9/11
Thank you for pastoring a grieving nation after 9/11. It was the best sermon I have ever heard preached, and it touched my soul.
“HE WHO BEGAN A GOOD WORK …”
I cannot remember a day in my life any more clearly than when I was a teenager and I heard the Rev. Billy Graham preach at the Houston Astrodome in the mid-1960s. Even though I had accepted the Lord at a young age and had been baptized in church, it was that day that I knew what accepting God as one’s Lord and Savior really meant. I truly felt the presence of the Holy Spirit. That day has given me encouragement and strength all of my life. I truly believe that “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” God in my life is what life is all about. I am thankful for the day Rev. Graham helped me understand that. Thank you, Rev. Graham, for being such a part of God’s plan for my life.
Donna
I ASKED GOD TO SHOW ME A REASON
I was a twenty-four-year-old woman living in Lake Tahoe, California. I worked with several people, but most notable were two men who would discuss the Bible. It was through these two men that I learned about a personal God, a personal Jesus, and what the Bible was really all about. As I listened, I struggled with what I believed and about giving my heart to the Lord. I asked God to show me a reason and then I’d commit my heart. I went to Reno to see Billy Graham. Wow! He spoke so eloquently, so passionately, so committed. But after hearing Billy speak, I knew right then and there that accepting Jesus was the best choice I could ever make. I knew that walking with the Lord was far more than what I thought it was, it was more than what I knew, and it would be a lifelong journey. It was great! I will always keep the picture of you, Billy, walking around on the stage, effortlessly holding forth with that big Bible splayed open on the flat of your hand. Thank you, Billy, for cementing my love for the Lord in my heart.
YOUR CINCINNATI REVIVAL
Dearest Billy, I want you to know how much your stadium appearance touched my life and the life of my children. I have only been saved for five years, and right after I found my home church, I was able to attend your Cincinnati revival at the Coliseum. I will never forget the message and all the lost souls that walked forward at the end. “Just As I Am” played, and the tears flooded my soul, since that was the song that played when I gave my life to the Lord. Your passion for the Lord is so obvious, and you have been blessed with a long life and many lost souls found due to the calling on your heart.
MRS. ALBRIGHT
In 1960, I was living in Lexington, Kentucky, where my dad was stationed at the army depot. I attended Brian Station School, and my sixth grade teacher was Mrs. Albright. She looked to be of retirement age, but she commanded our attention and got our respect as the year went on. One of the expressions we heard frequently, when she rapped a hand with her ruler, was, “This was good enough for Billy Graham when he sat in my class, and it is good enough to teach you, too.” I had no idea, then, who Billy Graham was, but I knew he must have grown up to be quite a great man, because Mrs. Albright thought so.
I became a Christian when I was forty years old. Since that time, as I look back to the events that led me to the Lord, I know that Mrs. Albright is one of those people used by God to help me find Jesus. I eventually learned who Billy Graham is (and he is a great man) and marveled that Mrs. Albright taught both of us. I enjoyed knowing that we were both blessed by a woman who loved to teach more than just reading, writing, and arithmetic.
A PROPHETIC GESTURE
In June 1972, when my husband, Clay, was a youth pastor, we drove an RV full of kids from San Bernardino, California, an event in Dallas. We had just had our first child, Billy, six weeks earlier. It was a big step of faith to take our baby with a bunch of teenagers all the way to Texas, but I am so glad we did. The highlight was when Billy Graham preached one night. It was an awesome evening! The most memorable moment for us, however, was when Clay held our little son up high in the grandstands in a prophetic gesture and said to him, “Billy Ford, meet Billy Graham. He is a great man of God. May you serve God faithfully one day, too.” Today, Billy Ford is a faithful Christian pastor. Thank you, Billy Graham.
THE RIPPLES GO ON AND ON
It is hard to believe the impact the Billy Graham family has had on our lives over the years. In addition to the innumerable TV broadcasts and books we have enjoyed, and from which we have benefitted, my husband and I were privileged to have firsthand contact with two crusades. In Birmingham, Alabama, in 1973, while my husband was attending Southeastern Bible College, we sang in the choir and served as counselors. A few years later, singing in the choir, counseling, and working with follow-up assignments at the crusade in Norfolk, Virginia, were a blessing. In July 2007, the Franklin Graham Festival in Norfolk put “frosting on the cake.”
The ripples from the Grahams’ ministry go on and on. I have lost track of the number of people I’ve met who, years ago, were led to our precious Savior and Lord via the BGEA. Ruth’s books, example, and encouragement over the years will be greatly missed.
Having a ministry that we can trust to be financially above reproach is an inestimable blessing. My daily prayers are with you all that you will continue to “walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called.”
Heaven alone will reveal what your faithful service to the Lord has accomplished. And what an indescribable joy to realize that we have eternity together praising Him for His faithfulness in and through the Graham family.
