Billy Graham

Billy Graham finally saw the face of his Savior today, when he passed away and entered Heaven. This morning when the news story broke on the TV station I was watching, they ran a piece highlighting his life and ministry and I cried. My husband and I have had the conversation before on the subject of celebrities dying and that people cry over a person they personally never knew. I told my husband I couldn't think of one celebrity that I would cry about when they die. I was wrong. I've been weepy all morning over Billy Graham's death. But it's not tears over the man so much, as tears over what he meant to so many people, worldwide.

In 2015 we took a family vacation to North Carolina.
We went to a Billy Graham exhibit at a museum in Raleigh.
This was a snapshot I took of one of Billy's Bibles.

Billy Graham was a huge part of the Christian culture where I grew up. Once upon a time, he was the president at the Christian school where I started my college career. He left that position to go into his preaching ministry full-time. His legacy was still felt at that school when I attended over twenty years ago; forty years after he left. Billy's ministry headquarters were also located in the Twin Cities for many years before moving to his home state of North Carolina. He also started the biggest local Christian radio station in the Twin Cities. Yes, the format is very different from when he started it over sixty years ago, but the purpose of the radio station remains the same. To proclaim the gospel. The station reaches millions every day with the good news that Jesus came to save mankind. The ripple effects of Billy's ministry will never be known this side of heaven.

But perhaps the biggest impact of Billy Graham's legacy in my life is the fact that my grandparents went to one of his crusades in 1950 and accepted Christ. Of course, I'm sure that there were many people in my grandparents' lives that contributed to their faith journey. They both grew up going to church. I'm sure their mothers prayed for them. They had Sunday School teachers and pastors who poured into their lives. But Billy Graham was the one that got them to cross the finish line and start their new lives in Christ. The gospel message that Billy spoke that day finally reaped all of the seeds of faith that so many had sown into my grandparents' lives. Because of their decision, they raised six children in a Christian home. My grandma's favorite verse is Joshua 24:15 which says, "But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." And they have served their Savior faithfully together for over 60 years. And because of that, their daughter did the same and raised me in a Christian home that served the Lord. And now, I do the same with my family.

So why am I so weepy today? Good grief, the man was 99. He lived a good, long life. He is in the very presence of Jesus and with his beloved wife, Ruth. I never attended one of Billy Graham's crusades. I did not know the man personally. I think one of the reasons for my tears is because his legacy is part of the fabric woven into my journey of faith. But I think mostly it's because of what he stood for - The Gospel of Jesus Christ. The fact that Jesus left Heaven to come to earth to die on a cross so that sinful mankind can enter into a relationship with God is the most paradoxical event in history. The gospel...so simple a child can understand it. Yet so complicated that biblical scholars have debated it and dissected it for centuries. The gospel...it can humble you to your knees, in a low posture. Yet it can cause you to reach your hands as high as possible, in as big of a posture as you can muster. The gospel...it can make you weep while wearing the biggest smile on your face. The gospel...it brings freedom to those who believe it. Yet some rulers and governments in history have tried to repress it because of their fear. Billy Graham was about one thing - telling as many people as possible around the world the good news of the gospel. His greatest goal was to point others to Christ. He knew that the gospel cannot and will not be stopped. God gave him a giant and far-reaching platform to tell people all over the world. And people listened. They flocked to Billy's crusades by the millions. Because Billy spoke the truth. And it was never about him. It was always about Jesus.

Was Billy Graham perfect? Nope. Far from it. Because no one is perfect. Did Billy realize that he was a sinner and only the saving grace of Jesus Christ could rescue him and give him life? Yes. Does God love Billy Graham more than He loves you? Nope. Will we ever have the scope of ministry Billy was given? Nope. In Mark 25 Jesus told a parable of what Heaven is like. This is the passage of scripture where Jesus is quoted as saying, "Well done, good and faithful servant." Those are the six words that every Christ follower longs to hear when they enter Heaven. I am certain that Billy Graham heard those precious words today. Not because of the number of people he brought to Christ (I don't think God really cares about stats). But rather because he was obedient to God's calling on his life and he did his best for Jesus with what he was given. May we all do the same.