Please pray for the Nuba Mountain region where a Bible college supported by Samaritan's Purse was attacked by the Sudanese Air Force on the first day back in school this year.

By Trevor Freeze

Two Heiban Bible College buildings in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan were destroyed on Wednesday when two bombs landed on the compound, which Samaritan's Purse heavily supports.

Amazingly, even though the campus was full of students, teachers and teachers' families, no one was injured. Wednesday marked the first day of school this year.

Franklin Graham, CEO and president of Samaritan's Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, has issued a call to pray for this African nation.

"We have been working for years in Sudan," Graham said. "Today our Bible school in Heiban in the Nuba Mountains was bombed by the Sudanese Air Force. No one was killed or hurt, but buildings were destroyed. Please pray for the safety of believers, and that God would intervene."

U.S. Government Condemns Bombing

Along with ministry partner Sami Dagher, a prominent church leader in the Arab world, Samaritan's Purse has supported the Bible college since its opening in 2007.  Samaritan's Purse has helped build classrooms, dormitories, kitchens, a dining room and housing for teachers.

In 2010, 36 students became the first class to graduate from Heiban Bible College and Franklin Graham spoke at the ceremony.

"We at Samaritan's Purse condemn the repeated attacks on the innocent people who are being terrorized in the Nuba Mountains," Graham said. "Many have been forced to flee their homes, and we are committed to helping those in need."

Over the past 10 years, Samaritan's Purse has supported Christians in the Nuba region, building 168 churches while providing aid through agricultural, educational and clean water projects. Since 1993, Samaritan's Purse has spent some $100 million helping the Sudanese people and has rebuilt 478 churches since 2005.

"My prayer is that the world will not just sit by and watch and hope for the best," Graham said, "but make it clear to the government of Sudan that attacks like these will not be tolerated."

Wednesday's bombing comes less than three months after a bomb explosion in South Sudan, which gained its independence as a country in July 2011.

In August 2011, Samaritan's Purse began working at the Yida refugee camp after reports had surfaced of displaced people. Many individuals were stranded without access to food, shelter and clean water and more than 28,000 have now been registered at the Yida camp just across the border.

On Nov. 11, 2011, four bombs fell on the Yida refugee camp, reportedly dropped by the Sudan government, shortly after the U.N. started delivering food supplies. Three of the four bombs exploded, but the one landing near a schoolhouse with hundreds of school children around miraculously did not detonate and no casualties were reported.

Less than a week earlier, Franklin Graham visited this camp on his way to preach at BGEA's four-day Hyderabad Festival in India.

"Pray for peace to come to this troubled region," Graham wrote in an email prayer alert shortly after the South Sudan bombing. "Most of all, please pray that the people we are helping will find lasting hope in Jesus Christ."

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As he turns 103 on Feb. 1, George Beverly Shea’s heart is as joyful as that of a child.

“Karlene and I rejoice in the Lord’s overwhelming grace to give me 103 years of life!” he exclaimed on Monday.

And while he won’t be partying like a teenager, the youthful centenarian will celebrate the day in the company of his family and in quiet reflection, reading greetings from around the world now pouring in to him.

He says he is especially thankful for the dear people with whom he has ministered and traveled the world since the day he met Billy Graham in 1943. “For all these years, the fellowship of the BGEA team has been precious as I have sought to serve the Lord,” says Shea.
  
As we join in celebrating 103 of God’s blessings, let’s take a journey back to Mr. Shea’s early days, excerpted from a previous interview. 

Q/ What was your life like as you were growing up?

A/ I was born in 1909 in Winchester, Ontario, where my dad served as pastor of the Wesleyan Methodist Church. Six of us were born during that time, and when I was 8, we moved to upstate New York. My mother was a church organist, and at home we had a piano that came from England. Mother played it so beautifully. She instilled in all of us a love for the old hymns. She would wake us up oft-times in the morning with an old song titled, “Singing I Go.” She would play an E-flat chord, and we would hear her voice:  Singing I go along life’s road/For Jesus has lifted my load.

Sunday mornings it was another hymn: Lord, in the morning Thou shalt hear/My voice ascending high/To Thee will I direct my prayer /To Thee lift up mine eye.

I have always loved the hymns. All eight of us remember the times when we took our Lord Jesus as Savior. In our home we had prayer three times a day around the table. Dad would read from the Bible in the evening—just a couple of verses, and the prayer was brief, because he knew that children became restless.

