Experiencing Peace After My Father's Murder - Jack Graham
[00:00:00] Steve Gatena: Tragedy often leaves us searching for answers and questioning what could have been done differently to prevent it. While it's natural to seek understanding, God invites us to respond differently. He asks us to place our trust in Him, acknowledging that His ways are beyond comprehension. Instead of striving to understand, we're called to trust in God's reliability, in His strength, in His word.
[00:00:32] By placing our trust in Him, we can navigate the difficult seasons of life. Knowing that His grace, His eternal glory, and our union with Him through Christ will always hold true.
[00:00:48] In this episode of Relentless Hope, Dr Jack Graham, senior pastor at Prestonwood Church, imparts wisdom on trusting in God, especially during times of tragedy, he shares how his trust and faith were strengthened after the brutal murder of his dad when he was only 20 years old. Dr Graham teaches us to remain faithful to God's calling and not be embittered by encountering evil. He also provides insight on rebuilding trust with others after it's been broken.
[00:01:26] Regarding leadership, Dr Graham emphasizes the importance of trusting in the calling that comes from God and becoming an inspiring influence within our communities. He illustrates that leadership. Is fundamentally about fostering meaningful relationships, and he encourages everyone to embrace their leadership potential at any level.
[00:01:51] Dr Graham shares his perspective on legacy, explaining that he focuses on living it rather than worrying about what it will be. He strives to lead well and finish strong each day believing that his legacy extends beyond earthly matters. For Dr Graham legacy encompasses how many lives he leads towards heaven, how many people he positively influences, and how he helps others find their way into God's presence.
[00:02:25] Dr Graham teaches us to invest in eternity, in heaven, and in the lives of others, leaving the results to God. Ultimately, we cannot fully understand or control the happenings of this world, but that is not our responsibility. We're simply called to trust in God, allowing Him to guide us, to comfort our hearts, and to focus our eyes on what truly matters, our eternal salvation in Jesus, sharing the good news and participating in God's vision for this world.
[00:03:12] Jack Graham's Fort Worth community was in a happy day's lifestyle until one day Jack's dad was attacked in his hardware store.
[00:03:23] Jack Graham: My father, whom I loved very, very much, and had a very close relationship, was brutally murdered in Fort Worth, Texas, um, by a shoplifter. Came into his hardware store and, uh, my father ended up severely injured, unconscious, and lived for 10 days and died.
[00:03:41] And that was the first tragedy our family had ever known. I told you that we were in a happy days, uh, kind of small town, uh, atmosphere. And those days in Fort Worth, later, all good, my father was, uh, not only a great dad, but a dear friend. Uh, he was my biggest supporter. Played catch every time I asked him to play ball, uh, supported me all the games.
[00:04:06] So as a young preacher, my father, my and my mother were very proud of me, prayed for me. Um, but now my dad is gone.
[00:04:22] Steve Gatena: On part one of this three part series, Jack Graham, pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano tells us of his life as a servant of Christ. When it comes to building up a church, it starts with establishing trust. By experiencing tragedy, faith can grow when you trust in God.
[00:04:51] Jack Graham: My name is Jack Graham, I'm pastor of Preston Wood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, and speaker, uh, PowerPoint Ministries Radio and Television. Uh, I was born in a small town in Arkansas, actually 30 miles north of Little Rock, Arkansas, and a wonderful family, Christian heritage, uh, a grandfather who was a di dynamic believer and follower of Christ who had a huge influence on my life and the birth of my faith.
[00:05:19] Really, my earliest recollections are spending time in his lap reading stories of the Bible and uh, hearing, um, how my faith can change my life, how Christ could change my life, and wonderful parents and older brothers. So the little town that we lived in was, uh, again, small town, Arkansas, maybe 10,000 people.
[00:05:42] And my, my dad actually owned a, a drive-in restaurant that featured corny dogs. Uh, dipped corn dogs. And so it was fun and, uh, truly it was like Happy Days in our little town. If you've, if you've seen the television program, uh, Happy Days. It was like that. We had a wonderful, uh, small town atmosphere. Uh, ultimately we ended up selling that business, my dad, and we moved to Fort Worth, Texas, uh, when I was age 10.
[00:06:11] And, uh, so I did the rest of my growing up years, uh, in Fort Worth, Texas, and became a Texan. And, uh, great experience there. And, uh, you know, my, my mother, my father were, uh, very common people, very ordinary people. But, uh, we had a very loving home and a stable home. Uh, my older brother is actually a minister, uh, and I've served, uh, a local church as a pastor for many years.
[00:06:39] So the two of us, uh, there's just two of us in our family, both became, uh, preachers and pastors. Really, I can't think of a time when I, I did not think at some level that I was going to be a pastor. That could have been because of my older brother, 13 years, my senior, that was his calling and path. Uh, but even as a small boy, I just sensed that I was destined, if you will.
[00:07:06] Uh, to preach the gospel and to be a pastor of a local church. That's always been my ambition. Uh, as far as the ministry is a local congregation to be the shepherd of, of a local congregation that flock. So as a small boy, I sense that and confirm that as a teenager. Uh, so actually, um, in those days we would, we would call it surrendering to the ministry.
[00:07:33] In other words, I, I just came to a point in my life where I committed to being a minister. That was actually at about age 15 and preached my first sermon when I was 16. I was also a high school and college athlete. So I had a platform, if you will, with uh, athletics, uh, to share my faith with others and ultimately began preaching and, uh, even during the college years, had a small church that I pastored on the weekends, preached a lot of crusades, revival type things all over Texas in those days. Uh, so then onto seminary, uh, back to Fort Worth, Texas, where uh, we did our master's degree and ultimately a doctor's degree in seminary. And, uh, after, uh, a stint in my home church in Fort Worth as an associate pastor, I became a pastor in Oklahoma, uh, for the next seven years, two different churches, and ultimately, uh, at age 31, I went to West Palm Beach, Florida, uh, the first Baptist Church, a significant strategic church in South Florida.
[00:08:36] Uh, the church was actually in some decline, uh, in 1981 when I became the pastor. But, uh, God began to move in an incredible way and, uh, just began preaching and we began reaching people in, uh, the community.
[00:08:51] Palm Beach County, uh, at that time probably had, uh, I don't know, a million people. Most never went to church, and so it was a huge opportunity as I saw it, to evangelize. To reach people with the message. And our church became very aggressive in its outreach. And the church grew and grew and grew and grew.
[00:09:11] And, and really those years, from 1981 to 1989 became just the formative years of, of my ministry and the style, uh, that, uh, that ultimately has served me well these last 30 plus years now at the Prestonwood Baptist Church in, uh, Texas, Dallas, Texas area. And so, In 1989, uh, came back to Texas, uh, to, uh, be the pastor of Prestonwood Church and, uh, the church was actually, uh, struggling in that, uh, the founding pastor had been removed.
[00:09:50] In this instance, it was a, a moral failure of the pastor who disqualified himself from being the pastor due to his behavior.
[00:09:58] So you have a lot of people who are discouraged and defeated by that, especially young Christians. So rebuilding confidence, uh, Among young believers in particular, and, and that began for me as an act of integrity.
[00:10:16] And uh, what I simply did was to do what I did in West Palm Beach, really. And that is to come into the new congregation and preach the Bible, love people, and rebuild integrity. So I'd never been in a position quite like that before, uh, in that, you know, I, there was a, there was a sense of "I have to prove myself" that I'm not what the other guy may have become and that, you know, that I could be trusted with, with this church and, and lead it forward.
[00:10:49] And, um, by God's grace we've been able to do that. But it was, it was difficult. I would say re rebuilding when, when something is broken like that, it takes a while, especially the relationships of a church, it takes, takes a while, and it was complicated by the fact that the, uh, the minister, my predecessor, who was a friend by the way, uh, decided to start a church down the street.
[00:11:13] And so there was, uh, you know, there was that tension, uh, from, with members of the prestonwood our church. Do we go with our old pastor or do we stay with this new guy?
[00:11:24] So there was all of that. But all in all, though, I look back on it, I see the tensions that were presence, the toughness of the situation.
[00:11:33] Uh, truly God restored the church. Uh, He gave me the leadership of the congregation, the trust of the congregation, and, uh, we were actually able to move from the location where Prestonwood actually, uh, lived at that time existed, and to a brand new location, expanded location. Uh, it was a massive relocation of the congregation, uh, to from Dallas to Plano, Texas, where, where we are now.
[00:12:01] And so it was risky. It was a faith move, and yet I sensed, as I've always sensed, just an inner voice, uh, confirmed by scripture and, and, and got wise counsel that God was calling me to leave a very fast growing and dynamic ministry in South Florida, there in West Palm Beach and come back home to the Dallas-Fort Worth area and take this church, which was struggling.
[00:12:25] We didn't know if it would make it or not. It was a large church that had gone from zero to 8,000 members in a short time, but now is in this, uh, this struggle for its very life and. Who knew what would happen, but God had his hand on the church and on our move and, uh, we began to grow again and reach people.
[00:12:43] And, uh, we've grown now over the last 30 years from seven or 8,000 members to nearly 50,000 members, and it's been a remarkable, um, testimony to the power of God, uh, the work of Christ in our midst, using a pastor and a people who are committed to fulfilling the Great Commission.
