Best-selling author Bob Goff calls students to love without fear

Liberty University’s Convocation message on Friday, April 24, was filled with anecdotal stories and laughter as author, speaker, and humanitarian Bob Goff took the stage to encourage students to love generously.

Goff is the New York Times Best-Selling Author of “Love Does.” He is an attorney and the founder of Restore International, a nonprofit human rights organization operating in Uganda, India, and Somalia. Because of his influence in Uganda, he was appointed as the Hon. Consul for the Republic of Uganda to the United States.

Students also enjoyed worship music from nine-time Dove Award-winner, Nichole Nordeman, who also shared personal, humorous stories.

Goff began his message by proclaiming the importance of loving everyone, being humble, and having a childlike faith.

“Find people that you don’t understand and get to know their names because God makes people, and people make issues, but people aren’t issues,” Goff said. “Be humble. Humble people know people’s names.”

The best-selling author, known for his adventurous spirit and radical means of showing generosity, illustrated his message with personal accounts from his own life.

He explained that people often allow fear to hinder them from putting their faith into action and told the story of when he was piloting a plane and thought the front landing gear was not functioning properly. Afraid to land, Goff circled the landing strip several times, searching for a solution. With no time left, Goff finally lowered the plane to the ground, relieved to find the problem was simply an unlit green light bulb on the flight control panel that led to the confusion. According to Goff, people too often get stuck in a holding pattern of fear, waiting for a green light, rather than taking initiative.

“Your life is all the green light you need,” he said.

Goff’s conclusion was simple: hold people close, and love them throughout life’s circumstances, good and bad.

After Convocation, both Goff and Nordeman took time to meet and greet students while signing books and albums.