Q/ So you came to Christ at an early age.

A/ Yes, at 5 or 6. But there were times when I needed to rededicate my life to the Lord Jesus. When I was 18, my dad was pastoring a church in Ottawa, and I was feeling not too spiritual. The church was having “special effort,” as they called it, for a week. I remember that on Friday night, Dad came down from the pulpit, and tenderly placed his hand on my shoulder. He whispered, “I think tonight might be the night, son, when you come back to the Lord.” Whatever Dad did or said, I listened to him and respected him.

And, yes, that was the night!

Q/ You composed "I'd Rather Have Jesus" when you were 23. How did that happen?

A/ My mother had been to a meeting in New York City and brought me a poem written by Rhea F. Miller, "I’d Rather Have Jesus." On a Sunday morning, with the poem in front of me, I sat down at the piano, and the melody came to my heart and mind. When I finished that first verse and chorus, Mother, with tears in her eyes, came from an adjoining room, and put her arms around me. She had wanted that poem to have an effect on my life, and it seemed that after that morning better things happened all along the way.

Q/ What are some of the life lessons you've learned about trusting Christ?

A/ My father used to tell my brothers, Whitney and Alton, and me, “There will be many times when you don’t feel connected. The Lord is with you. Just look up—keep that vertical relationship. Practice His presence in your life.”

I’ve had moments, even when working for Mr. Graham, where I’ve felt as if I weren’t effective enough, and I’ve known discouragement. But I go to the Lord, and He extends His grace. On many occasions I go to the piano and play an old favorite. God always encourages through His Spirit and renews our strength.

I have learned to look up, and He’s there. He loves us. He has given me more than I deserve.

I’m so grateful for my dear spouse, Karlene, and for my late wife, Erma, who went to be with the Lord many years ago. I’m thankful too for my children and grandchildren.

There are many wonderful stories of this life journey. One is of a gentleman who came to the Harringay meetings in London. He had been brought by his neighbor. He came thinking that he would just sit and make fun of everything.

When I got up to sing, he was talking out loud and probably criticizing as he heard me singing, “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.” But when I got to the line, “He’s got the tiny little baby in His hands,” the man slumped in his seat, probably thinking of his little one, who was ill at home. During Mr. Graham’s invitation, the man stood, came forward and gave his heart to the Lord Jesus.

Q/ As someone who has walked with the Lord for quite some time, what advice do you have for other Christians?

A/ Keep your devotions, study the Word, enjoy His presence, and learn from Him daily!

Learn more about George Beverly Shea's life and ministry »

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Long-time soloist with the Billy Graham Crusade team overcame a childhood marked by poverty and violence to become a renowned vocalist and actress.

For nearly 20 years, she warmed hearts and shared the stage with Billy Graham at his Crusades. Starting Feb. 1 and running through March 31, legendary African-American actress, singer and entertainer Ethel Waters will be celebrated at the Billy Graham Library with a special exhibit entitled "Ethel Waters: His Eye is on the Sparrow."

The exhibit showcases exclusive memorabilia, rare photographs and stirring recordings from her remarkable career. In addition, visitors will learn how God used Billy Graham in the Civil Rights movement.

Two years prior to the Supreme Court decision that banned discrimination based on race, Mr. Graham opposed segregating crowds at his 1952 Crusade in Jackson, Mississippi.

He continued to fight segregation during the civil rights movement, preaching, “Jesus was not a white man; he was not a black man. He came from that part of the world that touches Africa and Asia and Europe. Christianity is not a white man’s religion and don’t let anybody ever tell you that it’s white or black. Christ belongs to all people; He belongs to the whole world!”

Born to a 13-year-old single mother in Chester, Pa., Waters (1896-1977) began her recording career in 1921 with the Black Swan label and continued with Columbia Records in 1925.

Through the next decade, she recorded many jazz hits such as, “Am I Blue?” “Memories of You,” “Cabin in the Sky,” “Stormy Weather,” “Heat Wave,” “Dinah” and “Summertime.”

Waters’ Broadway resume includes key performances in At Home Abroad, Mamba's Daughters, Cabin in the Sky and The Member of the Wedding. She went on to reprise her roles in the film versions of the latter two Broadway shows and obtain other film credits as well.

The first African-American to receive equal billing on Broadway and the second black woman to be nominated for an Academy Award, Waters most significant accomplishment came in her later years, sharing her faith with others through music – particularly her trademark song, “His Eye Is on the Sparrow.”

