“This experience has really opened my eyes to the realization that many people are hurting. I just never noticed it before.” My friend was commenting on her new awareness. She had spent two weeks by the bedside of a loved one in the trauma intensive care unit of Harborview Medical Center. As we prayed and talked over her feelings, I was again reminded how much hurting people need healthy guidance. The healing, therapeutic touch or word of a friend provides immeasurable comfort and relief.
The church should be a center for healing, encouragement and help. Unfortunately, some people are hindered, rather than helped by their experience in church. For example:
Well-intentioned people who speak or act without thinking. “Just get over it” is not good advice for a person in the grieving process. Working through the stages of grief takes time and God’s help. Nor does it help to say, “I know just how you feel.” The reality is, nobody knows exactly how another person feels. You may have endured similar circumstances, and can share your story when the time is appropriate. But it seems trite to compare your situation to the grieving person’s.
False assumptions. You might tremble at the prospect of jumping out of an airplane without a parachute. But what if I told you the airplane was sitting on the ground?
You might believe that every person who has cancer dies from it. But you would be wrong. Many cancer survivors can testify to healing through both Divine and medical treatments. The reality is that every single person will die from something someday. Our false assumptions can keep us from moving forward with hope. They can also hinder the grieving process or reaching a place of acceptance and healing.
Simplistic answers and wrong beliefs. A hurting person is often confused and questions everything. In the process, they can come to the wrong conclusions about their circumstances. Often they will try to find a simple answer when a hundred complicated ones would not explain their predicament. Have you ever had these thoughts or has anyone ever said to you:
· "You must have done something to deserve this." While our actions or sins do have consequences, your own personal circumstances or loss may not be attributable to your own personal choices. To always believe so is a serious mistake that Job’s comforters made.
· "The devil is behind this. . .." In Job’s case, the devil for certain was behind his trouble, yet God still permitted it. The devil is not personally responsible for every problem we face. Sometimes we suffer loss and people die of old age. The Bible tells us we may battle the world, the flesh and the devil. Chasing demons is not the answer when working through grief or loss. “Spiritual warfare” will do little to ease your suffering when a tragedy occurs or a loved one dies. God, Scripture, a caring friend, and time will help immeasurably, though.
· "You must not have enough faith." This is an old line, and one that could be applied to every person listed among the “heroes of faith” in Hebrews chapter 11 – for they all suffered losses in many different ways, yet they all had great faith!
· "You must be out of the will of God.” The truth is, we can reside in the very center of God’s will and still be in a real pickle! Scripture is full of stories about God-fearing people from Joseph to the Apostle Paul who were doing God’s will and suffered anyway.
· “You can’t trust the medical profession, you know. If you will buy my remedy you will get better.” The fact is, God often provides healing in a variety of ways, and He certainly does use people in the medical profession. Luke, the author of the Gospel that bears his name as well as the book of Acts in the New Testament, was a physician! Anecdotal information or testimonies are not always helpful to a hurting person, because the experience of another person, no matter how wonderful, might not be the experience of the next person. What worked for one might not work for another.
Ultimately, our trust must be in the Great Physician to heal spirit, soul and body. Jesus once used mud to heal blindness (John 9:6). But He doesn’t want us to market the curative powers of “healing mud.” Instead, He wants us to trust in the Healer who applied the mud.
With God’s help and with our help, hurting people can become healthy people. The church should be a catalyst for making it happen. What do you think?
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Keep Christ in Christmas!
In December of 1965 I was about to turn eleven years old and a fifth grader at Dundee Elementary School in Dundee, Oregon. It was a tradition for the fifth grade class to recite the Christmas story from Luke 2:1-14 in the annual school Christmas program. Harold Wilson, our teacher, instilled in us a belief that our recital of these fourteen verses from the King James Version would be the highlight of the evening’s festivities.
So at the appointed hour, the school gym, where hours before we had played basketball or “red rover,” became a nativity scene. With anxious parents looking on from their folding chairs in neatly formed rows on the floor, we took our places on the stage. Although I have many memories of Sunday School and grade school Christmas pageants where I alternately played a shepherd, wise man, or Joseph while wearing my bathrobe and sandals as a costume, none stand more clearly in my mind than that particular night as we stood before that audience. Hours of memorization paid off as we began to recite the familiar words, “And it came to pass in those days that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. . ..”
