But on March 8, 2003, I went to the Glenbeigh treatment center, and I have been sober ever since. I then changed churches to my new, beautiful, small Baptist church, where I was baptized on December 26, 2003. I am still a very happy member today. Billy, it all started with you! Thank you, and God bless you!
Linda
EVERY TIME
Every time Billy Graham had a crusade on TV, I felt compelled to watch it. I knew I would hear the pure, unadulterated Word of God and that a change would come about from it.
He was pure, he was concise, he was clear, he was fresh, and he spoke flat-footed from the pulpit. And, as you know, people came in droves to accept Christ…. He will always be in the hearts of God’s people.
Thank you, Billy Graham, for “Just As I Am.” Rest now, for you have served your Master and the people of God well.
Karen
CALL CENTER WORKER
I was able to work in a call center for the Billy Graham television ministry. That experience was truly a blessing and a wonder. To be able to help lead callers to the Lord, or just listen and pray with them, was an amazing opportunity.
Billy made that possible, through his many TV ministries. Just to be a part was a blessing to me.
It was scary sometimes, to have that responsibility; but it’s something I’m glad I did and will always treasure. Thank you, Billy.
TJ
FIRE IN YOUR EYES
In the mid 1960s, when I was approximately twenty, you came to the University of Houston. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about, so I went to your lecture. From my seat about one-third of the way back, I could see your eyes, and they looked like they had fire in them. They were very penetrating. I never forgot that. I feel very fortunate to have been able to see you live once. Years later, I understood and accepted salvation. Today, I enjoy your crusades, no matter what year is being shown. Thank you, Dr. Graham, for showing us how it’s done.
Mary Margaret
THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE TEENS
My wife and I sat in the nosebleed section of the Carrier Dome in Syracuse when Billy did his crusade there in the 1980s. We were in a sea of teens. Hundreds of local churches and churches from many miles away were represented, but the common denominator was that they were all teens. Well, you know how teens can be … lots of talking and passing notes and all that stuff. When Billy started to preach, my wife and I were somewhat distracted by all the commotion … when all of a sudden, about halfway through the sermon, a hush fell around us. I witnessed the power of the Holy Spirit like I’ve never seen it before. Weeping … lots of weeping … all around us, teens were crying and weeping. Then, just before the invitation, a lot more weeping … and it seemed that dozens of teens started to get up and go downstairs before the invitation was even given.
Hundreds left their seats to go forward to receive Christ that evening. It had a tremendous impact on my wife and me. That was the only time we saw Billy in person, but I look at the crusades in a different way now. I was amid the power of God, and I saw Him move. Thank you, Billy, for being faithful to your call!
I UNDERSTAND THE BIBLE SO MUCH BETTER
Dear Billy, thank you so much for being obedient to God! I accepted Jesus as my Savior when I was nine years old, was baptized, and later took several of your correspondence courses. After I was married, I sent for the paperback Living Bible that you published. It meant so much to me to be able to understand the Bible so much better. I read and reread that Bible. It helped me to grow further in the Lord. Blessings on you, thank you, and God bless you!
Mim
AMSTERDAM 2000
I had the privilege of being invited to attend the Amsterdam 2000 conference in the Netherlands. The messages were instrumental in renewing an evangelistic spirit within me. When Billy’s daughter spoke, the Lord spoke to my heart and inspired me to begin a ministry online to point people to Christ. I knew nothing about the Internet, but God sent me a lady whose job is to build websites for churches and religious organizations. Rhonda offered to build a website for my ministry, His Love Extended Ministries International. She refused remuneration and offered it as a love gift to the ministry! Through the years, as God has been teaching me the ropes, the messages and challenges of Amsterdam 2000 always underlie the zeal with which I administer this ministry. Several (that I know of) had spiritual growth, and others have been saved! To God be the glory. Only eternity will reveal all that the Lord has done with this ministry. Thank you and Franklin and your daughter, Billy! God bless you, brother!
NOW I KNOW JESUS CHRIST PERSONALLY
I was raised in a Christian family and attended a traditional Anglican Sunday school and church. I learned about Jesus Christ, and when I was twenty-six, I made my decision to become a confirmed member of my local church. When I was invited to become a counselor at the Ipswich Billy Graham crusade, I attended the teaching sessions and still treasure the materials, which gave me solid teaching that I lacked from church.
When the great day arrived, it was one of the most awe-inspiring occasions I have ever had the privilege to attend. I clearly remember many of Billy Graham’s words, and through his inspiration and teaching I came to know my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ personally. My heart is full of gratitude and admiration for the amazing work Billy Graham has carried out all over the world through the enabling of the Holy Spirit.
BUILDING FAITH
I grew up watching the Billy Graham crusades and have always received so much from them. I also remember the movies that Billy Graham produced in the late 1960s, and the wonderful messages that came with them. I’d love to have copies of those even now. I was raised Southern Baptist, but got away from the church for a while during my early married life. But even during this time, I continued to watch your crusades, and God always spoke to me and begged me to return to Him.
