Open Letter to Billy Graham

Dear Billy Graham

Thank you, Reverend Graham. I am in the process of reading your autobiography and am enjoying every minute of it. Your honesty and sincerity are refreshing, especially in how you talk openly about mistakes you made and teach us all by sharing different course corrections and necessary changes.

Your sincere surprise at how the ministry took off, your courageous steps of faith, unbelievable personal risk, and sacrifice to share the precious Gospel of Christ with anyone who would listen.

Your name has become synonymous with wisdom, kindness, and grace, and rightly so. You packaged the Gospel in the right tone and care, but you never wavered at its truth and compromised its entire message and meaning, no matter how offensive it might be to society. We are all offended at some level by correction, but you were a master of speaking truth in love.

When I woke up this morning, I heard you went home. You passed from this life to the one you’ve been waiting on for so long.

It would be hard to imagine what this morning must have been like in heaven. I’m sure it is a massive celebration. I’m sure you’ve seen Jesus face to face, and you want to stay right at his feet. I don’t know how to measure time in eternity, but at some point, I’m sure thousands, if not millions, of people there will file through to say thank you. To shake your hand, to appreciate that you sacrificed so much time, energy, effort, and money to get the message to them.

You faced the scoffers and kept moving forward, confronted the conflicts and kept moving forward, responded to the ridicule, and kept moving forward so that men, women, and young people could hear the gospel and be saved.

I’m sure many have eternal peace and life because you didn’t give up when it was hard. You were placed on this planet for such a time as this. I pray that the Spirit of integrity, passion, love, and grace in your life will be imparted to this generation of leaders.

May we carry the same banner with an unashamed boldness and clarity that allows for no confusion. Let us revere our influence and use it rightly as you have so spectacularly modeled for us.

I’ve never known a time in my life when your name wasn’t a centerpiece of a Gospel example. I can remember turning on the TV every decade, seeing thousands in crusades, and hearing you passionately, creatively, and articulately dispense the message that has changed your life.

Thank you for continually pointing us back to Jesus, glorifying Him, and elevating His name, word, and will as a priority. Thank you for your humility. Even though you seemed larger than life to us, you had no clue what a big deal you were.

Today, you will be mourned and celebrated across our world, but I hope everyone will take the advice I’m sure you would give: Don’t get caught up in the man’s personality; hear his message.

Thank you, Billy. I never met you, but I’m proud of you. You have led me, and so many like me from afar as we watched you. As we read your books and books written about you, as we experienced the sheer magnitude of your ministry, we’ve learned and followed. And we are the better for it.

We love you, mourn you, celebrate with you, and can’t wait to see you again.

Thank You, Billy Grahm, for a life well lived, a message well carried, and a mission accomplished.

I do not doubt that you have already heard those words we all want to hear: “Well done, my good and faithful servant; enter into the joys of the Lord.”

Thank You Billy

David Gadberry