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- Please no inappropriate usernames (remember that there may be youngsters in the room)
- Personal attacks on other community members are unacceptable, practice the good manners your mama taught you when engaging with fellow Dawg fans
- Use common sense and respect personal differences in the community: sexual and other inappropriate language or imagery, political rants and belittling the opinions of others will get your posts deleted and result in warnings and/ or banning from the forum
- 3/17/19 UPDATE -- We've updated the permissions for our "Football" and "Commit to the G" recruiting message boards. We aim to be the best free board out there and that has not changed. We do now ask that all of you good people register as a member of our forum in order to see the sugar that is falling from our skies, so to speak.
Comments
I just always go back to what some guy said one time...
“It’s easier for a a camel to go through the eye of the needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven”
Stepping out of my Pitbull persona to address what I've read here and elsewhere.
A sure sign that the devil and his servants are alive and well can be found in the negative posts above and on the internet.
The Billy Graham I knew from my youth to my current retirement age is the one described in the positive commentaries above, He was a faithful servant of Jesus Christ in the best sense of the words.
I retired a few years back after 45 years as a pastor and chaplain. Throughout that time I attended Crusades, assisted in preparation and followup for them, corresponded with BG's Association, participated in his Schools of Evangelism, and even reviewed documentation of his multiple missions, outreach and financial enterprises.
Had he or his inner circle ever seen any evidence that a letter asking for prayer was replied to with a request for a donation to the cause, I trust the person who did it would no longer be in that position.
While the Swaggerts and Jim and Tammys of this world were grabbing money and fame in the name of Jesus, Billy was praying, studying and preaching. Apparently a significant segment of the public has been poisoned with propaganda and smears about him, but I remember when so-called evangelistic ministries ran afoul of the IRS. The folks charged with smoking the charlatans out went first to the Billy Graham Association, and what they found was a compassionate, scrupulously honest, and perfectly run religious organization, which they subsequently used as the standard when evaluating other organizations, all of which fell far short of his.
He lived modestly to say the least. In most towns and decent sized cities in America, in all likelihood the pastor of the town's largest Baptist Church would have made back then and certainly now would be making more "take home" pay than Billy ever did.
The amazing thing is that he prayed hardest for the kind of people who have posted the smears and poison I've seen above, and if folks in heaven pray for us here, he still is.
He wasn't my denomination. I didn't preach like he did (Billy was way better than I ever was). He had some theological positions I didn't have. But he was a great man and a faithful servant of the causes of Christ.
By the way, I'm praying for you, too.
I just want it on record as I’m down with BG. He should not be lumped in with some of these TBN and PTL people who tried/try to milk every last dime out of people.
Some sound resentful and rightfully so. Those who use the gospel for personal gain will not go unpunished. God will judge all. Truth is found in the Bible not religion.
Ignoring the mans shortcomings, which HE ADMITTED TO, is not honoring the truth. We are all sinners and come short of the Glory. And I would never equate people speaking the truth with being influenced by Satan, how very condescending of you. Did you learn that from your time with Reverend Graham? I know the man did far more good than bad, far more. But examining his life and failings is valid when people hold him up to an unreachable pedestal. I knew a preacher that had an affair with a married women he was counseling. Tons of stories of child-molesting priests. “Men of God.” I doubt Satan appreciates my sentiment of finding God yourself and don’t depend on others. Men will fail you....all men.
Sort of feel like this thread went down a rabbit trail. Let’s all agree that there is good and bad in any “business” and all people make mistakes in some form of fashion. May we also agree that some people no matter the wealth or donation amount truly have others outside of themselves to better the world? Either way, hero or not for some, from the little I have read, a unperfect man who had a dollar in his pocket, tried to leave the world in a better place before his death. I can’t say I feel the same about some similar people in that profession.
Also,I have seen worse examples of men within the news here “lately”
And UGAforever “Flags” my post praising Billy Graham as inappropriate? Geez. This world is upside down.
So sorry that it seems to JRT and apparently some others that we who respect and appreciate Rev. Graham are putting him up on an unreachable pedestal. It is a given that we all are sinners in need of a Savior. Never heard Billy ever say he wasn't a sinner himself. He seemed genuine and direct with me, and no one could ever speak of the difficulty of sinful living as well as he did without experiencing that difficulty himself and listening with compassion to others who were doing so.
The best thing anyone can do, in my ever so humble opinion, is to encourage, guide and support others as they begin, renew or continue a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. Rev. Graham was uniquely blessed in that endeavor, and while he may have had his own shortcomings and other sins, he did not exude the arrogance, holier than thou attitude, greed or smugness too often evident in religious leaders of his generations or ours.
The misdeeds, failures, cruelty and horrific sins of some clergy are awful and terrible, but not the same as whatever it is that troubles some of us about Rev. Graham. Vitriol and hating on a prominent, effective servant of God just a few days after his death in my book is indeed a sign that this world has been far too much influenced by the evil, deceit and divisiveness of the devil. However, what matters most is that we find the Lord and serve his causes, whether on our own at first through the Bible, or through the ministries of a local church, a community revival or a Billy Graham Crusade.
I'm praying for all of my fellow posters here. We all need prayers and spiritual support, especially when it seems that so many of us are caught up in the negative side of things. I hope I can point you to Jesus, not myself. That's what I feel that Rev. Billy Graham did.
Sorry, JRT. I'm all in with what you said. I meant to reply to you and then to Alabam, and really messed up when I deleted a lot more than I thought I had.
No worries my man
Sorry if I crossed the line here guys.
You’re good my man. I don’t even remember what you said and haven’t even back track the thread. It was a discussion and I’m sure nothing that was said in this thread is worth losing sleep over.
Thanks bud. I do want to clarify. The preacher I mentioned that had the affair with the married women he was counseling was a relative, so it hit home for me.
I think it's time for the Mods to ban religion posts. For some of you, some of us don't believe in what you believe in and could careless. You need to take harder look at your boy. Not all you think he was cracked up to be. I come to this board for UGA sports.
Graham wasn't poor, but his home in Montreat was far from a mansion.
That was his wife's doing, she built it out of salvaged materials in the 1950s while Billy was filling stadiums.