In the parable of the sower, Jesus foretold all the ways the world would try to reject God's Word. Rocks will be thrown at the righteous, dirty birds will try to steal your peace and assurance, and briars will try to choke out the clear truth with noise and confusion. Today, the rocks are hardened hearts that have turned from God, the dirty birds are enemies of the Gospel dispelling negative influences, and the briars are the media channels seeking to distract, confuse, and alarm. Satan uses these threats to scorch out, choke out, and steal away God's Word. Yet God is unchangeable and infallible. His Word is the seed that produces truthfulness, holiness, and obedience-and we are called to plant it, nurture it, and tend it in order to have a fruitful harvest.
William Franklin Graham, III, born July 14, 1952, is the fourth of five children born to evangelist Billy Graham and his wife, Ruth Bell Graham. Raised in a log home in the Appalachian Mountains outside Asheville, North Carolina, Franklin now lives in the mountains of Boone, North Carolina.
He was born into a heritage rich in Christian ministry. By the time of Franklin's birth, Billy Graham was already known around the world as a spiritual leader, but he wasn't the only spiritual giant in the family. Franklin's maternal grandfather, Lemuel Nelson Bell, was a medical missionary to China for more than 20 years, a respected moderator of his denomination, the Presbyterian Church in the United States, and a co-founder and executive editor of Christianity Today.
At age 22, after a period of rebellion and traveling the world, Franklin committed his life to Jesus Christ while alone in a hotel room in Jerusalem. Soon after that, Dr. Bob Pierce, founder of Samaritan's Purse (and World Vision), invited Franklin to join him on a six-week mission to Asia. It was during that time that Franklin felt a calling to work with hurting people in areas of the world affected by war, famine, disease, and natural disasters.
... Show more