[00:13:03] We are a Bible teaching, uh, a community reaching kind of, uh, congregation, very committed, uh, to sharing the gospel, inviting people to know Christ, to openly confess Him and follow Him, and then grow in their discipleship and development as believers.
[00:13:21] In terms of, of ministry calling, uh, as a pastor, that, that certainly was the most challenging thing I have faced. Uh, on a personal level, um, in 1970 when I was a college student, um, and already preaching and was a young preacher and again, playing college, athletics, baseball, and, um, my father and I love very, very much, had a very close relationship, was brutally murdered in Fort Worth, Texas, um, by a shoplifter. Came into his hardware store and, uh, my father ended up severely injured, unconscious, and lived for 10 days and died.
[00:14:03] And that was the first tragedy our family had ever known. I told you that we were in a Happy Days, uh, kind of small town atmosphere and those days in Fort Worth, later, all good.
[00:14:17] My father was, uh, not only a great dad, but a dear friend. Uh, he was my biggest supporter, played catch every time I asked him to play ball, uh, supported me all the games. So as a young preacher, my father, my and my mother were very proud of me. Prayed for me. Um, but now my dad is gone. And so that was a huge, uh, crisis of, of life, uh, altering, life altering obviously for my mother.
[00:14:45] My father was just 56, uh, when he went to heaven, um, and was taken so early and so tragically and died so brutally, you see this happening on the news and to someone else. Uh uh, but now we are a victim of violent crime. And, uh, surviving and overcoming that. Um, so for me, I was newly married, by the way, Deb, my wife and I got married while we were in college, and, and so we were just married actually. And this happens.
[00:15:18] So I had to dig deep. I mean, I had, I had a life to live. I had a young wife. I had a college, uh, career going, uh, education plus playing ball, plus preaching, and now a, a, a tragic death in our family. So I determined not to be bitter, uh, at the outset, and there was certainly anger at what happened, but I determined at the outset that I would not be embittered by this, that, uh, our contact, if you will, uh, our collision with evil.
[00:15:51] And death in our family in such a way would not undermine my faith or what God had called me to do. In fact, if anything, it in time, it strengthened my faith, and I'm certain that though I was just 20 years of age at the time, it helped me to grow and mature as a man and as a minister. Uh, the scripture says, uh, God is the God of all comfort and with the comfort that he comforts us, we comfort others.
[00:16:17] So, uh, the comfort and the strength that I received from God at that time and the death of my father then, then there's the dealing of with my mother who's devastated it. It was a real growing up time, and it was a God time in that, uh, I turned to Him, trusted in Him, worked through the anger, uh, sought to find, uh, balance again, and that's what happened. And so I'm certain that I'm a better man, a better minister, a better shepherd, a better pastor, a better comforter, uh, and that early on I dealt with, uh, deep suffering and deep sorrow in our family.
[00:16:59] All at all, um, now I'm 69 years of age and I look back on those, uh, events in our lives, the growing up years, uh, the faithful family that God provided for me, um, the wonderful church family that we enjoyed, just the biblical foundations in my life, uh, enabled me, uh, to move forward. After great tragedy and on into our lives as a couple, as a ministry, actually, you know, we would do some tragedy again. My wife's father, uh, died of cancer. Uh, about a year and a half after my father, my mother passed away a short time later.
[00:17:43] We lost, uh, three of our parents, uh, in the first five years of our marriage. And yet, all in all, it was the faith of my father's, if you will, to coin an old phrase from an old hymn. It was I the faith of our family that was genuine, real life-changing, that enabled my, uh, life and ministry to go forward.
[00:18:11] And you, you would never want to experience anything like that in your life, of course. But when you know God, He's working all things together for good to those who love Him, and are called according to His purposes, God had given me a purpose for my life. I called a ministry and I was determined by His grace and by His spirit never to be derailed from that.
[00:18:34] As a pastor, um, I wanted to make sure that we were doing, uh, our work and our ministry in, in, in a way that pleases God, but also according to the pattern of the New Testament, uh, the directions, the strategies are given to us, uh, specifically in the New Testament regarding the church as to who we are, what we're about, what we're to be doing. And so I wanted to be a New Testament church.
[00:18:59] Speaking of Billy Graham, uh, he was, uh, he was being scolded, uh, uh, by someone, uh, early on in his ministry. Uh, they said, uh, if, if you come to our city with one of your crusades or the message you're bringing, you'll set Christianity back a hundred years.
[00:19:16] Billy smiled and said, well, I don't wanna do that. I wanna set it back 2000 years.
[00:19:26] Steve Gatena: On part two of this three part series, Jack explains that leadership is all about loving each other. By following God's calling for our lives, we show love to others and spread the gospel to everyone around us. Through boldness and passion in our faith, we establish a New Testament church.
[00:19:51] Jack Graham: When I think about leadership, uh, to me it is always about influence. And to add another word, it would be inspiring influence. Because influence can be either good or bad, but influence that is inspiring is life changing. And ultimately all leadership is relationships. Uh, certainly in the work, the ministry that I do, uh, is building your life around loving people.
[00:20:19] You cannot lead people in the work that I do for sure, without loving people. And that's my biblical perspective. It's my life perspective because I, uh, the greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, and then your neighbor as yourself. So that sums up all the commandments.
[00:20:40] It sums up what it means to love God and love people. And, uh, as, as a pastor, as a Christian leader, it became my holy ambition, if you will, to do that as passionately as possible. Um, leaders, uh, that are effective are typically extremely passionate. Uh, regarding their, their, whether it's a business, whether it's your home or your family, uh, whatever your calling is in life.
[00:21:09] Um, I believe very strongly that we are called to do what we do by God. That there is an inner compelling, there is a spiritual component to. What we end up doing with our lives. We're not just doing something that we like, that there is a calling that comes from God. And, uh, I have always sensed that and felt that, which gives me then a, a boldness to do what I'm I'm doing.
[00:21:38] And the, you know, some people may think well, A calling is good for a pastor, uh, a minister, someone who's in a religious vocation of some kind. But actually, uh, there's a calling for everyone in life. If, if a person, uh, is born, then they are born with a destiny and, and ultimately an opportunity to do something significant with their lives, to love God and love people.
[00:22:04] And, uh, in following Christ, there is this sense of, um, commitment to do what, uh, He's called every Christian to do, which is uh, to advance the gospel, to grow the kingdom of God. And you can do that through a church. You can do that through a business. You can do that, uh, certainly through a family, which is the foundation of it all.
[00:22:33] But the point is that every person who is a follower of Jesus Christ, can discover their own spiritual gifts and what God has designed them to do, equip them to do, develop those and then deploy them in, uh, the work of Christ. Again, the work of Christ, uh, can be a secular calling. It doesn't have to be a church calling.
[00:22:58] Mine is a calling to serve Christ through the church. And uh, that is a unique calling. It's something very special. But, uh, everyone. Can sense God's direction in their lives, do God's will in their lives, and, and, and be a leader at some level. That's what leadership is. It is, is influencing your sphere of, of associations, of community, of church, of business, is taking your life, uh, loving God, loving others, and making a difference, uh, for all eternity.
[00:23:33] As a small boy, uh, hearing the stories of the Bible on my grandfather's knee, uh, I became just fascinated by the people of faith we do meet in the Bible. And those, those personalities became very real to me. You know, one reason the Bible is written with so many biographies in it, stories of people's lives, real people, real stories, uh, and these includes the positives and the negatives in many of the Bible heroes and heroins lives.
[00:24:02] But when you read, uh, the stories of these men and women of faith in the Bible, uh, the great stories that inspire us, whether it's it is David Killing the Giant, or whether it is Peter walking on water. Or whether it is Abraham, uh, leading his family into the future, not knowing where he was going except to trust and follow God.
[00:24:25] Those great stories inspired me as a boy and it's very important in my view, uh, that we teach our children well. And certainly the heroes of the Bible, the heroines of scripture, uh, were extremely inspiring to me and still are to this very day. Um, and then beyond the Bible, um, my own family, my brother, ultimately my pastor, who I loved and appreciated very much, who preached the word of God to me, inspired me in terms of his leadership style and focus and commitment to missions, evangelism, reaching the community.
[00:25:05] And as a young Christian, as a, as a boy preacher in the, in the sixties, I was a teenager in the 1960s. Uh, Billy, Graham had burst on the scene in the fifties and was at the height, uh, in many ways of his, uh, mission as an evangelist, evangelist. Uh, in the 1960s, he had a radio program and I listened to it intently and I became just, um, highly appreciative love Billy Graham and his, his commitment to share the gospel and to preach.
[00:25:39] And so from a great distance, I later had the opportunity to get to know Dr Graham, Billy Graham. Uh, considered him a friend. We have the same name. We're not related, but, uh, he certainly inspired me at, at a, at a great level. And I would say that, uh, you know, from a human level, uh, that was one of the greatest influences of my life.
[00:26:01] It's amazing that through technology, uh, then a radio program and Billy would appear on television from time to time, but he could influence so many people, not only to come to Christ for the first time, but many young people like me, uh, to become witnesses of Christ ourselves. Um, also the sixties when I was a teenager, a high school student, that's when the Jesus movement swept from, uh, cross the nation.