She sang at her first Billy Graham Crusade in 1957 at New York's Madison Square Garden, where she attended one of the meetings and rededicated herself to Christ. Her final Crusade appearance came in August 1976 in San Diego, Calif.

During her years of serving with Mr. Graham, Ms. Waters starred in "The Heart of a Rebel," a Billy Graham Evangelistic Association World Wide Pictures film, and was honored by Mr. Graham at a 1972 dinner he held in her honor in Hollywood.

"This exhibit focuses on the life of an important person to Mr. Graham and the ministry of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association," said Debra Cordial, director of the Library. "This exhibit was so well-received when it was on display in 2009 that we decided to offer it again. We hope our guests will be encouraged and blessed in seeing how Ms. Waters used her incredible talent and high-profile platform to bring honor and glory to God."

For more information about The Billy Graham Library, including hours, directions, volunteer opportunities, and an overview video, visit the Library website »

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The Gospel can change lives for eternity, not just for a season or a term. It is costly, but it is of the greatest value.

Dear Friend,

In the 23rd Psalm, David said, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil” (v. 4, NKJV). This March I will be going to the valley of the shadow of death to preach the Gospel in a nation of people who do not know Jesus Christ as their Shepherd and Savior. This valley is Sendai, Japan.

On March 11 of last year, what is now known as the Great East Japan Earthquake struck this area with a deadly magnitude of 9.0. It was the most powerful known earthquake ever to hit Japan and one of the five most powerful earthquakes in the world since modern record-keeping began. The upheaval triggered a powerful tsunami wave reaching heights of up to 130 feet in some places, a roaring wall of water that—in the Sendai area—traveled 6 miles inland. Incredibly, the earthquake moved Japan’s main island of Honshu 8 feet to the east and shifted the Earth on its axis by estimates of between 4 and 7 inches.

The devastation was so widespread that at one point over 470,000 people were living in emergency shelters, and 50,000 remain housed in evacuation centers nearly a year later. About 16,000 died in the disaster, and thousands more who were swept away have never been found.

In the city of Sendai, one of the hardest hit areas, their local stadium (known as the Grande 21 sports arena) was used as a makeshift morgue because so many had died. I was there at that time and saw it for myself. Thousands of bodies of those who had entered into eternity waited here for burial. It was a place of great sadness and grief.

One year later, we are going back to this same stadium at the invitation of Japanese churches—this time to preach the Gospel. The arena that once was a holding place for the dead will be instead a place where we are praying for thousands of souls to choose eternal life through Jesus Christ. Jesus said: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and … has passed from death into life” (John 5:24).

We’re calling this Crusade the “Celebration of Hope,” asking God to transform that stadium into a place of new life, rejoicing, and victory.

Pray with us as we travel to Japan to reach this nation with the truth of God’s love. The Psalmist David also wrote, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; … He restores my soul” (Psalm 23:1–3). There are millions who are not experiencing the truth that David knew. They live in fear of leaking radiation from damaged nuclear reactors, fear of another earthquake, fear of another deadly tsunami. But those who know Jesus Christ as their Shepherd can have the “peace of God, which transcends all understanding” (Philippians 4:7, NIV).

Our prayer is that there will be a mighty harvest in Sendai as men and women put their faith and trust in the Savior, the One who will lead them to green pastures and still waters—and restore their souls.

Billy Graham Rapid Response Team chaplains have been deployed in Japan most of the past year. Working alongside Japanese pastors and churches, they have shared the comfort and hope of Christ with local people whose lives were shattered and with the volunteers there to help.

In our own country we are entering an election year, and it is astounding to see what candidates are spending. In Iowa during the Republican caucuses, it was reported that some candidates spent more than $360 in their campaign for every vote they received. It is estimated that the president will spend about $1 billion on his re-election campaign.

Friends, that is a lot of money, but the Bible says that the value of a soul is priceless. Across the United States and around the world, at BGEA we are attempting to preach this wonderful Gospel message to as many people as possible. It is truth that can change lives for eternity, not just for a season or a term. It is costly, but it is of the greatest value. I can’t think of any better investment than supporting evangelistic work to reach lost souls with the truth of God’s love.

After the Crusade in Japan, I will be preaching in the capital city of Ghana, West Africa. Meanwhile, my son Will is leading Crusades in Texas in March, one north of Dallas/Fort Worth and another in the eastern Dallas metro area. More than 1,500 churches are involved.