SPIRITUAL NOURISHMENT
I remember watching your crusades on television when I was a child growing up in the 1960s. We always heard our mother say how much she loved and admired you. Now that I am a parent, “training up my children in the way that they should go,” I, too, watch your programming and have read so many of your books. In my Christian walk, these books have given me spiritual nourishment when the road has been narrow. I have registered both of my children to “Dare to be a Daniel.” I can only hope and pray that my children will live to serve the Lord just as yours are doing. In this wicked and perverse generation, we need angels like you to keep us close to the truth and knowing His all-powerful Word. Thank you for your inspiration and ministry to an all-hurting world.
I WAS AMAZED
In the summer of 1957, when I was a teenager growing up on Staten Island, I was privileged, along with some of my friends, to sing in the choir at the Billy Graham crusade at Madison Square Garden. At the time, I didn’t know if my father and mother had a relationship with the Lord. I prayed for them constantly. A couple of years later, my dad passed away.
It wasn’t until several years later, while serving as a missionary in France, that I wrote my mother to ask if she knew the Lord. I was amazed at her answer. Without my knowing about it, my mother had attended the crusade that summer and had gone forward in a meeting, and had accepted the Lord.
You cannot imagine how thrilled I was to hear that news. My mother lived until she was eighty-four and went home to be with the Lord in 1983.
Thank you, Billy, for proclaiming the message of salvation in such a simple and straightforward manner. We wish the Lord could give you another lifetime to proclaim the message, but we know He has His own plans for your life.
A CONFERENCE AT THE COVE
In June 2002, I attended a prophecy conference at The Cove in Asheville, North Carolina. I went up the mountain a believer, but I came down the mountain as a believer with a renewed passion to get out of the spectator seat and onto the playing field for our Lord. Had you not been obedient to the vision for The Cove, maybe my life would still be just sitting in the stands, being comfortable and complacent, waiting for my time to be over on this earth. But God used that seminar to speak to me and show me that I could have a part in His Kingdom’s plan on this earth. How can I say thanks for the life-changing days I spent at The Cove? I pray God’s continued blessings on each member of the Ruth and Billy Graham family. I believe our time on this earth is short, and there is still a multitude of
people who are waiting to hear the simple truth of the Gospel. Thank you for this opportunity to share how God has blessed me through your obedience.
I WONDERED WHY MY MOM TOOK ME WITH HER
I can remember when Billy Graham came to Memphis for a crusade. I was probably still in grammar school or junior high. I remember sitting in the Coliseum listening to the singing in the choir, because that’s where my mom was. If I didn’t sit in the choir, I was very close by. I listened to the testimonies and the Gospel preached. Billy Graham touched a lot of hearts when he preached. I was saved at six years of age. I wondered why my mom took me with her. I thought sometimes I was preventing someone else from hearing the Word preached by being there. So, I just sat and listened and prayed for anyone who might not have been saved that night.
God bless you, Billy Graham, for the ministry that you so faithfully did for God. I know that you will have a crown that will be so very special in heaven for your dedication and your faithfulness. Thank you for letting God lead and direct you for all these years.
I FOUND MYSELF TURNED AWAY FROM GOD
In 1968, I was drafted into the US Army. It wasn’t long, maybe a year and a half, before I found myself turned away from God. I was away until the spring of 1997, when I found my way back to an altar of prayer, asking God to please forgive me and allow me to return to His precious care. The answer came instantly, and I have been serving Him since that time. During my time away from God, every time I saw Billy in the TV Guide, I had to watch the crusade service. In 1999, I had the opportunity to serve as a counselor in a Billy Graham crusade. Working in this crusade and volunteering solidified my commitment to Christ. I still watch all the Billy Graham films and crusade services, both the Classics and the new ones. Thank you, Billy. Your ministry was so very instrumental in my life.
MY OWN PERSONAL APOLLOS
I have been a Christian for more than twenty years. Although the message of the Gospel was not introduced to me by Mr. Graham, his simple presentation of it has had an impact on my life. Rev. Graham came along in my life when TV evangelists were gaining steam on the airwaves in the 1980s. Sadly, many pastors later fell to life’s common temptations, causing their followers to faint or seek a better way. I thank God for His grace for helping me to seek the latter. The Lord used Billy Graham as my own personal Apollos. As I observed from my living room, he taught me that God’s love was the message! The overuse in other ministries of themes of prosperity, and the badgering to have showy spiritual gifts, clouded my way. Returning to God’s love was the answer! Finally, despite rejection, unemployment, or the death of a loved one, God’s unwavering announcement of love through the ages still stands eternally to bring hope to man. Thank you, Dr. Graham.
GOD WAS DRAWING ME CLOSE
I want to thank Billy Graham for obeying the way God planned to use him to impact and touch my life along with millions of others. I was unsaved and in a failing marriage. I did not know at the time that God was drawing me close through Billy Graham. I sat on my couch and listened to him many days and nights, with tears and sorrow in my heart, as he ministered the Word of God to me. Today, I am saved and love the Lord because of the way God used Billy to touch my life. May the good Lord’s blessings continue to be in your life. Thank you, Billy.
