Iranian Pastor Sentenced to Death - Part 2

Are you a Christian? If so, how firm is your faith? If you were stood up before a tribunal of powerful men and ordered to deny your faith or face death, what would you do?

It sounds like a scene from the days when Christians were fed to the lions in the Roman Colosseum, but sadly, the last hearing for Iranian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani was to take place today. He has had two opportunities to recant his faith in Jesus Christ; this is his third and final opportunity. His crime? He is a Christian pastor in Muslim Iran. Worse yet, his parents were Muslim and he does not adhere to Islam.

I don't know why I have not heard about this through conventional news sources. That seems typical in a time when Christians are being persecuted and put to death for their faith around the world. Most often, In Iran, Christians are simply murdered and their killers never brought to trial. In this case, Iranian authorities seem to want to set an example.

Watch the video below, and take some time to pray for Pastor Youcef.



Related Articles:
Let Justice Roll on Like a River
Iranian Pastor Sentenced to Death
Remember My Chains
Modern-day Martyrs in Turkey
Modern-Day Martyrs in Turkey - A Reprise

Tweet

Let Justice Roll on Like a River

This weekend I spoke about the impact that William Wilberforce had on the culture in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Here was a man motivated by grace and by a desire to see an end to the slave trade and the reformation of a society in trouble. In our day and age we have our own set of giants that need to be brought down.

I want to draw our attention to an organization called the International Justice Mission, an organization headed by Gary Haugen. Gary headed up the U.N.'s investigation into the Rwanda genocide and has made it his life's mission since to work to end injustice wherever it is found. He has since written a book entitled Terrify No More. I had the chance to hear Gary speak at a Leadership Summit event a few years ago and was impacted by his presentation.

Below are two informative videos about the work of Haugen and his organization. We can tend to live sheltered lives and remain blissfully unaware of the challenges facing victims worldwide. Most would be shocked to discover that there are 27 million people affected by slavery today around our world. I hope that this informs you and perhaps inspires you to find a way to make a difference. At the very least, find a way to support someone else who is engaged in helping to bring justice into our world.





Related Articles:
The KIVA Story - Changing Lives.
Dream Center - Los Angeles
Unsung Heroes - Sandra Tineo
Remember My Chains
If God Is Good, How Could This Happen?
Minding Our Manners

Don't Push Me!

I read a very disturbing story this morning of an 11 year old boy who committed suicide after being bullied. I'll let you read the article yourself rather than regurgitate it all here. But the story raises, once again, the subject of bullying and what can be done.

I was one of the lucky ones. Though I was a smaller kid, and did get beat up once in high school, I was blessed with friends who were bigger than I was and I was somewhat athletic. I tended to hang around with those people because it was not good to be a loner in school.

I remember seeing different kids in my neighborhood get picked on because they couldn't fight back. They would have their books knocked out of their hands, or have snow balls thrown at them or be forced to endure demeaning taunting. I'd like to say that I stood up to the bullies and forced them to change their ways through my powers of persuasion, but the truth is, I usually tried to avoid the situation, even feeling relieved that it wasn't me.

I remember the fear that I felt when I would turn a corner and see those bullies, not knowing if I would be their next target. I cannot imagine what it was like for those for whom this was a daily occurrence. I have had family members and friends bullied and I've seen the pain and even shame in their eyes. It's a very helpless feeling and it's so hard to know what to do.

Looking back from adulthood I think I can see with a lot more clarity some of the reasons that people bully. The bullies I knew usually had horrible self-esteem issues themselves. They came from homes where they were neglected and often abused. I'm not looking to excuse this behavior, but rather to see some of the reasons behind it.

We're all social creatures. We were created for community, and much of our lives are spent trying to find our place within society. It's human nature to want to belong, and all of us know what it's like to walk into a room and immediately begin to scope the crowd for where we might feel welcome - and conversely, where we're pretty sure we won't be. Even as an adult, there are times when I've walked into settings and got that horrible, sinking feeling that I did not "belong."

