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Longtime LU board member Dr. Jerry Thorpe shares wisdom for decision-making

On Monday, in front of more than 10,000 Liberty University students at Convocation, Dr. Jerry Thorpe passed on some of the wisdom that has helped him be successful in his 80 years of life, including 62 years of following Jesus.

Thorpe is president emeritus of Temple Baptist Church in Odessa, Texas, where he has served since 1964 while also preaching across the nation. He has also been a member of Liberty’s Board of Trustees for nearly 29 years.

As Thorpe delivered a message filled with humorous anecdotes and biblical truth, he challenged his audience to be aware of how decisions they make now will impact their future.

“Your life will be defined by the choices that you have made and the choices that you are making now — how you treat your family, how hard you study in school, what your morals are, the level of friendship that you keep and the quality of your friends, how hard you are willing to work, and your relationship with Jesus Christ,” Thorpe said.

He reminded them of God’s promise in 1 Corinthians 10:13 that they will not experience temptation without a way to overcome it.

Duke Westover

“God will not let that happen to you unless you are willing to run the red lights,” he said. “God is faithful and will always say, ‘Don’t go there, that is a bad place to be.’”

Looking at the Old Testament story of Joseph, the privileged son who was sold into slavery by his brothers, Thorpe offered five questions that might have helped the biblical hero make the right choice and flee when his master’s wife attempted to seduce him. The questions were: “Who gets hurt?” which is considering how one’s actions affect others; “what are my moral convictions?” standing for what you believe; “where is God?” realizing He is always watching; “should I run?” knowing when it is time to flee; and “what are my dreams?” remembering your goals and that “God has special plans for you.”

“If you come across something that is wrong, don’t keep circling the block,” Thorpe advised. “Don’t keep hanging around; don’t keep playing it out in your mind, don’t keep driving around until one day you find a parking place.”

Thorpe told the students he was “trying to keep you from swimming around in lake stupid” and shared three things that should keep them from doing so: have a real relationship with Jesus, spend time with God daily, and “quit hanging around with people who are swimming in lake stupid.”

Before Thorpe’s message, students heard from two other longtime members of Liberty’s family.

Michael Faulkner

Board of Trustees member Duke Westover, who operates DuCar International Tours, was recognized by Dr. Ronald Hawkins, Liberty’s provost and vice president for academic affairs, for his years of dedication to the Holy Land. Westover has visited Israel 89 times, leading thousands of people on tours through his organization since 1981. In January, Westover received a lifetime achievement award from the Israeli Knesset and the World Jewish Congress for his contributions to the Jewish State.

Westover reminded the audience of the Abrahamic covenant that those who bless Israel will be blessed and those who curse her will be cursed. He noted that Liberty Founder Dr. Jerry Falwell was a strong advocate for Israel, as Liberty remains today. Westover said 80 percent of tourism to the Holy Land from the U.S. comes from evangelical Christians and “Liberty University has been a major part of that movement.”

Students also heard from Michael Faulkner, the one-time New York Jet who also served as Liberty’s vice president for urban ministries in the mid-1980s before moving to New York to become a full-time civic activist. Faulkner is running for mayor of New York City in 2017.

He challenged the students to be involved in their communities and concerned about issues that affect them.

“We as Americans need to band together, need to come together in unity to help each other realize our God-given potential,” Faulkner said.

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