Just as I was digging into his possibly last book "The Reason for My Hope", an e-mail from CA told me of Billy´s home going, 99 years old.  He still speaks to us through his many books plus a huge number of films and videos.  I had an uncle who used his book "Peace with God" as a text book in an evening course sponsored by the local authority.  Rather unusual in an overall godless country like Denmark.

I heard him for the very first time in 1954 in Copenhagen together with a young girl from the public school of my childhood.  She was very much affected and also went to the counselors´ room, but nothing more happened.  She was later married to another school mate of mine, and he told me that she would sometimes cry when thinking of that meeting with Billy Graham.  "But I talked her out of it", he said.  Very sad, indeed.

B.G. didn´t become my idol as some have unkindly suggested, but like so many other men of God he meant  a lot to me.   In fact nobody preached the gospel so simple and "manly" as he did, I thought.  I once as a young student in America watched an excellent movie from his crusade to Australia in 1959.  A friend was with me.  He whispered, "My, he preaches like we do!"

I listened as often I could to his "The Hour of Decision" in America.  He also came to Oslo, Norway, in 1955 and spoke to abt. 30,000 at their biggest soccer stadium.  "We have not come to entertain you, but to open the Bible for you!" he said.  Many of the old timers up there would still remember the response he got as many came forward to make a public stand for Christ.  B.G. came to Denmark again in 1965.

Billy Graham was time and again controversial, but his gift of evangelism stayed with him.  God allowed him to become extremely weakened as he grew older, but he was still spiritually alert.  When words came about his "promotion to glory" we all welcome this as good news.

It´s relevant for us to be reminded of the words, "Remember them... who have spoken unto you the word of God, whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation."  Hebr. 13:7.

Febr. 22, 2017 - jn