Their will be a very special presentation for all our past "Men of the Year"! A special gift will be given to each of the five men.
We will recognize all our Doctoral Students and will present to them the Gold Cord of Excellence!
Our Semi-Formal Gala Dinner is filling up fast, so call into today with your reservation!
The Adult Community Choir from Lake View, South Carolina will be performing a few songs of inspiration, plus Dr. William Lee Choir of Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania will be performing songs in honor of Dr. Lee...Our Man of the Year for 2013!
This year's Gala Dinner will provide a wonderful night of Unity, Kindness, Fellowship and Praise and Worship! Plus, we will present awards for several schools!
Your Friend for Life,
Dr. J.L. Cook President North Carolina College of Theology
If I said it once, I said it 1000 times...watch who you permit in your life. Watch who you put in your circle!! I want to send 25 people my book "Unstoppable" All you have to do is call...910-395-5593. I will send it to you free!!
"God's people need to understand, about who we permit in our circle and life!!"
Your Friend for Life,
Dr. J.L. Cook
President
North Carolina College of Theology
I have an urgent prayer request, our insurance has raised $8,400 per year. Because of the number of seats in our Chapel and the number of parking around our building. It seems like every time we turn around it's more money. I do not want to raise prices at our school, so if you would please pray that God will help us with the special "Important Need!"
Half of the insurance is due now, and if you can help us it would be greatly appreciated. We are trying hard to do God's will, please pray for us.
Your Friend for Life,
Dr. J.L. Cook
President
North Carolina College of Theology
My dear friend Rev. Sam Barnette The Associate Pastor of
South Gastonia Church of God in Gastonia, NC is in the Carolina
Hospital in Charlotte, NC.Be much in Prayer for this great man of God.
My son Daniel, preached on prayer last night...made me feel how fortunate we
are to be able to talk to our heavenly father.
When I first started going to my secret place, I realized that I must stay long enough to create a conversation. I also found out the secret place is a place to take the mask off. After all, this place is reserved only for two. The secret place will create pleasure, change and strength. This fellow realized that you must stay long enough for the Holy Spirit to speak to me. It is very important to take your time in the secret place.
Stay long enough to hear God Stay long enough for your joy to return Stay long enough for the spirit of anger to leave Stay long enough to intercede for your family Stay long enough for confusion to leave your life Stay long enough for murmuring and complaining to die Stay long enough to read His Word Stay long enough to listen to His Word Stay long enough to listen to His Word Stay long enough for pain to leave your life
WHAT GOD TAUGHT ME IN THE SECRET PLACE Thirty years ago, I promised myself before I would speak to anyone, I would talk to God. Yes, I found that there is a safe place that I can go. There is a place where you can have the God of this universe all to yourself.
When I was born, January 30, 1950, God knew that I would need a private place to meet Him. When I trusted Jesus as my Saviour at Landis Baptist Church in Landis, NC, David taught me a song in Psalms 27... For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion For the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me!
I, like David, became totally aware of being completely protected. Yes, the secret place you can find for assurance of personal victory in the Lord. Just as David des, He shall set me high upon a rock and now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me (v. 5-6).
I stood in front of a church that I was pastoring, after going through great hurt, pain and accusations and the Spirit of God took me to Psalms 43:9-10. "In you I take shelter teach me to do Your will for you are my God." During those hurtful days, I came to see there really was a secret place where God wanted me to meet with Him. So, I believe those hurts, scares and embarrassments were all a part of Gods plan to do something different in my life. It taught me early to withdraw often to my secret place and commune with Him. Experiencing the Lord's presence in my secret place has been a source of refreshment throughout my Christian life, there my God and I have planned His business for me. Beloved, that's when the North Carolina College of Theology started.