Pray that the Holy Spirit of God will draw unsaved to these events, that they might hear and be saved. God works through your prayers as well as your gifts. Thank you for investing in reaching lost souls.

Sincerely,



President

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If you need to get away from the distractions of everyday life, the Personal Spiritual Retreats offered by the Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove could be just the thing to refresh your soul.

By Joy Allmond

From concerts to seminars by some of the most renowned Bible teachers, speakers and worship leaders, The Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove in Asheville, N.C., offers a wide array of ways for people to study and grow spiritually.

However, sometimes we simply need a couple of quiet days away with God, and Him alone. That is why The Cove offers Personal Spiritual Retreats, self-directed opportunities for an individual or a couple to privately refocus on growing their relationship with God in beautiful and peaceful surroundings.

Audery Ponder is one of those people. In November of 2009, she attended the Evening at The Cove with Kathy Troccoli and felt the presence of God on the property of The Cove. “I purposed that evening to come back someday.”

Someday came sooner than she thought it would. A recent college graduate, Ponder needed to spend some time seeking God’s counsel on His direction for her life. Last spring, she went to her computer and began looking for places to get away.

As she was perusing the Internet for retreat centers, she remembered her time at The Cove the previous fall. “I was very excited to see that The Cove offers Personal Spiritual Retreats,” she recalls. “I saw the dates offered and called right away. I knew this was where God wanted to meet with me. I just praise the Lord that everything worked out for me to come.”

Her time spent at The Cove turned out to be a God-led time of preparation for her. “I am very secure in my relationship with the Lord, but somehow I just felt the need to shut myself away from the distractions of the world, and find a temporary refuge. I came there with Psalm 46:1 on my mind, which talks about the Lord being our Refuge.”

She recalls one of her sweetest moments with God as she was walking on the nature trail on The Cove’s property. “I found a seating area near a brook. I just sat there fellowshipping with God. I felt sweeping of His spirit come over me. I was so overwhelmed, I began to weep,” she remembered. “A couple walked by me and asked if I was okay. I explained to them that I was just worshipping. That was just one of many sweet moments I had on my Personal Spiritual Retreat.”

Ponder wants everyone she knows to have the same kind of encounter she had at The Cove. “I shared my experience with several people. We owe it to God to give Him focused time in our lives,” she said. “I am so thankful that The Cove has this for us. It is very hard to truly put into words; people just need to experience this. God will meet you, and it will be life-changing.”

Read what other people said

• This was indeed a gift to me by God. My time spent here at a Personal Spiritual Retreat was to prepare me to accept God’s next assignment. I will never forget this time in my life. It is a great spiritual marker on my journey. Thank you for making space for me. May people see the changes in me and want to come.
• I had the freedom to seek God without interruption…no pre-planned activities. It’s all about spending time with God. Thank you.
• The Personal Spiritual Retreat is an opportunity to reflect or study in a restful, relaxing environment, free of distractions in our “connected” life.
• The weekend followed a time of recommitment to God and my wife. It was a significant time of repentance, leisure, and growing together and toward God. Praise God for His faithfulness.

Plan your Personal Spiritual Retreat now »

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Billy Graham was a pioneer in using radio, TV and motion pictures to share the Gospel. Now his message of finding peace with God has gone digital. Learn about an exciting BGEA ministry where thousands of people are finding an eternal connection.

by Tiffany Jothen

Each day, about 5 million people take their spiritual questions to the Internet. They are searching for answers, for hope, for something they can believe in.

Six decades into the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association’s history, a new ministry is rapidly reaching thousands of people with the Gospel. Search for Jesus, an Internet evangelism ministry that started last April, has taken off, exceeding BGEA’s expectations and breaking boundaries.

Two projects fall under the Search for Jesus ministry: PeaceWithGod.net, an interactive website presenting the Gospel in four easy steps; and a site that will introduce new believers to the basics of Christianity, ready for launch later this year.

“[Internet Evangelism] will probably be one of the biggest things we’ve ever done … things that my father only dreamed about,” said BGEA President and CEO Franklin Graham. “We can go to countries where we’ve never been. We can go behind closed doors where we’ve never been. We can go anytime, day or night.”

About 1.1 million people around the world have already visited PeaceWithGod.net, with more than 148,000 of them making decisions for Christ. But it isn’t about the numbers.

“What is my purpose in life? Why am I lonely? Can God really forgive me? These are some of the questions that we are seeing on a regular basis,” e-chat volunteer and team coordinator Mimi Brady said. “People want to know if they are valuable and if they are loved.”

