Lowery Encourages Students to Walk on Water

February 10, 2000

Encouragement to overcome the storm was the theme for the Oklahoma Baptist University chapel service, Wednesday, Feb.16. The featured speaker, Dr. Fred Lowery, pastor of First Baptist Church of Bossier City, La., encouraged students to focus time and energy on their worship, their walk, their warfare, and their witness.

Lowery spoke from the passage in Matthew 14:23 that describes Jesus walking on water in the midst of a great storm. "I like to preach out of Matthew because even the guys can find Matthew," he joked.

"Storms are inevitable," he told the students. "Sometimes God walks you into storms, corrective storms. Jesus doesn't promise to save us from the storms but he does promise to save us through the storms. He is our everything for our anything,

"Here's the thing. God wants us to learn to walk on water. We never really test the resources of God until we try the impossible. People don't tap into the full resources of God.

"Peter asked for the impossible. He was the only one who did. They were all in the boat, they were all in trouble. We miss God's best because we are afraid to get out of our comfort zone and get out of the boat. We focus on what has happened or what could happen, not on a supernatural God.

Lowery asked the students, "Do you expect miracles?" He said that when we see miracles, we have been a part of worship.

"The guys in the boat watched Peter, one of their own, do the impossible. Sure they had a worship experience from watching that. But Peter got out of the boat and went to Jesus. Was his worship experience higher than theirs was? Sure it was.

"Don't depend on the worship experiences of others. Go over to God yourself."

Lowery earned a bachelor of arts degree from Samford University, a master of theology degree from Southwest Baptist Theological Seminary, and a doctor of ministry degree from Luther Rice Seminary.

He has previously served as president of the Louisiana Baptist Convention, president of the Southern Baptist Convention Pastor's Conference, and vice president of the SBC.

Currently Dr. Lowery is seen on FBC, Bossier City's, The First Word television ministry, a weekly broadcast in Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, Alabama, and Georgia. For over a decade, The First Word has been one of the most watched religious shows in the Bossier City area, and recently was labeled "the most watched program on Sundays" for the area.

Dr. Lowery also has published a number of books including, Jogging Through The Bible, Seven Habits of Highly Successful Marriages, and How to be Happy and Stay Married.

He and his wife, Leigh, have two daughters, Christy and Shelby.