“But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”  Galatians 6:14

 On February 21, 2018, a beloved servant of the Lord went Home to be with the Savior he loved and served.  Billy Graham, affectionately known as the “Nations’ Pastor” breathed his last and entered his heavenly home to be seated at the feast table of the King!  The pastor who visited him each week in his North Carolina home said Galatians 6:14 was prominently displayed on the walls.  Billy would say, “God forbid that anything in my life should be about anything but Jesus Christ!  To die is gain!” 

 I didn’t have the privilege of knowing Billy Graham, but I did know a servant of the Lord who was a close personal friend, Loren Sanny.  Loren had been with Billy in the early days of the Crusades and kept a close relationship with him during his lifetime.  He told us whenever a Crusade began, Billy would tell his staff and volunteers, “it wasn’t about him, it was about the Lord Jesus Christ.”  He was just a humble farm boy the Lord used.  He would remind them of the verse, “I am the Lord, that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another.”  Isaiah 42:8.  People who knew him, remarked on his humble spirit.  He was a great man, yet had a spiritual humility and submission to the lordship of Christ.  He understood God’s order.   He didn’t just talk the talk, he lived Jesus Christ!

Here are some tributes to him:

“He was great not by who he was, but Who he served.” ………………………House Speaker Paul Ryan

“He always gave the same beautiful message, ‘God loves you.’  May we be known as a nation sustained by prayer.  May God raise up more men and women like Billy Graham to spread the good news of the gospel to lives in hopelessness and despair.”..…from the funeral service

“Billy was 16 when he accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. That choice didn’t just change Billy’s life, it changed our lives.  It changed our country and the entire world.  He shared the power of God’s Word to more than 200 million people.” ……….…Pres. Donald Trump

“My whole family came to faith in Jesus through Billy Graham!  God met each of us right where we were!  Christianity is not a religion, it’s a relationship, a relationship with Jesus Christ!  My sister and my mother came to faith in Christ watching a Crusade.  They went down on their knees by the TV, and their lives changed.   We knew him as “Billy.” ………………….Kathy Lee Gifford

“He was not God, but he showed me what God was like, with his unconditional love.” ……daughter Ruth Graham

“His death is as significant as his life and the message he preached, “Jesus is coming soon!” ..….Anne Graham Lotz

“He was faithful, available and teachable.”  Ned Graham

“He preached on heaven, he wrote a book about heaven and now his journey is complete!  I can only imagine what my father saw when he stepped into heaven, another child of God entering into the joy of the Lord.” ………………………………..Franklin Graham

“My password into heaven will be the “Cross,” it’s only to the cross I cling! I have no other hope of heaven except by the cross!…..Billy Graham

“Well done, good and faithful servant.  Enter into the joy of the Lord…..Come and share your master’s happiness!”  Matthew 25:21

Your friend, Jean