Gospel Light Minute X with Daniel Whyte III

She is an American track and field athlete who specializes in the 100 meter hurdles. She was the gold medalist in the 100 meter hurdles at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. During her time with the UCLA Bruins, she won the sprint hurdles at the US Junior Championships and at the Pan American Junior Athletics Championships. She received All-American honours twice at the 2004 NCAA Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championship, after coming eighth in the 100 meter hurdles final and taking second place in the 4×100-meter relay. She ran 12.61 seconds to win a silver medal at the 2009 IAAF World Athletics Final. She qualified first at the 2012 United States Summer Olympic Trials and is competing in London. She says of her faith, "My faith was definitely a part of me growing up. I went to church on Sundays, but I knew that God was real in my life. A lot of people start to look towards God when they get hurt, and when I hurt myself as a sophomore and had knee surgery, the doctors told me I would probably never run as fast again. I was only 15 years old and track was what I wanted to do. So when I came back from that, I realized God had a much bigger plan for me. And then, when I had knee surgery before the 2008 Olympics, that just sealed the deal. I was thinking, 'There is another plan for me that I may not see for myself. I’m supposed to reach out to other people and show them what God can do because of what He’s done through me.' I knew that it was all about giving God the glory. And once I crossed the finish line, that’s the first thing that crossed my mind. A lot of people call me the “What” girl because once I won the race, you can watch the footage and see that I’m saying “What” over and over again. But what I was saying, was that from this big ole globe, God chose this little girl from East Saint Louis out of all the kids who have said, 'I want to go to the Olympics.' He knew that I could handle this—the knee surgery and all of the things that come with being an Olympic champion. He took the girl that no one thought would win. He chose me. He entrusted me with this. And after that race in 2008, I just broke down crying." Her name is Dawn Harper.

In the wake of the mass shooting that happened in Denver, Colorado last week, several articles and videos came out that demonstrated what to do if you find yourself in a similar situation. I thought that that was rather thoughtful of people to put together. But if you ever find yourself in such a situation, and those things don't work, you need to be ready to die. And, today, I'm going to show you how you can do that. Someone once said, "Death is always around the corner." That is so true. From the time we are born, the specter of death looms close by. It stalks us from our birth to the end of our life where it closes its grip over our cold bodies and claims us for the grave. Death lurks on crime-ridden streets where gang members snuff out each other's lives with guns. Death walks desert battlefields where soldiers sacrifice their lives in service to their countries. Death hovers nearby as terrorists blow themselves up among unsuspecting men on their way to work, mothers shopping, and children going to school. Death's long march from the Garden of Eden continues as disease and sickness runs their course in our frail bodies. We don't like to think of the ever-present reality of death. Scientists have researched an abundance of things we can do that are supposed to increase our lifespan. For example, they say that being happily married, going to bed early, walking, running, living in the country, having a lot of children, learning to play the piano, not smoking, being optimistic, drinking black tea, drinking a little wine, getting a pet, and eating chocolate will all help us delay the day when death comes knocking at our door. Yet death still comes knocking. So many people who seemingly have their whole lives ahead of them are surprised by death. Shocked by death. Taken aback by death. Death is no respecter of persons. Death is not a racist. Death is not prejudiced. It takes the rich and the poor, the young and the old, the educated and the ignorant, the Jew and the Gentile, the black and the white, the straight and the homosexual. Nobody escapes death. Nobody cheats death. In fact, the Bible says, "it is appointed unto men once to die." There are very few things certain about life -- one of them is death. So, what can you do about it? If death is inevitable -- and it is -- is there anything you should even try to do? The answer, my friend, is yes. While death is inevitable, death is not the end. While the Bible says, "it is appointed unto men once to die," it also says, "but after this the judgment." After you die, you will face God and then you will be sent to one of two places -- heaven or hell. Heaven is where all of those who have accepted Jesus Christ will go after they die -- it is a place of beauty, peace, joy, and eternal life. Hell is where all of those who rejected Jesus Christ will go after they die -- it is a place of torment, punishment, sadness and despair. If you want to go to Heaven after you die, you simply have to put your trust in the only one who defeated Death. His name is Jesus Christ. He is God's Son who came to earth and lived as a man for over 30 years. His single goal was to provide a way for us to be saved from our sins (the bad things that we do) and the consequences of our sins which is Death. He accomplished this goal by living a perfect and holy life and then dying on the cross. As he died an agonizing death on the cross, He took all of our sins on Himself and God the Father poured out all of the punishment that we deserve on His Son. Jesus Christ was buried in a tomb, but three days later He rose from the dead. He walked the earth again because He had defeated Death once and for all, and now, if we place our faith and trust in Jesus Christ we will overcome death when we die as well. + Plus, listen to Stephen Curtis Chapman singing "With Hope"

Olympian Dawn Harper and God's Special Plan for Her Life (Gospel Light Minute #64)