INSPIRED AND REASSURED
Since I was a little girl, I remember watching Billy Graham crusades on TV. I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior on June 25, 1995. I thank God for anointing you, because my decision was due to one of your amazing sermons. At age seventeen, I accepted a call to full-time ministry in Christian counseling. Watching Billy Graham crusades and reading his books inspired me and reassured me that, as a Christian, if you only believe, God can use you to do great things for His Kingdom. I want to thank you with all my heart for living a life so dedicated to the Lord. Thank you also for being an encourager and inspiration to me in my walk with the Lord. May the Lord continue to bless you.
QUIET, HUMBLE, AND JUST AWESOME
I grew up listening to Mr. Graham on TV. As a little girl, I would be glued to the TV every time he came on. Having grown up in church and a Christian home, I really wanted to please God, and my relationship with God was enhanced so much every time I watched one of his crusades. I consider him to be my spiritual grandfather. He always had a word of encouragement, and I would have tears running down my cheeks every time, asking God to make me into the person He wanted me to be. I guess that’s why I really did not fit in, growing up with my peers. I would rather watch Billy Graham on TV than go see a movie. He always presented Jesus as the most important person in your life, and I really wanted Jesus. Mr. Billy is the most humble person I know, and to watch him is like watching Jesus when He was here: quiet, humble, and just awesome. Billy has a majestic personality that shines all the time. I so admire him and the late Mrs. Ruth Graham. They were a perfect couple in the Lord. My role models. Thank you, Billy.
SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR WORDS CAPTURED MY HEART
Dear Billy Graham, I have a fond love for you through our Lord Jesus Christ. In 1972, just a newlywed, I was watching one of your televised crusades. I don’t recall which state it was held in. There was something about your words that captured my heart, and when you gave the call, and the song “Just As I Am” played, I tearfully accepted Jesus Christ into my life.
I had been going to church with my husband and understood intellectually what was being said, but it didn’t affect my heart until that wonderful night. God is so gracious and merciful. My life has been forever changed, and the Lord used you to do it. The works our Lord has worked through you and your family are far and wide. I praise God for your diligent service to Him. Someday we will meet in heaven. Until that day, may God continue to richly bless you.
YOU’RE LIKE MY PREACHER GRANDPA
Thank you for your spiritually uplifting messages and the reminder that God is always ready for us to ask Him into our hearts! I grew up watching your telecasts from all over the world. My mother enjoyed your messages over the years. It gave her strength and comfort as she battled a lifelong illness. I know she felt down at times, but she was always renewed in her faith to see her through. I have always had a respect and admiration for your honest, hard-driving truth. You’re like my preacher grandpa, in that you both have the peace of God in your life, and that makes everyone feel comfortable to be around you listening to life-changing messages. Thank you for the gifts God has given you and your wife to make a difference in so many lives.
I AM ON MY WAY!
Raised in Christian households, my grandparents both contributed to your ministry. They went many times to The Cove—and yet, I still grew up never fully submitting my life to Christ.
My youth was rather difficult, and my young adult life held no value other than my pain and mistakes. One day, I was listening to the radio and found your ministry on. I can’t say now what exactly it was that made me listen, but that was six years ago and I haven’t changed the radio station yet. My life is changed because of your ministry. Your station seems to be everything I need, at exactly the right moment in my car or at home. I have learned so much and grown so deep in my faith. Thank you so much for your ministry! When you get to heaven, please say hello to my grandparents for me. Without their prayers and your ministry, I wouldn’t be able to join you all in the future. Shake hands and pat each other on the back—tell them I am on my way!
CALLED TO THE MINISTRY
I grew up watching videos of your crusades, and it was then that I knew I was called to be in the ministry. I have read many of your books. I have learned so much just by watching your obedience to the Lord. Thank you so much for listening to God and doing what He had for you. Your obedience touched millions and taught people like me to follow the Lord’s plan first. Thank you for being the man of God you are.
BILLY REACHES ME FROM 1958
I had an amazing experience on the night of March 5, 2008. I was home alone, channel surfing, and I found a Billy Graham broadcast, originally from
Memorial Day 1958 in San Francisco. Billy was preaching about God saving Noah, Job, and Daniel.
At one point while Billy was preaching, he looked right at the camera—I mean, right into it—and I swear he was looking right at me, it was so personal! Even though I had already given my life to Jesus Christ, I prayed along with Billy that night, asking for forgiveness and rededicating my life to Jesus.
Billy had no way of knowing, in 1958, that fifty years later he would come into my living room and get me to pray with him. Do you think God continues to work through Billy Graham? I know He does!
In 2004, I got to see and hear Billy at the Rose Bowl, and I cherish the experience. I have a large picture book of Billy that stays on my bookshelf, facing out so I can see Billy’s face and be reminded of a dedicated man of God. Billy, thank you so much.
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