One easy way for kids to move up in the social order is to pull others down - make someone else the target so that we are not targeted ourselves -almost a pre-emptive strike, if you like. It doesn't only happen with individuals, but with people groups as well. Look at the history of immigration in this country for an example. At different times in our nation's history derogatory terms were hurled at the Irish, the Chinese, Ethiopians, Pakistanis, Arabs, and many others. There is a stigma attached to not fitting in. This has been the case throughout human history.

All of this makes the words and actions of Jesus remarkable. If you want to see an effective pattern for inclusivity, look at what Jesus modelled. In a culture with clearly divided lines of status, Jesus broke all kinds of cultural barriers. At a time when children and women were considered second-class citizens, Jesus gave priority and validity to both. He also declared that, for anyone who wanted to be a part of what he was doing, they needed to accept people the same way. (Luke 18:15-17)

In another story we see Jesus reaching out across cultures and social boundaries. In a time when respectable Jews would not travel through Samaria because the people there were seen to be unclean half-breeds, Jesus purposefully travelled through. He stopped at a well and sent his disciples into town to find lunch (and probably to keep them from getting in his way). A woman came to get water. She came at a time when she knew the other women wouldn't be there. Her reputation wasn't the best and she likely wasn't up to hearing the gossip and put-downs. Jesus, knowing her reputation and knowing her Samaritan roots, engaged her in a conversation anyway (John 4). She became the first Samaritan evangelist, immediately calling all of her fellow villagers to come and see this extra-ordinary man.

The church which Jesus began has a call to be just such an inclusive community, and it is to our shame that we haven't always lived up to the high standard set for us. The Apostle Paul, writing in Galatians 3:28, said "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." No matter who you are, no matter where you've been or what you've done, the message of the Gospel is that you can find a home and family in the church. I've seen it happen and it's a beautiful thing.

It is this kind of acceptance that needs to be modeled in our schools and elsewhere. We are all valuable because we are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). We can love one another because he first loved us (1 John 4:19). Because we are secure in our identity as God's children, we do not feel the compulsion to drag others down, but instead we can build one another up (1 Thessalonians 5:11).

This is the kind of community we strive to build with church. We all need to feel like we belong because God made us for community. What are you doing to build community? When was the last time you reached out to someone who was not in your circle? Chances are, most people you meet are facing a challenge of some sort or another. Do your best to greet them with a smile and an open heart. You never know, you may be saving a life.

Related Articles:
Life As A Teenager
Seven Keys For A Better Life
Vancouver Riots - What Were They Thinking?
Wanted: Best Friend

Great Ideas

Problems are everywhere. Some are not that big a deal, others are life and death. Around our world today some of the worst problems we face are related to access: access to food and clean drinking water; affordable and environmentally friendly power; housing, medical care, etc...

We are tempted to believe that these problems are insurmountable; that nothing we do can make a difference. It reminds me of the story of the man who was walking along the beach. It was low tide and the beach was littered with stranded starfish that had been left on the beach as the tide had gone out. As he walked he noticed a boy further down the beach who was picking up starfish and throwing them out into the water. When he finally reached where the boy was he spoke to him. He said, "Why are you doing this, it's such a long beach and there must be millions of starfish, you can't possibly think that you're making a difference." The boy picked up a starfish and, once again, threw it as far as he could back into the water. He looked back at the man and said, "I made a difference to that one."

That is the kind of spirit that motivates the two people I'm highlighting today. The first is Michael Pritchard, who took on the challenge of turning filthy water into pure drinking water. His story is presented in the TEDGlobal video below. The second is a man whose name I don't know. The video shows his ingeneous idea to use a 2 liter bottle, water and bleach to light homes in poor neighborhoods in the Philippines. This idea is transferable to many other places.

