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Ruth Graham, the wife of well-known evangelist Billy Graham, passed away today at 5:05 pm at her home at Little Piney Cove, surrounded by her husband and all five of their children. Ruth had been bedridden for a number of months with degenerative osteoarthritis of the back and neck and underwent treatment for pneumonia two weeks ago. She was 87 years old.

Billy Graham made the following statement about his wife:

Ruth was my life partner, and we were called by God as a team. No one else could have borne the load that she carried. She was a vital and integral part of our ministry, and my work through the years would have been impossible without her encouragement and support.

I am so grateful to the Lord that He gave me Ruth, and especially for these last few years we’ve had in the mountains together. We’ve rekindled the romance of our youth, and my love for her continued to grow deeper every day. I will miss her terribly, and look forward even more to the day I can join her in Heaven.

The family plans to hold a private interment ceremony and a public memorial service. Service arrangements have not yet been announced.

UPDATE: Related articles from around the web:

• Official Press Release: Description of the Funeral
• Official Press Release: Ruth Bell Graham, 1920-2007
• The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association memorial site for Ruth
• Anne Graham Lotz on her mother’s death
• Statements from the children of Ruth Bell Graham
• Statement by President George Bush:
  

  Laura and I are deeply saddened by the death of Ruth Bell Graham, a remarkable woman of faith whose life was defined by her belief in a personal, loving, and gracious God. She was an encouraging friend, accomplished poet, and devoted mother of five and grandmother of 19.

  Ruth’s marriage to her husband Billy was a true and loving partnership. As the wife of the world’s most beloved evangelist, she inspired people around the world with her humor, intelligence, elegance, and kindness. Laura and I offer our prayers and condolences to Billy and the Graham family.

• PUBLIC INVITED TO ATTEND FUNERAL SERVICE FOR RUTH BELL GRAHAM, LATE WIFE OF BILLY GRAHAM: Mrs. Graham to be Honored by Friends and Family in Montreat, N.C., Followed by a Private Family-Only Interment in Charlotte:
  

  A public funeral service to honor Mrs. Graham, has been scheduled for 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 16 in Anderson Auditorium at the Montreat Conference Center in Montreat, N.C. Mr. Graham and his family have extended an invitation for the public to join them in honoring the life and memory of their wife and mother at this event. Anderson Auditorium’s seating capacity is limited to 2,000, on a first come basis, after which guests will be directed to additional overflow seating.

Related articles on this blog:

• A Quote from Billy and a Quote from Ruth
• Ruth Bell Graham – Poems
• Ruth Graham Near Death
• Billy Graham Museum Opens in Charlotte, NC
• The Day I Met Billy Graham

HT: Christianity Today LiveBlog

This just in from The Christian Post on the defeat of the proposed marriage amendment in Massachusetts.

Massachusetts lawmakers blocked a proposed constitutional amendment Thursday that would have let voters decide whether to ban gay ”marriage” in the only state that allows it.

The proposal, which sought to change the state’s Constitution to ban same-sex marriage, needed 50 votes to advance to the 2008 statewide ballot. It got 45, with 151 lawmakers opposed.

The narrow vote was a blow to efforts to reverse the historic court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage in the state. More than 8,500 gay couples have ”married” there since it became legal in May 2004 …

The measure needed 50 votes in two consecutive legislative sessions to advance to the ballot, and it had passed with 62 votes at the end of the last session in January.

I live in Massachusetts, and this is a big disappointment to the many people in the state who feel they should have the right to vote on an issue of this magnitude. The Massachusetts Family Institute collected a record-breaking 170,000 signatures in support of the amendment, nearly three times the required signatures needed for certification by the Secretary of State and the greatest number ever in Massachusetts history.

In November 2003, it took only four Massachusetts judges to make gay marriage legal in the state (by a 4-3 vote). Now in June 2007 the proposed amendment misses the ballot by five legislative votes. Meanwhile, the entire voting populace of Massachusetts is left out of the decision making process, including the 170,000 who signed the petition. I feel the legislature has really let the people down on this one.

Okay, all you non-conformist sneaker-lovers out there. If you have been searching for that “new look” for your sneakers, check out these 15 different ways to lace up your shoes. Professor Shoelace (Ian Fieggen) gives you detailed instructions for each method, complete with diagrams and photos. Learn how to lace 15 different patterns, including: the Ladder, the Zipper, the Sawtooth, the Lattice, the Checkerboard, and the very cool Hidden Knot.

Visit Ian’s Shoelace Site for more information about shoelaces than you ever dreamed existed (including how to tie a foolproof knot).

HT: Lifehack

I found this story about a college student who got a zero on a 100 question True/False Communications Final amusing. His professor sent him the following email the next day:

Dear Michael,

Every year I attempt to boost my students’ final grades by giving them this relatively simple exam consisting of 100 True/False questions from only 3 chapters of material. For the past 20 years that I have taught Intro Communications 101 at this institution I have never once seen someone score below a 65 on this exam. Consequently, your score of a zero is the first in history and ultimately brought the entire class average down a whole 8 points.