Thanks to you and the wonderful, God-inspired messages, I did. Thank you so much for your inspiration—and for the inspiration of those who have stood by you through it all. I have always felt that Billy Graham is one man whose eyes I can look into and truly see the face of God. God shines through you, Billy, like no other. I thank God for you and your wife, for Cliff Barrows, and for everyone else who has made your crusades what they are—a true inspiration to us all. God bless you all.
Nancy
Thank You, Billy Graham … for Your Spiritual Legacy
GOD DID CHANGE HER
My mother died on May 12, 2007, just short of her ninetieth birthday. It was a day of celebration for her six children because we knew she had gone to be with the Lord. About ten years earlier, she had shared with me her decision to follow Christ, based on one of Billy’s TV crusades. She said, “I prayed the sinner’s prayer, and invited Christ into my heart …”
Thank you, Billy, for presenting the Gospel in such a way that, in the privacy of her own home, my mother could make that decision. God did change her. Praise Him!
IN FRONT OF THE TV
In 1973, at the age of twenty-five, I assumed the pastorate of a church in Panama City, Florida. I immediately met “Lottie and Earl,” an elderly couple who were the delight of the church. The first time I talked with Earl, he told me how he had come to faith in Christ, at the age of sixty-five, by watching a Billy Graham television special. He showed me the exact spot in his living room where he had prayed to receive Jesus as Billy led the prayer.
Over the next four years, I heard Earl tell that story scores of times. Each time he told it, he did so with the same conviction and and enthusiasm as the first time. Earl was a great encouragement to me as a young pastor. When I had a tough day, I would go see Earl, knowing that somewhere in the conversation he would tell me again about watching Billy Graham on TV and how it had changed his life forever. He said that when he got to heaven, he wanted to see Jesus and Billy Graham.
THROUGH FOUR GENERATIONS
I first heard of Billy Graham from my grandfather, who would sit by the radio and listen to Billy whenever he was on. When the crusade
s became televised, my mother used to watch, and she took me to the Philadelphia crusade to hear Mr. Graham. These were the years when God was calling me to Himself. I accepted Christ at the age of eleven. My children were raised on the televised crusades, and all have accepted Christ. God used Billy Graham through four generations of our family. I never miss a Larry King Show or other program where he’s interviewed. I can’t imagine a world without him. I am so thankful to God that He placed Billy Graham here in my lifetime. I’m so glad I could express my love and thanks.
Mary Jane
WHAT BILLY SHARED HAS BEEN PASSED ON TO OTHERS
I gave my life to Jesus at a Billy Graham crusade when I was ten. As a senior pastor for the last twenty-four years, I have had the privilege of seeing many also come to Christ, both here in America and around the world. What Billy shared with me has been passed on to others; Jesus saves.
MY MOTHER
I attended the first Billy Graham crusade in Sydney as a counselor. I also sang in the choir. I took my Mum one night, and she gave her life to the Lord there and continued serving Him till she went home to Him in 1975. Also, my older sister and her husband gave their lives to Christ during that crusade as well. I made a commitment to become a missionary. That didn’t come about till 1996 when I went to live in an aboriginal community, where many came to the Lord. I am still working with them from my home here in Tennant Creek. Thank you, Dr. Graham.
ONCE UPON A TIME
My mother was an immigrant from Puerto Rico. We lived in Spanish Harlem, in Manhattan. My mother had five daughters and a son, and because she was a stay-at-home mom, she watched television throughout the day while her children were in school.
As the youngest of the daughters, I was too young to attend school. One day, I recall seeing my mother kneel in front of her television set with her hands lifted high as she repeated the sinner’s prayer…. The preacher’s name was Billy Graham.
As an adult, I have had the privilege of serving God by volunteering and singing with the choir during the Billy Graham crusade in Queens, New York. What a privilege and a blessing to serve God and Billy Graham, the man responsible for my mother’s salvation.
Ana
THE RIPPLE EFFECT
My parents and my uncle took our youth group to the New York City crusade in 1959. When we walked in, I could feel the presence of the Lord. All of us went forward. (I was disappointed that Billy did not counsel me! Ha ha.)
My twin sister and I went on to get involved in InterVarsity Christian Fellowship in nursing school. Now, we both have sons who are preachers! Between us we have nine children, all trusting in the Lord. And the ripple effect continues. Thank you Billy (and Ruth) for your faithful example through the years. God bless you richly!
FROM RUSSIA TO FAITH IN JESUS
My parents escaped from Russia separately with their families into Iran in the 1930s, and later met and were married in Tehran. They emigrated to the US at the end of WWII. My mother was a believer, but my father was not, and we were members of the Russian Molokan Church. But God had his hand on my father.
My mother and maternal grandmother were praying for my father’s salvation. In 1963, when I was in the eighth grade, Billy Graham came to the Los Angeles Coliseum for a crusade. I went every night with my father. One of the nights, my dad got out of his seat and made the long walk down to the field to acknowledge God’s call on his life. What a glorious day that was. That same year, I was called by God at camp. My father’s decision set off a series of events that changed our family’s lives forever. The biggest deal was that my father decided to be baptized, and this decision made his family ostracize him and we were kicked out of the Molokan Church. Today, at eighty-four, my father is still actively serving the Lord.
