Moved

This past Saturday, I got to spend some time with my friend Ruth Graham. She is the third daughter of Billy Graham but you would never know she is part of a world renowned family. Ruth is so very humble and unassuming. She's also a fun girlfriend who loves to shop and laugh.

During our time together, we toured the Billy Graham Library located here in Charlotte. To be honest, I wasn't that excited about touring a library. I had pictured in my mind rows of dusty books surrounded by a few black and white photos from years gone by. Boy was I wrong!

The Billy Graham Library tour is one of the most fascinating journeys through modern day history that I've ever taken. If I could describe the experience in one word- moving!

In one part of the tour, there was a large sign with a story printed on it hanging on the wall. As I stood there and read it, my eyes filled with tears.

I was once again reminded of the great importance for us to be obedient and share Jesus with others. Even when we are in everyday situations where it may be a little uncomfortable to do so.

Now, I'm not talking about being obnoxious and throwing out some hell fire and brimstone in the middle of the grocery store.

I'm talking about telling God I am willing and then following through when he leads me to share.

As I read the following story, I kept picturing myself venturing into a shoe store one day, completely unaware of the amazing chain of events that God was about to put in motion. And I'm so very challenged. Would I have been obedient with this shoe salesman?

I hope so.

Oh, how I hope so.

Here's the story that hangs in the Billy Graham Library:

Edward Kimble and the Shoe Salesman

It was July 1, 1885 when Edward Kimble felt the tugging of the Spirit to share his faith with a young shoe salesman he knew.

At first Kimble vacillated, unsure if he should talk to the man. But he finally mustered his courage and went into the shoe store. There Kimble found the salesman in the back room stocking shoes, and he began to share his faith with him.

As a result, the young shoe salesman prayed and received Jesus Christ that day. That shoe salesman's name was Dwight L. Moody, and he became the greatest evangelists of his generation.

But the story doesn't end there. Several years later a pastor and well-known author by the name of Frederick B. Meyer heard Moody preach. Meyer was so deeply stirred by Moody's preaching that he himself embarked on a far-reaching evangelistic ministry.

Once when Meyer was preaching, a college student named Wilbur Chapman accepted Christ as a result of his presentation of the gospel. Chapman later employed a baseball player to help him prepare to conduct an evangelistic crusade. That ballplayer, who later became a powerful evangelist himself, was Billy Sunday.

In 1924 a group of businessmen invited Billy Sunday to hold an evangelistic campaign in Charlotte, North Carolina, which resulted in many people coming to Christ. Out of that revival meeting a group of men formed a men's prayer group to pray for the world. They prayed for Charlotte to have another great revival.

God sent another evangelist named Mordecai Hamm. Hamm went to Charlotte in 1934 to hold a crusade. Ham's crusade went well, even though it did not have many converts. On one of the last nights under the big tent one tall, lanky young man walked up the aisle to receive Christ.

That man's name was Billy Graham.

Talk about a chain of events! And it all started with an ordinary Christian named Edward Kimble, who reached D.L. Moody, who reached Wilbur Chapman, who reached Billy Sunday, who reached Mordecai Ham, who reached Billy Graham.

Look at what God has done over these many years because of the faithfulness of one person.

Just think of what God could do with you...