Billy Graham's casket was taken to the Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove on Thursday, Feb. 22. From there, it will be transported to the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte before being taken to Washington, D.C., and back to Charlotte, its final resting place.

I have had the privilege of living just over seven decades. I once penned a reflection entitled, Beyond Halfway. In it I wrote, “Beyond halfway, I have seen changes in the culture. Cultural icons and social trendsetters cease to exist. No more Walt Disney, no more Mr. Rogers, no more Elvis, no more Ronald Reagan, no more Mickey Mantle, no more Bob Hope and the list goes on and on.” And now …no more Billy Graham.

Of all the people who lived concurrently with me; Billy Graham was the man I admired the most. I admired his devotion to Jesus. I admired his dedication to the Great Commission. I admired his commitment to integrity. I admired his love for his family. And the list goes on…

Perhaps the thing I admired the most about Billy Graham was his Christ-likeness in humility. Jesus said of Himself, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29

I believe that Billy Graham was a humble man. He thought rightly about himself. He knew he was a sinner in need of a Savior. He knew he needed constant repentance in his life. He knew he made mistakes and was quick to admit them and ask for forgiveness. And, for a man of his stature, he had a relatively simple funeral and was buried in the $200 casket according to Too Jared from a Nairobian News Outlet (Dr. Graham impacted the world).

It seemed fitting to me that Billy Graham’ son, Franklin, chose a humble casket for his father. Franklin Graham knew his father as well as anyone and chose a casket that was symbolically fitting for his dad.

Too Jared reported that according to his son Franklin Graham, the casket was “handmade by a convicted murderer named “Grasshopper” at Angola Prison in Louisiana.” Franklin revealed that the casket was lined with a white mattress pad and had a wooden cross nailed on top and cost $200.

CNN reported that… Franklin was impressed by its simplicity and natural beauty when he visited the Louisiana State Penitentiary in 2005. It added that the convict who made the casket died in 2007 but remarkably stated that Graham deserved a simple casket to capture his simple message that reached millions across the world.

"Billy Graham is a simple man who preached a simple message. He must be buried in a simple casket," “Grasshopper” was quoted as saying.

Here’s a link to a short video about the making of these caskets. It’s worth seeing.

Interesting enough, my wife has always said that she wanted to be buried in an inexpensive casket made of plywood and covered by felt fabric. I always told her that I would say yes to her request then bury her in a normal casket (assuming no cremation), because the type of casket impacts the living, not the dead. I have just reconsidered her request.

The man I admired the most in my lifetime was buried in a simple $200 casket. And you know what? His funeral and casket represented a part of who he was and why I admired him.

Something to think about…

For more about the casket, go to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Associations here.

Billy Graham was a man of prayer.

In 1982, the Today show in New York City scheduled an interview with Reverend Billy Graham. When he arrived at the studio, one of the program's producers informed Graham's assistant that a private room had been set aside for the reverend for prayer before the broadcast. The assistant thanked the producer for the thoughtful gesture, but told him that Mr. Graham would not need the room. The producer was a bit shocked that a world-famous Christian leader would not wish to pray before being interviewed on live national television.

Graham's assistant responded, "Mr. Graham started praying when he got up this morning, he prayed while eating breakfast, he prayed on the way over in the car, and he'll probably be praying all the way through the interview."1

Billy Graham was a man of encouragement.

In 2002, famous singer Bono received an encouraging phone call from Billy Graham during an extremely busy tour season. In appreciation of Graham's gesture, Bono wrote a poem and flew to Graham's home in North Carolina to deliver it himself. Bono's poem, "The Journey from Father to Friend" reads:

“The journey from Father to friend

is all paternal loves end

It was sung in my teenage ears

In the voice of a preacher

loudly soft on my tears

I would never forget this

Melody line

Or its lyric voice that gave my life

A Rhyme

a meaning that wasn't there before

a child born in dung and straw

wish the Father's love and desire to explain

how we might get on with each other again …”2

Dr. Graham impacted the lives of others because he took the time to encourage.