[00:26:29] It was the last and maybe the greatest revival, uh, the American, America has ever known. The Jesus movement, it swept all across the country from the west coast to the east coast. We were in Texas. And I would say just the impact that, uh, of that revival among me, my friends, was significant in those days.
[00:26:51] And, um, and, and so some of the, uh, some of the leaders of the Jesus movement, the preachers and the evangelists, uh, certainly influenced me a great deal. But I, I'm, I'm so grateful for the positive influences in my life and, um, even pastoral mentors that taught me how to preach, uh, and I really learned how to preach not so much from a classroom, but by listening to other great preachers that I admire.
[00:27:22] Men like Adrian Rogers of well-known Southern Baptist Pastor in Memphis, Tennessee now in heaven. Uh, he was one. I mentioned Billy Graham, but just, I just crave preaching and hearing men communicate the word of God effectively. Uh, it inspired me a great deal. Faith is, is the most powerful force on earth.
[00:27:44] Uh, apart from love, uh, love is the greatest. But what inspires me about any leader is the boldness, the convictions, whether it be convictions regarding the Bible, convictions regarding, uh, uh, ministry and service, but conviction without compromise. We live in a world in which there is so much, uh, ifiness compromise in what people say or don't say they believe.
[00:28:12] And, uh, what I learn when I read my Bible, Uh, from the great people that made such a huge difference, uh, in, in the biblical days, was faith. In fact, there's an entire chapter, uh, in the book of Hebrews, Hebrews chapter 11. It's known as a faith chapter, and each, uh, each sentence really is about an individual, both men and women, who exercised faith and believed in God, and God did such great things. And the bottom line is, without faith, it's impossible to please God without faith and it's impossible to please God. And so the faith, uh, of these men to whether it is in great stories of conquering lands and territories, armies moving or leading nations, or a small band of believers like Jesus and the disciples.
[00:29:02] Uh, it's always been remarkable to me that, uh, in, in such 2000 years ago, after, after the death and then the resurrection of Christ, that this small band of believers now energized, empowered by the Holy Spirit, are able to turn their world upside down and, and launch, uh, the mission of Christ around the world.
[00:29:23] That's more than a human effort, of course, that's, that's the work of God, it's the power of God's spirit. And so that truly inspired me as a pastor. Um, I wanted to make sure that we were doing, uh, our work and our ministry in, in a way that pleased God, but also according to the pattern of the New Testament.
[00:29:44] Uh, the directions, the strategies are given to us, uh, specifically in the New Testament regarding the church as to who we are, what we're about, what we're to be doing. And so I wanted to be a New Testament church. Speaking of Billy Graham, uh, he was, uh, he was being scolded, uh, uh, by someone, uh, early on in his ministry.
[00:30:06] Uh, they said, uh, if, if you come to our city with one of your crusades or the message you're bringing, you'll set Christianity back a hundred years. And Billy smiled and said, well, I don't wanna do that. I wanna set it back 2000 years.
[00:30:19] So to, in other words, to take the message, uh, it's not a new message, it's the same message, and it's the message of the death, resurrection of Christ, the power of Christ, to transform lives, to forgive sin, uh, to change people from the inside out, and to give them the hope and the promise of heaven.
[00:30:37] And so that's what the church is to be doing. Uh, we're to be doing good works as a platform to enable us to share the gospel, but ultimately it's all about the gospel. It's all about the message of Jesus Christ. And the church churches get all bogged down in stuff rather than staying with the message and the mission of Christ.
[00:30:57] So in that sense, um, the, the inspiring testimonies of people of faith in the Bible, but then. Uh, the people that I have admired the most who are leaders, whether it these are pastoral leaders or even political leaders, business leaders are people who have passion, people who believe so deeply, uh, in business.
[00:31:21] If it's a product, if it's if, if it's, if it's a mission in terms of of delivering, uh, a service to people, whatever they're doing, it's people that are successful, have incredible amounts of passion and energy. Uh, they live, breathe, and drink it. And, um, as far as what I do as a pastor, uh, as a minister, as a preacher of the gospel, uh, the, the, the people who have inspired me the most are people who have sacrificed, who've given, who have served, who have made a difference in the world.
[00:31:53] Uh, I've been a, a reader my entire life, um, my grandfather used to tell me readers are leaders, and I do believe that. So I'm always reading something and I'm inspired by the biographies of great people, uh, whether it is a Churchill, uh, or even a sports figure who has done well in, in, uh, their, their career, a sports career.
[00:32:15] And certainly I've read the stories of, of great men of God and, and, uh, women of God in the past, uh, and present. So what inspires me the most, and I believe what is the most inspiring influence of leadership is this highly convictional commitment to fulfilling, uh, God's purpose for your life.
[00:32:42] Jesus Christ, by His spirit, lives in us. So we die to self and we live for Christ. That's every day for the Christian, and if we do that and do that well, and, and there are ups and downs, of course, I don't always do that well, but that's my goal. What God can do in me if, if I yield my life to him and I can make the greatest impact on others around me.
[00:33:07] If, if I will live like that instead of thinking about me and what's my future and what's my legacy and what am I gonna leave behind.
[00:33:15] Uh, when I read the Bible again, I hear again and again, invest in eternity. Invest in heaven, invest in people's lives, who are going to live forever, and, and, and then leave the results, uh, to God.
[00:33:33] Steve Gatena: On part three of this three part series, Jack elaborates on the mission of Christ being the legacy we need to pursue every day. Don't worry about your legacy. Worry about being the best for God every day. The biggest difference in our legacy is not that people remember us, but that God knows our name.
[00:34:00] Jack Graham: When I think about legacy, um, I really don't consider how to leave a legacy as much as I think about how to live the legacy I will leave. Uh, if I'm always thinking about, you know, what am I doing and how will it appear to others when, when I'm gone, that's the, that's the wrong motive. That's the wrong motivation really for, for what you actually wanna do with your life.
[00:34:28] Um, what you wanna do with your life is, is however many years God may give you, is to live it to the fullest and fulfill your calling, and in my case, the mission of Christ and the ministry of the church, and the message of the gospel. And to do that every day, to get up every day with that purpose in mind and to live every day fulfilling, um, that calling in, in life and not think a whole lot about how that's going to impact the future, but how it's going to impact today..
[00:35:03] And, um, so if you, if you start stacking up the future in front of you, it can be a daunting task. But if you live every day, With a sense of divine direction in your life, then, whether it's starting with your family. For me, I want to influence, uh, and lead my family as well as possible. Uh, now we have, uh, eight grandchildren and, and my influence with my grandchildren is important.
[00:35:29] Uh, but what I'm doing is simply doing what I've done all my life, and that is by God's with God's help. To, uh, to complete the ministry. The Apostle Paul talked about this, in fact, in, in the book of Acts 20:24 when he said that I would finish my course with joy and, uh, the ministry that I have received from the Lord that I would do it well and then finish it, uh, to finish well.
[00:35:57] And so my focus is on leading well every day and finishing well at the end, and realizing that, that the greatest influence I can have is upon my own family and our own church, our own congregation. And then leave the results, uh, with the Lord. Um, there's part of me that thinks, you know, you want to you your time on the stage if you want to.
[00:36:25] This isn't to me, this is not acting, of course, but let's, let's just use the metaphor. So my time on the platform, on the stage, you want to give yourself unconditionally and you want to do what, uh, you're there to do all your life as long as you live and then exit the stage. And in one sense, be forgotten, uh, is, to me it's important that, that we as leaders not sit around thinking about what's my legacy? What's my legacy? What's my legacy?
[00:36:57] Uh, the, the question is what's my life and how will I live my life?
[00:37:02] And once, uh, you live your life, then you leave your legacy to others to decide. So I don't think about legacy. I think about today and being at my very best for God every day. And then when my time comes to go to heaven, uh, then what's left behind to our family, in particular, our children and grandchildren, and to our church will be then invested in others.
[00:37:29] Uh, when, because when you think about it, um, most people cannot name, let's just go back a few years, you could not name the first and last name, or names, of your great-grandparents. I, I, I'm pretty sure unless you really study such things that you, you could not name the first and last names of your great-great-grandparents.
[00:37:56] Uh, so what's the point? The point is people are gonna forget our names, even our own family. I mean, it's, it's a, it is a little bit sobering, isn't it, to think that a hundred years from now, Uh, your own family will not know your name. They might know something about you, but they basically, our lives are forgotten even by our own families.
[00:38:18] That's not, that doesn't bother me because actually we're not living for here and now for a human legacy. Jesus said, lay your treasures up in heaven, uh, and, and focus on living for eternity. And so what I'm doing, Is I'm focusing on the future in terms of heaven and the hope that is in Christ and taking as many people with me there as possible.
[00:38:42] So the legacy is not what I leave on earth. In effect, the legacy is how many people we take to heaven, how many people we influence, and in some way, large or small, help people to find their way into the presence of God.
[00:38:58] It's not only living for the now, but it is living beyond this world. It's, it's living for a future with God. It's, it's living for eternity.
[00:39:09] The scripture says, uh, in the Book of Colossians 3, set your affections not only things below earth and earthly things, but on things above
[00:39:19] and therefore, we live every day with the passion and compassion of what it means to be a Christian to make a difference.
