What Billy Graham Means to Me

The real story of the Crusades is not in the great choirs, the thousands in attendance, nor the hundreds of inquirers who are counseled. The real story is in the changes that have taken place in the hearts and lives of people.

~Billy Graham

Salvation. That is the word that I think of when I hear Billy Graham's name. What an impact this humble, committed man had for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Possibly millions of souls were affected by his preaching of the simple Gospel of salvation. His level of commitment to the calling that the Lord placed upon his life was so great; he lived and moved and breathed the Gospel. He sacrificed everything for it. He was God's gift to our time. He was God's gift to my family. He was God's gift to me. 

My Mom came to know the Lord through a Billy Graham crusade. She came from a terribly broken background in many ways. But the Lord had His hand upon her even when she was a small girl. Her mother, who left the Catholic faith in order to marry my Italian Protestant grandfather brought her family of five to a little Baptist church in their small country Rhode Island town, giving them a glimpse of Who Jesus was. My Nana listened to sermons of J. Vernon McGee on the radio and herself hungered after a relationship with Jesus Christ, eventually coming to know Him as her Savior. 

And so the Lord was planting seeds in my Mom's heart even when she was a little girl, the time of Billy Graham's early ministry.  

Later, in her early 20's, my Mom experienced severe health issues. Listening to a Billy Graham crusade on television, she came to know the Lord. This was just a few years before I was born. 

Her life was transformed. My Mom, who had come from a broken background, who suffered from debilitating illness, became a born-again, devoted believer in Jesus Christ. Her life was completely changed. My Mom's coming to know the Lord had a profound impact upon our family and the ripples of her decision traveled to our extended family as well. 

Growing up, my Mom talked a lot about Billy Graham. We always received his Decision magazine in the mail.We knew how his ministry had impacted my Mom's life and she encouraged us to read books about Billy and his wife, Ruth. I remember being fascinated as a teenage girl by a book in my Mom's bookshelf detailing Ruth's life and her relationship with Billy Graham. And recently, the Lord has touched me in reading Billy Graham's mother's-Morrow Coffey Graham's small autobiography. 

I am so grateful for Billy Graham. For his life, for his commitment to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, for the legacy that he leaves through his children, many of who also serve the Lord. 

I am grateful. For the salvation that came to our family, for the Lord's hand upon this man's life, for his spiritual fervor and burning desire to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

This is a short tribute for a man whose life meant so much to me, to so many. It was difficult for me to process his death at first and it is still difficult for me to take it all in as his life in a very real way has been woven into mine indirectly. But at the same time that I feel sadness that this man is no longer a part of the world that I live in, I sense a deep joy and peace knowing that He is in a different "world," one that I am traveling to, one whose Builder and Maker is God, the One who wipes away every tear from our eyes. 

Billy Graham is there--in Heaven--with Jesus--what a thought! What a hope--the hope that Billy Graham faithfully preached for so many years and through his life and impact led many people to Heaven's gates. 

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for Billy Graham. Please raise up a new generation of men like him who will fearlessly preach the Gospel and bring many souls to the mercy seat of Christ, who are bold and unashamed. Revive Your church O Lord, and raise up committed men and women--committed wholeheartedly to the cause of Christ. 

Thank you, Lord for Billy Graham. For one whose life has meant so much to so many. For one whose life has meant so much to me. Thank you for his example, for his humility, for his strength. Thank You for taking him Home. And thank you for giving him to us. 

 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:

“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace,

Who bring glad tidings of good things!"

~Romans 10:15 NKJV

God buries His workmen, but carries on His work.