Take a look at these videos and then take a different look at some of the problems we're facing. Perhaps your idea can make a difference to somebody, just the way these have. And remember what Mother Teresa said, "If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one."




Related Articles:
The KIVA Story - Changing Lives.
Dream Center - Los Angeles
Life On The Other Side
Unsung Heroes - Sandra Tineo
The 8 Nations of Innovation - Rick Warren

Wedding Photography Calgary
Zip Code By State

Losing Our Way

In the last couple of weeks there have been two news stories, not widely reported, that have struck me because of what they say about us as a culture. Since the days of Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Canada has not had an abortion law, meaning that it is legal to kill a child in the womb up until the moment the baby emerges live from its mother's womb. Of course this scenario doesn't happen often, but the fact that it can happen at all is a sad commentary that respect for human life doesn't rank very high on our list of priorities.

I'm speaking to this today because I think that we, as a culture, have become so apathetic that we no longer care to speak up in the face of outrageous legislative and judicial decisions. If the unborn could speak, I wonder if they would echo the words of Martin Luther King, Jr.: “In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”

I believe that much of the reason that many remain silent, in spite of the fact that study after study shows that a majority of Canadians want at least some protection of the unborn, (see example)is a combination of a strident pro-abortion minority and a cowardly parliament. Every election we hear the worn out refrain that "the abortion issue is settled" and "Canadians aren't interested in re-opening the debate." The truth is stifled and our unborn children continue to die at the rate of 100,000+ each year (roughly the population of the city of Guelph every year). The articles I'm linking to below are indicative of the cultural malaise into which we have stumbled.

The first article I want to draw your attention to is by Patrick Craine which reveals that Canada is providing maternity benefits to women who choose to have an abortion. For a woman who waits until her child is at 19 weeks gestation she will receive the full 17 weeks coverage that a mother who allows her child to live will receive. This in spite of the fact that the benefit was designed to enable a mother to stay at home and care for her child. Canadians then, are not only required to pay for a woman to abort her child, we are also then required to pay so that she can sit at home for 3 and a half months. Read the full article here.

The second article is by far more disturbing because it actually moves the line of tolerance from abortion to infanticide. In this story, again by Patrick Craine, we read of an Edmonton woman who was found guilty of strangling her newborn baby. When it came to sentencing, Justice Joanne Veit of the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench decided that no jail time was necessary and that justice would be served by giving a 3 year suspended sentence. In other words, for murdering her own child, this woman would spend no time in jail.

The judge's decision was based on the fact that Canada does not have an abortion law and, therefore, has more concern for the mother than the child. The horrible reality is that, in this judge's mind, the life of this child did not matter. As Mahatma Gandhi said, "A nation's greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members." If this is true, I fear for our country. Read the full article here.

Related Articles:
An Open Letter To Stephen Harper
Canada's Shame
Unsung Heroes - Linda Gibbons
The "A" Word

Life As A Teenager

I'm building, today, on an article from Lovell/Fairchild Communications by Monique Zondag dealing with the pressures that today's teenagers face in High School. While this is based on the American experience, having worked with teens I can safely say that the pressures are very similar.

Teen Expert Andy Braner on What’s Being Taught Outside the Classroom

“Parents have no clue what’s going on in the hallways of the high school,” said Andy Braner, founder and operator of KIVU, a Christian camp near Durango, Colo.; an international speaker talking to 80,000 teens each year; and author of the recently released An Expose on Teens, Sex and Dating: What’s Really Going on and How to Talk About It.

“The number one issue, without a doubt, is that kids are walking through high school, church and home, and they feel alone, as if no one cares about them. They feel worthless,” Braner said. “The veneer, how the loneliness shows itself, is in teen sexuality, a way to feel as if they do have attention, worth — and they’re bombarded with sex at every turn.”

Braner offers this list of 5 key issues confronting teens today whether from their peers, the media or society.