Billy Graham was a friend to the aging.

“What does this have to do with growing old? Old is authentic. Old is genuine. Old is valuable. Some say old is even beautiful …. The older generation may have a hard time keeping up with the younger, but let's remember that as long as we are still breathing, we are leading the way.

The generations that follow are learning about growing old from us. Are we good examples? While we have all made mistakes and would like to turn back the clock to correct some things, we know this is not possible. But the lessons we have learned from our successes and failures can help those following behind. The impact we can potentially have on them can mean the difference between leaving good memories in our place or simply being out of sight, out of mind.”3

Dr. Graham has contributed so much to so many. He was just an evangelist. He was a man who loved God and tried to live as Jesus would have him live. May we be just like Billy who was just like Jesus.

Something to think about…

1Source: Harold Myra and Marshall Shelley, The Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham (Zondervan, 2005)
2Source: Paul Pastor and Andrew Finch, PreachingToday.com
3Source: Billy Graham, Nearing Home (Thomas Nelson, 2011), pp. 20-21

One of my favorite all-time NBA basketball player is Jerry West, also known as “Mr. Clutch” and “The Logo”. One of the many things that set Jerry West apart from most men is that he possesses a very long wingspan.

In the NBA, long arms are an asset on defense. According to one survey, the average contemporary man has a wingspan 2” longer than his height. The average NBA player has a wingspan 4” greater than his height. Jerry West has a wingspan of 81”, which means he should be 6’ 9”.

When Moses was complaining to God about all the difficulties in leading God’s people out of Egypt, the Lord said this to Moses, “Is the LORD'S power limited? Now you shall see whether My word will come true for you or not.” Numbers 11:23 (NASB)

The New International Version of the Bible translates it this way, “…Is the LORD's arm too short? Now you will see whether or not what I say will come true for you.” Numbers 11:23 (NIV)

There are times when we feel that our arms our too short to reach heaven. We pray and nothing seems to happen. We obey God’s Word and fail to see apparent fruit. We fellowship with our brethren in Christ and nothing seems to change. Our arms seem too short.

Whenever we feel that our arms are too short, remember that God’s arm is not. Isaiah declared, “Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.” Isaiah 59:1 (NIV) God’s arm is never too short to reach us.

Ultimately, God heard the cries of His people and reached down from heaven to earth by sending His Son, Jesus so that we might be saved.

Something to think about…

by JoyAnna Hatcher

The worship music jumped and danced around the room as a crowd of USC students poured out praise to God. As the singing died down, there was an announcement for students to receive prayer from a group called the Circuit Riders. "Why not?" I thought. It was Spring Semester 2017 and I was one year away from graduating with a USC degree in Tv and Film Production. That semester, one of anxiety, depression, and serious doubts about my major and life purpose, was coming to a close. As I received prayer for direction and purpose, I felt a sense of calm and peace that had always seemed to be just beyond my fingertips.

The Circuit Riders, I learned, is a ministry that serves colleges and universities around the United States by hosting big worship nights and witnessing to and praying for individual students on campuses. Started through YWAM (Youth With A Mission) about 8 years ago, the Circuit Riders were now a group of young missionaries burning up with the desire to see souls saved and lives changed. While, I admired what they were doing, I never would have described myself as "having a heart" for college aged people. Obviously, I had to do some serious mental acrobatics to be comfortable with my own status as a college aged person. Despite my misgivings, I checked out their 3 week summer training program called 21project and realized that the training was broken up into tracks based on skill set. Media was one of those. It felt like the clouds were parting and heavenly beams of light were busting through. Studying film in a secular environment had left me with a bad taste in my mouth. I didn't want to work in a setting that was not only unethical at times, but sometimes openly hostile towards my faith and lifestyle. Being able to study and engage in media creation with the Circuit Riders seemed like too perfect of an opportunity to pass up and I felt God's hand nudging me in that direction. While my parents, Jill and Jonathan, are amazingly supportive in just about any venture I want to pursue, paying for this quickly approaching program was not something that excited them. In fact, they wanted me to get a summer job instead. I was disappointed in the lack of enthusiasm of my parents but confident that God had called me to 21project for summer 2017, not summer 2018.

