I have a picture somewhere, lost temporarily and forever in the “accumulation”, of me and my mother out on a stadium field.

I’m going down to kneel in the grass and give my life to Christ.

It must have been in California….maybe New Jersey…..I was pretty young.

Our friend clipped the picture out of the newspaper and circled us in the grainy black and white image and sent the picture to me.

I don’t know how she knew it was me.

It could have been some other goofy little kid.

There were a lot of people in the picture.

This isn’t the picture.

My picture is a different one.

Anyway, the picture was taken at a Billy Graham Revival….at a big stadium.

It might be me in the picture….

I know that I was there.

Billy Graham died yesterday.

He was 99 years old.

That’s a lot of good years.

“Reverend” is what we call a minister.

“Revere” means to show a deep respect or admiration for….something or someone.

And “minister” is a pretty heavy word when you think about it, too….”to minister” is a heavy calling.

It’s hard to give yourself over completely….to God and to your fellow man.

That’s hard.

I read a great Billy Graham quote this morning that said, “It is the Holy Spirit’s job to convict, God’s job to judge and my job to love.”

I think that Billy Graham really loved people and I know that he loved God.

He gave himself over.

What a life’s work! To get to the end and have people be able to say something like that about you!

I wonder if, at the end of my life, people will be able to say, without hesitation, “Peter? Oh….he really loved!”

I hope so.

People who are loved are never really gone.

We carry them in our thoughts and in our hearts.

Reverend Billy Graham….that was a good thing that God did with your life.

I’m glad that you were with us.

Thank you….