 “We have an amazing opportunity,” Internet evangelism partner Erik Célérier said. “We have to go for it. It’s urgent.”

The ministry isn’t a form of mass media, Célérier explained; it’s reaching one person at a time through his or her own Internet searches. A person, for example, might type into Google: “Does God exist?” and click a link that leads to a landing page on that topic. After reading content related to his original search, he can then click a button that directs him to PeaceWithGod.net.

Other popular Internet searches speak to financial problems, finding purpose in life and answered prayer.

The site has reached people throughout the United States and around the world, from Norway, Spain, Australia and the Philippines to India, France, the U.K. and Nigeria.

Internet Evangelism Director John Cass has spent 15 years traveling domestically and abroad. No matter where he goes, he meets people in search of love and forgiveness. PeaceWithGod.net is based on John 3:16 and speaks to those basic needs.

One site visitor, a 53-year-old retired mechanic from East Tennessee, found PeaceWithGod.net during a web search on salvation. He was touched by video testimonies from others who committed their lives to Christ.

“I just had the desire to give my life to God,” he said.

He prayed a prayer of salvation and knew his life had changed. He started reading the Gospel of John and went to church with his wife who was “tickled to death” about his decision. They started devotions together, and he is excited about prayer and worship.

But Internet Evangelism doesn’t end when a person accepts Christ. New believers have access to discipleship materials, and the Search for Jesus team is working to incorporate e-counselors and discipleship coaches. E-counselors will chat with site visitors to answer their questions, and discipleship coaches will mentor new Christians. About 2,600 people have expressed interest in volunteering for those roles.

“The most exciting part of my job is the opportunity to build a bridge between an almost limitless online mission field and thousands of faithful, able and willing Christians who could minister effectively in this field,” discipleship coach coordinator Mark Appleton said.

Search for Jesus is also working to connect new Christians to local, biblically sound churches that will nurture them in their walk with Christ.

“By next year, we would like to have the cleanest and most accurate database that’s filled with Bible-believing churches across the U.S.,” church referral coordinator Tameka Thomas said. Search for Jesus will make contact with churches through mailings, Skype, video presentations, Facebook and at conferences.

Last month, the Search for Jesus team launched an updated English version of PeaceWithGod.net, as well as a Portuguese version. Spanish ministry coordinator Jessica Romero is working on a U.S. Spanish site, and with 50 million Hispanics nationwide, she says it will be “explosive.”

The sites include videos that add a personal touch.

“Through high-quality, audiovisual storytelling, we are capturing hearts, impacting minds and changing lives 24/7,” video producer and editor David Acuff said. “Franklin Graham is not going to come knock on your door at 3:37 a.m. in Portugal to lead you in the sinner's prayer, but if you're ready for that step, there is media online where he does just that. We have extended his reach and the reach of BGEA into homes around the world.”

A man from Queensland, Australia, recently rededicated his life to Christ after visiting the site. “I have always thought of myself as a Christian, but in the last few years had rarely prayed,” he said. “My family, including my children, are nonbelievers, so my faith has often been a lonely one.”

The man recommitted to his faith and said he talks to God like a close friend.

“I am free,” he said. “It amazes me how simple and how completely profound our faith in God can be.”

Looking ahead, Internet Evangelism Director John Cass sees Search for Jesus blending into other ministries. The Rapid Response Team can use the Internet evangelism ministry to deploy chaplains online. And this new arm of BGEA can provide the Crusades ministry with ongoing evangelism and discipleship opportunities with partnering churches. Search for Jesus is also researching ways to reach people on their cell phones for those who don’t have a computer or smart phone.

“We have to be that forward-thinking if we’re going to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth,” Cass said. “People, we know, are changed when they find Christ.”

Visit SearchforJesus.net to find out how you can be a part of this exciting new ministry.

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As the U.S. prepares to vote for a new president and some ponder whether the nation has achieved his dream of racial equality, we remember Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“I have a dream,” cried Martin Luther King, Jr., on August 28, 1963, “…that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

On Monday, Jan. 16, when the world stops to remember a civil rights figure who fought for social and political change, Billy Graham will be remembering a man he counted as a friend.

Describing a 1957 Crusade meeting in New York City, Mr. Graham writes in his autobiography, "One night civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whom I was pleased to count a friend, gave an eloquent opening prayer at the service; he also came at my invitation to one of our Team retreats during the Crusade to help us understand the racial situation in America more fully."

