Remembering Billy Graham / Cross Words

A Sentry of the Past Century

With the charm of a southern gentleman
and a delightfully distinctive drawl
(that became his calling card on every continent),
Billy Graham called millions to come to Christ
just as they were.

And while the choir sang
and the buses waited,
hearts gated by sin were unlocked by grace
(without any trace of forced entry).
He was a sentry for the past century
to a world caving-in on itself
as it spun wildly out-of-control
all the while orbiting on a self-centered axis
of pride and comfort, pleasure and doubt.

For over seven decades
Billy knew what he was about,
crusading the planet with a simple message
of how we can obtain peace with God.

Consistently reminding us what the Bible says,
he warned us of our plight apart from God’s plan.
With presidents and peasants,
kings and commoners,
Billy’s heart was at home with those
of every color, class and age.

From Montreal to Montreat,
New York to LA,
and Nome to Rome,
people just like me are grieving today
for a friend we never met
who introduced us to the Savior.

Peace to his memory!

Cross Words

“We’ve lost our pope,” I heard one say
the day that Billy passed away.
“He was the leader of our brand
of Christianity.”

He made the Bible clear for me.
Just as I am without one plea,
I knew that I was loved by One
from Whom all blessings flow.

He preached we must be born again
by turning from our bent to sin
and simply trusting in God’s Son
to claim eternal life.

By holding up the cross, words came.
His power was in Jesus’ name.
A power that God used for good
within our broken world.

Thank you, Mr. Graham!

When will the craziness stop?

A day associated with love
became a day defined by hate
as a gun-loving teenager pulled the trigger
on his fascination with fame.

A day for hearts and roses
became a day when the brokenhearted
deposited flowers in a make-shift shrine
at a Florida high school.

A day of learning
became a day of dying
for students who would never have the opportunity
to complete their homework.

A day when Christians
were somberly reminded at church
that “you are dust and to dust you shall return”
became a day when we were shockingly reminded
how fragile and fleeting life really is.

A prayer for our athletes and our world

O God of all nations,
Korea, Japan,
of Romania, Greece and the rest,
we ask you to bless
the Olympics begun.
Help each who competes do their best.

Protect them from sickness
(from injury, too).
Unite all our countries through game.
With fun competition,
infuse us with joy
as we make global “fitness” our aim.

The flags that are flying
bespeak of our world
that longs for true peace. Thus, this prayer.
O God of all nations,
please break down all walls.
Remind us that You’re everywhere.

And so as we’re praying
wherever we be,
we bow in Your presence to pray
amazed of Your glory,
convinced of Your grace
and grateful to You for this day.

Lessons from the State of the Union

Our Union’s state is stained with guile
and all because that dreaded aisle
keeps those apart who lead our land
like feuding cats and dogs.

The Democrats were just plain rude.
I didn’t like their attitude.
A less-than-perfect President
deserves how grownups act.

Respect is what we really need.
That’s how our nation will succeed.
By treating others with regard
and seeking to be kind.

God, bless America with grace
that we might take time to retrace
the way we used to get along
with those we think are wrong.