Inspire, Spring 2007

Spring 2007 Pray Creatively W e are a media-dependent culture. The power of the media can either be destructive or it can be a tool used by God to communicate His truth. I am grateful that so many are catching the vision to represent Christ through radio, television, and film. As we celebrate the ministry of CDR visionary Paul Gathany, we want to take a snapshot of some Cedarville University alumni who are serving the Lord through the media. They deserve our encouragement and prayers. Speaking of prayers, for many years I have been praying every day for a long list of celebrities to come to Christ. Some of them are actors, some are musicians, and some merely fall under the category of “well-known personalities.” But all of them are influential. They have the eyes and ears of culture. What they say and do usually warrants a mention in the “Life” section of USA Today . I pray creatively for each celebrity. This morning, for example, I prayed that each celebrity would come into contact with a real Christian and as a result ponder the reality of God’s love through Christ. Sometimes I pray that they will see something on television that will draw their hearts to God or find themselves in a difficult situation and in their helplessness look up to God. A few months ago I was being interviewed by phone on a radio talk show, and I mentioned praying for celebrities. Shortly thereafter, a man called in from New York who said his job was driving cars from city to city for dealerships. A few days before, he had driven actor Ewan McGregor from Syracuse to Toronto to pick up a car. He put in a CD with biblical teaching that, he said, at first did not please McGregor. After awhile, however, the two of them became engrossed in the stories and teaching. When he stopped at a gas station, McGregor even asked him to keep the motor running so he could continue listening. When they arrived in Toronto and parted, McGregor was genuinely pleased and moved by their time together. Guess who is praying for Ewan McGregor! Thanks for your prayers and support as Cedarville University continues to provide an education that grounds our students on the Word of God and helps them dream about making a difference in the world for Christ. President’s Pen Dr. Bill Brown President Soulforce, a gay advocacy group, has announced that they will visit Cedarville University on April 19 to protest our biblical position on homosexuality. While we did not invite them to come, we intend to use their planned protest to articulate a biblical response and to lovingly share the gospel. Because this is a spiritual issue at its core , one of the most important ways we can prepare is to pray. We have initiated a “Speaking Truth to Our Culture” online prayer calendar at www.cedarville.edu / speakingtruth. If you sign up to pray, you will receive current prayer requests and updates. We encourage you to join the prayer effort! Some of the specific prayer requests you might consider include: • a Christlike response from our campus community. • wisdom and unity for Dr. Carl Ruby, workshop presenters, and the task team as they prepare our campus community. • protection for our campus. • the other universities that are on the protest itinerary. • the protestors themselves, that their hearts and minds would be changed by God’s truth. Thank you for joining us as we blanket our campus and this protest in prayer. To read the latest updates on how CU is preparing for the upcoming protest, go online to www.cedarville.edu/speakingtruth . Prayer for the Soulforce Protest