There were two possible answer choices: A (True) and B (False). You chose C for all 100 questions in an obvious attempt to get lucky with a least a quarter of the answers. It’s as if you didn’t look at a single question. Unfortunately, this brings your final grade in this class to failing. See you next year!

May God have mercy on your soul.

Sincerely,
Professor William Turner

P.S. If all else fails, go with B from now on.   B is the new C.

So, have you ever just filled in the answers at random on a multiple choice test?

Update: Here is a picture of the student’s actual test. Notice the T and F printed prominently over the A and B columns.

HT: Wandering Ink.

Are you a minister? You may be a minister and not even know it! Marcus Goodyear has a great article over at The High Calling on how we all fulfill the role of ministers when we serve others by doing what God asks us to do, whether in the church, the workplace, at home, or any other sphere of life.

In the article Marcus reflects on Jesus’ miracle of turning the water into wine at the wedding in Cana (found in John 2:1-11).

The ministers in this story are the servants. The people who follow the commands of Jesus by fetching the water he has told them to fetch—and serving that water to the master of the banquet. It must have seemed like a strange set of commands, but they did what he asked them to do.

That is the role of every minister in and out of the church. When we do what God asks us to do, he works miracles through our work.

And we need to pay close attention to the location of these ministers. They aren’t just obeying God in the temple or the synagogue. The place where people traditionally met to worship and talk about God was not their place of ministry. Their place of ministry was their daily work. They were just going about their normal business, and Jesus showed up.

At one church where I served, we had a saying: “Our church has two pastors, but many ministers.” Every Christian is called to serve – not just the pastors. And as Christians we are called to serve God in all areas of our life – not just in church. Your daily setting is your place of ministry throughout the week when you serve God and others in that setting.

So . . . are you a minister?

Billy Graham released this statement earlier today concerning the near death of his wife, Ruth, and their selection of a burial site:

MONTREAT, N.C., June 13, 2007 — “Earlier this spring, after much prayer and discussion, Ruth and I made the decision to be buried beside each other at the Billy Graham Library in my hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina.

We have held this decision privately and only decided to announce it now that she is close to going home to Heaven.

Ruth is my soul mate and best friend, and I cannot imagine living a single day without her by my side. I am more in love with her today than when we first met over 65 years ago as students at Wheaton College.

Ruth and I appreciate, more than we can express, the prayers and letters of encouragement we have received from people across the country and around the world. Our entire family has been home in recent days and it has meant so much to have them at our side during this time. We love each one of them dearly and thank God for them.”

According to the Christian Post, Ruth has been ill for several months and fell into a coma earlier today. Please keep the Graham family in your prayers at this time.

Related articles:

• A Quote from Billy and a Quote from Ruth
• Ruth Bell Graham – Poems
• Ruth Graham Passes Away
• Billy Graham Museum Opens in Charlotte, NC
• The Day I Met Billy Graham

Paris Hilton has dominated the news recently with her jailhouse escapades. Earlier this week she told a reporter that she was reading the Bible and seeking God. Of course this has been greeted with plenty of skepticism from believers and nonbelievers alike. Lydia Brownback strikes a nice balance with her response, Paris Hilton and the Bible.

For the first time in her sorry life, she is facing something for which no amount of daddy’s money, or photographers’ cameras, or drugs and alcohol, or sexual debauchery can provide an escape. Returning to jail last week in handcuffs, crying out for her mother, and visibly shaking are all indicative of the sort of breaking process that does cause people–all types of people–to question the meaning of a previously meaningless lifestyle.

Being sent to jail is the best thing that has ever happened to Paris Hilton. “God is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works.” Who are we to exempt Paris Hilton from inclusion in the psalmist’s declaration? I admit I have been among the Paris Hilton scorners–the sneering ones–and I must also admit that I’ll be utterly surprised if her spiritual quest continues once her sentence is served. A bit of skepticism is understandable; cynicism is not.

Todd Bolen at BiblePlaces Blog shares his top ten sites in Jerusalem. Todd also provides some interesting commentary and pictures on the various sites. I have never been to the Holy Land myself but would love to visit some day.

Every home should have its own set of family rules. Family rules simplify explanations, clarify expectations, and create a safe environment for your children and their friends. We have our list of family rules taped to the refrigerator. I copied this list down a long time ago from somewhere, and these rules have served our family well over the years.

FAMILY RULES LIST

1. Tell the truth.

2. Treat each other with respect.

• no yelling
• no hitting
• no kicking
• no name-calling
• no put-downs

3. No arguing with parents.

• We want and value your input and ideas, but arguing means you have made your points more than once.

4. Respect each other’s property.

• Ask permission to use something that doesn’t belong to you.

5. Do what Mom and Dad say the first time.

• without complaining or throwing a fit!

6. Ask permission before you go somewhere.

7. Put things away that you take out.

8. Look for ways to be kind and helpful to each other.

We have also made it clear to our children that the family rules follow them wherever they go. These are not just rules for them to follow at our house. They are family rules. Our children represent our family wherever they go, and we expect them to behave accordingly.