Sexuality — More and more teens are falling prey to an uneducated view of their own sexuality, Braner said. They are relentlessly pressured to fit in and often compromise their values to do so. Evidence? Check the language they're using online, Braner advised, it’s often more X-rated than parents know.

Teen Fact: Almost half of high school students have had sexual intercourse with almost 14 percent having four or more partners. (2009, Centers for Disease Control)

Pressure to Perform — Today’s teen is pushed to excel in everything from athletics to academics. Every kid has a gift, Braner said, and sometimes their particular gift doesn't line up with the way society asks them to perform, so they find themselves more and more exhausted trying to be someone they're not.

Teen Fact: Doctors warned of the downside of over-committed teens in 2008, cautioning about living with "pressure-filled intense preparation for a high-achieving adulthood," (“Pediatrics: The Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics,”)


Loneliness — This is the biggest issue kids face today, Braner said. They shape themselves to be someone everyone will find valuable, often compromising everything they know to be true to find friends. Drugs, alcohol and teen issues are a veneer covering the deep hurt teens are dealing with through rejection.

Teen Fact: Over a quarter of teens report underage drinking with more than 17 percent binge drinking. (2009, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)

Hopelessness — Kids don’t have an optimistic view of the future, in part because they see the economy affecting their own families and wonder if there will be opportunity for them when they become adults.

Teen Fact: A quarter of high school students struggle with feelings of hopelessness. (2010, Centers for Disease Control)

Severe Narcissism — Many kids are succumbing to the idea they are the most important part of the universe. Everything exists to please them. From every direction — in the media, through technology, online — kids are being trained to think only about themselves.

Teen Fact: A study showed over 65 percent of teens scoring above average on the Narcissistic Personality Inventory, double the percentage of 30 years ago. (Jean Twenge, Generation Me: Why Today's Young Americans are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled and More Miserable Than Ever, Free Press, 2006)

What should be parents’ reaction to this reality? Braner said the answer is helping teens develop a deeper understanding of reality. As an example, a distinctive of Camp KIVU, in addition to traditional camp activities such as hiking, backpacking and water sports, is an intentional effort to let teens ask the hard questions about life and faith and begin to develop a biblically based Christian worldview that can withstand the pressures of the hallway.

As for what parents can do, Braner advises that parents who want their kids to have a meaningful faith . . . need to have a meaningful faith. Teens effortlessly sniff out hypocrisy and will run the other way. Additionally, it’s not enough for parents to spend time with kids. They need to spend time effectively, connecting in areas that interest their kids and reinforcing the rules they lay down by having solid relationships behind the rules.

"My goal is to help parents and those working with teenagers walk students through the most confusing time of their lives,” Braner said. “With hormones blazing and sexuality being sold at every single turn, teens need a place where they can ask hard questions — and have some answers.”

In addition to his book, Braner writes a popular blog — Andy Braner Is Re-Imagining the Christian Worldview — where he explores a variety of topics.

Let's look at some of the keys to help teens navigate those difficult High School years.

1. Parental Involvement
Parents need to know and care about what's going on in the life of their teenager. Too many kids are desperate for the attention of their parents. If they don't get it in healthy ways they will get it in other ways. Invest time in your teenager. Set limits and enforce them. Be a parent first and a friend second.

2. Talk
One of the greatest challenges, I believe, is to get people (teenagers included) to think critically. Part of the reason that peer pressure holds such sway over a teenager is the limited perspective many of them have. I remember way back in High School thinking that the friends I had then would be my best friends for life. The reality is that there are very few that I ever saw again. If I had the power to look down the road a few years I would have made some different decisions.

Talk about the issues. Why do you believe what you believe? Learn to defend your worldview so that you can help them to think critically themselves.

