Denzel Washington just gave an incredible commencement speech at New Orleans' Dillard University. His main advice for the graduates? "Put God first in everything you do."
In this modern age of perpetual consumption—news, entertainment, food, and endless digital stimulation—the idea of voluntarily going without feels almost...radical. Yet for the earliest...
"I could feel hot, salty tears coming down my face. I sat and cried silently... I was scrunching myself up against the wall as far as I could. All of a sudden, someone from behind us taps on the guy’s shoulder..."
In churches across America, a quiet but consequential conversation is unfolding. It often begins with a question—sometimes whispered, sometimes posted publicly on social media....
I was trying to pray, and honestly, I just felt like crying. The lump in my throat grew, with a heat behind it, like a torrent of tears lay on the other side just waiting to pour out.
“Everybody is so confused about what truth is. And the Church is supposed to be invading culture with the Kingdom of God. Instead, we are letting culture invade the church."
“I look around again and everybody that was around me was dead and I am alive. And I just started thanking God: ‘Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Lord.' The moment I get out of here, I’m testifying about you. I am worshipping you for the rest of my life."
"Most shocking, as these influencers disavow their faith, they always end their statements with their “new insight/new truth” that is basically a regurgitation of Jesus’s words?! It’s truly bizarre and ironic."
How could I possibly know our biggest struggle? Because I’ve heard the same universal thread whispered by pastors’ wives, and prodigal daughters, and everyone in between.
"When I was in the throws of it and literally bouncing back and forth, like a ping pong ball, between the doors in the hall, I could barely see the beauty. But oh how I tried."
