Your ministry and integrity have been the hallmarks of your life. You have always had the God-given gift to find something in this natural realm to compare with scriptural truth and share it in a way that even a child could understand. I pray that you have all you want and want for nothing, because you, along with your wife and children, have poured your lives out for Jesus as an offering—and, dare I say it, He is well pleased. Thank you from the very bottom of my heart for the countless lives you have changed for eternity. I don’t know if I’ll ever get to thank you in person. If the world had more fathers and grandfathers like you, it would be a much better place.
MY HISTORY ESSAY
During my senior year in high school, we were given an assignment called “A Study of Powerful Leadership,” and I chose to study you. It was such a blessing to study a man of God for a school assignment! I was able to study your rise; the team around you; the many ways in which you stood at great moments of history and changed the world; the way you have influenced the future leadership of our world; and the sacrifices you made in your personal life that have benefited the entire world.
I can’t help but think of all the previous centuries and the men and women who have defined them, and that, for centuries to come, when people look back on the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, they will see Billy and Ruth Graham. Thank you for your life, your ministry, and your dedication—doing this assignment has changed my life.
I WAS A REBEL
My experience with Billy has to do with his openness to embrace change and growth within the church, and in his own life, and admit it openly! I was a rebel. When I came back to the Lord, praying for God to show me His truth, He did! If Billy had not embraced change, I may not have survived “the growth process.” I know that we have all different styles of Christian music openly available and embraced today because of Brother Billy leading the way. He never ever judged denominations or styles; he watched the fruit and tested it against the Word and never attacked people publicly! That is a testimony and example to the Body of Christ that I hope will live on. I heard Franklin Graham say on TBN that Billy questions whether or not we’ll remember him and if he made a difference with his life! That touched my heart, and I had to post. The enemy (Satan) is still so threatened by Billy that he’s tormenting him with lies and doubt! You are loved, respected, and appreciated by all of us in the Body of Christ.
I minister to young Christian adults today and encourage them to “hang on” by exhorting the Word to them. Sometimes I send them songs, or song lyrics, that I may not have had were it not for Billy’s heart for people. The body needs to quit beating up its own and help one another to grow up! If the angels shout “Holy” every time God moves, and have done so forever, then how arrogant and ignorant of us to believe that we know all there is to know about God and His Word. I’ve found Him to be so amazing and exciting, and His Word, too, that the more you know, the more you want to know. And with all that, you realize you have only barely touched all that He is. If the world could see that knowlege on our faces, they would beg us for Him. I love you, Brother Billy. I look forward to seeing you when we get home.
MEMORIES
As a young girl when revivals and crusades were so big in the world … I just barely remember my family attending the crusade here in Chattanooga and sitting on a bench…. I was fortunately born in a Christian home and have followed Billy Graham’s ministry all these years with love and respect. God has truly blessed us for knowing him and has blessed Billy with such a great ministry.
EARLY MEMORIES
I accepted the Lord at the age of nine, when chalk artist Ding Teuling was speaking at the Rumney Bible Conference grounds in Rumney, New Hampshire. But one of my earliest memories is of hearing Ethel Waters sing “His Eye Is on the Sparrow” on a Billy Graham radio broadcast. Reading her autobiography later, by the same title, I realized what a great man Billy Graham is. His clear and real message is that God wants us just the way we are. The change would come after. Thank God for that message. The clarity of that has been the difference between people accepting Christ or waiting till later, maybe to eternal doom. Dr. Graham has made a real difference in many lives. God bless him and continue the work he started all those years ago, through his children, grandchildren, and those He led to the Lord.
WHERE WOULD AMERICA BE?
I live in Texas and have never had the privilege of attending one of your crusades, except by television. I just want to say a simple “thank you” from the bottom of my heart for your service to our Lord Jesus Christ. My oh my, where would America be without having the foundation laid by your ministry? I am praying for God to raise up another “Billy Graham,” and He may very well have done that through your son Franklin! “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace” (Numbers 6:24–26 NIV).
THANK YOU
Dear Billy Graham, thank you for all your years of evangelizing to the world by way of TV. I can remember, as a boy growing up in Greenville, Illinois, my mother and father would make us watch Billy Graham when he came on the TV. We had no other choice! When Billy Graham was on, we all had to sit down in front of the TV and watch him preach the Gospel. I am now in full-time ministry, so thank you for all of the years that God has granted you to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I pray in Jesus’ name that He will give you many more.