As we finished with, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men,” the audience rose to their feet with thunderous applause. Mr. Wilson beamed, our parents glowed, and we were all thankful that we had completed our assignment without missing a word. Looking back, that evening was a highlight of my young life. I had quoted many great authors from that stage—Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, Patrick Henry’s “the war inevitable” and various works of prose and poetry. But none seemed as inspiring as quoting from the greatest story ever told.
Even the knowledge that the event would soon culminate in a visit from Santa Claus, played by Mr. Vinson, our school janitor, who at 120 pounds was a skinny substitute for the real thing, did not stem my enthusiasm and sense of accomplishment at that moment. The reward for all the students was a coveted sack of candy, which Santa Claus distributed to all participants. Inside the brown paper bag was an obligatory inventory that included an orange, a few walnuts and hazelnuts (Dundee was known as the “nut capital of the USA” in those days!), a peppermint candy cane, assorted hard or ribbon candies that stuck together and nobody ever liked, and a few jelly/gummy orange slices. If you were lucky, you received a bag that contained the most cherished prize: one or two delectable mounds of flavored sugar, covered with chocolate. Maybe I’m just sentimental, or given to nostalgia, but the warm feelings from that evening fill my heart to this day.
It was no secret that Mr. Wilson was a born-again Christian and a member of the First Baptist Church. Nor was it a secret that he was an excellent teacher, devoted to his craft and to his students. I knew him as an engaging teacher, a caring coach, a volunteer vacation Bible school leader, and a man that impacted my impressionable young life by showing me that the world was bigger than the humble environment of our family farm.
I remember the bulletin board he prepared for our school that year. In those days it seemed fashionable to abbreviate Christmas as "Xmas". Mr. Wilson would have none of that. In capital letters his bulletin board message boldly proclaimed "Keep Christ in Christmas." No one protested or ridiculed—at least not publicly. Deep in our hearts, we knew that the message was true. Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Christ, not just another “happy holiday.”
A lot has changed since then. The freedom to express his Christian faith that Mr. Wilson enjoyed as an American educator has slowly eroded over the last forty-three years. Most would agree that the erosion of that freedom has coincided with an erosion of values. Courts and school boards in many jurisdictions have decided it is illegal for public expressions about the real meaning of Christmas, and that is a shame.
The fact is, you really can't remove Christ from Christmas. After all, it is His birthday. It would be politically incorrect to try to distance most holidays from the birthdays they commemorate. For example, to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day without a discussion of his life, death and accomplishments would be unheard of in the twenty-first century.
Jesus Christ was a real person cutting a far wider swath in history than any contemporary human being. We even count the years on our calendar from His birth. So why shouldn't we allow the historical details of his birth, life and death to be publicly proclaimed? D. James Kennedy wrote:
"The truth is this: Had Jesus never been born, this world would be far more miserable than it is. In fact, many of man's noblest and kindest deeds find their motivation in love for Jesus Christ; and some of our greatest accomplishments also have their origin in service rendered to the humble Carpenter of Nazareth."[1]
For the past thirty some-years, our family gathers around the tree on Christmas Eve. These days, that circle includes our children and two granddaughters, sometimes accompanied by other assorted family members and friends. Before opening our presents, our traditions include my recitation of the Christmas story. Those timeless and familiar words from Luke’s Gospel entered my mind in 1965, but they also entered my heart. They never left my heart, and I hope they never do.
About twenty years ago I wrote a similar article on this theme that was published in The Pentecostal Evangel. I sent a copy of it to Mr. Wilson, thanking him for the impact he made on my young life. Later I met with him and we reminisced about those days. Since then, we’ve lost track of each other. I’m not sure if he is still living, but if he is, I’d like to say, “Thanks, Mr. Wilson. Thanks for taking an interest in children and devoting your life to helping them learn and become better citizens and better people. Thanks for helping us remember to ‘Keep Christ in Christmas.’” It was good advice back then, and it is good advice today. In fact, it always will be.
[1]Kennedy, D. James What If Jesus Had Never Been Born? Nashville: Thomas Nelson, Inc. 1994, introduction.