As their friendship grew, King asked Mr. Graham to call him by his nickname. “His father,” explains Graham, “who was called Big Mike, called him Little Mike. He asked me to call him just plain Mike.”

Martin Luther King, Jr., entered the Christian ministry and was ordained in February 1948 at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, at the age of 19. In 1954, upon completion of graduate studies at Boston University, he accepted a call to serve at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Ala.

While there, King was an instrumental leader in the Montgomery Bus Boycott, made famous by the nonviolent resistance and arrest of Rosa Parks. He resigned from Dexter Avenue Baptist in 1959 to move back to Atlanta to direct the activities of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

From 1960 until his death in 1968, he also served as co-pastor with his father at Ebenezer Baptist Church.

King credited Mr. Graham with having a significant part in reducing the tension between whites and blacks in the South. In 1965, Mr. Graham canceled a tour of Europe to preach a series of crusades in Alabama, praying that the Gospel would tear down walls of division between the races and seeing the importance of his work alongside King’s.

King later said, “Had it not been for the ministry of my good friend Dr. Billy Graham, my work in the civil rights movement would not have been as successful as it has been.”

During the civil rights movement, Mr. Graham preached: “Jesus was not a white man; He was not a black man. He came from that part of the world that touches Africa and Asia and Europe. Christianity is not a white man’s religion, and don’t let anybody ever tell you that it’s white or black. Christ belongs to all people; He belongs to the whole world.”

Mr. Graham was in Australia at the time of King’s death. He remembers the moment someone approached him with news of King’s assassination, which was followed by journalists seeking a quote: “I was almost in a state of shock. Not only was I losing a friend through a vicious and senseless killing, but America was losing a social leader and a prophet, and I felt his death would be one of the greatest tragedies in our history."

Reflecting on how his thinking changed through the years, Mr. Graham writes, "I cannot point to any single event or intellectual crisis that changed my mind on racial equality. At Wheaton College, I made friends with black students, and I recall vividly one of them coming to my room one day and talking with deep conviction about America’s need for racial justice.

"Most influential, however, was my study of the Bible, leading me eventually to the conclusion that not only was racial inequality wrong but Christians especially should demonstrate love toward all peoples."

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When Tim Tebow threw for 316 yards on Jan. 8, it launched a viral buzz over one of his favorite verses, John 3:16, which has led to thousands of people landing on the BGEA's Internet Evangelism website, PeacewithGod.net.

By Trevor Freeze

Search John 3:16 in Google last week and in the blink of an eye — 0.11 seconds to be exact — more than 104 million search results pop up.

Ironically, it took all of 11 seconds for Tim Tebow's Denver Broncos to score a huge upset in overtime on the night of Jan. 8 against the vaunted Pittsburgh Steelers defense. The Broncos fell to the Patriots on Saturday night in Foxboro, Mass., but that didn't stop the Gospel message from becoming a viral hit.

Tebow — a devout Christian who wore the Bible verse John 3:16 painted on his eye blacks during the 2009 NCAA National Championship game — finished with 316 yards.

And if that wasn't enough…

Tebow's per-throw average: 31.6 yards.

Sunday's overtime TV rating: 31.6.

Pittsburgh's time of possession: 31 minutes, 6 seconds.

But there have been other numbers, eternally speaking, surrounding John 3:16 that have also been registered this week on PeacewithGod.net.  The initial website launched by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association's Internet Evangelism ministry known as Search for Jesus has had a very busy week.

Taking advantage of John 3:16's popularity in Google searches on Monday, the BGEA advertised a PeacewithGod.net landing page around searches for John 3:16 — the central message of the video-driven Gospel website.

Over 10,000 users specifically inquiring about John 3:16 this week have landed on PeacewithGod.net via Google, with more than 200 clicking they had made a decision to accept Jesus Christ into their life.

"That's what makes this online ministry so unique," said John Cass, BGEA's director of Internet Evangelism. "We can respond to exactly what people are searching for at that moment—and it's often a very simple next-step to the Gospel.

"Current events give us the opportunity to share the Gospel."

Churches and individuals can partner with the BGEA's Internet Evangelism ministry by clicking on the How You Can Help tab on the website SearchforJesus.net.

Always one to deflect credit, Tebow did not mention the similarities of the 316 passing yards and one of his favorite verses in Sunday's post-game press conference, but he was quick to give God the glory.