~Charles Wesley

Books I highly recommend and believe will bless you in your walk with Jesus Christ:

• Ruth, A Portrait: The Story of Ruth Bell Graham
• Footprints of a Pilgrim
• A Time for Remembering
• Legacy of a Pack Rat
• It's My Turn
• They Call Me Mother Graham

You might find me on these link-ups:


Inspire Me Monday, Literacy Musing Mondays, The Modest Mom, Raising Homemakers, Classical Homemaking, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Woman to Woman Ministries,  Testimony Tuesday, Tell His Story, Messy Marriage,  Imparting Grace, Thought Provoking Thursday, Soul Survival, Good Morning Mondays, The Weekend Brew, Counting My Blessings, The HomeAcre Hop, Mommy Moments Link Up, Grace and Truth Linkup, Faith Filled Friday, SHINE Blog Hop, RaRaLinkup, Word of God Speak, Booknificent Thursday, Living Proverbs 31, Coffee For Your Heart Weekly LinkUp, You're the Star Blog Hop, Homesteader Hop, Fresh Market Friday, Heart Encouragement Thursday , Sitting Among Friends Blog Party, Fabulous Warm Heart Party, Oh My Heartsie Girls Wonderful Wednesday Linkup, Writer Wednesday

Books I Love~~ How To Heal a Broken Wing

As a Mom of two young children, I am constantly on the lookout for good, creative, wholesome children's books to read with my kids. We do a lot of reading, especially during the winter months. I set aside a certain amount of time each day for reading together since my kids were babies and so this has become part of the routine in our home. At this point, my little daughter (5 years old) is really enjoying chapter books, whereas my 3-year-old son pines for books with more pictures :-). So, I try to create a "happy" balance. I have to say that I think sometimes I am enjoying the books as much as the kids; Mr. Popper's Penguins and The Little House on the Prairie series have been delighting me these long winter days :-). 

And this book (How to Heal a Broken Wing, pictured above) is such a good one, one that we have really enjoyed reading, over and over. I originally found it in the library and then purchased it on Amazon because I really enjoyed the story-line and the sensitivity portrayed towards the least of these of Christ's creation--pigeons. 

Ok; I admit--I have a soft spot for pigeons. . . My Dad used to raise homing pigeons when my sisters and I were little, and they really are sweet, smart, devoted creatures--the little squabs are delightful! :-) Many people think of them as "dirty" or "diseased" but when they are cared for properly and loved as they should be, they make wonderful pets. The farmers around here like to shoot them, but I enjoy offering them shelter in my barn! :-)

When we were little, my Mom took me and my sisters on a city bus ride from our small town into the "large" ;-) (to me ;-)) city of Providence, RI. We walked around the city and fed the pigeons from a park bench--she wanted us to have that experience of riding the bus into the city and it is such a vivid memory from my childhood, especially feeding those dear, sweet birds scavenging for survival. So this book, How to Heal a Broken Wing really holds a place in my heart. 

I enjoyed the illustrations which are vivid and bright and somewhat unusual (almost a comic-book style, but large enough for little eyes to see and focus on). I loved the simple, sensitive story-line about a little boy who rescues a hurt pigeon on a city street, rehabilitates it, and then releases it. Everyone else walks by the hurt pigeon, ignoring it or not noticing it, and it somewhat reminded me of the story of the Good Samaritan; I really liked that connection. 

This is a wonderful book to read with little children. It s simple, sweet, and heartwarming and teaches little ones sensitivity towards God's creation. There's so much hardness in the world; this book was refreshing in the way that it depicted animals and encouraged the nurture and care of a small creature who was hurt. 

If you are able to purchase it or take it out of your local library, I hope that you enjoy it as much as we do! :-) 

You might find me on these link-ups:

Inspire Me Monday, Literacy Musing Mondays, The Modest Mom, Raising Homemakers, Classical Homemaking, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Woman to Woman Ministries,  Testimony Tuesday, Tell His Story, Messy Marriage,  Imparting Grace, Thought Provoking Thursday, Soul Survival, Good Morning Mondays, The Weekend Brew, Counting My Blessings, The HomeAcre Hop, Mommy Moments Link Up, Grace and Truth Linkup, Faith Filled Friday, SHINE Blog Hop, RaRaLinkup, Word of God Speak, Booknificent Thursday, Living Proverbs 31, Coffee For Your Heart Weekly LinkUp, You're the Star Blog Hop, Homesteader Hop, Fresh Market Friday, Heart Encouragement Thursday , Sitting Among Friends Blog Party, Fabulous Warm Heart Party, Oh My Heartsie Girls Wonderful Wednesday Linkup, Writer Wednesday

How We Have Been Doing and a Ministry Update

Be assured, if you walk with Him and look to Him, and expect help from Him, He will never fail you.

