[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/charge-to-2022-graduates-live-courageously-for-christ\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/charge-to-2022-graduates-live-courageously-for-christ\/","headline":"Charge to 2022 Graduates: Live Courageously for Christ","name":"Charge to 2022 Graduates: Live Courageously for Christ","description":"Lisa Williams speaks at the 2022 Commencement ceremony on May 6, 2022. Former Faulkner University First Lady, Lisa Williams charged graduates at this year\u2019s 2022 commencement to block out the lies of this world and to go and live authentic,…","datePublished":"2022-05-10","dateModified":"2022-06-03","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/author\/rburylo\/#Person","name":"Rebecca Burylo","url":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/author\/rburylo\/","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/37a0c97fbd1eda89e38697defcaf0573?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/37a0c97fbd1eda89e38697defcaf0573?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Faulkner University","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/Official-Horizontal-480x128.png","url":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/Official-Horizontal-480x128.png","width":480,"height":128}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/Commence202210am25-scaled.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/Commence202210am25-scaled.jpg","height":1263,"width":2560},"url":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/charge-to-2022-graduates-live-courageously-for-christ\/","about":["Highlights","News"],"wordCount":652,"articleBody":"Lisa Williams speaks at the 2022 Commencement ceremony on May 6, 2022. Former Faulkner University First Lady, Lisa Williams charged graduates at this year\u2019s 2022 commencement to block out the lies of this world and to go and live authentic, courageous lives for Jesus Christ.As this year\u2019s commencement speaker, Williams encouraged students as they face the professional world after graduation, to stay true to their faith in Christ. \u201cWhat will happen when you step into a world where it is becoming toxic to be a Christian?\u201d she asked.  \u201cYou\u2019re told you are actually the problem and the road block to enlightenment and flourishing because of your beliefs and practices. Make no mistake we are all in this daily war and it\u2019s not one of guns and bombs; it\u2019s not against other people\u2019s ideologies; it is a war of lies and not so much that we tell lies, but more that we live them. We let false narratives into our minds and it wreaks havoc in our souls.\u201d\u201cYou have all attended a Christian university and have completed a rigorous path of study in preparation for a promising and prosperous future,\u201d Williams added. \u201cWhile at Faulkner you have had a Christian lens applied to the studies of that chosen path. But are you ready not for your career, but for the battle you will be in daily for your soul\u2019s peace?Williams shared her thoughts for the ceremony\u2019s message were taken from the book, Live No Lies by John Mark Comer.In the book, Comer notes society is shifting in its views toward Christianity. While the majority of the population once aligned with Christians and Christian beliefs, Christians now make up a minority of the population. Likewise, Christians once held a place of honor in society, but now seem to hold a place of shame. The world is growing in hostility toward those professing their faith in Christ and becoming more accepting of secularism\u2019s alternative vision of human flourishing.The world is making a desperate attempt to fill our heads and our hearts with lies to make us ineffective for Christ, Williams said.\u201cTo put it simply we may hear that voice in our heads saying I\u2019m not smart enough, I\u2019m not attractive, nobody will really like me, I\u2019ll always fail, if they knew what I\u2019ve done they could never love or like me. In our culture self exists to be explored, indulged and expressed, but not disciplined or restrained,\u201d Williams said.Williams added that our deepest desire, if we\u2019re truly honest with ourselves, is an ache for God Himself and to live in His love and to yield to His promises and His will for our lives. While the world says to give in to the surface-level desires of our flesh, we are called instead to seek after goodness, love, loyalty, humility, joy, compassion and the fruits of the Spirit.\u201cThrough Jesus you can come to peace and you can live no lies. Earlier you were asked, are you ready?\u201d Williams said. \u201cThe answer is, yes. Yes you are ready, you can live the life with no lies. We can choose to have quiet time alone with God in prayer. We can talk with Him and walk with Him in spirit each day by being mindful of Him and in service to others for Him, we can fast, we can read His word, we can support and be supported by the body of Christ just by assembling together. You can have your soul\u2019s deepest desires, to be a person of goodness and love. Living lives for Jesus in a toxic world will not only bring you peace and so much more but it will give honor and glory to our King with each step we take. May you go in peace.\u201dHighlights: Celebrating New Members of Christ’s Body "},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Charge to 2022 Graduates: Live Courageously for Christ","item":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/charge-to-2022-graduates-live-courageously-for-christ\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]