GLMX 110: How to Be Ready to Die at Any Time

Break Up Your Fallow Ground: It is Time to Seek the Lord (Part 8)

Sunday Evening Evangelistic Message #70 Scripture: Hosea 10:9-13 Based on a list of sins which the great evangelist Charles G. Finney gave in his classic sermon titled "Break Up Your Fallow Ground: It is Time to Seek the Lord", we began pinpointing some of the sins which we as the church need to confess and repent of. This week, we are continuing this series by addressing the next three sins on our list. I. The first sin we will address today is levity. Levity is defined as "lightness of mind, character, or behavior; a lack of appropriate seriousness or earnestness." The Bible also says in Ephesians 5:4, "Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks." God will rather for us to give thanks to Him than to do a whole lot of foolish talking. II. The second sin we will address today is the awful sin of lying. I am here to tell you that nothing will bring you down and nothing will destroy your relationships with other people faster than lying. The Bible says in Proverbs 12:22, "Lying lips are abomination to the Lord: but they that deal truly are his delight." III. The third sin we will address today is the terrible sin of hypocrisy. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 15:7-8, "Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me." + Plus, listen to Deitrick Haddon singing "Do Not Pass Me By" and the Rance Allen Group singing "Livin' For Jesus".

Olympic events get our adrenaline going. The greatest athletes in the world have assembled for the 2012 Summer Games, just as they have since the first modern summer games in 1896. But it's not easy to compete in the Olympics. In the triathlon, athletes engage in swimming for nearly one mile, bicycling for nearly 25 miles, and then running for six miles. Or how about the ten thousand meter races? Or the four hundred meter hurdles races? Olympic competition is for an elite few. Not many can do these things well. For most of us, it's hard enough to get out of bed in the morning. And while few experience the olympic thrill of victory, the rest of us are more familiar with smaller successes and the occasional agony of defeat. Life can be tough, filled with "I should've, could've, or would've" and not to mention "Uh-ohs" instead of gold medals. Fortunately, there is someone who can empathize with our struggles. He suffered the ultimate agony of defeat: total rejection and pain, so we can win at the olympics of life. 700 years before He walked the earth, Isaiah the prophet had this to say about Jesus in Isaiah 53:3, "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief." Yet He suffered defeat for us. Verse 8 says, "...for the transgression of my people was he stricken." And then He had the greatest victory of all time: Rising from the dead! Verse 11 says, "He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied." Jesus defeated death, lives forever, and has made a way for you and me to do the same. + Plus, listen to Mandisa singing "Victorious"

Daniel Whyte III asks the most important question that everyone needs to answer. God is our Creator. He made man in His image and after His likeness. He is the absolute ruler over all He has made and has the ultimate prerogative to command man. God's greatest commandments are these. To love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and might; and to love our neighbor as ourselves. There are big questions that haunt all of us. What happens when I die? Where will I spend eternity? The single most important question that you will ever answer is this - "If I were to die today, would I spend eternity in Heaven with God?" Your relationship to Jesus Christ is central to the answer to that question. The Bible tells us in I John 5:12, "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life..." The simple truth is God wants you to know where you're going! So, here it is in a nutshell: First, you must understand your need for a personal Saviour... The Bible is very clear that we all have a huge problem called sin. Romans 3:23 says it this way, "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." This verse simply means that none of us are perfect. Are you willing to admit that? The problem is this - sin has a high price tag... Romans 6:23a says, "For the wages of sin is death..." In other words, the price for sin is eternal death apart from God in a place called Hell - not a good thing! Because of our sin, none of us can make it into Heaven alone. Here's the good news... God sent help! The rest of Romans 6:23 says, "...but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Again in Romans 5:8 God says, "But God commendeth His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us!" This leads us to the second step. You must believe that Jesus Christ wants to be your Saviour! Jesus Christ came to earth as God in the flesh, lived a perfect life, and then voluntarily died on a cross because He loves you. On that cross, He literally paid for all of your sins. He took your blame! He punished Himself for your wrong-doings. What a great gift! John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." God, in His awesome love, came to earth to make a way for you to be forgiven of your sins and given eternal life! Finally, you must place your full trust in Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour... Romans 10:13 says, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." In verse ten of that same chapter God says, "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." He says it's as simple as believing and receiving! It's as simple as asking! If you've never asked Jesus Christ to be your personal Saviour, you could do that right now! With Him in your heart, life will make a lot more sense. You could stop right now and sincerely pray something like this: Lord Jesus, I believe that You are God, that You died for my sin, and that You rose again from the dead. I know that I am a sinner, and I ask You now to be my personal Saviour. I'm placing my full trust in You alone, and I now accept Your gift of eternal life. Thank you for keeping Your promise! Amen. If you have just trusted Christ, you'll never regret that decision! Believe by faith. Share the faith. And keep the faith! God Bless You! + Plus, listen to Josh Wilson singing "Saviour, Please"

