The past few years Harv and I have been blessed to spend most of the winter in the far south. While in Florida we enjoyed living down the street from my brothers and sisters-in-laws. We loved attending Indian Rocks Baptist church and the sweet fellowship we had on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings. It was always amazing to wake up in warm, sunny weather and decide if we wanted to golf, play pickle ball, walk the beach, cycle, swim or read by the pool.

This year we didn’t go.

Instead we enjoyed a lovely vacation to the Caribbean - we flew up to Timmins to watch our grandchildren play hockey in the Mush Cup tournament - we spent most of March Break in Ottawa with children and grandchildren and the rest of the time at home. Before Spring arrives in Kincardine - we decided to take a quick trip down to the Carolinas with a stop in Kentucky for a day - visit a friend in Charlotte - and tour beautiful Charleston.

I can’t help but connect three significant stops at three attractions with the upcoming Easter weekend and its’ significance in my life.

Every year when we head south from Detroit and head south on I75 - we usually say “let’s stop in Kentucky and take a tour of the Ark” and each year we’d drive right by as we were in a hurry to get to the warmth and sunshine. This year - the ARK - was the first attraction on our agenda.

What’s the buzz all about? Why would anyone build an ark - in the middle of a field? Why go to all that trouble?

Well - a very long time ago - another man built an Ark and he was asked the same questions - he was ridiculed - made fun of - scoffed at - and it took him many, many more years to build the original ark than the one that is built in Kentucky. In fact it took Noah and his sons closer to 75 or 80 years to build the ark.

After all the years building, finally Noah, at the age of 600 and his wife and three sons and three daughters-in-laws entered the ark. Their time in the ark is yet another example of what it means to walk by faith and not by sight. Once they entered (along with all the animals that God brought to the ark) - it was God Himself who shut the door. Once they were all tucked neatly inside - the rains began - coming up from the earth below and for the first time ever - down from the heavens above. After hearing the sound of rain consecutively for forty days, the waters increased and the ark floated on the water. The waters prevailed on the earth for 5 months and it wasn’t until the 7th month before the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. Finally, around the tenth month - the tops of the mountains could be seen. Noah and his family were totally invested into the ark with no clear idea of when the rain would stop and what would happen afterwards.

As a righteous man – who found grace in God’s eyes – it can be assumed that he didn’t wait idly. Noah most likely continued to give thanks and praise to God for sparing him, and bringing him thus far. There’s no mention of Noah complaining or cursing at having to be in the ark for all that time. It seemed he trusted even when he didn’t see beyond the rain.

In other words, even when your prayers aren’t answered in the way you want them to be – God is still working.

I was reminded last week five truths that I have learned from Noah when I am in the storms of my own life - Obedience to God in and through the storm - Trust His plan (even when I can’t see the outcome) - Continue to live right in the middle of a changing, wicked world - Hope even when life is uncertain - Give thanks.

Our second significant stop took us to the BILLY GRAHAM LIBRARY AND HOMESTEAD in Charlotte, North Carolina. I was totally unprepared how the impact of this visit would affect my heart.

Billy Graham was born and raised on a dairy farm near Charlotte, North Carolina, on November 7th, 1918 and passed away in his beloved mountain home on February 21, 2018. Billy was called to be an evangelist and preached the gospel to millions of people around the world - in person, on the radio, on television, film, through his books and then the internet. He once said - “someday you will read that Billy Graham is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it! I shall be more alive then, than I am now. I will have gone into the presence of God.”

As we meandered through the Centre - we watched clips of him preaching at various crusades - I was reminded of the one I attended in Toronto in 1995. When I saw the picture of the SkyDome and the thousands of people who attended that night - I remembered driving to Toronto with Randy and Zac and Ben and Pete, to be part of this great event - one of Billy Graham’s last crusades. Unbeknownst to me, my parents were also in attendance that night and on our way to the bus after the event - we ran into them. (They had come by bus from Westport with their church. It was Youth Night!) Just that week I had mentioned to a friend that I hadn’t seen my folks for several months and how much I missed them. I said to her - “If only I could see them - even for a few minutes - to hug them and kiss them and tell them I love them!” It happened the night of the Billy Graham crusade in Toronto.

We saw pictures of Billy with royalty and presidents - with children and celebrities - with athletes and farmers. He was a man who was loyal to his wife and family - and to his God.

Billy and his wife, Ruth, are both buried right beside the family homestead.

I was emotional last Saturday. I found myself welling up with tears at times. I found myself humming the hymns as I heard them on the recordings. I found myself responding to the sound of Billy’s voice as he pleaded with people to come to grips about eternity and Jesus. It felt so good to be in that place. I didn’t want to leave. I wanted to linger for awhile longer.

I was reminded of these lessons that I gained from Billy Grahams life - STAY TRUE TO YOUR CALLING - BE FOCUSED - BE LOVING EVEN WHILE MAINTAINING YOUR CONVICTIONS - PURSUE INTEGRITY (THE MODESTO MANIFESTO).

The manifesto listed practices ranging from not driving/dining alone with a member of the opposite sex to making sure the numbers they reported from their evangelistic outreaches were accurate to rigorous financial accounting practices for the offerings they took at their events. These types of accountability practices enabled Billy Graham and his team to remain scandal free and above reproach during their decades of ministry on the road together.

John Maxwell once said that even the shyest of people will impact at least 10,000 others during their lifetime. Think about it. Everyone will fill an arena with the number of people they will impact over the course of their lives. In that sense, all of us are evangelists. Over the course of decades thousands upon thousands will see our lives and hear our message.

The third attraction was the CHAPEL at DUKE university. We were invited to attend the Sunday morning service with our friend - who we were visiting. It had been on her bucket list to attend a service there and she asked us to accompany her. I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect but I think deep down - I knew.

Standing at 210 feet in the center of campus, of the original buildings at Duke University, the Chapel was planned first and built last. The architectural style of the Chapel is English Gothic, but it is modeled upon no particular cathedral, college chapel, or parish church. The architects of the Chapel were Horace Trumbauer of Philadelphia and his chief designer, Julian Abele. The cornerstone was laid October 22, 1930, and construction of the Chapel required more than two years. It was first used at commencement in 1932 and was formally dedicated June 2, 1935. It seats 1800 people.

The service began at 11:00 and ended exactly an hour later. There was much pomp and circumstance as the choir, deacons and minister processed down the long aisle to the front. The choir sang but the words weren’t recognizable without reading the bulletin. The minister spoke - but his words were frivolous and fluttery. The building - while being an amazing feat of architecture, was cold and unfeeling. The service left me wanting.

I remember Randy used to say about these kind of services - “It’s not what they say - it’s what they don’t say. And that’s exactly the lesson I was reminded of on Sunday. There were songs - there were prayers - there was a sermon - but they were empty. They didn’t proclaim Jesus. The words only tickled the ears of those who listened. As I looked around at the people near me - their eyes were dull - their responses perfunctuary.

I’m reminded of a quote from C.S. Lewis - in his book Prince Caspian. Aslan says to Caspian - “go and wake the others and tell them to follow….if they will not, then you at least must follow me alone.”

Noah was called to follow His God and he did - he and his family of 8.

Billy Graham was called to follow His God and he did - he and Ruth and their children and thousands, maybe millions more - people, who, Billy challenged to follow too.

The minister at the Duke chapel didn’t call anyone to do anything so they won’t.

He called me to follow Him when I was a young child. I said “yes - I’ll follow - wherever, whatever, whenever!” It’s a decision I’ve never regretted.