Evangelist Jamey Ragle encourages students

Evangelist Jamey Ragle spoke and Christian band Austins Bridge performed at Friday’s convocation service in the Vines Center.

They were all scheduled to be part of the “Shake the Foundation” concert Friday night at Thomas Road Baptist Church, featuring singer and LU alumnus Marc Ivey.

Austins Bridge is nominated for three Dove Awards this year, including New Artist of the Year, Bluegrass Recorded Song of the Year and Country Album of the Year.

Ragle, who is known for his humorous illustrations and his hard-core lessons from the Word of God, has been preaching for 31 years. His passion is for teens and young adults. He has ministered at church revival meetings, Reach the Planet crusades, corporate meetings, school assemblies and youth camps.

Ragle has visited Liberty University many times. In Friday’s message, he used the story of Samson from the Bible and his “step into stupid” to show how God’s strength came back when he made a “repentant return.”

“It would be sad to be remembered for what you might have been,” he told students.

Adding in some humorous tales about marriage, dating, ice cream and tattoos, he talked about confidence coming only from God and not the world.

“I’ll tell you what you can always be confident in, my God will supply your needs,” he said.

He also shared the personal story of his 22-year-old daughter Holly who is in a nursing home due to massive bleeding in the brain when she was a month old. “She doesn’t walk, talk or speak,” he said. On one recent visit to see her, he asked himself, “I honestly wonder what do people without Christ do?”

He told students they must make their relationship with God real, because they don’t know where life will lead them.

“Some of you have accepted the artificial for so long, you don’t know the real thing because you’ve always known the imitation,” he said.

Ragle asked for students who wanted their “Saturday nights to match their Sunday mornings” to “come back home and do the right thing.” A flood of students came out of their seats to join him at the front of the stage as he ended the service in prayer for them.

For more on “Shake the Foundation” go to www.marcivey.com