(c)2008 Don Detrick
So at the appointed hour, the school gym, where hours before we had played basketball or “red rover,” became a nativity scene. With anxious parents looking on from their folding chairs in neatly formed rows on the floor, we took our places on the stage. Although I have many memories of Sunday School and grade school Christmas pageants where I alternately played a shepherd, wise man, or Joseph while wearing my bathrobe and sandals as a costume, none stand more clearly in my mind than that particular night as we stood before that audience. Hours of memorization paid off as we began to recite the familiar words, “And it came to pass in those days that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. . ..”
As we finished with, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men,” the audience rose to their feet with thunderous applause. Mr. Wilson beamed, our parents glowed, and we were all thankful that we had completed our assignment without missing a word. Looking back, that evening was a highlight of my young life. I had quoted many great authors from that stage—Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, Patrick Henry’s “the war inevitable” and various works of prose and poetry. But none seemed as inspiring as quoting from the greatest story ever told.
Even the knowledge that the event would soon culminate in a visit from Santa Claus, played by Mr. Vinson, our school janitor, who at 120 pounds was a skinny substitute for the real thing, did not stem my enthusiasm and sense of accomplishment at that moment. The reward for all the students was a coveted sack of candy, which Santa Claus distributed to all participants. Inside the brown paper bag was an obligatory inventory that included an orange, a few walnuts and hazelnuts (Dundee was known as the “nut capital of the USA” in those days!), a peppermint candy cane, assorted hard or ribbon candies that stuck together and nobody ever liked, and a few jelly/gummy orange slices. If you were lucky, you received a bag that contained the most cherished prize: one or two delectable mounds of flavored sugar, covered with chocolate. Maybe I’m just sentimental, or given to nostalgia, but the warm feelings from that evening fill my heart to this day.
It was no secret that Mr. Wilson was a born-again Christian and a member of the First Baptist Church. Nor was it a secret that he was an excellent teacher, devoted to his craft and to his students. I knew him as an engaging teacher, a caring coach, a volunteer vacation Bible school leader, and a man that impacted my impressionable young life by showing me that the world was bigger than the humble environment of our family farm.
I remember the bulletin board he prepared for our school that year. In those days it seemed fashionable to abbreviate Christmas as "Xmas". Mr. Wilson would have none of that. In capital letters his bulletin board message boldly proclaimed "Keep Christ in Christmas." No one protested or ridiculed—at least not publicly. Deep in our hearts, we knew that the message was true. Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Christ, not just another “happy holiday.”
A lot has changed since then. The freedom to express his Christian faith that Mr. Wilson enjoyed as an American educator has slowly eroded over the last forty-three years. Most would agree that the erosion of that freedom has coincided with an erosion of values. Courts and school boards in many jurisdictions have decided it is illegal for public expressions about the real meaning of Christmas, and that is a shame.
The fact is, you really can't remove Christ from Christmas. After all, it is His birthday. It would be politically incorrect to try to distance most holidays from the birthdays they commemorate. For example, to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day without a discussion of his life, death and accomplishments would be unheard of in the twenty-first century.
Jesus Christ was a real person cutting a far wider swath in history than any contemporary human being. We even count the years on our calendar from His birth. So why shouldn't we allow the historical details of his birth, life and death to be publicly proclaimed? D. James Kennedy wrote:
"The truth is this: Had Jesus never been born, this world would be far more miserable than it is. In fact, many of man's noblest and kindest deeds find their motivation in love for Jesus Christ; and some of our greatest accomplishments also have their origin in service rendered to the humble Carpenter of Nazareth."[1]
For the past thirty some-years, our family gathers around the tree on Christmas Eve. These days, that circle includes our children and two granddaughters, sometimes accompanied by other assorted family members and friends. Before opening our presents, our traditions include my recitation of the Christmas story. Those timeless and familiar words from Luke’s Gospel entered my mind in 1965, but they also entered my heart. They never left my heart, and I hope they never do.
