Billy Graham

MARKS OF MATURITY (Part 1)

(May 16, 2025) Dr Richard Winter shares a vital challenge…

The Roman Catholic Church recently elected a new Pope and the eyes of the world are currently on him… Who is he really? What new changes will he bring about? Will he be backed up?

While his name is Robert from Chicago, he will be called Leo 14th. The world will be inquisitive about his family and his life before his election as Pope. For example, I wonder if his brothers ever called him Bob? No doubt many will wonder if they ever thought he would be elected Pope.

Position
Life in families is always interesting because sometimes we don’t know how our brothers will turn out. Come with me to another family from the first century… to Mary and husband Joseph’s.

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FEELING UNWORTHY?

(April 26, 2024) Robert McQuillan shares very personally…

Well, it hit me unexpectedly the other night!

Reflection
Now I admit that I was feeling a little ‘under the proverbial weather’ being tired after a busy day of writing and ghosting (ghostwriting) for our E-Mag, some counselling, encouraging folk and other matters.

Encouraging some ‘seniors’ was directing them to ‘keep on keeping on,’ content with doing whatever God wants of them where they are and, if in ministry, not be concerned about being unable to travel around like they used to do. (Maureen and I have had to do so).

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AN UNANSWERED PRAYER ISN’T THE LAST WORD

(February 01, 2024) Carol Round encourages…

‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God’ encouraged Paul in Philippians 4:6.

As I’ve grown spiritually, I find myself praying more often. Throughout my day, when someone or something comes to mind, I lift them in prayer. However, before I leave the house, I start the morning with prayer and my favourite hot drink – Earl Grey tea.
 
I’ve created a special place to meet with my Abba Father each morning. In the corner of my spare bedroom are several devotionals, a notebook for jotting down my thoughts and prayers, pens, pencils, highlighters, and – most importantly – my Bible. I have 11 Bibles, but my favourite is The Prayer Bible.

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FULL STEAM AHEAD FOLLOWING THE FATHER!

(August 17, 2023) Robert McQuillan reflects on a lifestyle choice…

It’ll soon be Father’s Day and I’m reminded of my dad and my childhood. Let me share something personal here… since childhood I’ve had a thing about steam trains!

Many a Sunday afternoon my parents would take me for a walk in the country (few people had cars back then and walking was the in-thing). Sometimes we’d cross a railway line. If I heard train whistles from down the track, and realised a steam locomotive was coming, I would insist we stop and wait until little wide-eyed me would watch it come by!

Growing older I’d be off with mates to the Saturday afternoon flicks. John Wayne was soon my hero and the first movie I saw him in he jumped onto the rear carriage of a big steam loco.

Following one’s heart
But more than the Duke was on my heart. Locos were certainly were! Especially as dad was an engineer – the official title for locomotive drivers in those yesterdays of steam trains, and I was proud of him.

Came the day which I will never forget when Dad took me – just a ‘little fellow’ in short pants – down to the local, large city rail station and explained about the (to me) ‘huge monster’ that was technically called the engine. And then being lifted up onto the platform, his working domain. What a thrill, such excitement for a small boy… my heart was beating: this was like a dream come true.

The loco had been prestarted and Dad explained the controls, how the engine operated. It was a cold morning but the heat from the blazing firebox quickly warmed me physically – my heart was already on fire with curiosity. I had stared at the huge wheels, and now I gazed at the control levers that looked so heavy to little me, and then back at the tons of coal in the tender. I was elated to be on that platform, especially when Dad permitted me to pull the whistle!

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DON’T ASSUME!

(January 18, 2022) Jerry Wiles challenges us not to assume that someone is a Christian because they attend church or work at a Christian college!

In the early 1990s I was introduced to the work of Living Water International. At that time, it was estimated that 1.2 billion people around the world were without access to clean, safe drinking water. (That number has been reduced to approximately 770 million today).

That was an eye-opener for many of us who have grown up with indoor plumbing and safe water at the turn of a tap. We in the modern Western world enjoy many benefits and privileges, that we often take for granted. The more time we spend in other parts of the world can give us a greater appreciation for the things we sometimes take for granted. 

It can help us overcome some of our false assumptions. While spending some time in a communist country a few years ago, a young lady asked me, ‘Is it true that in your country, there is a church in every village?’