"First and foremost, I just want to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ," Tebow said. "He's done so much in my life."

In the course of his preaching ministry, Billy Graham delivered countless sermons from John 3:16, which reads: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (NIV)."

Get your copy of Tim Tebow's book Through My Eyes from our online bookstore »

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“Heritage encompasses many things,” says Franklin Graham in the foreword of the brand-new devotional book—Treasured Moments with Mother Graham—a compilation of journal entries from Rose Adams, who cared for Morrow Graham in the last two years of her life.

“The Bible, in one sense, is a family tree with deep roots,” Franklin Graham continues. “This is where we go to learn about ourselves and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Franklin recalled a visit with his paternal grandmother on his 29th birthday, one month before her death: “I remember wanting to do something special for my birthday,” he states, “so I went to Charlotte to spend a few hours with my grandmother. I never visited her that I didn’t get at least a brief Bible lesson. She was a biblical quote factory, billowing forth Scripture. She reminded me of the great heritage we have in Christ and compelled me to be faithful in telling people around the world what Christ has done for us.

“I had grandparents who made an impact on me in a positive way and as a grandfather myself now, I realize the importance of setting an example for my grandchildren by loving God’s Word, obeying it daily, and boldly proclaiming its truth.”

No Place Like Home

Morrow Coffey Graham, mother of Billy Graham and known to many as “Mother Graham,” was born in 1892 and died in 1981 in the home her husband, William Franklin Graham, Sr., built on the Graham Dairy Farm in Charlotte, N.C., when Billy was a young boy.

Today it is located at The Billy Graham Library and open to the public. Over a half million guests have walked through this home and have sensed the presence of the Lord as stories are told of Morrow Graham’s love for family, and especially of her devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ and her love for the Word of God.

Visiting the Graham homeplace, one may just hear some firsthand stories told by a “fun-loving, ebullient women with a laugh as big as her heart,” says Billy Graham. Her name is Rose Adams, an 85-year-old volunteer at the Library. Of particular interest, Rose Adams, author of the new devotional, was caregiver to Morrow Graham in the last years of her life.

“I shall never forget the first time I saw Mother Graham in 1958 at the Billy Graham Crusade in Charlotte, N.C.,” Rose states. “The sweet countenance of this petite woman crowned with white hair looked like an angel. Never did I dream that I would have the privilege of caring for her 20 years later. In return you might say she cared for my soul; for our days together seldom passed that I didn’t sit at her feet and learn from the wisdom she deposited in my heart from the Holy Scriptures,” Rose writes.

The devotional is a compilation of journal entries from Rose to Billy Graham, sharing with him what she learned from his mother—short but thought-provoking lessons from the pages of all 66 books of the Bible—each entry ending with an insightful reflection from Mr. Graham about his mother and lessons she taught him growing up that followed him through nine decades of life and seven decades of public, worldwide ministry. The impact of a Christian mother, indeed, is inspiring.

A Special Bond

“The uniqueness of the book is that it speaks to young and old alike and exemplifies what is missing in today’s culture,” says co-author Donna Lee Toney, “and that is the younger learning from those who have walked a few more miles, which adheres to the Apostle Paul’s instruction in the Book of Titus that older women should teach younger women good things. This was the special bond these two women shared. Mr. Graham told me that his mother and Rose discovered together that the Lord Jesus Christ truly is the all-sufficient Comforter.”

“In recent years,” Billy writes, “as Ruth and I grew older, we both learned something about caregivers. The most effective and loving are those who have already walked a few miles through the valley. Ruth and I always enjoyed hearing Rose recount some of these special moments.”

Jennifer Lyell, executive editor for Broadman and Holman, told the editors of Decision Magazine: “When I met Rose earlier this year, she took me through Mother Graham’s home and as I connected with this remarkable story, I was struck with the power of Titus 2:4 personified in the moment. What Mother Graham had passed on to Rose, Rose was now passing on to me. These treasured moments will touch the hearts of many others as they tap into the insights of Morrow Coffey Graham.”

That passing of truth is captured in the book’s preface, as Rose states, “When I arrived at the Graham home in September 1979, Mother Graham welcomed me as a friend, not a caregiver. I embraced her not as an invalid, but as a mother and a teacher. I often thanked her for the impact she made in my life but she was always quick to say that every time she opened the Bible, she herself entered the classroom under the professorship of the Holy Spirit.