In the secret place you can find full assurance of personal victory in the Lord. Just as David does. "He shall set me high upon a rock and now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me." (v.5-6)
Dr. J. Harold Smith once told me, "Anointed men and women do what others refuse to do." Jacob had a special place where he experienced God — He even named his place, Bethel. My home pastor, Dr. L.O. Bartlett had a place of his own. He would always go to the mountain to pray about special things and sometimes take someone with him to pray with him, I had the honor to go with him once. I encourage everyone to give a name to your place of prayer.
- the secret place - the upper room - the chamber of God's Presence - the place of hope
History records show that great preachers such as John Wesley, George Whitfield, R.A. Torey, W.A. Criswell, Ralph Sexton Sr., B.R. Laklin and others had a specific place and time to pray. Each morning in my secret place, God has brought me to some of the greatest books, outside of the Bible, to read. In the book, Life on the Highest Plane, by Ruth Paxton taught me about having a spirit filled life in my secret place.
My heart was sadden today after receiving a phone call about
the home going of Mrs. Angela Streeter, the wife of Dr. James Streeter. Without
doubt, she was one of the most caring and delightful ladies I have ever been
around. Oh, how she loved Jesus! One day we will see her again in that city
called Heaven. Dr. Streeter, our prayers are with you and your precious family!
I just heard Big Mo sing his song "Don't Point A Finger, Lend A Hand". How true those words
are. Anybody can criticize, but we need to build others up not cut them down. For over fifteen
years now, I have been working at our school twelve to fifteen hours a day. My desire is to help
men and women with their Biblical education. Yes, we are a Bible College only!
Seeing men and women of God do great things for the Lord thrills my soul. I guess we don't
always do everything right by some peoples opinions, but we have seen and heard about
thousands of people being saved and hundreds have accepted the call to preach, teach or
become missionaries. Without a doubt, we all know Jesus is coming soon, and as Christians, we
need to win as many as we can to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
June 7th and 8th 2013 will be NCCT's annual Black Tie Gala and Graduation ceremony. This year
we will have a preaching, singing and teaching fellowship day on June 6, 2013 from 10:00 am to
6:00pm in our main office's auditorium. Our office is located at 1111 The Cape Blvd.
Wilmington, NC. We will provide lunch as well, so please plan to join us. We would like
everyone to join us and be prepared to preach, sing or teach the Word of God. All speakers
will be chosen randomly from the floor.
In closing, let me brag on Jesus. He is so wonderful, loving and caring. He is my Lord and I
praise Him and give Him glory for everything in my life and for how He has blessed The North
Carolina College of Theology.
See you at the house!
What would it take for God to move your life in a different direction — to make a major change in location or work or ministry? If you found yourself pondering such a change, how could you be certain God was behind it? And even if you were convinced the idea came from God, how could you be confident that you were developing and nurturing your plans for it in the wisest and safest way? Facing those very issues allowed my wife and I to learn more about the strategic value of the secret place.
When God laid on my heart to move to Carolina Beach and grow NCCT to where it is today, it was a very difficult decision to make. God had allowed me to build Homeland Baptist Church and I didn't want to leave, yet the burden got bigger and bigger. The Spirit of God began to keep me up all night thinking about the North Carolina College of Theology. When I surrendered and decided to go, the blessing of Heaven started falling on me and my family. As of 2011, we have trained 10,032 men and women for ministry. I believe with all of my heart that when God shuts one door, He will open another. He did it with me!
Daniel in the secret place
When Daniel was told of the Kings order and the reason for it, he went that night into the
secret place to meet with his God. There the contents of the king's dream, as well as their
meaning, were revealed to him. Earlier Daniel had asked his three friends to pray urgently for
God to show him this mystery, but once the dream was made known to him, there is no record
of him letting his friends in on what God revealed to him. We can easily imagine why —
"Waiting time is not wasted time."
I heard a preacher once say, "Patience is the weapon that forces deception to reveal itself."
God has taught me in the secret place that waiting on Him is proof of my trust in Him.
Waiting
Waiting time is not wasted time.