About twenty years ago I wrote a similar article on this theme that was published in The Pentecostal Evangel. I sent a copy of it to Mr. Wilson, thanking him for the impact he made on my young life. Later I met with him and we reminisced about those days. Since then, we’ve lost track of each other. I’m not sure if he is still living, but if he is, I’d like to say, “Thanks, Mr. Wilson. Thanks for taking an interest in children and devoting your life to helping them learn and become better citizens and better people. Thanks for helping us remember to ‘Keep Christ in Christmas.’” It was good advice back then, and it is good advice today. In fact, it always will be.
[1]Kennedy, D. James What If Jesus Had Never Been Born? Nashville: Thomas Nelson, Inc. 1994, introduction.
(c)2008 Don Detrick
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Leadership Lessons from Billy Graham
From The Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham, I learned a new appreciation for his life, his leadership, and his legacy. Even though I’ve read both his autobiography (published in 1997) and biography by John Pollock (published in 1966), I gained a lot more insight from this volume.
Identifying Billy Graham as a level five leader, the authors point to Billy’s “extreme personal humility” combined with “fierce resolve.” This combination enabled him to establish and lead multiple organizations, maintain evangelism as his top priority, keep a team together through nearly seven decades, serve as chaplain and confidant of presidents and world leaders, and maintain his personal integrity through it all.
Like many Americans of my generation, I grew up with regular exposure to Billy Graham. Even as a teenager, I recognized something in Billy Graham that helped me identify more with him than with others of his generation. Perhaps it was the fact that he started wearing his hair longer in the early 1970’s. I can remember my dad being rather appalled that one of his peers (dad was born in 1916, Billy Graham in 1918) would want to “look like a hippie.”
Reminding my dad that “Jesus had long hair” proved to be a rather ineffective strategy as he reminded me that, “Jesus walked everywhere he went, too. He didn’t ride a motorcycle.” I jumped on my Yamaha 175 Enduro to take a ride in the hills and think about it.
I wondered why my dad didn’t think more like Billy Graham did. Both were raised on a farm in pretty humble circumstances. But my dad had pretty much stayed on the farm and had a worldview that didn’t extend far beyond the fields he had plowed most of his days. Billy Graham had left the farm years ago, traveled the world and was friends with the President.
That didn’t mean I necessarily thought Billy Graham was cool, because I don’t think teenagers ever think old people are cool when they try to look like teenagers or copy their styles. But I did appreciate that he seemed to have more of an understanding of the “generation gap” than my own father did. The fact that Billy Graham at least tried to understand the younger generation made a pretty big blip on my radar screen. And even though I didn’t verbalize it back then, I think I understood that to be a sign of leadership. At least it helped me respect him as a leader.
As much as my dad (and a lot of others of his generation) detested change, protested change, and resisted change, Billy Graham seemed to accept change. His acceptance was not just passive apathy, but reflected an actual embrace of change when change was necessary and beneficial to the advancement of God’s kingdom.
Growing up as he did in the racially segregated south, Billy Graham must have had a difficult time going against the tide of racial prejudice. But he did. Early in his ministry, he had followed local custom by preaching to integrated audiences in the North and to mostly segregated audiences in the South. The authors point to one 1952 incident in his Jackson, Mississippi crusade when he made a stand and exhibited courageous leadership:
Walking toward the ropes that separated blacks and whites, Billy tore them down. Mystified and uncomfortable ushers tried to put the ropes back up. Billy personally stopped them. This symbolically powerful gesture marked a major ministry watershed. He never again led a segregated campaign.
“There is no scriptural basis for segregation,” he said. “The ground at the cross is level, and it touches my heart when I see whites standing shoulder to shoulder with blacks at the cross.”[1]
I wish I could have witnessed that night. “Humility blended with fierce resolve” seems an appropriate description of his leadership that evening. He was humble enough to admit that the old ways he grew up with and had gone along with were wrong, and resolved to make a difference, even at the expense of alienating some of his constituents. More than a decade before Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech that riveted the nation’s attention on racial inequality and galvanized the civil rights movement, Billy Graham’s vision paved the way to make the dream a real possibility.
Billy Graham was a visionary leader. Some examples cited in the book include:
· His use of the term “team” years before it came into vogue in the business world and his actual practice of teamwork.
· In the first and only church he pastored, he changed the name from “Baptist Church” to “Community Church.”