[00:39:29] And you'll make the biggest difference if you do that in airtight compartments every day, and then, uh, when your time comes to go to heaven, uh, it doesn't matter if someone doesn't write your biography or, or remember your name. Uh, what matters is that God knows your name and what matters ultimately to my, uh, ancestors, if you will, that come behind me, uh, is that they know the name of Christ. I, I'm not trying to be, uh, hyper uh, humble. I'm not trying to be pious here. I'm just saying for the Christian life is so much more than the short time we have on Earth.
[00:40:04] I mean, I'm, I'm encouraged by the biographies of people now dead who lived a long time ago, but that's a rare breed. That's a rare num few number of people.
[00:40:13] Uh, so you just don't make that your ambition. I doubt very few people who made the biggest impact for Christ and the gospel and the church in the world. Were sitting around, you know, strategizing, thinking about what legacy they were going to leave, or what story they were gonna tell, just focus on today.
[00:40:31] And the scripture says, this is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. So there's enough joy in every day. There's joy in the calling. There's joy in the commitment. There's joy, uh, in Christ. And in fact, one of the things that Jesus said, speaking of, you know, forgetting about me, He said, if you're gonna follow me, deny yourself and pick up your cross daily and follow after me.
[00:41:00] Uh, the cross is an instrument of death and execution.
[00:41:03] The Apostle Paul said, uh, for to me to live as Christ and to die is gain. He also said, uh, I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless, I live yet, not I, but Christ lives in me.
[00:41:16] This is what it means to be a Christian. That Jesus Christ, by his spirit lives in us. So we die to self and we live for Christ. That's every day for the Christian.
[00:41:27] And if we do that and do that well, and, and there are ups and downs, of course, I don't always do that well, but that's my goal, what God can do in me if, if I yield my life to Him and I can make the greatest impact on others around me.
[00:41:43] If, if I will live like that instead of thinking about me and what's my future and what's my legacy and what am I gonna leave behind? Uh, when I read the Bible again, I hear again and again, invest in eternity, invest in heaven, invest in people's lives, who are going to live forever and, and, and then leave the results, uh, to God.
[00:42:05] Uh, Martin Luther, the great reformer, I believe is the one who said we ought to live for two days. This day, this is the day the Lord has made, so God has given us this day, live it all the way. And then that day there's a verse in scripture that says, um, I know whom I believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep what I've committed unto him against that day.
[00:42:30] So what's that day? The day we stand before God, the day Christ comes for us, the day Christ returns that day. So it's this day and it's that day and everything in between, we leave the results to God. I have always felt, uh, being a college athlete, baseball player, you know, when you play a game, uh, whatever sport, but you prepare, uh, you get yourself ready physically, mentally, and then the, then the game comes and you.
[00:43:06] You play to the best of your ability, you, there are times in baseball, you gotta get four hits or you may strike out four times. But what you do is, uh, when you play the game is you play it as hard as you can. You give your best, and then when it's over, win, win, or lose, uh, you shake hands with your opponent, you walk off, but you always want to feel that you left it all.
[00:43:34] I always wanted to feel I left it all on the field that I didn't hold anything back. When it comes to life, when it comes to serving Christ, which is what I do as a pastor and as a preacher, uh, I want to do this and walk away and feel like I didn't leave anything on the field. Um, God knows that I gave my best.
[00:43:56] One of the greatest things that a person can do, and I certainly have been the benefit of this, is when you give your life to Christ. There's also a commitment to the church. There's no separation in the Bible between Christ and the church. In fact, Jesus calls his church, uh, the bride of Christ, and the church is important.
[00:44:16] I'm not talking about the institutional church as much as the body of believers, people of faith, the family of God, the church, but it is organized. There is an organized body of believers, just as the body itself has a skeletal system, an organ system that's organized, you know, there is, there's nothing wrong with organization, there's nothing wrong with institutions properly done.
[00:44:37] So the church, while it is not an institution per se, in, in effect, it is an organization that is, is given to fulfill a task and a mission, and that's the church.
[00:44:49] And as a pastor of the church, I, we have always wanted to make sure that our church is not just taking up space and, and, um, building big buildings.
[00:44:59] We've built a lot of buildings and our campus is on 150 acres and a 7,000 seat worship center, and all the rest we have, so I'm not opposed to that, uh, but the buildings only house what the church does and who the church is, and what the church is doing.
[00:45:14] So over the years, we've made sure that the church, our church, uh, is not inwardly focused, but outwardly focused, making a difference in people's lives and not there, there just to take up space, but to make a difference.
[00:45:28] And so all the ministries of the church, uh, focus on the role of, uh, the responsibility of evangelism, fulfilling the great commission, and serving and helping people in the community. So we've done that in a lot of ways. We have ministries that impact, uh, underprivileged areas in our community, uh, and around the world, uh, we have a pregnancy center that we started, uh, nearly 30 years ago. Actually we started one in West Palm Beach way back then, and, but at Prestonwood, uh, this is a crisis pregnancy center. We're on the street every day. We actually have a mobile unit, two locations, uh, we are dealing with the issue of the sanctity of life every day, uh, helping women and their families make the right choice for their child, for their baby.
[00:46:15] So we're saving babies literally every single day. Uh, and uh, actually I saw the numbers recently in the 27 or 28 years of the Prestonwood, uh, pregnancy center. Um, there have been 73,000 clients that have chosen life for their baby. Um, 73,000, that's a stadium full of babies born.
[00:46:39] Not everyone who walked in was abortion minded at the time, but many of them were, and through our, our sharing God's word, God's love, uh, the sanctity of life and all of that, and the love of Christ, 73,000 babies recorded births through the ministry of, of Prestonwood our church.
[00:47:00] That's if you, if you want to talk about a legacy, Um, that's a living legacy. That's, that's something that lasts in the lives of children and their children's children. And, uh, so that, uh, we also at Prestonwood wanted to make sure that we could get the message, the mission of Christ fulfilled as soon as possible. So we have the resources and the generosity of our people to do radio and television.
[00:47:24] Now, of course, online and things like we're doing right now, the podcast, to use technology, uh, to advance the gospel.
[00:47:32] And so it is, it's an on the ground mission, isn't it? It's like your, your ground forces at work. Uh, and then you have this air mission with, uh, through the airways, uh, to take the message of Christ to the world.
[00:47:46] We have a Christian school. Uh, our, our school was established, uh, 20 plus years ago to train young people in all the important things of academics, but also, uh, to enable them in a faith environment, uh, to integrate their faith and life, uh, into learning. And so the Prestonwood Christian Academy, uh, has nearly 2000 students and, um, and we're graduating people of course.
[00:48:14] And again, what to what end? To what purpose? To fulfill the mission of Christ and the church to send them out, uh, into the world. Uh, and we have a Preston Wood Cares Ministry, and I could go on and on about what we're doing. But all of these things that the, the motivation is to please God and to help people to know the love of Christ and hope that is in Him and to me, uh, it's why I've given my life to the church and churches where I have served as pastor.
[00:48:46] There are many wonderful organizations that are quote Parachurch. They come alongside of the church to assist churches in doing this mission. But the greatest vehicle, the greatest voice on earth. The only thing that Jesus actually started is the church. And so church and churches have a huge opportunity in our generation, uh, to be on the ground in communities, making a difference in people's lives every day.
[00:49:21] Steve Gatena: God works in mysterious ways, even in the midst of tragedies. It can be challenging to trust that there is a purpose behind difficult seasons in our lives. However, God invites us to place our trust in Him, releasing our fears, worries, and need for control. Trusting in God means knowing, deep in our hearts, that He has us ensuring our safety and eternal wellbeing.
[00:49:52] Trusting God is a personal decision that we must make for ourselves. He never forces us, but rather encourages us to have confidence in Him. In this episode of Relentless Hope, Dr Jack Graham, senior pastor at Prestonwood Church shared his journey of learning to trust God.
[00:50:15] Despite the brutal murder of his father, Dr Graham chose not to let bitterness consume him, but instead placed his trust in God through God's grace and love. He worked through his anger, his grief, and he found restoration in his life. As a leader, Dr Graham emphasizes the importance of building relationships based on love. He believes that leading people requires first loving them as it aligns with the greatest commandment of loving God and loving our neighbors as ourselves.
[00:50:53] Dr Graham also teaches us to live out our legacies in the present moment without worrying about the outcomes, trusting the calling of God and what God has placed in our lives. Helping us strive to do our best each day, leaving the results to God. Trusting God involves surrendering our need for control and understanding.
[00:51:19] We may never have all the answers or comprehend all the reasons why, but that's okay. God has given us clear instructions on how to live our lives without having all the answers. We follow Jesus, who sacrificed Himself for our redemption, teaching us how to live right, how to love others, how to forgive, and how to trust God unconditionally.
[00:51:47] I believe God is managing our affairs and that He doesn't need any advice from us. With God in charge, I believe everything will work out for the best in the end. So really, what is there to worry about?
[00:52:10] My name is Steve Gatena and I'm the host of Pray.com's Relentless Hope podcast. And if you've enjoyed today's podcast, I want you to share it with someone you love. You never know how one inspiring podcast can change someone's life.
[00:52:32] So until next week, I want you to remember to give hope a voice.
