Just a few days ago my father followed Jesus all the way to Heaven.
Most of his life was spent traveling the world, but the last week he embarked on the journey
he had been looking forward to all his life, the journey from earth to Heaven.
There was a little boy here in Charlotte, milking cows every morning and every afternoon
and he had no idea that there was a little girl praying for him in China.
She was about 13 when she wrote this little poem.
"And oh God, let his face have character and a ruggedness of soul.
And let his whole life show, dear God, a singleness of goal."
The Lord answered every single one of those prayers of mother and many more.
I have learned this week as never before that everybody has a Billy Graham story,
but I have my own Billy Graham story.
Being stubborn, willful and sinful, I married a man on New Years Eve.
And within 24 hours, I knew I had made a terrible mistake.
And after five weeks, I fled. I was afraid of him
What was I going to do?
And let me tell you, you women will understand you don't want to embarrass your father,
you really don't want to embarrass Billy Graham.
I rounded the last bend in my father's drive way, and my father was standing there waiting for me.
As I got out of the car, he wrapped his arms around me and he said, "Welcome home."
There was no shame, there was no blame, there was no condemnation, just unconditional love.
And you know, my father was not God, but he showed me what God was like that day.
I know what he would want me to say today, is Heaven is coming again,
and would like to take you also.
I believe from Heaven's perspective that my father's death is as significant as his life.
And I believe God is saying, "Wake up church, wake up world, wake up Anne, Jesus is coming."
He was faithful, he was available and he was teachable.
May we all be that way.
I can only imagine what it was like for my father to step into Heaven,
and there was the Lord Jesus Christ to say, "Well done, good and faithful servant."
Not because it was Billy Graham, it's just another child of God who's come home.
Another child of God.
Not because I've worked my way up, or not because I'm good,
or not because I've preached to great crowds of people.
I am saved because Christ took my sins on that cross.
You see, I'm prepared to die. In fact, I'm looking forward to it.
And when you are preparred to die, you're also preparred to live.
And when I come to the gate of Heaven, and if they have a password,
I'm going to say, "Only to the cross I cling." I have no other hope for Heaven, except by his cross.