~George Mueller

As I write this, we are in the throes of winter in the Midwest. We are beginning to get used to the "long" (in my opinion 😉) winter season here and to adapt to it. I'm thankful for a warm home and the closeness of family and friends during this time of year. We are inside a lot and I am (still :-)) *trying to get used to not hanging up my laundry outside as I had become accustomed to that pleasure during the warmer months :-) I hear that the Amish people who live near us hang their laundry in their basements during this time of year, but for now, I think that I will use my dryer. :-) 


My Mom feeds the little birds and we see the sweet little juncos and chickadees and cardinals outside the window on these cold snowy days. The birds are hearty around here--I think that they have to be! I don't feel so hearty! I'm trying to get used to wearing two sweaters in my house and keeping myself supplied with a steady stream of hot coffee to sustain me and to keep my fingers from freezing. My two children, ages 3 and 5, are longing to play outside again. We have tried to play a little outside, but it is a challenge to keep the blood circulating . . . 😉. 

I am fascinated by the animal prints that we see around our home --foxes, rabbits, deer, etc., and I often think of these creatures struggling for survival around me. We frequently see deer in the cut-down fields of corn. They try to eat the leftovers until the Lord provides a fresh supply of green for them in the spring. They are such sweet creatures. One day (before winter) a fawn bounded over our lawn during the day. I don't know if it lost its mother or was running from something . . . but these are the kinds of things that we occasionally see.

We replaced the windows in one of the rooms in our home--we live in a circa mid 1800's farmhouse and I am not sure how old the windows were . . . at any rate, the wind is not whistling into that particular room anymore. :-)  Our Pastor replaced them with my husband helping him. So I am very grateful for that--and it made for a bit of a warmer winter--at least in that room! :-)

I began homeschooling my little 5-year-old daughter this year and that has been a wonderful experience for me . . it actually breaks up the long winter days and warms my heart as I see her learning and enjoying her little workbooks (for the most part :-)). 

My kids and I constructed a "chariot" for Queen Esther and King Xerxes out of these boxes from Aldi's :-)

Food warms us up and promotes general well-being and good-will, so we have been doing a lot of baking. 😉 My kids enjoy it, especially my little daughter who loves kneading bread. My son can always be counted upon to put in the salt (for some reason he loves that particular ingredient!) :-). 

We are all longing for spring . . . it will come soon enough--and I think that the long winter will make our hearts gladder to see the spring come in all of its beauty. Praise God that He brings the springtime and softens the icy wind and sends the warm spring winds of His comfort and goodness. 

In terms of our ministry, the Lord has been placing our "attic" room upon my heart. This is a large sloped-roof room in our home that I would like to convert into a guest room. Initially, I had been focusing upon our "Missionary House," a building on our property that I would like to convert into a guesthouse to use for ministry purposes (if you are not familiar with the ministry that I am referring to, please visit the posts at the bottom of this page to learn more about why our family re-located from New England to the Midwest! ) But I thought that maybe we would "start" with this large attic room . . . and so I am praying for the Lord's direction as we take steps forward in this "small thing." It is exciting to look back and to see how the Lord has led us to this point and to trust in His wisdom and provision and love for the future. We truly believe, as Hudson Taylor says, that "God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supplies." And so we trust Him and fix our eyes upon Him by faith. We are building a place of rest for Him, and He is our Hope. 

Please pray for us. 

We are as always, so grateful for your love and continual prayers. 