James 1:4 says, "but let patience have her perfect work that ye may be perfect and entire
wanting nothing." Waiting is learning time.
Let me give you some Cookology — as long as you are learing, you are not losing. God's will
requires battles and trials. God will train and teach you in the waiting period. Early one
morning in my prayer time, the Spirit of God said to me, "You will never see the hand of God if
you keep trusting the hand of man." Unwillingness to wait for answers will produce tragedy
every time. In the secret place, you will learn how well God truly knows you. There is no limit
to His understanding. In Lamentations 3:25 it says, "The Lord is good unto them that wait for
Him, to the soul that seeketh Him." One of the greatest lessons that God has taught me in the
secret place was about "Waiting Time."
This time of year it is a tradition with many families to read the Christmas Story — the story of
Jesus' birth. People get sentimental and begin to reminisce about mom or dad or whoever else
may be reading the story. The problem is that for too many people, it is just a story, but there
is significance in the Christ child —the baby lying in a manger.
Through that baby, God identified with us. Jesus, His Son, became flesh and came to dwell on
earth (John 1:14). He identified with our limitations and frailties by becoming a man — just like
us. Because of that, He understands what we deal with and go through in life. Hebrews 4:15
says that He was "in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin". Jesus passed the test! That
is why He could become the Lamb of God that was slain for us.You see, God can take insignificant things — the things that man overlooks — and make them
significant. Who would have thought that the baby in the manger would become a man who
preached the Good News to the poor, healed the sick and proclaimed freedom for the prisoners
in Luke 4:18-19?
Jesus may have started out as a babe in Bethlehem, but He died on the Cross as the Son of God
and arose from the dead as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He became our substitute! The
price we could not pay, He paid for us. That is why He left the glories of Heaven and came to
Earth as a babe in a manger. He did not come for His own gratification or to set up an earthly
kingdom. He came to die so that mankind could live, to save us from being lost and to destroy
the works of the devil!
Friend, that baby lying in the manger is more than just a story, He is a picture of God and man
reunited. He is Emmanuel — God with us — our salvation.
If you haven't made Jesus your Lord, there is no better time to do so than right now. It is easy,
just pray the prayer and accept the free gift that Jesus came to give you.
My God gives peace in the midst of a storm .... I write this today for some dear
friends that are going through some storms.
The song writer said it so well when he wrote, "Noone ever cared for me like
Jesus." So much sickness is all around us, but I am so glad that God heals many
things. We as children of God sometimes forget the promises of God. I know first
hand how Satan can attack, but as I have been saying for almost forty years now, I
refuse to lay down and die! I am now driving my golf cart to work — no, I can't
play golf, but I look good driving the cart singing uplifting songs like "Isn't He
wonderful, isn't Jesus my Lord wonderful?"
Over the holiday, I have had several friends, former church members and NCCT
students call me asking for prayer for their families. Many of them are dealing
with so much heartache, troubles and hurt. I am sixty two years old and I still
weep and cry for the precious friends God has given me over the years.
My mentor, Dr. Garland Fan, is really sick right now and I am praying for him
every day. I ask that you join me in uplifting him with prayer. My friend, Mike
Courtney's mother is sick, as well as the Burris family from Spartanburg and
friends around Kannapolis, NC. My previous pastor, Dr. L.O. Bartlett who is now
eighty years old and Pastor Richard Horn need our prayers also. I call all of their
names in prayer every day as well. I would also like to pray for my banker, Greg
Jones as he works on a much needed miracle that could come into my life.
I am asking that all of our friends, students, and school leaders pray about a
special request that I have, which God knows all about.
I'm not really sure what a blog even is. My wife says it is a time of sharing. I don't
know, but I am loving writing this stuff. In closing, allow me to say that I love
everybody, and although I often fail, I will continue to strive to be like Jesus. He is
so wonderful!
Dr. J.L. Cook
p.s. I have a great home and family and it is all because of Jesus!