Experiencing Peace After My Father's Murder - Jack Graham
[00:00:00] Steve Gatena: Tragedy often leaves us searching for answers and questioning what could have been done differently to prevent it. While it's natural to seek understanding, God invites us to respond differently. He asks us to place our trust in Him, acknowledging that His ways are beyond comprehension. Instead of striving to understand, we're called to trust in God's reliability, in His strength, in His word.
[00:00:32] By placing our trust in Him, we can navigate the difficult seasons of life. Knowing that His grace, His eternal glory, and our union with Him through Christ will always hold true.
[00:00:48] In this episode of Relentless Hope, Dr Jack Graham, senior pastor at Prestonwood Church, imparts wisdom on trusting in God, especially during times of tragedy, he shares how his trust and faith were strengthened after the brutal murder of his dad when he was only 20 years old. Dr Graham teaches us to remain faithful to God's calling and not be embittered by encountering evil. He also provides insight on rebuilding trust with others after it's been broken.
[00:01:26] Regarding leadership, Dr Graham emphasizes the importance of trusting in the calling that comes from God and becoming an inspiring influence within our communities. He illustrates that leadership. Is fundamentally about fostering meaningful relationships, and he encourages everyone to embrace their leadership potential at any level.
[00:01:51] Dr Graham shares his perspective on legacy, explaining that he focuses on living it rather than worrying about what it will be. He strives to lead well and finish strong each day believing that his legacy extends beyond earthly matters. For Dr Graham legacy encompasses how many lives he leads towards heaven, how many people he positively influences, and how he helps others find their way into God's presence.
[00:02:25] Dr Graham teaches us to invest in eternity, in heaven, and in the lives of others, leaving the results to God. Ultimately, we cannot fully understand or control the happenings of this world, but that is not our responsibility. We're simply called to trust in God, allowing Him to guide us, to comfort our hearts, and to focus our eyes on what truly matters, our eternal salvation in Jesus, sharing the good news and participating in God's vision for this world.
[00:03:12] Jack Graham's Fort Worth community was in a happy day's lifestyle until one day Jack's dad was attacked in his hardware store.
[00:03:23] Jack Graham: My father, whom I loved very, very much, and had a very close relationship, was brutally murdered in Fort Worth, Texas, um, by a shoplifter. Came into his hardware store and, uh, my father ended up severely injured, unconscious, and lived for 10 days and died.
[00:03:41] And that was the first tragedy our family had ever known. I told you that we were in a happy days, uh, kind of small town, uh, atmosphere. And those days in Fort Worth, later, all good, my father was, uh, not only a great dad, but a dear friend. Uh, he was my biggest supporter. Played catch every time I asked him to play ball, uh, supported me all the games.
[00:04:06] So as a young preacher, my father, my and my mother were very proud of me, prayed for me. Um, but now my dad is gone.
[00:04:22] Steve Gatena: On part one of this three part series, Jack Graham, pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano tells us of his life as a servant of Christ. When it comes to building up a church, it starts with establishing trust. By experiencing tragedy, faith can grow when you trust in God.
[00:04:51] Jack Graham: My name is Jack Graham, I'm pastor of Preston Wood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, and speaker, uh, PowerPoint Ministries Radio and Television. Uh, I was born in a small town in Arkansas, actually 30 miles north of Little Rock, Arkansas, and a wonderful family, Christian heritage, uh, a grandfather who was a di dynamic believer and follower of Christ who had a huge influence on my life and the birth of my faith.
[00:05:19] Really, my earliest recollections are spending time in his lap reading stories of the Bible and uh, hearing, um, how my faith can change my life, how Christ could change my life, and wonderful parents and older brothers. So the little town that we lived in was, uh, again, small town, Arkansas, maybe 10,000 people.
[00:05:42] And my, my dad actually owned a, a drive-in restaurant that featured corny dogs. Uh, dipped corn dogs. And so it was fun and, uh, truly it was like Happy Days in our little town. If you've, if you've seen the television program, uh, Happy Days. It was like that. We had a wonderful, uh, small town atmosphere. Uh, ultimately we ended up selling that business, my dad, and we moved to Fort Worth, Texas, uh, when I was age 10.
[00:06:11] And, uh, so I did the rest of my growing up years, uh, in Fort Worth, Texas, and became a Texan. And, uh, great experience there. And, uh, you know, my, my mother, my father were, uh, very common people, very ordinary people. But, uh, we had a very loving home and a stable home. Uh, my older brother is actually a minister, uh, and I've served, uh, a local church as a pastor for many years.
[00:06:39] So the two of us, uh, there's just two of us in our family, both became, uh, preachers and pastors. Really, I can't think of a time when I, I did not think at some level that I was going to be a pastor. That could have been because of my older brother, 13 years, my senior, that was his calling and path. Uh, but even as a small boy, I just sensed that I was destined, if you will.
[00:07:06] Uh, to preach the gospel and to be a pastor of a local church. That's always been my ambition. Uh, as far as the ministry is a local congregation to be the shepherd of, of a local congregation that flock. So as a small boy, I sense that and confirm that as a teenager. Uh, so actually, um, in those days we would, we would call it surrendering to the ministry.
[00:07:33] In other words, I, I just came to a point in my life where I committed to being a minister. That was actually at about age 15 and preached my first sermon when I was 16. I was also a high school and college athlete. So I had a platform, if you will, with uh, athletics, uh, to share my faith with others and ultimately began preaching and, uh, even during the college years, had a small church that I pastored on the weekends, preached a lot of crusades, revival type things all over Texas in those days. Uh, so then onto seminary, uh, back to Fort Worth, Texas, where uh, we did our master's degree and ultimately a doctor's degree in seminary. And, uh, after, uh, a stint in my home church in Fort Worth as an associate pastor, I became a pastor in Oklahoma, uh, for the next seven years, two different churches, and ultimately, uh, at age 31, I went to West Palm Beach, Florida, uh, the first Baptist Church, a significant strategic church in South Florida.
[00:08:36] Uh, the church was actually in some decline, uh, in 1981 when I became the pastor. But, uh, God began to move in an incredible way and, uh, just began preaching and we began reaching people in, uh, the community.
[00:08:51] Palm Beach County, uh, at that time probably had, uh, I don't know, a million people. Most never went to church, and so it was a huge opportunity as I saw it, to evangelize. To reach people with the message. And our church became very aggressive in its outreach. And the church grew and grew and grew and grew.
[00:09:11] And, and really those years, from 1981 to 1989 became just the formative years of, of my ministry and the style, uh, that, uh, that ultimately has served me well these last 30 plus years now at the Prestonwood Baptist Church in, uh, Texas, Dallas, Texas area. And so, In 1989, uh, came back to Texas, uh, to, uh, be the pastor of Prestonwood Church and, uh, the church was actually, uh, struggling in that, uh, the founding pastor had been removed.
[00:09:50] In this instance, it was a, a moral failure of the pastor who disqualified himself from being the pastor due to his behavior.
[00:09:58] So you have a lot of people who are discouraged and defeated by that, especially young Christians. So rebuilding confidence, uh, Among young believers in particular, and, and that began for me as an act of integrity.
[00:10:16] And uh, what I simply did was to do what I did in West Palm Beach, really. And that is to come into the new congregation and preach the Bible, love people, and rebuild integrity. So I'd never been in a position quite like that before, uh, in that, you know, I, there was a, there was a sense of "I have to prove myself" that I'm not what the other guy may have become and that, you know, that I could be trusted with, with this church and, and lead it forward.
[00:10:49] And, um, by God's grace we've been able to do that. But it was, it was difficult. I would say re rebuilding when, when something is broken like that, it takes a while, especially the relationships of a church, it takes, takes a while, and it was complicated by the fact that the, uh, the minister, my predecessor, who was a friend by the way, uh, decided to start a church down the street.
[00:11:13] And so there was, uh, you know, there was that tension, uh, from, with members of the prestonwood our church. Do we go with our old pastor or do we stay with this new guy?
[00:11:24] So there was all of that. But all in all, though, I look back on it, I see the tensions that were presence, the toughness of the situation.
[00:11:33] Uh, truly God restored the church. Uh, He gave me the leadership of the congregation, the trust of the congregation, and, uh, we were actually able to move from the location where Prestonwood actually, uh, lived at that time existed, and to a brand new location, expanded location. Uh, it was a massive relocation of the congregation, uh, to from Dallas to Plano, Texas, where, where we are now.
[00:12:01] And so it was risky. It was a faith move, and yet I sensed, as I've always sensed, just an inner voice, uh, confirmed by scripture and, and, and got wise counsel that God was calling me to leave a very fast growing and dynamic ministry in South Florida, there in West Palm Beach and come back home to the Dallas-Fort Worth area and take this church, which was struggling.
[00:12:25] We didn't know if it would make it or not. It was a large church that had gone from zero to 8,000 members in a short time, but now is in this, uh, this struggle for its very life and. Who knew what would happen, but God had his hand on the church and on our move and, uh, we began to grow again and reach people.
[00:12:43] And, uh, we've grown now over the last 30 years from seven or 8,000 members to nearly 50,000 members, and it's been a remarkable, um, testimony to the power of God, uh, the work of Christ in our midst, using a pastor and a people who are committed to fulfilling the Great Commission.
