajority.com
From: Jonathan Falwell
Date: May 18, 2007
Honoring My Father
In I Kings chapter 2, the great King David spoke to his son Solomon about the important things in life. David, who was on his deathbed, shared with Solomon the importance of always following God’s will in his life. David told his son to be strong, to obey God’s laws, and to never stray from what he had learned about God’s promises. In the end, David promised Solomon that if he would follow God throughout his life, he would be able to accomplish great things.
These principles that David shared with his son are the same principles that my dad followed throughout his life. He held God’s promises close to his heart throughout his 55 years as a Christian and more than 50 years as a pastor, never losing sight of the unique vision God had planted in his heart.
I saw through the years that my dad always sought God’s direction and then boldly, even audaciously, went to work to carry out what God placed in his heart.
As David shared those principles with Solomon thousands of years ago, my dad also shared the same principles with my brother Jerry Jr., my sister Jeanie, and with me. He not only verbally shared them with us; he lived them out in amazing ways.
I never once saw my father stray from God’s direction. I never doubted dad’s walk with God because I witnessed his unswerving commitment to follow God’s principles every step of the way. What a legacy!
I am praying now that I can live my life as a humble and committed servant of God, as my dad did, as my family continues to keep the vision alive.
My dad frequently quoted Proverbs 29:18, which simply states, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” My dad was most definitely a man of vision.
As his son, I had a unique perspective on the growth of Thomas Road Baptist Church and Liberty University. I have witnessed many events, both good and bad, in their histories. One thing that was always evident was that dad never stopped believing in the vision that God placed on his heart. He was simply tenacious in following God’s instructions.
I was born in 1966, ten years after dad started his public ministry. As far back as I can remember, my memories of dad are of a man who was fully committed to doing everything he possibly could to further the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I remember many days and nights when he would come home and would tell the family the plans that God had laid on his heart for new ministries. I remember those first conversations about starting a college. His vision was to build a college that would further the educational arm of the ministry that had already begun with the founding of Lynchburg Christian Academy. He was buzzing with excitement at this new venture God had placed in his heart.
I remember his conversations about expanding the television ministry across America to reach every possible home with the Gospel.
I remember those early conversations about trying to impact the culture by getting involved in politics.
I remember him sharing his passion to bring Christians to the political table.
All along the way, my dad never got discouraged or sidetracked from the vision. He remained steadfast in a way that only Jerry Falwell could.
As I think back on my dad’s nearly 51 years of ministry, I can only attribute its great success to God and a man who understood vision. I hope that I, too, will be able to effectively teach these principles to my children in the years to come.
And, I hope that as I continue teaching these principles — to the church and to my own family — that it will be far more than just words. I am praying that God will allow me to embody the dedication to the Gospel in my life that I saw in my father’s life.
May people see these principles lived out every day in my life, just as I had the great privilege of witnessing this in my dad’s life.
The Falwell Confidential Will Continue On
One of the ways in which I will keep my dad’s legacy alive is to take on his role in writing the Falwell Confidential. I will be working with the National Liberty Journal staff and continuing to confront the culture through this communiqu�. I ask that you pray for me as I take up the mantle of Jerry Falwell in this manner. I certainly feel humbled by the great challenge of filling his shoes in this way. But I believe this is how he would want it to be.
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- By PAmedic