Ruth on Charisma Podcast Network
Ruth shares on Dr. David Kyle Foster’s Pure Passion Podcast. You can listen here:
Transforming Loneliness – 5 Day Reading Plan Now Available
Now available on YouVersion, a 5-Day Plan for transforming loneliness by deepening our relationships with God and others when we feel alone by Ruth Graham with Cindy Lambert. Click the link below for details:
Huckabee
Ruth recently spent some time with Gov. Mike Huckabee at his show Huckabee to discuss her latest book “Transforming Loneliness: Deepening Our Relationships with God and Others When We Feel Alone. Information about how you can watch is below:
Saturday (11/13) at 8/7c and again Sunday (11/14) at 9/8c on TBN. The show will also be live on Huckabee’s FB page and Huckabee’s website Saturday night (Huckabee.tv). You can also download the TBN app and watch live.
Ruth on Hope Today
Ruth was on Cornerstone TV’s “Hope Today” on September 20, 2021. You can watch here:
Freedom
Freedom. What a great word! It means: “the state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint; exemption from external control; the power to determine action without restraint; independence”. We celebrate our national freedom on July the 4th. It is a day to commemorate our freedom from Britain’s tyranny.
Those who signed that brazen and unlawful document knew they were putting their lives on the line. They knew that from that day forward there would be a target on their backs. They knew they were putting their families at risk. But they believed in the idea of freedom and were willing to pay the price.
We have experienced a loss of freedom during COVID. As Americans we have never faced such restrictions and I doubt we will ever agree to such restrictions again. We are an independent lot, we Americans. And our sense of independence has been a good thing as we fought tyranny across the globe. We sent men into battle to fight Natzism, Fascism, Communism, Anti-semitism, and Socialism. We asked nothing in return. God has blessed us for that.
We fought for freedom and believed all men deserve to be free.
No. We didn’t do it perfectly. But we are the only nation that fought each other to the bitter end that all men, black and white, might be free. People line up on our shore to come to this nation so that they might be free to follow their own American Dream. Just look at the Southern border – people want to come to America to be free. Unfortunately, the Southern border is a humanitarian crisis the likes we have never seen before.
But my point is, people want to be free. And evil wants people bound up. There is evil afoot in this world. There always has been.
Human beings will never be truly free politically, socially, mentally, emotionally until they find true freedom in Christ Jesus. He said, “The truth will set you free.” Then He said He was “the Way the Truth and the Life.” True freedom is found in a personal relationship with God through Jesus.
You cannot be truly free apart from Him.
The Last Time I Heard My Father’s Voice
Father’s Day is Sunday! A day to celebrate all the fathers in our lives. Maybe yours was not so good. Maybe even cruel. Neglectful. Abusive. Absent.
Maybe Father’s Day is something you want to skip over.
Please remember you have a perfect Heavenly Father who adores you. Loves you unconditionally. He thinks you are wonderful. When you mess up He doesn’t hold it against you or berate you. He forgives you freely when you ask for His forgiveness.
Several years ago, on Father’s Day, I called my father’s home. I dreaded it because I knew it would be a slow, labored process – if he could even hear me – or understand who I was. But I was eager to have him know I loved him and eager to hear his voice.
His kindly caregiver, Grady, answered the phone. He told me my father was resting quietly but he would wake him. I said no, I’d call back in thirty minutes when he was due for his medications.
When I called back, Grady again answered and said he would put Daddy’s headphones on him – a device that my father wears attached to a small microphone which enables him to hear better. Grady asked if I could hear him and I assured him I could. I heard him tell Daddy that “Your daughter is on the phone – Ruth is calling”. There was no response. It was quiet.
Grady kept saying, “Mr. Graham, can you hear? Your daughter is on the phone.” Nothing. I kept asking, “Daddy, can you hear me?” No response. My heart was sad. He couldn’t hear me or understand.
Then out of the silence in a strong voice I heard, “I love you.” then all was quiet again. Tears filled my eyes. There was a lump in my throat. I croaked out an “I love you, happy Father’s Day.” I could tell Grady was choked up too. We said a quick goodbye.
I cried.
What a sweet gift to hear his voice so strong. Reassuring. A treasured memory.
Fortunately, when we call on God He can hear us even before we speak. He knows our thoughts. But he longs to hear our voice calling on Him. He hears and He answers. We don’t need fancy equipment for Him to hear. We don’t need special words. We don’t need to have our theology all lined up correctly. We don’t need to repeat ourselves or speak loudly. He hears us.
He longs to hear our voice.
Wish Him a Happy Father’s Day! He’ll be happy to hear from you.
Ruth Graham To Lead Study For Mississippi Seminary Inmates
JACKSON, MS (May 17) – Ruth Graham, the daughter of renowned evangelist Billy Graham, has agreed to lead a new seminary program for the Mississippi Department of Corrections. MDOC Commissioner Burl Cain announced an agreement with Ms. Graham to start a 14-week program at the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility starting May 18, 2021. The program will be funded by private donors.
“Every week, Ruth Graham will lead three of our prison seminary programs about how to forgive,” said Commissioner Cain. “In her acclaimed book, Forgiving My Father, Forgiving Myself, she talks about having an absent parent and about what it means to forgive and move on.” Ruth Graham’s beloved father Billy Graham traveled the world with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association for over 50 years, leaving his family for weeks at a time.