In their seventies, my parents returned to Russia and started a Bible study, and then a church, in the village where some of their relatives still live. My father baptised many, and God used him to bring God’s hope and salvation to this little village. Billy Graham and his crusades hold a special place in my family’s hearts. We thank God for Billy’s faithfulness and the way he always brings Christ into any conversation he has with newspeople. Thank you, Billy, for your love for God and the good news of the Gospel of Christ!
MY GRANDMOTHER “HEARD FROM BILLY”
Our family has always watched the crusades on TV throughout the years and greatly benefited from them. My only grandmother, who is now in heaven, thought a great deal of Mr. Graham. She was on his mailing list and would tell us with great joy that she had “heard from Billy.” She did not receive the mail as just a nonprofit organization sending a letter. She received the letters as if they were personally prepared for her. She really enjoyed them. She was a widow for many years, but she loved to send donations. She often sent a few dollars in cash, until her daughter realized this. (She then wrote checks for her.) My grandmother lived to be eighty-nine. She read her Bible through every year. Thank you, Mr. Graham, for blessing her and our whole family.
I JUST WANT TO SHOW MY APPRECIATION
I’m not even eighteen yet, but I’m so moved by the way Mr. Graham has touched so many people. Even though I haven’t met him, I wish I could meet someone so brilliant, yet humble. I just want to thank you for doing so many positive things in this world. You truly have put a little slice of heaven on earth.
ESCORTED MY MOTHER-IN-LAW
I am so very grateful that Billy Graham was conducting a crusade in Philadelphia during the time my mother-in-law visited from Charleston. She was a mighty woman of God, and the crusade was the highlight of her visit. It was wonderful. Seeing all the people being saved and giving their lives to the Lord Jesus was almost unheard of at that time. May the Lord increase your greatness and comfort you on every side.
BILLY, DAD, AND ME
When I was a child, every time a Billy Graham program was on TV … it was on in our house. My dad was a great fan and follower of the Billy Graham crusades. He loved to listen to George Beverly Shea sing. To my knowledge, he never missed a telecast.
Some of my greatest memories of my dad are shared watching Billy Graham. Unfortunately, my dad has passed on, but he instilled Christian values in me that I cherish and live by to this day. Now my husband and I watch the telecasts whenever we can. (The other day, we watched one that originally aired a year or so before I was born!)
Because of great Christians like you and my dad, today I am an ordained minister and share the Word of God and the love of Jesus wherever I go. Billy, I want to thank you for helping to shape my life. You are truly a great Christian leader…. I always felt the presence of the Lord whenever you were in our living room.
YOU ARE AN INSPIRATION TO US, BILLY GRAHAM!
Thank you, Billy Graham, for your faithfulness in preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ in such a way that all are able to understand. You’ve been a blessing in my life ever since your 1949 Los Angeles crusade.
In 1949, I was a freshman at BIOLA (6th and Hope Street campus). I was looking for a job after school hours and was sent to your office close to the school. (Up to this point, I had never heard about you.) What a joy it was to have a little part in helping by folding letters and stuffing envelopes for mailing. As a result of this, I was able to attend some of your meetings in Los Angeles. You were a real blessing in my life, and I thank you.
Now, fifty-eight years later, my husband of fifty-five years and I enjoy your taped TV shows of many of your crusades. We are both grateful for your ministry!
Lora Mae
A DIRECT LINK
I got saved from a very turbulent lifestyle. In 1968, my father died in a hail of bullets as he was attempting to rob a bank. I was only sixteen at the time. The oldest of four boys, I led them all into drug abuse and crime. In 1981, I befriended a Christian family that led me to the Lord.
So what’s the connection to Billy Graham? Well, Mike, the friend who led me to Christ (and who is now with the Lord), told me that in 1957, in Madison Square Garden, he knelt down in th
e sawdust under the bleachers and trusted Christ while Billy was still giving the invitation down front. So, thank you, Billy! I feel as if my coming to Christ has a direct link to you and the ministry God has entrusted to you. I can only imagine how many people you have directly or indirectly influenced as a result of your ministry.
EASTERN EUROPE ENCOURAGED
Greetings from Romania! It’s so wonderful to remember the time when our dear brother Billy Graham preached in our country during the time of deep and dark communism. I was just a little child at the time, but I remember how much it meant to my father, who was a Baptist pastor and had lots of trouble with communists because of his faith. That crusade was a renewing and lifting experience for all of us. We will always remember that time with thankful hearts. We love you and bless you, Brother Billy Graham, in Jesus’ name.
Iren
A STONE DROPPED INTO A POOL
I never attended a crusade, but looking back on my life, I see that others who knew the Good News through Billy have consistently impacted my life and faith. A stone dropped into a pool produces ripples. The ripples from Billy Graham will spread far beyond his lifetime and into eternity. Thank you, Billy. I look forward to the end of my time on earth as a child looks toward Christmas.
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