[00:13:03] We are a Bible teaching, uh, a community reaching kind of, uh, congregation, very committed, uh, to sharing the gospel, inviting people to know Christ, to openly confess Him and follow Him, and then grow in their discipleship and development as believers.
[00:13:21] In terms of, of ministry calling, uh, as a pastor, that, that certainly was the most challenging thing I have faced. Uh, on a personal level, um, in 1970 when I was a college student, um, and already preaching and was a young preacher and again, playing college, athletics, baseball, and, um, my father and I love very, very much, had a very close relationship, was brutally murdered in Fort Worth, Texas, um, by a shoplifter. Came into his hardware store and, uh, my father ended up severely injured, unconscious, and lived for 10 days and died.
[00:14:03] And that was the first tragedy our family had ever known. I told you that we were in a Happy Days, uh, kind of small town atmosphere and those days in Fort Worth, later, all good.
[00:14:17] My father was, uh, not only a great dad, but a dear friend. Uh, he was my biggest supporter, played catch every time I asked him to play ball, uh, supported me all the games. So as a young preacher, my father, my and my mother were very proud of me. Prayed for me. Um, but now my dad is gone. And so that was a huge, uh, crisis of, of life, uh, altering, life altering obviously for my mother.
[00:14:45] My father was just 56, uh, when he went to heaven, um, and was taken so early and so tragically and died so brutally, you see this happening on the news and to someone else. Uh uh, but now we are a victim of violent crime. And, uh, surviving and overcoming that. Um, so for me, I was newly married, by the way, Deb, my wife and I got married while we were in college, and, and so we were just married actually. And this happens.
[00:15:18] So I had to dig deep. I mean, I had, I had a life to live. I had a young wife. I had a college, uh, career going, uh, education plus playing ball, plus preaching, and now a, a, a tragic death in our family. So I determined not to be bitter, uh, at the outset, and there was certainly anger at what happened, but I determined at the outset that I would not be embittered by this, that, uh, our contact, if you will, uh, our collision with evil.
[00:15:51] And death in our family in such a way would not undermine my faith or what God had called me to do. In fact, if anything, it in time, it strengthened my faith, and I'm certain that though I was just 20 years of age at the time, it helped me to grow and mature as a man and as a minister. Uh, the scripture says, uh, God is the God of all comfort and with the comfort that he comforts us, we comfort others.
[00:16:17] So, uh, the comfort and the strength that I received from God at that time and the death of my father then, then there's the dealing of with my mother who's devastated it. It was a real growing up time, and it was a God time in that, uh, I turned to Him, trusted in Him, worked through the anger, uh, sought to find, uh, balance again, and that's what happened. And so I'm certain that I'm a better man, a better minister, a better shepherd, a better pastor, a better comforter, uh, and that early on I dealt with, uh, deep suffering and deep sorrow in our family.
[00:16:59] All at all, um, now I'm 69 years of age and I look back on those, uh, events in our lives, the growing up years, uh, the faithful family that God provided for me, um, the wonderful church family that we enjoyed, just the biblical foundations in my life, uh, enabled me, uh, to move forward. After great tragedy and on into our lives as a couple, as a ministry, actually, you know, we would do some tragedy again. My wife's father, uh, died of cancer. Uh, about a year and a half after my father, my mother passed away a short time later.
[00:17:43] We lost, uh, three of our parents, uh, in the first five years of our marriage. And yet, all in all, it was the faith of my father's, if you will, to coin an old phrase from an old hymn. It was I the faith of our family that was genuine, real life-changing, that enabled my, uh, life and ministry to go forward.
[00:18:11] And you, you would never want to experience anything like that in your life, of course. But when you know God, He's working all things together for good to those who love Him, and are called according to His purposes, God had given me a purpose for my life. I called a ministry and I was determined by His grace and by His spirit never to be derailed from that.
[00:18:34] As a pastor, um, I wanted to make sure that we were doing, uh, our work and our ministry in, in, in a way that pleases God, but also according to the pattern of the New Testament, uh, the directions, the strategies are given to us, uh, specifically in the New Testament regarding the church as to who we are, what we're about, what we're to be doing. And so I wanted to be a New Testament church.
[00:18:59] Speaking of Billy Graham, uh, he was, uh, he was being scolded, uh, uh, by someone, uh, early on in his ministry. Uh, they said, uh, if, if you come to our city with one of your crusades or the message you're bringing, you'll set Christianity back a hundred years.
[00:19:16] Billy smiled and said, well, I don't wanna do that. I wanna set it back 2000 years.
[00:19:26] Steve Gatena: On part two of this three part series, Jack explains that leadership is all about loving each other. By following God's calling for our lives, we show love to others and spread the gospel to everyone around us. Through boldness and passion in our faith, we establish a New Testament church.
[00:19:51] Jack Graham: When I think about leadership, uh, to me it is always about influence. And to add another word, it would be inspiring influence. Because influence can be either good or bad, but influence that is inspiring is life changing. And ultimately all leadership is relationships. Uh, certainly in the work, the ministry that I do, uh, is building your life around loving people.
[00:20:19] You cannot lead people in the work that I do for sure, without loving people. And that's my biblical perspective. It's my life perspective because I, uh, the greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, and then your neighbor as yourself. So that sums up all the commandments.
[00:20:40] It sums up what it means to love God and love people. And, uh, as, as a pastor, as a Christian leader, it became my holy ambition, if you will, to do that as passionately as possible. Um, leaders, uh, that are effective are typically extremely passionate. Uh, regarding their, their, whether it's a business, whether it's your home or your family, uh, whatever your calling is in life.
[00:21:09] Um, I believe very strongly that we are called to do what we do by God. That there is an inner compelling, there is a spiritual component to. What we end up doing with our lives. We're not just doing something that we like, that there is a calling that comes from God. And, uh, I have always sensed that and felt that, which gives me then a, a boldness to do what I'm I'm doing.
[00:21:38] And the, you know, some people may think well, A calling is good for a pastor, uh, a minister, someone who's in a religious vocation of some kind. But actually, uh, there's a calling for everyone in life. If, if a person, uh, is born, then they are born with a destiny and, and ultimately an opportunity to do something significant with their lives, to love God and love people.
[00:22:04] And, uh, in following Christ, there is this sense of, um, commitment to do what, uh, He's called every Christian to do, which is uh, to advance the gospel, to grow the kingdom of God. And you can do that through a church. You can do that through a business. You can do that, uh, certainly through a family, which is the foundation of it all.
[00:22:33] But the point is that every person who is a follower of Jesus Christ, can discover their own spiritual gifts and what God has designed them to do, equip them to do, develop those and then deploy them in, uh, the work of Christ. Again, the work of Christ, uh, can be a secular calling. It doesn't have to be a church calling.
[00:22:58] Mine is a calling to serve Christ through the church. And uh, that is a unique calling. It's something very special. But, uh, everyone. Can sense God's direction in their lives, do God's will in their lives, and, and, and be a leader at some level. That's what leadership is. It is, is influencing your sphere of, of associations, of community, of church, of business, is taking your life, uh, loving God, loving others, and making a difference, uh, for all eternity.
[00:23:33] As a small boy, uh, hearing the stories of the Bible on my grandfather's knee, uh, I became just fascinated by the people of faith we do meet in the Bible. And those, those personalities became very real to me. You know, one reason the Bible is written with so many biographies in it, stories of people's lives, real people, real stories, uh, and these includes the positives and the negatives in many of the Bible heroes and heroins lives.
[00:24:02] But when you read, uh, the stories of these men and women of faith in the Bible, uh, the great stories that inspire us, whether it's it is David Killing the Giant, or whether it is Peter walking on water. Or whether it is Abraham, uh, leading his family into the future, not knowing where he was going except to trust and follow God.
[00:24:25] Those great stories inspired me as a boy and it's very important in my view, uh, that we teach our children well. And certainly the heroes of the Bible, the heroines of scripture, uh, were extremely inspiring to me and still are to this very day. Um, and then beyond the Bible, um, my own family, my brother, ultimately my pastor, who I loved and appreciated very much, who preached the word of God to me, inspired me in terms of his leadership style and focus and commitment to missions, evangelism, reaching the community.
[00:25:05] And as a young Christian, as a, as a boy preacher in the, in the sixties, I was a teenager in the 1960s. Uh, Billy, Graham had burst on the scene in the fifties and was at the height, uh, in many ways of his, uh, mission as an evangelist, evangelist. Uh, in the 1960s, he had a radio program and I listened to it intently and I became just, um, highly appreciative love Billy Graham and his, his commitment to share the gospel and to preach.
[00:25:39] And so from a great distance, I later had the opportunity to get to know Dr Graham, Billy Graham. Uh, considered him a friend. We have the same name. We're not related, but, uh, he certainly inspired me at, at a, at a great level. And I would say that, uh, you know, from a human level, uh, that was one of the greatest influences of my life.
[00:26:01] It's amazing that through technology, uh, then a radio program and Billy would appear on television from time to time, but he could influence so many people, not only to come to Christ for the first time, but many young people like me, uh, to become witnesses of Christ ourselves. Um, also the sixties when I was a teenager, a high school student, that's when the Jesus movement swept from, uh, cross the nation.