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ABIDING, RESTING AND TRUSTING IN JESUS

(September 9, 2021) Geri B encourages remaining in Jesus the vine…

Continuing along my earlier article on the theme of the grape vine (Abiding in the Vine)…

Jesus makes it clear that the Father wants his children to be fruitful and tells us that… ‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful… Remain in me, and I will remain in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing‘ (John 15:1-5).

Remaining… to bear much fruit

  • If we remain (abide) in him, we will do just that – bear fruit.
  • And if we bear fruit, the Father will prune us so that we will be even more fruitful.
  • But the warning comes to us twice in this short passage… remain in him, otherwise you cannot bear fruit, you can do nothing!

Not only is it the Father’s desire that we bear much fruit by abiding in him, but there is that oft-missed warning that unless we remain in him, we cannot bear fruit, nor can we do anything of true value!

With all the gifts we have been endowed with there can often be a tendency to take ownership and believe that we can use them whenever and however we so choose… but the truth of it is, we are simply stewards of the manifold gifts of God and to really see lasting fruit from what has been entrusted to us, we must take our direction from the Lord – we must abide in him.

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BILLY GRAHAM’S HERITAGE

(September 10, 2018) George Forbes, missionary spokesperson, reflects on the call of God…

The best-known evangelist of our time the late Dr Billy Graham was not a missionary serving long term on a specific field.

He was called by God to be an evangelist to the world.  A gift ministry to the church and the world, his faithfulness, influence and love for the lost is beyond question. His example to many other servants of the Lord has been exemplary.

I believe this includes thousands of serving missionaries around the word. They have been encouraged by his faithfulness to God and to the gospel by his… (more…)

7 CONCERNS AND CHALLENGES

(February 28, 2018) Robert and Maureen McQuillan write…

Like this Gypsy Smith quote below? It’s from the cover of Stuart Reynold’s latest book, Getting Ready for Revival.

A challenge for every Christian, not to think ’Maybe I’ll do something later’ but to act on now!

Reawakening needed!
One of Oxford Dictionary meanings of ‘Revival’ is: ‘A reawakening of religious fervour, especially by means of evangelistic meetings.’

It’s been many years since the days of genuine ‘religious fervour’ in churches with regular testimonies of sinners saved, lives changed, growth in one’s faith, sick people healed at every meeting.

Something has been missing for some time; church life has definitely changed! We’ve become too sophisticated, too locked into restricting ‘in-house’ systems, and the absence of the unchurched.

That golden oldie, Give Me That Old Time Religion, declaring salvation being good enough for everybody; loving one another; taking us to heaven;  and ‘it’s good enough for me’ had something going for it!

In respect of something being missing in many churches (not all of course, praise God!); perhaps the following is on your mind too … (more…)

BILLY GRAHAM –THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PREACHER OF THE 20TH CENTURY DIES

(February 22, 2018) Dan Wooding, Founder of ASSIST News Service, shares some very personal reminisces…

American evangelist Billy Graham – a confidant to presidents, a guiding light to generations of American Christians and a world-travelling preacher who saw millions give their lives to Christ, died today (Wednesday, February 21), at the age of 99.

Dr Graham, who was known as ‘America’s Pastor’ passed away at his home in Montreat, North Carolina.

‘The skinny preacher with the booming voice evangelised to nearly 215 million people over six decades and prayed with US presidents from Harry Truman to Barack Obama,’ said CNN. ‘Several presidents, including Lyndon Johnson, George W Bush and Bill Clinton, relied closely on his spiritual counsel.’

 

 

 

 

 

A dynamic young Billy Graham preaching

 

 


Billy Graham was the reason I got into journalism
But on a personal side, it was 50 years ago in London, England, when I got my first job in journalism. It was with The Christian, an historic British newspaper that the Graham Association had bought and modernised. (more…)

THEBUZZ
  • GLEANINGS (November 18, 2106):
  • FORT WORTH, TX – A different $3300 McDonald’s order!
  • MANDAN, USA – A fatherless generation
  • CHARLOTTE, NC – Cliff Burrows passes away

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FORT WORTH, TX
Stranger walked into McDonald’s and spent $3,300 on a life-changing order

thebuzz-1116f

Faithit Stories That Matter reports a priceless happy meal incident…
After a mystery man in Fort Worth, Texas, was recently diagnosed with cancer, he realised that life is too short not to spread kindness.

Noticing another’s problems
The man, who wishes to remain anonymous, visited his favourite McDonald’s location, where he is a regular. He noticed a girl who also frequents the restaurant, sitting alone crying. That’s when he approached her and asked about what was going on. (more…)