Dear Rev. Billy Graham,

It has been twenty years since I last wrote to you at the age of fourteen.  It’s when I started sensing the Holy Spirit move in me like I have never experienced before.  One evening I turned on my 13″ tv and adjusted the bunny ear antennas attached with aluminum foil at the ends mimicking flags, in hopes of getting clear enough reception to join in on your crusade broadcast.  I remember your message was simple, not confusing and capable of hitting directly to anyones heart if they dare to listen.  I realized to not only listen to your words, but also noticed your own life demonstrated what you preached.  You made it clear that your message was circled around the cross and why Jesus willing gave up His life for our sins, a simple powerful message.

Strangely I was compelled to write to you that day thanking you for your ministry and to pray for God’s path and direction on my life.  I had no expectations that I’d hear back from you due to the obvious schedule you have, but to my surprise you asked your assistant to reply back in a letter along with a copy of your autographed photo.  The letter was encouraging. A little hope can go a long way.  That’s true because I still remember that time till this day.

Today I wish that you’d receive this letter with the hopes that you’d respond once again.  I would certainly like to hear what your experiencing in Heaven at this very moment.  What was it like to wake up in such a glorious presence? What did you first see? Who have you met?  Tell me about the streets of gold and the many colors.  Tell me, what did you say when you first met Jesus?  Did you feel the marks on his hands?  I imagine it would be a constant reminder of the price Jesus paid and the sacrifice you yourself made in hopes of bringing others to Heaven and experience what you’re experiencing now.  I can only imagine.

It’s mentioned that in 1995 you made this statement

“My favorite verse of Scripture was taught to me by my mother when I was just a little boy.

For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16

This is the one Scripture that I always preach on in a crusade, usually on the opening night. I suppose it is the most familiar passage in the Bible. It has only twenty-five words in the English translation of it, but it is the Gospel in a nutshell. Someone has called it a miniature Bible. The word “whosoever” in this verse means the whole world. Whatever the color of a person’s skin, whatever language he speaks, God loves him and God is willing to save him. To me that is marvelous. It also says that life doesn’t begin when you die, it begins here and now.”

Like you, I also had a mother who took my sister, brother and I to church every Sunday.  It’s because of that hope and the scriptures spoken into me at such a young age that my journey in Christ began to grow by the same verse.  It’s the verse where all of our journeys with Christ begin, and continue on in Heaven.

      “Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a King then?”  Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king.  For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth.  Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”  John 18:37

Jesus came to testify, the disciples and Paul testified.  There is power in a testimony.  You testified, evangelized and prayed for many.  It didn’t go unnoticed that God’s power worked wonders in your life. Scripture says that there is such power of a righteous person.

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” James 5:16

I  thank you Rev. Billy Graham for testifying to the truth about Jesus, Faith, Hope and Love.  Indeed you are of truth, indeed you heard His voice.

In Christ Alone,

Gary Woods, Jr

P.S.  You indeed have been refined as pure gold.

    It’s been a tough week, nothing seems to have been going as I had planned.  But due to my circumstances it has caused me to act and to plan for other possible life decisions.  Something I don’t often take into consideration, and I know a lot of others don’t either, is that when we pray, are we just visioning where we want to be and not what it’s going to take to get us there?  What if the things we go through are actually our prayers being answered.  Maybe God’s way of preparing us.  The hardships are for a reason, even if there’s a tragedy, God is able and will turn it into good if you let him…there’s a purpose.

I hear a lot of complaining when people go through changes that seems totally against what they want, myself included, but what if it’s a trial of training if you will?  You know if God is to trust us with the bigger responsibilities/blessings in life, He should be able to trust us in the small responsibilities/blessings that He has given us.  These trials and sorrows is really a life long time of training.  I know it’s easy to think that maybe we can just sit where we are and let God answer our prayers without having to do much about our own situation.  Just like you have to train for everything else in life, sports, test, military and many other examples, a follower in Christ, no matter how small or great you think your current position is, there is hardship to be endured, just as much as there are good times.

I know where I want to be in life or at least an idea, and that it won’t be easy, but just like starting something new, the shifting and adjusting isn’t always as I thought it would be.  I know I feel really good after a hard days work.  The sense of accomplishment sets in and I appreciate and acknowledge how important my position is.  I know to get where I want to be, much training has to be endured, often that’s training that cannot be learned in a classroom setting.  It’s the experiences that we endure.  A teacher cant teach you all the experiences in life that you will endure because their experiences will not all be the same as yours.  The greatest lessons learned are our own experiences and how we respond in those situations.  God is always there with us if we truly believe.  It’s great to seek out advice, but allow me to encourage you, God is the path maker in your life.  I would recommend going to Him first.  He will use others to help you along, but if you solely follow the instruction of another’s advice, you may get off track.  God will lead you if you let Him.

I get it, times He seems so far away, but I sense it’s like a child riding a bike for the first time.  You may fall, but what will you do next?  Do you give up?  Maybe you fall many times, will you get back up?  Would you ever build a house on a faulty foundation?  Or a foundation where the house will be able to withstand the storms that beat against it, a foundation that’s firm?  There’s time I’ve allowed situations in life to push me over as if I was a house with an unstable foundation.  No one ever wants to admit that they’re weak.  But to acknowledge the reality that we face, and be able to recognize what causes us to fall over is the first step to standing firm in your faith.

Answer these questions:

Do you believe God will work in your life?

Do you want Him to work in your life?

Are you bounded by sin?

Is there someone you need to forgive or perhaps ask for forgiveness?

Do you want to see God do remarkable things in your life?

Are you willing to trust God through the situations you go through?

Will you always trust God no matter what?

Will you put into practice what Jesus commands?

If so start having a heart to heart talk with God.  He is available to you everywhere you go.  He hears your prayers and knows what you need.  God’s love never fails, never gives up and never runs out.

“For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.” Romans 6:14

“Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.  The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” James 5:26

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.  If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.  But when you ask you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.  That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.  Such a person is double minded and unstable in all they do.” James 1:2-8

“God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation.  Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” James 1:12

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.  But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” Matthew 7:24-27

Greetings,

Just to inform you I am changing my webpage site from http://www.sweetteawithrevg.com to http://www.refinedaspuregold.com.  I wanted something that is less me, and a bit more profound scriptural.  I hope you’ll like the changes as much as I do making them.

Gary