[00:26:29] It was the last and maybe the greatest revival, uh, the American, America has ever known. The Jesus movement, it swept all across the country from the west coast to the east coast. We were in Texas. And I would say just the impact that, uh, of that revival among me, my friends, was significant in those days.
[00:26:51] And, um, and, and so some of the, uh, some of the leaders of the Jesus movement, the preachers and the evangelists, uh, certainly influenced me a great deal. But I, I'm, I'm so grateful for the positive influences in my life and, um, even pastoral mentors that taught me how to preach, uh, and I really learned how to preach not so much from a classroom, but by listening to other great preachers that I admire.
[00:27:22] Men like Adrian Rogers of well-known Southern Baptist Pastor in Memphis, Tennessee now in heaven. Uh, he was one. I mentioned Billy Graham, but just, I just crave preaching and hearing men communicate the word of God effectively. Uh, it inspired me a great deal. Faith is, is the most powerful force on earth.
[00:27:44] Uh, apart from love, uh, love is the greatest. But what inspires me about any leader is the boldness, the convictions, whether it be convictions regarding the Bible, convictions regarding, uh, uh, ministry and service, but conviction without compromise. We live in a world in which there is so much, uh, ifiness compromise in what people say or don't say they believe.
[00:28:12] And, uh, what I learn when I read my Bible, Uh, from the great people that made such a huge difference, uh, in, in the biblical days, was faith. In fact, there's an entire chapter, uh, in the book of Hebrews, Hebrews chapter 11. It's known as a faith chapter, and each, uh, each sentence really is about an individual, both men and women, who exercised faith and believed in God, and God did such great things. And the bottom line is, without faith, it's impossible to please God without faith and it's impossible to please God. And so the faith, uh, of these men to whether it is in great stories of conquering lands and territories, armies moving or leading nations, or a small band of believers like Jesus and the disciples.
[00:29:02] Uh, it's always been remarkable to me that, uh, in, in such 2000 years ago, after, after the death and then the resurrection of Christ, that this small band of believers now energized, empowered by the Holy Spirit, are able to turn their world upside down and, and launch, uh, the mission of Christ around the world.
[00:29:23] That's more than a human effort, of course, that's, that's the work of God, it's the power of God's spirit. And so that truly inspired me as a pastor. Um, I wanted to make sure that we were doing, uh, our work and our ministry in, in a way that pleased God, but also according to the pattern of the New Testament.
[00:29:44] Uh, the directions, the strategies are given to us, uh, specifically in the New Testament regarding the church as to who we are, what we're about, what we're to be doing. And so I wanted to be a New Testament church. Speaking of Billy Graham, uh, he was, uh, he was being scolded, uh, uh, by someone, uh, early on in his ministry.
[00:30:06] Uh, they said, uh, if, if you come to our city with one of your crusades or the message you're bringing, you'll set Christianity back a hundred years. And Billy smiled and said, well, I don't wanna do that. I wanna set it back 2000 years.
[00:30:19] So to, in other words, to take the message, uh, it's not a new message, it's the same message, and it's the message of the death, resurrection of Christ, the power of Christ, to transform lives, to forgive sin, uh, to change people from the inside out, and to give them the hope and the promise of heaven.
[00:30:37] And so that's what the church is to be doing. Uh, we're to be doing good works as a platform to enable us to share the gospel, but ultimately it's all about the gospel. It's all about the message of Jesus Christ. And the church churches get all bogged down in stuff rather than staying with the message and the mission of Christ.
[00:30:57] So in that sense, um, the, the inspiring testimonies of people of faith in the Bible, but then. Uh, the people that I have admired the most who are leaders, whether it these are pastoral leaders or even political leaders, business leaders are people who have passion, people who believe so deeply, uh, in business.
[00:31:21] If it's a product, if it's if, if it's, if it's a mission in terms of of delivering, uh, a service to people, whatever they're doing, it's people that are successful, have incredible amounts of passion and energy. Uh, they live, breathe, and drink it. And, um, as far as what I do as a pastor, uh, as a minister, as a preacher of the gospel, uh, the, the, the people who have inspired me the most are people who have sacrificed, who've given, who have served, who have made a difference in the world.
[00:31:53] Uh, I've been a, a reader my entire life, um, my grandfather used to tell me readers are leaders, and I do believe that. So I'm always reading something and I'm inspired by the biographies of great people, uh, whether it is a Churchill, uh, or even a sports figure who has done well in, in, uh, their, their career, a sports career.
[00:32:15] And certainly I've read the stories of, of great men of God and, and, uh, women of God in the past, uh, and present. So what inspires me the most, and I believe what is the most inspiring influence of leadership is this highly convictional commitment to fulfilling, uh, God's purpose for your life.
[00:32:42] Jesus Christ, by His spirit, lives in us. So we die to self and we live for Christ. That's every day for the Christian, and if we do that and do that well, and, and there are ups and downs, of course, I don't always do that well, but that's my goal. What God can do in me if, if I yield my life to him and I can make the greatest impact on others around me.
[00:33:07] If, if I will live like that instead of thinking about me and what's my future and what's my legacy and what am I gonna leave behind.
[00:33:15] Uh, when I read the Bible again, I hear again and again, invest in eternity. Invest in heaven, invest in people's lives, who are going to live forever, and, and, and then leave the results, uh, to God.
[00:33:33] Steve Gatena: On part three of this three part series, Jack elaborates on the mission of Christ being the legacy we need to pursue every day. Don't worry about your legacy. Worry about being the best for God every day. The biggest difference in our legacy is not that people remember us, but that God knows our name.
[00:34:00] Jack Graham: When I think about legacy, um, I really don't consider how to leave a legacy as much as I think about how to live the legacy I will leave. Uh, if I'm always thinking about, you know, what am I doing and how will it appear to others when, when I'm gone, that's the, that's the wrong motive. That's the wrong motivation really for, for what you actually wanna do with your life.
[00:34:28] Um, what you wanna do with your life is, is however many years God may give you, is to live it to the fullest and fulfill your calling, and in my case, the mission of Christ and the ministry of the church, and the message of the gospel. And to do that every day, to get up every day with that purpose in mind and to live every day fulfilling, um, that calling in, in life and not think a whole lot about how that's going to impact the future, but how it's going to impact today..
[00:35:03] And, um, so if you, if you start stacking up the future in front of you, it can be a daunting task. But if you live every day, With a sense of divine direction in your life, then, whether it's starting with your family. For me, I want to influence, uh, and lead my family as well as possible. Uh, now we have, uh, eight grandchildren and, and my influence with my grandchildren is important.
[00:35:29] Uh, but what I'm doing is simply doing what I've done all my life, and that is by God's with God's help. To, uh, to complete the ministry. The Apostle Paul talked about this, in fact, in, in the book of Acts 20:24 when he said that I would finish my course with joy and, uh, the ministry that I have received from the Lord that I would do it well and then finish it, uh, to finish well.
[00:35:57] And so my focus is on leading well every day and finishing well at the end, and realizing that, that the greatest influence I can have is upon my own family and our own church, our own congregation. And then leave the results, uh, with the Lord. Um, there's part of me that thinks, you know, you want to you your time on the stage if you want to.
[00:36:25] This isn't to me, this is not acting, of course, but let's, let's just use the metaphor. So my time on the platform, on the stage, you want to give yourself unconditionally and you want to do what, uh, you're there to do all your life as long as you live and then exit the stage. And in one sense, be forgotten, uh, is, to me it's important that, that we as leaders not sit around thinking about what's my legacy? What's my legacy? What's my legacy?
[00:36:57] Uh, the, the question is what's my life and how will I live my life?
[00:37:02] And once, uh, you live your life, then you leave your legacy to others to decide. So I don't think about legacy. I think about today and being at my very best for God every day. And then when my time comes to go to heaven, uh, then what's left behind to our family, in particular, our children and grandchildren, and to our church will be then invested in others.
[00:37:29] Uh, when, because when you think about it, um, most people cannot name, let's just go back a few years, you could not name the first and last name, or names, of your great-grandparents. I, I, I'm pretty sure unless you really study such things that you, you could not name the first and last names of your great-great-grandparents.
[00:37:56] Uh, so what's the point? The point is people are gonna forget our names, even our own family. I mean, it's, it's a, it is a little bit sobering, isn't it, to think that a hundred years from now, Uh, your own family will not know your name. They might know something about you, but they basically, our lives are forgotten even by our own families.
[00:38:18] That's not, that doesn't bother me because actually we're not living for here and now for a human legacy. Jesus said, lay your treasures up in heaven, uh, and, and focus on living for eternity. And so what I'm doing, Is I'm focusing on the future in terms of heaven and the hope that is in Christ and taking as many people with me there as possible.
[00:38:42] So the legacy is not what I leave on earth. In effect, the legacy is how many people we take to heaven, how many people we influence, and in some way, large or small, help people to find their way into the presence of God.
[00:38:58] It's not only living for the now, but it is living beyond this world. It's, it's living for a future with God. It's, it's living for eternity.
[00:39:09] The scripture says, uh, in the Book of Colossians 3, set your affections not only things below earth and earthly things, but on things above
[00:39:19] and therefore, we live every day with the passion and compassion of what it means to be a Christian to make a difference.