This is where we take shelter during the really tough days of winter when we have no food or electricity. . . haha; just joking! My sweet, spunky nephew, Simeon built this fort/shelter in our yard :-)

The following blog posts detail why we moved to the Midwest and our purpose here:

Update 1

Update 2

Flying to A Summer Land

The Gift of Quietness

Grace in the Midwest Wilderness

When You Just Can't Do It

An Impossible Prayer Request

Midwest Ministry Update

How the Lord Answered My Prayer of Sixteen Years

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You might find me on these link-ups:


Inspire Me Monday, Literacy Musing Mondays, The Modest Mom, Raising Homemakers, Classical Homemaking, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Woman to Woman Ministries,  Testimony Tuesday, Tell His Story, Messy Marriage,  Imparting Grace, Thought Provoking Thursday, Soul Survival, Good Morning Mondays, The Weekend Brew, Counting My Blessings, The HomeAcre Hop, Mommy Moments Link Up, Grace and Truth Linkup, Faith Filled Friday, SHINE Blog Hop, RaRaLinkup, Word of God Speak, Booknificent Thursday, Living Proverbs 31, Coffee For Your Heart Weekly LinkUp, You're the Star Blog Hop, Homesteader Hop, Fresh Market Friday, Heart Encouragement Thursday , Sitting Among Friends Blog Party, Fabulous Warm Heart Party, Oh My Heartsie Girls Wonderful Wednesday Linkup, Writer Wednesday

A Valentine's Giveaway!

Ok, all you lovebirds out there . . . it's that time of year again and I couldn't resist . . . it's time for . . .  

A Valentine's Giveaway! 💗

Valentine's Day has always been one of my favorite holidays. I think that this is because of the memories that it holds for me. My Mom made Valentine's Day so special for me and my sisters when we were growing up. We would always make a homemade heart-shaped pizza and have a fizzy pink soda-drink that we usually didn't have. She decorated the table with special Valentine's Day things and prepared everything with such detail and love. She and my Dad always gave us a Russell Stover heart-shaped box of candy wrapped in that delightful red cellophane. My favorite chocolate was the caramel filled one. It meant so much to me as a little girl and it still holds such a strong remembrance in my heart. And thankfully, my husband now buys me the Russell Stover heart; it was part of our marriage agreement . . . haha; just joking. 😉

Anyway, I wanted to put together a giveaway for this special time of year. I pray that it brightens someone's day and brings joy to each one of you in some way. 

And may we always cherish and hold dear the greatest Love of our hearts . . . our precious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who first loved us . . . 💗

What this giveaway includes:

• The DVD Old Fashioned (Read my review HERE)
• Lindt truffles~~Because I strongly believe in nutritional STAPLES  and am a great advocate for healthy foods 😉
• Exquisitely lovely Lauren Conrad earrings to wear for a special date or while watching Old Fashioned . . . ;-) Wonderful for promoting the ideal of a "rose-leaf complexion."-haha! 

I hope that this giveaway is enjoyable and fun! Please enter below using the Rafflecopter form. And Happy Valentine's Day to each one of you! 


a Rafflecopter giveaway



*This giveaway is only open to residents of the continental United States for shipping reasons.











You might find me on these link-ups:


Inspire Me Monday, Literacy Musing Mondays, The Modest Mom, Raising Homemakers, Classical Homemaking, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Woman to Woman Ministries,  Testimony Tuesday, Tell His Story, Messy Marriage,  Imparting Grace, Thought Provoking Thursday, Soul Survival, Good Morning Mondays, The Weekend Brew, Counting My Blessings, The HomeAcre Hop, Mommy Moments Link Up, Grace and Truth Linkup, Faith Filled Friday, SHINE Blog Hop, RaRaLinkup, Word of God Speak, Booknificent Thursday, Living Proverbs 31, Coffee For Your Heart Weekly LinkUp, You're the Star Blog Hop, Homesteader Hop, Fresh Market Friday, Heart Encouragement Thursday , Sitting Among Friends Blog Party, Fabulous Warm Heart Party, Oh My Heartsie Girls Wonderful Wednesday Linkup, Writer Wednesday