I had no idea how the tuition and transportation costs were going to get paid, but I knew I had to trust fully in God. I had to lean on him. A few weeks into summer, things were still up in the air. I had decided to go the flexible route and get a job with my brother selling home security systems in Bakersfield. So there I was, walking door to door while sweating profusely for 8 hours a day in over 110 degree heat. I felt like I was stuck in some kind of biblical 40 day desert experience. Good for soul searching, bad for tan lines. I had been doing this commission based job for 3 weeks without selling anything. Not one thing. I didn't have very much time and I was highly doubtful, not only that people would give me support, but that it would come in time for me to get relatively affordable airplane tickets to the YWAM base in Kona, Hawaii. Despite things not looking good, I held onto what I felt God had pushed me towards.

My 4th week into the job- Monday, and hallelujah, I sold one security system. Tuesday, sold another. Wednesday, and another. A week later I was still selling. I bought the plane tickets. 21project was two weeks away, no tuition had been paid, no letter of support had been written, and I realized that this is the moment where God's divine hand would move and His name glorified. Two days after sending out letters of support, over 80% of tuition had been raised. By the time I flew out, all my financial needs had been covered and I was able to help someone else with a portion of their tuition too. My trip to 21project at the YWAM base in Kona, Hawaii was an unforgettable time of worship, fellowship, and spiritual growth. God's goodness and faithfulness to me as His daughter was illuminated over and over again throughout this entire experience. I have been deeply affected by how my friends, family, and church family poured out blessings on blessings on me. Coming back has had its ups and downs, but through it all God is good. I wake up everyday excited to see what He has in store for not just me, but my entire generation.

 “Jesus answered, ‘It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him.’” John 9:3

In John 9, Jesus came upon a man who was blind from birth. His disciples asked Him if the man’s blindness was caused by his sin or the sins of his parents. They were looking for a causal relationship between the man’s blindness and sin.

Jesus seized this teachable moment and taught that the purpose was so that the works of God might be displayed in him.

We learn at least three things from this account. First, there doesn’t have to be a direct causal relationship between a situation and sin. Second, some things happen or exist so that the works of God might be displayed. And finally, the display of God’s work normally happens with people.

Recently, I lost my man bag, which had some valuables in it like my checkbook. I detected its absence on a Sunday morning. I searched everywhere. I searched in our apartment. I searched in my car. I recalled going to a store late Saturday night and figured I left it in the shopping cart or it got lifted from the cart while I was shopping.

I shared it on Sunday morning during the message because it was difficult to center on Jesus while preparing to preach. I think the thing that bothered me the most was that someone would take it and not return it.

After service, a friend and member told me his story of losing something more valuable than my bag. He said that he learned at least two things. He learned to have peace in the midst of a trial and he learned that he should not give up and needed to look more diligently. He proceeded to find it where, in his mind, it shouldn’t have been. He then encouraged me to look deeper in the car.

Reluctantly, I searched again and found the bag in the trunk of the van. I couldn’t believe my eyes because I had searched there at least two times already. Perhaps God blinded me to it like he blinded Chinese security personnel searching for Bibles that Brother Lawrence was smuggling into China.

Regardless, I came to the conclusion that it wasn’t about the bag at all. God’s purpose was to do a work in me.

I personally learned three things. First I needed to ask for peace in a time of trial. Second, I had to be less dependent on material things. And third, I needed to work on not having to be prepared for every circumstance rather than trusting God (I tend to be obsessive about planning for every worst case scenario; hence I started carrying a bag with stuff in it for emergencies with the children when they were small).

The saga of the bag happened so that a work of God might be displayed in me. Is there a trial going on in your life right now? Are you trying to figure out the cause of it? There may be a cause, but, perhaps, your focus should shift to what type of work God is trying to display in you.

Something to think about…

P.S. I still sometimes carry my bag, but won’t fret if I lose it because the content is different.