“God has given us two hands--one to receive with and the other to give with. We are not cisterns made for hoarding; we are channels made for sharing.” ― Billy Graham

In August 1963, Billy Graham returned to Los Angeles for his Southern California Crusade.

Good morning and welcome back. It's Monday, February 26, 2018, where you find me thinking some about the life and times of Evangelist Billy Graham. It's been interesting to observe how the mainstream media has covered his passing. They noted time and time again that he was a man promoting unity, and was one who was determined to stay above the fray. While I do know he moderated some of his fiery rhetoric as he grew older, most of them missed his message entirely. He believed and embraced the truth of God's Holy Word, Jesus is the only way to God. The Holy Spirit used his message of confrontation, conviction, and hope to prompt thousands upon thousands to leave their seats and come forward to repent of their sins and to receive Jesus as their Savior and Lord. I did not hear that covered by the mainstream media. Many of the outlets used his death to lament the contrast between him and his son, Franklin, who has taken an active stand for God-centered morality including that which transpires in the political arena. They tried to portray Billy as the gentle peacemaker while Franklin as one who promotes divisiveness. (Translated: Using the Bible to define right and wrong.) They need to watch some of Bro. Billy's invitations regarding sin, heaven, and hell. I remember watching his crusades growing up. If they were on and Granny Mac was anywhere around, we would be watching them. It was thought of as the thing to do. His crusade was televised, therefore, that's what you should be watching. I suppose it was 'must see' TV for us. We didn't know it, but at that time we were deplorables with training wheels. Here's my recently seen, favorite quote from Billy Graham,  "Someday you will read or hear that Billy Graham is dead. Don’t believe a word of it. I shall be more alive than I am now. I will just have changed my address. I will have gone into the presence of God." May God continue to bless the harvest He achieved through His calling and use of this anointed 'Gospel seed planter'. Amen.

Since I am on the subject of how the mainstream cover things, I heard one the other day on NPR that was almost laughable. The reporter was called upon to explain why the Jews celebrate Passover. The reporter said the Jewish people celebrate because it commemorates the time when the nation fled Egypt. He then went on to give additional stuff that really didn't amount to much. No mention of Jehovah God. No mention of Moses. No mention of the Biblical account. Even Wikipedia, a source known to lean left at times, has this to say about the Jewish Passover: "Passover or Pesach (/ˈpɛsɑːx, ˈpeɪsɑːx/; from Hebrew פֶּסַח‬ Pesah, Pesakh), is an important, biblically derived Jewish holiday. Jews celebrate Passover as a commemoration of their liberation by God from slavery in ancient Egypt and their freedom as a nation under the leadership of Moses. It commemorates the story of the Exodus as described in the Hebrew Bible, especially in the Book of Exodus, in which the Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt." In another report, a major news face reported how a 20-year-old had been able to purchase an AR15 in five minutes even though his ID was expired. He used that story to launch an attack on the ease in which assault weapons can be obtained. One problem. The story was not true. The young man did not purchase that weapon at all. When confronted with this premise being a fake news story, the anchor became livid, spewing out accusations and recriminations, but no answer to his use of a fake story. Bottom line, it served his rant, therefore, without checking out the story, he used it to support his ideas. He actually said the debate is what is important, not the accuracy of the story. I report, I decide, now it's your turn.

I remember one day coming down the elevator in the high rise building where I worked and I was startled to see this most beautiful lady in the lobby with a camera crew. It was a new reporter at the local ABC TV affiliate, Shara Fryer. Seeing her across the way, she looked like she might be a movie star or maybe a beauty queen contestant. That was back in the mid 1980's. She is now on a local morning news radio station and I recently saw her photo. I looked at it and I thought back to that day in the lobby. It reminded me that time has had its way with Shara and it has made its impact on us all. She is still an attractive lady but at 65, she cannot deny the mileage. None of us can. That's how it works. And, knowing this and becoming comfortable with the aging process helps us to be effective in whatever stage we happen to be in. I can remember when those first gray hairs bugged me to no end. That might be a sign of weakness. I could be slipping. Right? Better get some of that stuff and try to cover them up. My how things change. Now any black hairs are considered to be the enemy. We can't let them distract from our pristine white. They have to be cut out or painted with the white cover fluid. Is that funny or what? Role reversal! Oh well, time marches on, and as you can readily see, it waits for no one. Myself included, but you knew that already. Have a great rest of the day and may God bless us all. Amen. ....More later.