dual personalities

Tag: Billy Graham

February 22, 2018

“Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”

by chuckofish

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:

19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

–Revelation 22: 13–21 (the last page of the Bible)

Well, Billy Graham has died at the age of 99. He always said, “I’ve read the last page of the Bible, it’s all going to turn out all right.”

We know that he is where he longed to be. “My home is in Heaven. I’m just traveling through this world,” he said.

But we will miss him, won’t we? Just knowing he was still there was reassuring.

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“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:7-8)

I am reminded of how Billy Graham went to visit the dying Steve McQueen and pray with him. As they parted, so the story goes, Steve said, “I’ll see you in Heaven.”

I’m sure there was quite a delegation there to greet Billy.

[Here is a nice testimony about Billy and Ruth. Be sure to read this story about Tommy James (of the Shondells) and his conversion experience. Here’s something from Wheaton College. Here’s what the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church had to say about Billy Graham yesterday. And this is a classic.]

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7 Comments
January 12, 2017

By the way

by chuckofish

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Thank you, Billy Graham, for reminding us.

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Some of us seem to have forgotten this.

And also let’s try:

Screen Shot 2017-01-11 at 3.47.05 PM.pngThank you, Instagram!

Have a good Thursday. We are bracing for a winter storm/ice storm–oh, boy! We’ll do our best to keep calm and carry on.

4 Comments
December 10, 2014

This and that

by chuckofish

cccameron

Our grandmother Catherine Cameron 1966

Remember when people received so many Christmas cards in the mail that they could use them as a decorative device at home? Well, times have certainly changed, haven’t they? I get fewer and fewer every year. As of 12/10/14, I have received five.

Mine are ready to go in the mail. Maybe I’ll get a few in response. Some people seem to wait and see who sends them before they return the favor. Please. Oh well, c’est la vie, but I like getting cards! Don’t you?

Here’s a link to an interesting story about Billy Graham and Louis Zamperini, the hero of Unbroken, the bestselling book by Laura Hillenbrand. You won’t see anything about Billy Graham in Angelina Jolie’s movie adaption of the book, but he was the guy who saved Zamperini’s life after he survived WWII. I knew when I read the book that this would be the case. Hollywood would never tell the whole story.

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Indeed, Zamperini survived the war and years of incarceration in a Japanese prisoner of war camp against incredible odds, but he was a broken man when he returned to California. He was angry and bitter and could not get back on track. The happy ending came, however, when he went in 1949 to one of Billy Graham’s first revivals and literally had a come-to-Jesus moment.

On the night of Oct. 23, Zamperini heard Graham say: “If you suffer, I’ll give you the grace to go forward.”

Hillenbrand, drawing on more than 70 interviews with Zamperini for “Unbroken,” tells how he recalled all the miraculous moments when his body might have broken and yet did not.

But on that night, Zamperini’s broken soul was touched. He walked down the sawdust aisle toward the Graham.

Over the next six decades, hundreds of thousands heard those words and did the same.

“God has spoken to you,” Graham said then, and ever after. “You come on.”

Zamperini became a devout Presbyterian and spent his life “giving back” and working with young people. What a made-for-Hollywood ending! But, of course, Hollywood no longer sees it that way. Perhaps that is why no one goes to the movies anymore.

And for all you LEGO nerds out there:

LEGO Christmas tree in Sydney, Australia

LEGO Christmas tree in Sydney, Australia

Pretty cool, eh?

And to wrap up this and that, here is a good prayer for the Feast Day of Karl Barth, which was yesterday, December 10:

Almighty God, source of justice beyond human knowledge: We offer thanks that thou didst inspire Karl Barth to resist tyranny and exalt thy saving grace, without which we cannot apprehend thy will. Teach us, like him, to live by faith, and even in chaotic and perilous times to perceive the light of thy eternal glory, Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who livest and reignest with thee and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, throughout all ages. Amen.

Have a good Thursday!

7 Comments