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To the Point
A Moment of Thanks

by Franklin Graham
A few weeks ago in Argentina we completed our last stadium Crusade of the year. But the worldwide programs of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association never stop. Right now, at this very moment, it is likely that someone somewhere who has been touched by our global ministries is praying earnestly in response to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

That's a humbling thought -- and a reason for us, too, to pause and pray. Through late November, we knew of more than 472,000 people -- each of them a precious soul in God's sight -- who had made life-changing decisions in conjunction with our ministries during 2003. That's an average of almost one every minute. God has truly blessed us to be witnesses for His mighty work.

If you associate our organization mainly with stadium preaching, you may be surprised to learn that four out of every five decisions happened somewhere else. Thousands have responded to the Gospel messages in recent issues of "Decision" magazine. Thousands more this year have accepted Christ or rededicated their lives in response to our telecasts, World Wide Pictures films, our Internet site, the Billy Graham Training Center and our prison outreaches.

But nothing is more exciting than the grassroots evangelism that you may not think about. In the past year, our training programs helped more than 300,000 Christians learn how to share their faith. And our "My Hope" project -- which mobilizes families to invite neighbors to see Gospel telecasts -- have resulted in more than 334,000 decisions for Christ. In Venezuela alone, more than 180,000 have made first-time commitments to Christ. These are disciple-making programs, sowing seeds for what could be even greater harvests in years to come.

God continues to bless us with strategies and technologies to tell the old, old, story in fresh and relevant ways. We've been told that the new Billy Graham library in Charlotte could attract hundreds of thousands of visitors every year, and you can be sure that we will present the Gospel to them in unique and compelling ways. We also want to develop programs in conjunction with Operation Christmas Child to help teach the children who pack shoe boxes how they can share their faith with their friends.

The methods may change, but we will always preach the Gospel. My father, who celebrated his 85th birthday in November, is eagerly looking forward to more Crusades as God gives him strength. Associate Evangelist Ralph Bell and I also are planning several major evangelistic events.

As we begin 2004, please pray that God will guide our steps and empower our work in His holy Name. We have an opportunity to change the world through the power of the Gospel -- "the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes" (Romans 1:16, NIV).

Bible verse marked NIV is taken by permission from The Holy Bible, New International Version, copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society, Colorado Springs, Colorado. ©2003 Billy Graham Evangelistic Association

from the January 2004 issue of "Decision Magazine"

How do I make a new start in the new year?" Read Billy Graham's answer

My prayer as we enter this new year is that you will begin it with God, and allow Him to direct your life during the coming months.

Let me use an illustration. Suppose this Christmas someone gave you one of those new digital cameras. Then suppose you tried to take pictures with it -- but none of them ever turned out. You even asked others how to work the camera but they couldn't figure it out either. Something was clearly wrong with the camera, and unless it was fixed it would never work properly. What would you do? You'd probably have it sent back to the factory because the people who made it would be the best ones to fix it.

And that is what we need to do: to return to God, who made us, and seek His help to make our lives right. God knows all about us, and He wants to help us because He loves us. He wants to come into our lives and change us from within. He wants to forgive our sins and put us on His path instead of the one we have been following.

How can this happen for you? Begin at the start of this new year by asking Christ to come into your life. Turn your life over to Him and ask Him to guide you during this year. Then take time each day to discover His will, through prayer and the Bible. God's promise is true: "Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust. ... I desire to do your will, O my God" (Psalm 40:4,8).