MY DAD HEARD THE GOSPEL
I grew up in a very traditional Roman Catholic family where we were taught about God by the priests, but Jesus was never discussed outside the church walls. My dad has passed away now, and for a while it weighed on my heart as to where he is spending eternity. Then I remembered the nights I would walk into the living room, where Dad was sitting alone watching TV, and I noticed he was watching a Billy Graham crusade. Not only watching, but was drinking in every word that Dr. Graham said. Being a teenager at the time, it didn’t register what was happening until many years later. I remember asking my dad, “Why are you watching this?” He answered, “Billy Graham is a really good speaker.” That memory coming back to me has reassured me that my dad heard the Gospel message loud and clear, and drank it into his heart. Though he would never talk about it … a family rule of sorts … I am certain that my dad is in heaven today because of the faithfulness of Dr. Graham sharing the Gospel message all those years. I thank our Lord for using Dr. Graham in this way, and I thank you, Billy.
HOPE FOR EACH DAY
Recently, a friend gave me a copy of the little book of daily devotions, Hope for Each Day, which you published not too many years ago. It has reminded me many times of an incident in the past—from 1960, to be exact.
You had a crusade in Africa and visited Nigeria. I was a missionary in Ibadan, Nigeria, at the time. The missionaries on the Ibadan station got together weekly for a prayer meeting. You attended the meeting in one of our homes when you were there. That has been in my memory ever since. I praise God for all that has been accomplished in the world for God’s Kingdom through your ministry, and pray the peace and joy of the Lord be with you.
MY BILLY GRAHAM STORY
While living in South Florida in the 1980s, my wife and I attended a Billy Graham crusade in Fort Lauderdale. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for being faithful to God’s commandment by sharing invitations to accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. As the Word says, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). Your sharing and preaching the assurances of God for salvation through Jesus Christ were instrumental to my accepting Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. “And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:11-12).
The youth preparation leading up to the crusade in Fort Lauderdale involved our taking the youth group from our church in Plantation to the events held before the crusade, and then on to the crusade. I w
ent forward during your invitation, accepting Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord. I can’t say that at that moment my life completely changed, but it was the beginning of a journey in growing closer to Christ. Beyond that, my wife went forward at an invitation at our church, and our children accepted Jesus at Christian festivals.
The impact from an offer at one night’s crusade, as it affects me, are not known; but God knows. It was a ripple effect, far greater than one person. As mentioned in Romans 10:9, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” My assurance in Christ is secure because of your obedience to God’s calling on your life. Your being the person who brought God’s promises to me, and that being the starting point for my salvation, I must say, “Thank you, Billy Graham.”
MY MOST MEMORABLE CRUSADE
The power and presence of God has flowed through the Rev. Billy Graham to the world—but especially to me. I have looked up to Rev. Graham all the days of my life. My family either attended or volunteered at every Billy Graham crusade in the New York area while I was growing up. I have volunteered and sung in the Billy Graham crusade choir many times.
My most memorable time was when we attended the 1971 Billy Graham crusade at Shea Stadium. The power and presence of God flowed through Rev. Graham so strongly that when he gave the invitation, everyone ran to the altar—young and old, saved and unsaved. Nothing could hold back the drawing power of God flowing through that beautiful, awesome, servant of God that day. My family brought a busload of people to the crusade, and all of them either gave their hearts to Jesus or rededicated their lives to the Lord.
Later that week, my family was invited to eat dinner with Rev. Graham and the crusade team. We were seated close to the head table at the restaurant. We looked up when he passed by our table and saw a bright light—there was a halo of light surrounding the Rev. Billy Graham! We cried to see such a sight. What a blessing the Rev. Billy Graham has been to the entire world—but especially to me. Thank you, Billy.
TO THE GRAHAM FAMILY
Mr. Graham, I have watched you on television for sixty years, and what a blessing you have been to me. My mother loved to watch you, and we both felt the love of Jesus through the television. You preached as if we were the only ones you were talking to; it was marvelous. I will continue to pray for you and your family. May God bless you richly with His love and grace.
THE BOSTON COLLEGE CRUSADE
Many years ago, you preached a crusade at Boston College. At that time, I was a young seminary student. You paid my way to attend your school of evangelism and allowed me to participate in the crusade each evening. It was a wonderful experience that I will never forget.
One evening at the crusade, I was seated by a family visiting the United States from Africa. We talked briefly while waiting for the crusade to begin, and I discovered they were unbelievers. I immediately began to pray that God would speak to them through your powerful message and they would come to know Christ as Savior. You can imagine my joy when the entire family went forward during the invitation to receive Christ. They later wrote their names in my Bible, which I continue to treasure today.
Mr. Graham, you have been to me, and countless others, a great example and mentor in the faith. My prayers are with you and your family in the home-going of Mrs. Graham. May the peace of God comfort your hearts during this time and in the days ahead. Thank you, Mr. Graham, for the tremendous impact and influence you have had on my life. And thank you most of all for your faithfulness across the years to Jesus.