She is a star American track and field athlete who specializes in the 60 and 100 meter hurdles. She won three NCAA titles and garnered 11 All-American honors while at Louisiana State University. She won indoor national titles in 2007, 2008 and 2009 in the 60 meter hurdles, with gold medals at the World Indoor Championship in 2008 and 2010. She went on to win silver at the 2008 World Athletics Final. She is the American record holder in the 60 meter hurdles with a time of 7.72. She recently placed third in the 100 meter hurdles at the U.S. Olympics trials, qualifying her for a spot on the 2012 Summer Olympics team. Growing up with a difficult childhood in Iowa, she often had to shoplift dinners for her family to survive. Her mother worked two jobs to support her family of six. Her father was, for the most part, in the Air Force, and later in state prison. While in third grade, her family settled down in the basement of a Salvation Army church; and she had to wake up early each morning to avoid being teased by other children who found out about her situation. When her family was about to move again to another city in Iowa, she told her mother, "Mom, I can't go to a city that doesn't have a track. I'm trying to pursue my dream." At that time, her and her family parted ways. She lived with four different families throughout her high school years while at the same time she kept up her grades and fought to fulfill her dream. She often speaks of how her strong faith in God helped pull her through difficult times. And she has a ritual of reading the Bible before a race and listening to Christian music. She created a buzz when she recently revealed in an interview the difficulty of remaining a virgin until marriage. She said that "This journey of staying a virgin until marriage has been hard -- Harder than training for the Olympics and harder than graduating from college. It's just something, a gift I want to give to my husband." Her name is Lolo Jones.

Break Up Your Fallow Ground: It is Time to Seek the Lord (Part 7)

GLMX #109: In Light of the Horrifying Tragedies Striking Our Nation and Our World, the Question Seems to Me to be, If You Were to Die Today, Where Would You Go, Heaven or Hell?

Lolo Jones: How Faith and Determination Took Her to the Top (Gospel Light Minute #63)

GLMX #108: How to Win At the Olympics of Life

Jesus Christ said in John 8:12: "I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." The long awaited epic conclusion to filmmaker Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy is almost upon us. In part two, the Dark Knight, also known as Batman, saved Gotham City, but he could not save himself, as he ultimately had to take the blame for villain Harvey Dent's crimes. Being hunted by the police, he was forced to leave the task of protecting Gotham City in Commissioner Gordon's hands who managed to do a superb job in finally bringing peace to Gotham. After what seemed like ages, this was enough to convince Batman that Gotham City was safe and that Bruce Wayne need never put on the Batsuit again..or so it seemed... Eight years since Batman vanished into the night, everything will change with the arrival of a cunning cat burgler with a mysterious agenda. But far more dangerous, far more sinister, far more dark and wicked, is the emergence of Bane, a masked terrorist whose ruthless plans for Gotham City drive Bruce Wayne out of his self-imposed exile. In this final part of the trilogy, Batman must face a foe unlike any he has ever faced and this time Batman may be no match for Bane. Gotham is in need of its true Savior...will he rise? Just like the citizens of Gotham, we too face a dark and dangerous terrorist. From the beginning of time he has and continues to torment our world. Death and fear cling to him like a cloak, he is the instigator of all wars and fuels the hate of humans. His lover is evil; murder and lies run close on his heels; and light is extinguished whenever he is near. Our tormentor is nimble and swift on foot, a clever, energetic, reckless monster who pursues all of humanity to claim their souls for his abode called Hell. His name is Satan and his mission is threefold: to kill, to steal, and to destroy. Just like the citizens of Gotham, we too face a foe that we cannot defeat on our own. Just like the citizens of Gotham, we too have a Saviour. Unlike the citizens of Gotham, the question is not will our true Savior rise. He has risen already. Unlike the citizens of Gotham, the question is not is our true Savior a match for Satan. Our Savior's name is Jesus Christ and He is a match and more than a match. Face to face, Satan both fears and trembles in His presence. The fact is He is coming again. The question for you and me is are we ready for his return? + Plus, listen to Abandon singing "Hero"

Sunday Evening Evangelistic Message #69 Scripture: Hosea 10:9-13 Based on a list of sins which the great evangelist Charles G. Finney gave in his classic sermon titled "Break Up Your Fallow Ground: It is Time to Seek the Lord", we began pinpointing some of the sins which we as the church need to confess and repent of. This week, we are continuing this series by addressing the next three sins on our list. I. The first sin we will address today is envy. The Bible says in James 3:16: "For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work." II. The second sin we will address today is bitterness. The Bible says in Ephesians 4:31-32: "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." III. The third sin we will address today is slander and gossip. There are many passages of Scripture about the effects of slander and gossip. But here, I want to draw your attention to one. Proverbs 11:13 says "A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter." + Plus, listen to Shirley Murdock singing "Change" and Beverly Crawford singing "Higher In The Lord".