3. Build Healthy Community
Everyone longs to belong. If your child doesn't have a healthy place where they can truly feel that they belong, they will gravitate to whoever will accept them. Love them unconditionally. Teach them early to discern and to reach up when choosing close friends. The power of association has a great deal of impact on us. If you want to see into the future, look at what your child is reading and watching, and who they are hanging around with, because that is likely what they will become. Encourage them to get involved with sports, clubs and youth groups that will bring out the best in them and teach them discipline and teamwork. Let them know that you believe in them and cheer them as they try.

Related Articles:
Developing Great Habits
I Love Me!
Seven Keys For A Better Life
Minding Our Manners

Billy Graham and Woody Allen

Here's an old video of an interview Woody Allen did with Billy Graham about sex, God and religion. Interesting and, at parts, hilarious. The video is really poor quality, but it's the audio that counts. Enjoy.



Related Articles:
Ravi Zacharias and Dr. John Lennox take on Stephen Hawking
If God Is Good, How Could This Happen?
Assumptions

Canada’s Feds Paying Full Maternity Benefits After Abortion

This is a reprint of an article by Patrick B. Craine,
Fri Sep 02, 2011 14:39 EST. Whether you are pro-life or pro-abortion, surely we can all agree that this is absolutely ludicrous.

OTTAWA, Ontario, September 2, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Pro-life Canadians have complained for years that they are forced to pay for the direct killing of unborn children through the country’s health system. It turns out they are also paying for abortive mothers to get full maternity benefits.

Canada’s employment insurance guidelines reveal that a woman who aborts her child after 19 weeks gestation is eligible to receive 17 weeks of maternity leave, the same as a mother who gives birth. For an abortion occurring before 19 weeks gestation, the woman can collect sick leave for the same length of time.

“The whole situation is pretty ludicrous,” said Mary Ellen Douglas, national organizer for Campaign Life Coalition. “Why should you pay for somebody killing their child, and then expect to pay for benefits if the child is no longer there?”

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation first highlighted this federal policy in 2008. John Williamson, CTF’s executive director, told The Interim that maternity benefits were established by an Act of Parliament with the intention of allowing parents bonding time with their newborn child.

He said extending these benefits to a woman who aborted her child is “obscene” and a “perversion of the EI system.”

Campagne Quebec-Vie, the Quebec division of Campaign Life Coalition, has recently highlighted that women are also given maternity benefits under the Quebec Parental Insurance Plan.

“How is it fair that I am being asked, along with other taxpayers of good will, to not only pay for the assassination of a ‘less than perfect’ child, but that I am also paying for several months’ ‘maternity leave’?” asked Georges Buscemi, CQV’s president.

Buscemi warned Americans that they could be facing similar policies if President Barack Obama, the country’s most pro-abortion head-of-state in history, is elected a second time. “Not only is this the kind of nonsense that greatly in-debts states, these socialist policies are nothing but a kind of barbarism hidden under a cloak of charity and compassion. These kinds of policies are both expensive and evil,” said Buscemi.

Federal government regulations note that a woman who obtained an abortion would not be eligible for parental leave, which is above and beyond maternity leave, “since the employee must have actual care and custody of a newborn child.”

Douglas said abortion is not a “maternal” act and so should not warrant any maternity benefits. “Families are not taking care of their children if they’re eliminating them,” she said. “That’s not caring for children, that’s eliminating children. So it’s not worthy of benefits for sure.”

LifeSiteNews.com did not hear back from the office of Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development Diane Finley by press time.


Contact Information:

Hon. Diane Finley
Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6
Phone: (613) 996-4974
Fax: (613) 996-9749
E-mail: diane.finley@parl.gc.ca

Related Articles:
An Open Letter To Stephen Harper
Canada's Shame
The "A" Word
Unborn Victims of Crime Act

What Is Worship To You?

Book Review: The Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham

Book Review: Harold Myra & Marshall Shelley, "The Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham" Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005. 348 pages.