· His consistent practice of turning his critics into coaches by asking them how he could improve. He understood the maxim, “The more influential you are, the harder it is to find people who will tell you the truth.”
· His practice of contextualization of his message. When preaching in New York in 1957, he used the titles from theater marquees as titles for his messages.
As a Pentecostal, I was once again reminded of the emphasis Billy placed upon the power of the Holy Spirit. Although I’d read about it years ago in Pollock’s biography, I was touched by the author’s description of Billy’s powerful encounter with the Holy Spirit in the early days of his ministry.
His first night speaking in Wales brought a small, passive, unresponsive crowd and showed no indication of the success Billy had achieved in America. Billy was hungry for the power of the Holy Spirit as the great Welch preacher Stephen Olford had described his own experience of Spirit baptism and coached Billy to seek after the same.
As Billy wept, they knelt to the floor and cried out to God. The description of what followed would rival any description of a Pentecostal outpouring:
“I can still hear Billy pouring out his heart in a prayer of total dedication to the Lord,” said Olford. “Finally, he said, ‘My heart is so flooded with the Holy Spirit!’ and we went from praying to praising. We were laughing and praising God, and Billy was walking back and forth across the room, crying out, ‘I have it! I’m filled. This is a turning point in my life.’ And he was a new man.”
That night, when Billy preached, “for reasons known to God alone, the place which was only moderately filled the night before was packed to the doors,” said Olford. “As Billy rose to speak, he was a man absolutely anointed.”
Members of the audience came forward to pray even before Billy gave an invitation. At the end of the sermon, practically the entire crowd rushed forward. “My own heart was so moved by Billy’s authority and strength that I could hardly drive home,” Olford remembers. “When I came in the door, my father looked at my face and said, ‘What on earth happened?’ I sat down at the kitchen table and said, ‘Dad, something has happened to Billy Graham. The world is going to hear from this man.’”[2]
As this applies to my own ministry context, I want to be sensitive not to discount someone else’s experience with the Holy Spirit, particularly when there are observable results. In Billy Graham’s case, the anointing upon his preaching, power to witness, leadership dynamic and fruit of the Spirit have been evident and readily acknowledged. I should not discount the work of the Spirit just because it doesn’t seem to fit into my theological box or personal comfort zone.
Perhaps the greatest lesson learned from Leadership Secrets was the tremendous potential of seemingly small decisions. Shortly before the Los Angeles crusade that launched him into the public spotlight, Billy conducted a much smaller crusade in Modesto. One afternoon of that crusade, he met with his young team and asked them to go back to their rooms and think and pray about all the things that had become stumbling blocks to evangelists in years gone by, write them down and come back to discuss the issues.
The results of that meeting became known as the “Modesto Manifesto.” In comparing their lists, they found the results strikingly similar and included these points:
1. Shady handling of money.
2. Sexual immorality.
3. Badmouthing others doing similar work.
4. Exaggerated accomplishments.
In a solemn time of prayer, the team members agreed to hold one another and their organization accountable for these things. As a result, Billy Graham personally and organizationally has never been subject to the scandals that have rocked the evangelical world. At the end of his life, his character and integrity remain intact, and it is largely due to the decisions and agreements made in 1948 in a Modesto hotel room.
Credibility is a precious commodity because it is short on supply and greatly in demand. Although I cannot hope to attain and achieve the stature of Billy Graham, I can learn from his leadership characteristics and godly example as a humble, but fiercely resolved follower of Christ.
[1] Harold Myra and Marshall Shelley. The Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005. p. 139.
[2] Harold Myra and Marshall Shelley. The Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005. p. 23-24.
Identifying Billy Graham as a level five leader, the authors point to Billy’s “extreme personal humility” combined with “fierce resolve.” This combination enabled him to establish and lead multiple organizations, maintain evangelism as his top priority, keep a team together through nearly seven decades, serve as chaplain and confidant of presidents and world leaders, and maintain his personal integrity through it all.
Like many Americans of my generation, I grew up with regular exposure to Billy Graham. Even as a teenager, I recognized something in Billy Graham that helped me identify more with him than with others of his generation. Perhaps it was the fact that he started wearing his hair longer in the early 1970’s. I can remember my dad being rather appalled that one of his peers (dad was born in 1916, Billy Graham in 1918) would want to “look like a hippie.”