’CAUSE BILLY GRAHAM SAID SO
I remember as a child growing up watching Billy on TV and wishing my regular show was on and not him. I started listening to Billy, really listening, when I was around twelve. My grandmother supported Billy’s work, sometimes with money that could have gone to something else.
The joy that Billy brought into our lives was worth what was sent to him, and then some. I remember that Billy would send us a book every time we sent money to help do God’s work. I looked forward to those books coming in, and I read them all. My grandmother could not talk about the Bible or God without saying, “And Billy Graham said …” That was the bottom line, ’cause Billy Graham said so.
No other teacher of God’s Word has touched me as much as Billy Graham has. God gave him the voice and the words to reach right down to your soul, and it felt like you were going to bust if you didn’t read more about God and share with others what Billy just led you to know about the Lord. It was, in a sense, magic, just the pure magic of seeing Billy and his wife’s love for Christ. Billy and Ruth seemed so at peace, and it was the type of peace you want, so you start searching God’s Word and praying for that peace and love that you felt when Billy was telling you about Christ.
THE DAY WE SAW YOU AT THE ROSE BOWL
Thank you for being a blessing to so many. My family and I will always treasure the day we saw you at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, in 2004. We felt the presence of God in that large crowd. God be with you.
THANK YOU FOR BEING AN INSTRUMENT IN GOD’S HAND
Thank you, Dr. Graham, for allowing God to use you mightily over many years and touching our hearts and our conscience where God speaks to us directly. Thank you for being an instrument in God’s hand to change my life.
I THOUGHT EVERYONE ATTENDED YOUR CRUSADES
Thank you, Billy and Ruth Graham, for being so devoted to God’s call in your lives that you have influenced millions to have a wonderful life with Jesus as the center. You both are such wonderful role models of high Christian values and morals. Oh, that everyone would be such good role models!
In the 1950s, when I was a child in Louisville, my parents took us to your programs, and I didn’t realize at the time how fortunate we were to be present there. Coming from a strong Christian family, I thought everyone attended. As the years have passed (I am now in my sixties and blessed with two beautiful children and six beautiful grandchildren), I realize how much your ministry has meant to me and so many multiplied millions all over this earth. It will be such a great honor and pleasure to meet you both in heaven! Thank you for being there as such inspirations!
SAVED AT ONE OF THE FIRST CRUSADES
I want to say thank you for the ministry of both Dr. Graham and Ruth. My dad was saved at the age of sixteen at one of the first crusades, in Boston. If it wasn’t for the crusade, my father said that he probably never would have heard the Gospel. He went on to college and got involved in the Campus Crusade for Christ ministries and then of course raised his children to love the Lord. My dad was a dairy farmer and would have us watch the crusades on TV after barn chores were over. My husband got saved at the age of six, as a result of watching Billy Graham on TV with his mom. I have enjoyed watching Dr. Graham over the years and have had so many of the close people in my life saved as a result of his ministry.
WHAT A MIRACLE!
Since 1970, I have been thanking God for Billy Graham. While watching a telecast in August that year, I heard him ask the question: “If you should die tonight, do you know for sure that you would go to heaven?” He went on to say that he had absolute assurance that if he were to be killed in a plane crash on the way home, he’d go straight to heaven. Oh, how I wanted a “know so” salvation like that! So, for the next two months, I searched the Bible and Christian literature and listened to Christian radio, until one morning God made it clear to me through a radio preacher that I was a lost sinner … not a Christian at all as I had thought because of my baptism, confirmation, and church membership. So, in October 1970, I fell on my knees in my living room and in childlike faith confessed to God my sin and asked Jesus to come into my life as Savior and Lord. What a miracle! Immediately, I experienced a peace and joy that I had never known before! And I gained that assurance that Billy had confessed to having. I knew that I was saved and on my way to heaven! For the past thirty-six-plus years, God has been teaching me and growing me. My husband and all five of our chil
dren trusted Christ soon after that. And now nineteen of our twenty-one grandchildren have placed their faith in Christ as well. I have grown in my faith through the many books from your ministry. Thank you, Billy!
THE “FIRST COUPLE” OF AMERICA
Billy Graham was my hero when I first became a Christian and read one of his biographies as a young foreign university student in New Zealand in the mid-1970s. Ruth was the paradigm of the the virtuous wife, the godly woman of Proverbs 31, the Esther in the book of Esther; and, to me, Billy and Ruth will always be the First Couple of America. There never will be another Billy and Ruth, but God has more heroes of faith for the Gospel. God bless America once more and raise up more couples like Billy and Ruth.
HEALED FROM WITHIN
The last decade has been one of trials and of growth for me. Being a survivor of childhood abuse has taken me down many paths that are dark and full of bends and turns in the road. With the help of Jesus, I have walked with Him and listened to His voice as He healed me from within.
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