This book was written as part of the fiftieth anniversary celebrations of Christianity Today International, an organization which began largely due to the inspiration and vision of Billy Graham. It set about to explore what made Billy Graham so successful as a leader for such a long time. He has been on the international stage since the 1940's and is one of the most influential people of the twentieth century. I read the book to see what I could glean from a man who has stood the test of time and still holds the respect of world leaders and the common man.

The book is split up into six parts:
Part 1 - Coming Alive
Part 2 - Getting Started
Part 3 - Creating Momentum
Part 4 - Growing Through Fire and Ice
Part 5 - Multiplying Momentum
Part 6 - Deepening In Every Decade

Rather than explore each of the 21 chapters, which would take up too much space, I'll deal with each of the six parts. Each part, I believe, represents a stage which each leader will go through if they are to have lasting success.

Part 1 - Coming Alive. This is the shortest section, consisting of only one chapter, called "Igniting." It is appropriately titled, describing the "call to ministry" and early defining moments of an ordinary young man from Charlotte, North Carolina. What is noteworthy is not simply Billy's willingness to go wherever he felt that God would lead him, but his continued humility and openness to continually allow God to change him as necessary. His early years marked a growing willingness to confront his own prejudices and to stand firm in the face of the criticism of those who felt that he was compromising. He firmly believed that, in moving forward in obedience he would naturally have to face hardship. Sherwood Wirt, longtime editor of "Decision" magazine, wrote that "All attempts to explain Billy Graham fail unless they begin at the cross."


Part 2 - Getting Started. This section deals with four factors which were key in Billy Graham establishing the trajectory for a lifetime of successful ministry. They are: Forming The Team, Confronting Temptation, Lasering In on the Mission, and Loving Harsh Critics. At the end of each cchapter is a section on application.

As John Maxwell writes, "To collaborative team members, completing one another is more important than competing with one another." Billy carefully selected those who would work closest to him; he pursued them, asked for a commitment, and most of them stayed with him throughout his active ministry - an incredible accomplishment seeing it lasted 60+ years. While many see Billy Graham, few see the committed group that he placed around himself who, while capable in their own right, allowed him to shine. He also had to develop the character to keep his heart pure and his reputation intact. This was vital for a ministry which lasted more than half a century. Not only that, but he had to learn to say "no" to the many "good things" that could have distracted him from his purpose, including offers from Hollywood and Washington. Finally, he had to learn how to handle the inevitable criticism. His humility allowed him to learn from even the harshest critics and, often, to turn enemies into friends.

Favorite quote: "Be thoroughly acquainted with your temptations and the things that may corrupt you, especially those temptations that either your company or your business will lay before you." - Richard Baxter

Part 3 - Creating Momentum. This section deals with four keys to creating momentum. They are: Communicating Optimism and Hope, Mobilizing Money, Empowering Soul Mates and Expanding the Growing Edge.

As Napoloen said, "Leaders are dealers in hope." When looking from a distance at larger-than-life leaders like Billy Graham, we tend to believe that everything came easily. This, of course, is not the case. Every ministry, business or career has struggles. A positive attitude is essential to lead a team to overcome. Realizing that almost every time that Billy preached a crusade he used stadiums whose rent costs were in the millions of dollars, he had to learn to be proactive in fundraising. He was successful, partly because of the high degree of accountability. Billy Graham helped to establish an organization (The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability) to help Christian ministries like his to maintain the highest financial standards. As the ministry grew larger in its scope, Billy had to learn to release more and more responsibility into the capable hands of the team he assembled. He was a master at helping others find their place and reach their potential. Billy was also not one to run from the challenge of a changing world. He was one of the first to integrate his rallies in the South, at risk to his reputation. He also took the lead in adapting new methodologies to communicate Biblical truth, staying relevant to new generations of people worldwide.

Favorite quote: "In periods where there is no leadership, society stands still. Progress occurs when courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better." - Harry S. Truman

Part 4 - Growing Through Fire and Ice. This section is broken into four parts that deal with how Billy Graham responded to the troubles and challenges he faced in his ministry. They are: Summoning Courage, Learning from Failure, Experiencing Trauma and Betrayal and Redeeming the Ego.