“When I visited Angola Prison in Louisiana,” said Ms. Graham, “I had an experience with a death row inmate story that made me realize I needed to understand more about forgiveness in my own life. My father was often gone when I was growing up and though I adored him, my little girl’s heart read his absences as abandonment. That resulted in a deep sense of insecurity and many bad choices in my life. Once I discovered my ‘core’ issue, I was able to forgive myself, my father and even feelings that God had let me down. Now I live in the freedom of forgiveness and I want to share it.”
Ruth Graham will teach 27 women seminary students at CMCF via Zoom while simultaneously broadcasting to seminary students at Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman.
“Forgiveness is the only real path to growth,” said Ms. Graham. “If you hold on to bitterness and anger, it is impossible to be happy.”
The 14-week Graham program is being underwritten by Calvin Sutphin, founder of Catalyst Ministries of West Virginia.
“At no time in world history has forgiveness been needed more,” said Sutphin. “Commissioner Cain is spot on about the key to true rehabilitation in prisons is Moral Rehabilitation. And it’s not just prisoners either. All of us need to soul-search with regularity.”
MDOC seminary students will train with Ms. Graham over the summer term and will then lead satellite groups within prisons on the study of forgiveness.
“You want a reduced crime rate in the streets?” asked Commissioner Cain. “Start with prisons. To quote the Apostle Paul, we really do war not against flesh and blood but against principalities. At the heart of drugs, alcohol and failed relationships is unforgiveness.”
Gems of Motherhood and the Miracle of Forgiveness
Ruth recently spent some time with Sharon Kon with Gems of Motherhood. Listen to their conversation about the Miracle Of Forgiveness here:
Progressive Christianity
Just like everything else, progressive-ism has come to Christianity.
Let me give you some bullet points about what they teach:
The Bible is not the authoritative Word of God
There is no such thing as Original Sin – man is basically good
Adam and Eve are an allegory
There are no miracles such as the Virgin Birth and the Resurrection
Evolution is science
Jesus was not divine and is not to be worshipped
Christ is a universal energy that was present at the Big Bang
Christ is good energy working through all things
Jesus came to show us a better way – to love, not save us from our sins
Jesus isn’t the only way
Jesus’ atonement was cosmic child abuse
God is an abuser and blood-thirsty
The blood atonement is rejected
Love is greater than justice
Since God is love He can overlook sin
Hell is here on earth
They emphasize personal belief: feelings over facts
Essential doctrines can be redefined
Historic terms are redefined
The historic terms are redefined
The Gospel shifts from sin to social justice
The focus is on us not God.
Some of that I fear to even type. It is blasphemous. I do not believe any of it. It grieves me that so many people are buying into this. They are making God in their own image.
But that is what is taking over our churches our young people. How do we, as Christ-followers counter that?
By living a life of compassion and authenticity. Walk the walk.
It’s Easter time. What a glorious truth is the Resurrection of Jesus. Defeating sin and death. Though Him we have new life and the hope of the resurrection and a home in Heaven. It will be glorious.
The “progressives” can’t alter the fact of His bodily resurrection and the joy of new birth in the Lord Jesus Christ.
What Did Jesus Look Like?
What does Jesus look like? To be honest, we don’t know.
Humanly, He was of Middle Easter descent so probably had an olive-toned skin. He was Jewish and probably had dark hair and dark eyes. I doubt He was very tall. So, humanly He looked sort of average. The Bible says, “He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.” (Isaiah 53:2) Wow! That’s not what we would expect of the Son of God, is it.
Shouldn’t he be tall, strong and handsome with a commanding presence? A Tom Selleck look-alike. That’s not how the Bible talks of him. He Himself said he was “meek and lowly.”
I read somewhere that meekness is power under control. And lowliness is defined as humble. Not exactly how we might describe as the Son of the Most High God. And later in the Bible He is described in vivid detail as a victorious warrior reigning over the new heavens and new earth.
But before the warrior was the lamb. Meek and lowly. John the Baptist said He was “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” The lamb was slaughtered in the most brutal of ways by sinful men – me amongst them. My sin nailed Him to the Cross. My sin. Your sin.
Why did He put up with it? He had the ability to call twelve legions of angels to come to His aid. But He didn’t. Why? Because He loved us.
So, back to my question: What did Jesus look like? His eyes were full of love. And they were expressive, expressing joy and humor.
His ears were attentive – they heard what was beneath the words.
His mouth was full of wisdom. His tongue spoke truth and with authority.
His hands were calloused from his work as a carpenter. There was dirt under His fingernails.
He could stoop low enough to speak to a woman thrown at His feet. He could stand tall enough to confront her accusers and they backed down.
His shoulders were strong enough to carry the cross beam of His cross after being brutally beaten. But He fell along the way it was carried by a Simon of Cyrene – probably a black man whose son Rufus, was mentioned by Paul in his letter to Romans as “a choice man in the Lord”. So even when physically weak, there was something about Him that cause Simon to go back home and tell his son about the condemned man he met.
His feet were calloused from walking so many miles.
His legs were well toned from the walking and standing to teach.
Jesus was a human like you and me. But yet without sin. A sinless being Who chose to come to earth to live among us because He wanted to redeem us from our sin. Rescue you and me.
What does Jesus look like? Love. Pure love. Not passive but active. Seeking the lost to bring them home.