(Updated 12/26/2008: Thanks to commenter G.H. below, I have located the source for this list. It comes from the book New Skills for Frazzled Parents: The Instruction Manual That Should Have Come With Your Child, by Daniel G. Amen, p. 67.)

What do you think about having a list of family rules? Do you have a similar list in your home? How has having such a list been helpful to you (or not)?

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Related post: To Spank or Not To Spank
 

Last week I linked to Christianity Today’s photo essay on church hymnals from around the world. This week let me recommend Time Magazine’s photo essay: What the Word Eats (“What’s on family dinner tables in fifteen different homes around the globe? Photographs by Peter Menzel from the book Hungry Planet”).

Each photo in the essay features a different family from around the world with one week’s worth of groceries spread out on the table. The captions tell you how much the food cost and highlight some of the family’s favorite foods . For example, this is the Casales family of Cuernavaca, Mexico. Their food expenditure for one week is 1,862.78 Mexican pesos or $189.09. Their favorite foods are pizza, crab, pasta, and chicken.

Weekly food expenditures ran from as high as $500.07 for the Melander family in Germany to as low as $1.23 for the Aboubakar family in Chad (who also had much less food to eat). The photos show families and food from the following countries: Japan, Italy, Chad, Kuwait, United States, Mexico, China, Poland, Egypt, Ecuador, United States (again), Mongolia, Great Britain, Bhutan, and Germany.

HT: Between Two Worlds

The New York Times reported last week on some hopeful advances in the whole area of embryonic stem cell research.

The advance is an easy-to-use technique for reprogramming a skin cell of a mouse back to the embryonic state. Embryonic cells can be induced in the laboratory to develop into many of the body’s major tissues.

If the technique can be adapted to human cells, researchers could use a patient’s skin cells to generate new heart, liver or kidney cells that might be transplantable and would not be rejected by the patient’s immune system …

The technique, if adaptable to human cells … would not involve the expensive and controversial use of human eggs, and should avoid all or almost all of the ethical criticism directed at the use of embryonic stem cells.

This seems to me like the best of both worlds – the benefits of embryonic stem cells without the destruction of human embryos. This would allow for medical research to continue while preserving the sanctity of human life in the womb.

Yesterday’s message was the eighth in the Doing Church Together series from the book of 1 Timothy. The message was called, Practicing Godliness in God’s House, taken from 1 Timothy 3:14-4:10.

1 Timothy 3:14-4:10 14 Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these instructions so that, 15 if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. 16 Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.
1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. 3 They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. 4 For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.
6 If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, brought up in the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. 7 Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. 8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.
9 This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance 10 (and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe. (NIV)

The main idea of the message was that if we belong to God’s house, we should practice godliness. Here is a brief recap of the message:

Every house has its rules. In the same way, God has his “house rules.” One of the reasons Paul wrote 1 Timothy was because he wanted Timothy to know how people should conduct themselves in God’s household. He was passing on God’s house rules for the church. And although the whole letter contains instructions for doing church together, Paul points to one of God’s most important house rules here with the one word, “godliness.

We often define godliness as “God-likeness,” that is, acting like God. The word here simply means showing reverence and respect to God in the way you live your life. How should God’s people conduct themselves in God’s house? They should practice godliness. They should live in conscious reverence and respect for God at all times. God’s people should practice godliness in God’s house.

1) Godliness is rooted and revealed in Jesus Christ (3:16)

The hymn in verse 16 shows the mystery of godliness revealed in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Do you want to know how to live in God’s house? Look at Jesus! That’s what godliness looks like. Do you want to live a godly life that brings honor to God? Follow Jesus! Only Jesus lived a perfect life of godliness, and we can only live a godly life through Jesus living in us. Godliness is rooted and revealed in Jesus Christ.

2) Godliness applies to all areas of life (4:1-5)

Everything God created is good! Nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving. All of life matters, and all of life should be lived to God’s glory. Don’t make the mistake of breaking life into categories of things that have to do with God and things don’t. Everything has to do with God, or, even better, God has to do with everything. Your whole life should be lived in conscious reverence and respect towards God with thanksgiving, consecrated to him by the word of God and prayer.

3) Godliness has value for this life and the life to come (4:6-10)

If you want to get in good physical shape, or if you are training for an event, it is going to take discipline, effort and sacrifice. Guess what? If you want to be godly, it will also take discipline, effort and sacrifice. Godliness is not automatic. It takes discipline and sacrifice, but it is worth it! Physical training has value for this life only. But godliness has value for all things – both for this life and the life to come.

You can never grow in godliness in your own strength. You must trust God to help you and ask God’s Holy Spirit to change you day by day. God’s house rules are simple to remember but impossible to follow in our own strength. So let us turn to Jesus to help us practice godliness in God’s house, and then apply it to every area of our life.

Note: To read the complete message, go to the Sermons tab at the top of the blog.