What do you do when faced with an unpopular choice? Billy Graham had to learn to brave attacks from the press, government officials and sometimes even disagreement among his own team. He had to learn how to have the courage of his convictions. He also had to learn from his failures of judgment, from which Billy suffered early in his career. One of the most difficult things to endure is the betrayal of a friend; Billy felt the pain when Richard Nixon resigned the Presidency and Billy discovered that he had been deceived. In spite of the public embarassment, he was able to forgive and continue to minister to the family. One of the main reasons I believe that Billy Graham was successful was that his confidence was based in Christ, so his ego was held in check. He knew that it wasn't about him.

Favorite quote: "Mishaps are like knives that either serve us or cut us, as we grasp them by the blade or the handle." - Herman Melville

Part 5 - Multiplying Momentum. This describes four ways in which Billy Graham was able to successfully expand his ministry throughout its sixty years. They are: Birthing Dreams, Building Bridges, Igniting Other Leaders, and Sowing Seeds in All Seasons.

When Billy heard about worthwhile visions, he leant his considerable influence to help get them off the ground. These include World Vision, Christianity Today, and the International Congress on World Evangelization. According to Dr. Robert Evans, founder of Greater Europe Mission, Graham was responsible, either directly or indirectly for the start-up of twenty-five evangelical organizations in Europe alone. In a time when the church was extremely divided, Billy Graham built bridges between liberals and conservatives, Catholics and Protestants and across racial, cultural and social barriers. One of a leaders greatest gifts is to pass the baton, Billy has done that with many younger leaders, mentoring, encouraging and supporting. People like Jay Kesler, formerly of Youth For Christ, Rick Warren of Saddleback Community Church, Ravi Zacharias, a noted apologist, and countless other leaders around the world have been profoundly influenced by him. Throughout his ministry Billy Graham has taken the time to plant seeds which may never see fruition in his lifetime.

Favorite quote: "Life is not just a few years to spend in self-indulgence and career advancement. It is a privilege, a responsibility, a stewardship to be lived according to a much higher calling." - Elizabeth Dole

Part 6 - Deepening In Every Decade. This last section has four chapters on how Billy was able to last. They are: Learning - and Leveraging Weaknesses, Plugging into Continuous Voltage, Innovating, and Leading with Love.

Billy Graham is remarkable in his humility. Admitting he is not a great preacher, he leveraged that by inviting input from people all over the world who could help him have insight into the different cultures to help him stay relevant. This trait also helped him to get the best out of his team. Billy also recognized that without God he was nothing. Each day he spends hours in prayer and in reading the Bible. It keeps his heart soft and his ears open to hear God. Perhaps because of this, Billy was always open to integrating new techniques and technologies into his ministry.

The final chapter - Leading With Love - deals with what close observers believe is the key to the success of Billy Graham. He loves people, pure and simple. He takes time for people, regardless of who they are. His concern is genuine. He reached out to Jim Bakker after his much-publicized moral failure. He reached out in love to Muslims after 9-11. He took the time to get to know the family members of his staff and gave sacrifically to help others. He lead by example.

Favorite quote: "I have learned that although Christians do not always agree, they can disagree agreeably, and that what is most needed in the church today is for us to show an unbelieving world that we love one another." - Billy Graham

Conclusion: All in all it's a good read. It's not so much a leadership tome as it is a tribute to Dr. Graham. It does provide tremendous insight into the leadership longevity of one of the most influential people of the twentieth century.

Related Articles:
Book Review: "What Good Is God?"
Book Review: "Why I Still Believe"
Book Review: "It Came From Within!"
Book Review: "Has Christianity Failed You?"
Book Review: "The Power Of A Whisper"
Book Review - "Heaven Is For Real"