[00:39:29] And you'll make the biggest difference if you do that in airtight compartments every day, and then, uh, when your time comes to go to heaven, uh, it doesn't matter if someone doesn't write your biography or, or remember your name. Uh, what matters is that God knows your name and what matters ultimately to my, uh, ancestors, if you will, that come behind me, uh, is that they know the name of Christ. I, I'm not trying to be, uh, hyper uh, humble. I'm not trying to be pious here. I'm just saying for the Christian life is so much more than the short time we have on Earth.
[00:40:04] I mean, I'm, I'm encouraged by the biographies of people now dead who lived a long time ago, but that's a rare breed. That's a rare num few number of people.
[00:40:13] Uh, so you just don't make that your ambition. I doubt very few people who made the biggest impact for Christ and the gospel and the church in the world. Were sitting around, you know, strategizing, thinking about what legacy they were going to leave, or what story they were gonna tell, just focus on today.
[00:40:31] And the scripture says, this is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. So there's enough joy in every day. There's joy in the calling. There's joy in the commitment. There's joy, uh, in Christ. And in fact, one of the things that Jesus said, speaking of, you know, forgetting about me, He said, if you're gonna follow me, deny yourself and pick up your cross daily and follow after me.
[00:41:00] Uh, the cross is an instrument of death and execution.
[00:41:03] The Apostle Paul said, uh, for to me to live as Christ and to die is gain. He also said, uh, I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless, I live yet, not I, but Christ lives in me.
[00:41:16] This is what it means to be a Christian. That Jesus Christ, by his spirit lives in us. So we die to self and we live for Christ. That's every day for the Christian.
[00:41:27] And if we do that and do that well, and, and there are ups and downs, of course, I don't always do that well, but that's my goal, what God can do in me if, if I yield my life to Him and I can make the greatest impact on others around me.
[00:41:43] If, if I will live like that instead of thinking about me and what's my future and what's my legacy and what am I gonna leave behind? Uh, when I read the Bible again, I hear again and again, invest in eternity, invest in heaven, invest in people's lives, who are going to live forever and, and, and then leave the results, uh, to God.
[00:42:05] Uh, Martin Luther, the great reformer, I believe is the one who said we ought to live for two days. This day, this is the day the Lord has made, so God has given us this day, live it all the way. And then that day there's a verse in scripture that says, um, I know whom I believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep what I've committed unto him against that day.
[00:42:30] So what's that day? The day we stand before God, the day Christ comes for us, the day Christ returns that day. So it's this day and it's that day and everything in between, we leave the results to God. I have always felt, uh, being a college athlete, baseball player, you know, when you play a game, uh, whatever sport, but you prepare, uh, you get yourself ready physically, mentally, and then the, then the game comes and you.
[00:43:06] You play to the best of your ability, you, there are times in baseball, you gotta get four hits or you may strike out four times. But what you do is, uh, when you play the game is you play it as hard as you can. You give your best, and then when it's over, win, win, or lose, uh, you shake hands with your opponent, you walk off, but you always want to feel that you left it all.
[00:43:34] I always wanted to feel I left it all on the field that I didn't hold anything back. When it comes to life, when it comes to serving Christ, which is what I do as a pastor and as a preacher, uh, I want to do this and walk away and feel like I didn't leave anything on the field. Um, God knows that I gave my best.
[00:43:56] One of the greatest things that a person can do, and I certainly have been the benefit of this, is when you give your life to Christ. There's also a commitment to the church. There's no separation in the Bible between Christ and the church. In fact, Jesus calls his church, uh, the bride of Christ, and the church is important.
[00:44:16] I'm not talking about the institutional church as much as the body of believers, people of faith, the family of God, the church, but it is organized. There is an organized body of believers, just as the body itself has a skeletal system, an organ system that's organized, you know, there is, there's nothing wrong with organization, there's nothing wrong with institutions properly done.
[00:44:37] So the church, while it is not an institution per se, in, in effect, it is an organization that is, is given to fulfill a task and a mission, and that's the church.
[00:44:49] And as a pastor of the church, I, we have always wanted to make sure that our church is not just taking up space and, and, um, building big buildings.
[00:44:59] We've built a lot of buildings and our campus is on 150 acres and a 7,000 seat worship center, and all the rest we have, so I'm not opposed to that, uh, but the buildings only house what the church does and who the church is, and what the church is doing.
[00:45:14] So over the years, we've made sure that the church, our church, uh, is not inwardly focused, but outwardly focused, making a difference in people's lives and not there, there just to take up space, but to make a difference.
[00:45:28] And so all the ministries of the church, uh, focus on the role of, uh, the responsibility of evangelism, fulfilling the great commission, and serving and helping people in the community. So we've done that in a lot of ways. We have ministries that impact, uh, underprivileged areas in our community, uh, and around the world, uh, we have a pregnancy center that we started, uh, nearly 30 years ago. Actually we started one in West Palm Beach way back then, and, but at Prestonwood, uh, this is a crisis pregnancy center. We're on the street every day. We actually have a mobile unit, two locations, uh, we are dealing with the issue of the sanctity of life every day, uh, helping women and their families make the right choice for their child, for their baby.
[00:46:15] So we're saving babies literally every single day. Uh, and uh, actually I saw the numbers recently in the 27 or 28 years of the Prestonwood, uh, pregnancy center. Um, there have been 73,000 clients that have chosen life for their baby. Um, 73,000, that's a stadium full of babies born.
[00:46:39] Not everyone who walked in was abortion minded at the time, but many of them were, and through our, our sharing God's word, God's love, uh, the sanctity of life and all of that, and the love of Christ, 73,000 babies recorded births through the ministry of, of Prestonwood our church.
[00:47:00] That's if you, if you want to talk about a legacy, Um, that's a living legacy. That's, that's something that lasts in the lives of children and their children's children. And, uh, so that, uh, we also at Prestonwood wanted to make sure that we could get the message, the mission of Christ fulfilled as soon as possible. So we have the resources and the generosity of our people to do radio and television.
[00:47:24] Now, of course, online and things like we're doing right now, the podcast, to use technology, uh, to advance the gospel.
[00:47:32] And so it is, it's an on the ground mission, isn't it? It's like your, your ground forces at work. Uh, and then you have this air mission with, uh, through the airways, uh, to take the message of Christ to the world.
[00:47:46] We have a Christian school. Uh, our, our school was established, uh, 20 plus years ago to train young people in all the important things of academics, but also, uh, to enable them in a faith environment, uh, to integrate their faith and life, uh, into learning. And so the Prestonwood Christian Academy, uh, has nearly 2000 students and, um, and we're graduating people of course.
[00:48:14] And again, what to what end? To what purpose? To fulfill the mission of Christ and the church to send them out, uh, into the world. Uh, and we have a Preston Wood Cares Ministry, and I could go on and on about what we're doing. But all of these things that the, the motivation is to please God and to help people to know the love of Christ and hope that is in Him and to me, uh, it's why I've given my life to the church and churches where I have served as pastor.
[00:48:46] There are many wonderful organizations that are quote Parachurch. They come alongside of the church to assist churches in doing this mission. But the greatest vehicle, the greatest voice on earth. The only thing that Jesus actually started is the church. And so church and churches have a huge opportunity in our generation, uh, to be on the ground in communities, making a difference in people's lives every day.
[00:49:21] Steve Gatena: God works in mysterious ways, even in the midst of tragedies. It can be challenging to trust that there is a purpose behind difficult seasons in our lives. However, God invites us to place our trust in Him, releasing our fears, worries, and need for control. Trusting in God means knowing, deep in our hearts, that He has us ensuring our safety and eternal wellbeing.
[00:49:52] Trusting God is a personal decision that we must make for ourselves. He never forces us, but rather encourages us to have confidence in Him. In this episode of Relentless Hope, Dr Jack Graham, senior pastor at Prestonwood Church shared his journey of learning to trust God.
[00:50:15] Despite the brutal murder of his father, Dr Graham chose not to let bitterness consume him, but instead placed his trust in God through God's grace and love. He worked through his anger, his grief, and he found restoration in his life. As a leader, Dr Graham emphasizes the importance of building relationships based on love. He believes that leading people requires first loving them as it aligns with the greatest commandment of loving God and loving our neighbors as ourselves.
[00:50:53] Dr Graham also teaches us to live out our legacies in the present moment without worrying about the outcomes, trusting the calling of God and what God has placed in our lives. Helping us strive to do our best each day, leaving the results to God. Trusting God involves surrendering our need for control and understanding.
[00:51:19] We may never have all the answers or comprehend all the reasons why, but that's okay. God has given us clear instructions on how to live our lives without having all the answers. We follow Jesus, who sacrificed Himself for our redemption, teaching us how to live right, how to love others, how to forgive, and how to trust God unconditionally.
[00:51:47] I believe God is managing our affairs and that He doesn't need any advice from us. With God in charge, I believe everything will work out for the best in the end. So really, what is there to worry about?
[00:52:10] My name is Steve Gatena and I'm the host of Pray.com's Relentless Hope podcast. And if you've enjoyed today's podcast, I want you to share it with someone you love. You never know how one inspiring podcast can change someone's life.
[00:52:32] So until next week, I want you to remember to give hope a voice.
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