Reminding my dad that “Jesus had long hair” proved to be a rather ineffective strategy as he reminded me that, “Jesus walked everywhere he went, too. He didn’t ride a motorcycle.” I jumped on my Yamaha 175 Enduro to take a ride in the hills and think about it.
I wondered why my dad didn’t think more like Billy Graham did. Both were raised on a farm in pretty humble circumstances. But my dad had pretty much stayed on the farm and had a worldview that didn’t extend far beyond the fields he had plowed most of his days. Billy Graham had left the farm years ago, traveled the world and was friends with the President.
That didn’t mean I necessarily thought Billy Graham was cool, because I don’t think teenagers ever think old people are cool when they try to look like teenagers or copy their styles. But I did appreciate that he seemed to have more of an understanding of the “generation gap” than my own father did. The fact that Billy Graham at least tried to understand the younger generation made a pretty big blip on my radar screen. And even though I didn’t verbalize it back then, I think I understood that to be a sign of leadership. At least it helped me respect him as a leader.
As much as my dad (and a lot of others of his generation) detested change, protested change, and resisted change, Billy Graham seemed to accept change. His acceptance was not just passive apathy, but reflected an actual embrace of change when change was necessary and beneficial to the advancement of God’s kingdom.
Growing up as he did in the racially segregated south, Billy Graham must have had a difficult time going against the tide of racial prejudice. But he did. Early in his ministry, he had followed local custom by preaching to integrated audiences in the North and to mostly segregated audiences in the South. The authors point to one 1952 incident in his Jackson, Mississippi crusade when he made a stand and exhibited courageous leadership:
Walking toward the ropes that separated blacks and whites, Billy tore them down. Mystified and uncomfortable ushers tried to put the ropes back up. Billy personally stopped them. This symbolically powerful gesture marked a major ministry watershed. He never again led a segregated campaign.
“There is no scriptural basis for segregation,” he said. “The ground at the cross is level, and it touches my heart when I see whites standing shoulder to shoulder with blacks at the cross.”[1]
I wish I could have witnessed that night. “Humility blended with fierce resolve” seems an appropriate description of his leadership that evening. He was humble enough to admit that the old ways he grew up with and had gone along with were wrong, and resolved to make a difference, even at the expense of alienating some of his constituents. More than a decade before Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech that riveted the nation’s attention on racial inequality and galvanized the civil rights movement, Billy Graham’s vision paved the way to make the dream a real possibility.
Billy Graham was a visionary leader. Some examples cited in the book include:
· His use of the term “team” years before it came into vogue in the business world and his actual practice of teamwork.
· In the first and only church he pastored, he changed the name from “Baptist Church” to “Community Church.”
· His consistent practice of turning his critics into coaches by asking them how he could improve. He understood the maxim, “The more influential you are, the harder it is to find people who will tell you the truth.”
· His practice of contextualization of his message. When preaching in New York in 1957, he used the titles from theater marquees as titles for his messages.
As a Pentecostal, I was once again reminded of the emphasis Billy placed upon the power of the Holy Spirit. Although I’d read about it years ago in Pollock’s biography, I was touched by the author’s description of Billy’s powerful encounter with the Holy Spirit in the early days of his ministry.
His first night speaking in Wales brought a small, passive, unresponsive crowd and showed no indication of the success Billy had achieved in America. Billy was hungry for the power of the Holy Spirit as the great Welch preacher Stephen Olford had described his own experience of Spirit baptism and coached Billy to seek after the same.
As Billy wept, they knelt to the floor and cried out to God. The description of what followed would rival any description of a Pentecostal outpouring:
“I can still hear Billy pouring out his heart in a prayer of total dedication to the Lord,” said Olford. “Finally, he said, ‘My heart is so flooded with the Holy Spirit!’ and we went from praying to praising. We were laughing and praising God, and Billy was walking back and forth across the room, crying out, ‘I have it! I’m filled. This is a turning point in my life.’ And he was a new man.”
That night, when Billy preached, “for reasons known to God alone, the place which was only moderately filled the night before was packed to the doors,” said Olford. “As Billy rose to speak, he was a man absolutely anointed.”
