Frank Duracher
Meeting People
at the Crossroads
of Faith & Life
Editor-in-Chief:
Allen Satterlee
Content Development
Editor:
Frank Duracher
Editorial Director:
Jeff McDonald
Art Director:
Roger O. Selvage Jr.
T
he radio program, that for more than 60 years has been
almost got cancelled before it ever went on-the-air! Th
green of a Long Island golf course, saved the day and is
W W W . S A I N T E R S E C T I O N . O R G
Do You Know
What It Means?
I
t was a bittersweet weekend for me when I returned to
my hometown of New Orleans for the funeral of my aunt.
I must admit that the nice side of my temporary home-
coming after quite a few years was that I caught up with many
of my relatives and friends.
I took Libby on a nostalgic tour of all the homes I lived in
and the schools I attended. A bit depressing, because so much
has changed--a few things not even there anymore.
And then there was the food. All I can say is that I'm glad
my doctor wasn't along for the ride!
Around every corner, I could hear in my mind's ear the
strains of Louis Armstrong's classic, Do You Know What It
Means To Miss New Orleans?
No one could sing that song
like ol' "Satchmo."
Jesus lamented that no prophet is accepted in his own
hometown
(Luke 4:24), which I suppose can also be taken to
mean that "You can't go home again."
The word "miss" is one of those that has several meanings.
One, of course, is to be sad or lonely while being separated
from someone, something, or someplace. Another meaning
for "miss" is to fall short of a goal, or of not hitting a mark.
Either way, I don't want to "miss" Heaven as my home
for eternity. The same Jesus who sighed that our past
(earthly) home is un-returnable, has made it possible for
our future Home to be a sure thing! Why not validate your
reservation today?
Fred Dienert and Walter Bennett took on an idea for a new Chris-
tian-format radio program that would appeal to the masses. Radio was
still king in the 1950s and the concept of a relevant, upbeat presenta-
tion of the Gospel seemed to be just the thing to fi ll such a void.
The duo's fi rst choice for "host" was Billy Graham, a young, fi ery
evangelist who was
taking the country--and
soon the world as
well--by storm with his
non-denominational
crusades. Graham was
in the middle of a
crusade in Portland, OR
when Fred and Walter
approached him for the
umpteenth time.
"Okay," Graham
fi nally relented, "if we
can raise $25,000 by
midnight tonight, I'll
take that as a sign from God that we should try."
At that evening's meeting, Graham jokingly referred to the
test before his audience of some 17,000. In fact, the preacher's
comment generated a round of laughter.
However, after the meeting, people began bringing cash, checks,
and pledges to crusade offi cials. By 10 p.m., the news was given to
a stunned Graham that $24,000 had been collected.
The
Hour of De
That Alm
Word-Up
Billy Graham speaks to
over 100,000 Berliners
at the Olympic Stadium
in Germany, June 27, 1954.
Phot
o Kr
eusch/
As
sociat
ed Pr
es
s