“These nuggets of truth from Morrow Graham were used to personally tutor me as her resident student in what I called Mother Graham Seminary. I am grateful to Billy for asking me to share these memorable and personal thoughts from his mother, who taught me how to praise through pain; how to be strengthened in sorrow; and how to lay hold of Christ’s promises.”

Get your copy of Treasured Moments with Mother Graham from our online bookstore »


This article first appeared in the December 2011 issue of Decision Magazine. Click here to subscribe today. 

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Despite being named one of the "Most Admired Men" in the 2011 USA Today/Gallup poll, Billy Graham would probably point to the verse hanging on the wall of his Montreat home — Galatians 6:14: "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ..."

By Trevor Freeze

 The Rev. Billy Graham isn't much for accolades.

 Nothing personifies this more than the verse posted in big letters on the wall of his Montreat, N.C., home:

 Galatians 6:14: "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world."

 Still, that hasn't stopped others from bringing up his name.

In fact, the 93-year-old Billy Graham has appeared very favorable on two recent polls.

For the 55th time since 1955, the man who founded the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in 1950 has made the USA Today/Gallup list of Most Admired Men of 2011.

 He was also named the most popular man in North Carolina through a combined poll using Twitter and Public Policy Polling of Raleigh.

 "People love Mr. Graham," said Ken Barun, senior vice president of communications for BGEA. "The message is Always Good News and Mr. Graham was Always Good News."

Mr. Graham, who has met personally with 12 different U.S. Presidents, finished fourth on this year's most admired list, behind President Obama and former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.  And while he's never finished first, Mr. Graham landed second eight times.

 Mr. Graham, still working in his twilight years, released his 30th book in October, titled Nearing Home: Life Faith and Finishing Well.

 "He fit what people wanted, he fit what people needed and he still does today," Barun said. "He still fits the need for us and that desire for us to believe in God and to believe that God absolutely is responsible for all of us. Billy Graham was that example."

 His 55 years in the Top 10 stands alone, far ahead of Ronald Regan (31 times), Pope John Paul II (27) and former President Jimmy Carter (27). Queen Elizabeth II, who finished tied for 9th this year, leads all women with 44 appearances in the poll, which started in 1946.

 According to Barun, it's a legacy born from decades of consistency and an arrival on a global platform at a young age.

"From a spiritual standpoint, when Mr. Graham came on the scene with Youth for Christ in the 40's, there was such a void in this country for spiritual leadership," Barun said. "God's annointment of Mr. Graham filled that void.

"That was a tough time in this country's history, right after World War II, people were searching for answers, the economy was starting to rebound, but people were still recovering from the ravages of war."

 Barun added that it was Mr. Graham's message resonating with so many people in so many places that has added to his popularity. He preached in 185 countries to nearly 215 million people and countless more on television, radio and now the Internet.

"Billy Graham's the first and probably the only evangelist that's touched every corner of the world," Barun said. "And his ministry is also perpetuated through Franklin Graham. It's never strayed from preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ."

The method used by the USA Today/Gallup poll was to simply ask, without prompting, for participants to name the living man and woman they most admire in the world. Hillary Clinton topped the woman's list a record 16th time, followed by Oprah Winfrey.

In the North Carolina poll, the survey relied on Twitter to narrow the field down to 14 finalists, which were then tested with voters by Public Policy Polling.
 
Mr. Graham's rating of plus 55 was more than Dean Smith (plus 50), Andy Griffith (plus 49) and Michael Jordan and Richard Petty (both plus 44).  He also scored higher than anyone else with both retired voters and those under 30.

"That just indicates that BGEA is doing a good job with Internet evangelism and other youth ministry efforts and the message is starting to resonate," Barun said.

"Billy Graham was handsome, he was young, he was vibrant. He was able to garner this charismatic personality that led people to him, then when they heard his message of salvation, they were sold on what God was doing through him."

Most Popular Man (North Carolina)

1. Rev. Billy Graham

2. Dean Smith

3. Andy Griffith

4t. Michael Jordan

4t. Richard Petty

6. Roy Williams

7. Mike Kryzewski

8. Cam Newton

9. Scotty McCreery

10. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

USA Today/Gallup Most Admired Man

1. Barack Obama

2. George W. Bush

3. Bill Clinton

4. Rev. Billy Graham

5. Warren Buffett

6. Newt Gingrich

7. Donald Trump

8. Pope Benedict XVI

9. Bill Gates

10. Thomas Monson

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