Members of the audience came forward to pray even before Billy gave an invitation. At the end of the sermon, practically the entire crowd rushed forward. “My own heart was so moved by Billy’s authority and strength that I could hardly drive home,” Olford remembers. “When I came in the door, my father looked at my face and said, ‘What on earth happened?’ I sat down at the kitchen table and said, ‘Dad, something has happened to Billy Graham. The world is going to hear from this man.’”[2]
As this applies to my own ministry context, I want to be sensitive not to discount someone else’s experience with the Holy Spirit, particularly when there are observable results. In Billy Graham’s case, the anointing upon his preaching, power to witness, leadership dynamic and fruit of the Spirit have been evident and readily acknowledged. I should not discount the work of the Spirit just because it doesn’t seem to fit into my theological box or personal comfort zone.
Perhaps the greatest lesson learned from Leadership Secrets was the tremendous potential of seemingly small decisions. Shortly before the Los Angeles crusade that launched him into the public spotlight, Billy conducted a much smaller crusade in Modesto. One afternoon of that crusade, he met with his young team and asked them to go back to their rooms and think and pray about all the things that had become stumbling blocks to evangelists in years gone by, write them down and come back to discuss the issues.
The results of that meeting became known as the “Modesto Manifesto.” In comparing their lists, they found the results strikingly similar and included these points:
1. Shady handling of money.
2. Sexual immorality.
3. Badmouthing others doing similar work.
4. Exaggerated accomplishments.
In a solemn time of prayer, the team members agreed to hold one another and their organization accountable for these things. As a result, Billy Graham personally and organizationally has never been subject to the scandals that have rocked the evangelical world. At the end of his life, his character and integrity remain intact, and it is largely due to the decisions and agreements made in 1948 in a Modesto hotel room.
Credibility is a precious commodity because it is short on supply and greatly in demand. Although I cannot hope to attain and achieve the stature of Billy Graham, I can learn from his leadership characteristics and godly example as a humble, but fiercely resolved follower of Christ.
[1] Harold Myra and Marshall Shelley. The Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005. p. 139.
[2] Harold Myra and Marshall Shelley. The Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005. p. 23-24.
Monday, December 1, 2008
A Wonderful Book
I just finished reading, "Same Kind of Different As Me" by Ron Hall and Denver Moore. I first heard their story on NPR, and was so intrigued I ordered the book (which is a New York Times Bestseller, BTW). I'm glad I did--it is one of the most touching stories I've read in a long time. The book mirrors two lives, Ron Hall, a millionaire Ft. Worth art dealer, and a homeless African American, Denver Moore who was raised in near-slavery conditions as a Louisiana sharecropper. Their story is remarkable--particularly how Ron's wife Debbie brought them together by her desire to work at the Union Gospel Mission in Ft. Worth.
The book is written in a chapter by chapter dialogue, letting Ron tell his story and Denver tell his in contrasting chapters. The similarities between the two individuals' backgrounds is astounding, as is the contrast between their opportunities and outcomes in life.
Debbie is the common thread between them and provides the sub-plot. The story of her life and ministry is amazing--her faith and love for "the least of these." In the midst of this, her battle with cancer provides more insight into faith and teaches some good lessons about healing, grace, grief, and recovery.
Despite its funny sounding title, "Same Kind of Different As Me" is one of the most missional stories I've ever read and I will be encouraging others to read it. Evangelical Christians can learn a lot from this true tale. You won't view homeless people in the same light after reading this compelling story!
The book is written in a chapter by chapter dialogue, letting Ron tell his story and Denver tell his in contrasting chapters. The similarities between the two individuals' backgrounds is astounding, as is the contrast between their opportunities and outcomes in life.
Debbie is the common thread between them and provides the sub-plot. The story of her life and ministry is amazing--her faith and love for "the least of these." In the midst of this, her battle with cancer provides more insight into faith and teaches some good lessons about healing, grace, grief, and recovery.
Despite its funny sounding title, "Same Kind of Different As Me" is one of the most missional stories I've ever read and I will be encouraging others to read it. Evangelical Christians can learn a lot from this true tale. You won't view homeless people in the same light after reading this compelling story!
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