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Miracle
Testimony
by:
Mrs.
Margaret Graham THE
MIRACLE LADY 100
YEARS OLD & STILL
DRIVING HER CAR  Margaret
Graham received a special congratulatory letter from her Royal
Highness Queen Elizabeth 11 recently, as well as from Canada's
Prime Minister, the Honorable Paul Martin. Peggy,
as she is affectionately known, worked as my personal secretary
and office manager for 20 years and even traveled to mission
fields in various parts of the world, representing our Lord
Jesus. Instead
of going into retirement, Sister Graham as we called her in
our office - joined the ministry of Maralle and Albert
Yakielashek, giving of herself and her incredible talent for a
number of years as their secretary, advisor and babysitter. It
was a joy for Donna and I, together with our daughter Connie and
son in law Ron Beaudette, to attend Peggy's grand 100 year
celebration in Oliver, B.C. on April 24, 2006. It
was also a privilege to fellowship with Tom and Irene Tutyko and
Albert and Maralee, all whom have labored with us in the Gospel
in years gone by. Here is an expanded version of the
remarks I shared about Margaret Graham, at the invitation of her
son Vern. Peggy
Graham, we salute you! We Love you and honor you.
You are a living, walking and driving miracle (she still drives
a car). This
is your day. 100 years young. You have been a great
blessing to our family, the Church and your fellowman, as can be
readily seen by the large attendance and the outpouring of love
from your family and friends at this great celebration: During
this address, I asked the questions:
-
Why has Margaret Graham
lived so long?
-
What was the purpose of
her life?
-
What lessons do we learn
from her successful longevity?
-
What are her rewards,
earthly and heavenly?
-
How can others also
achieve happiness here and eternal life in the here after?
Meeting Peggy again after
about 10 years, I was pleasantly surprised to see the
radiant expression on her face and how well she looked. It
was almost as though time had stood still and that she was still
only in her 70's. And yet, we were at her 100th birthday
celebration!
The
first words she spoke to me were: "Do you remember when we
made a pact that we would both live until the translation
(rapture) of the Church? And we are still here!"
As
she spoke, I remembered our conversation of 1964 in our office
on King George Highway (across from the Military Cemetery) near
White Rock, B.C.
When
God spoke to me to move to Edmonton - to plant a Church that
would affect thousands of lives for God and the community - a
lot of people thought that it didn't make any sense.
They
said, "You are moving to cold Edmonton from balmy White
Rock?" And I would answer: "I know, it does seem
rather foolish, but God is calling us to do it."
Sister Graham understood and
decided to move with us, while 6 members of our staff, including
Irene Tutyko, one of the world's best secretaries, transferred
to Don Gossett's 'Bold Bible Living' ministry.
That
Peggy was willing to leave an established position with the
Surrey Municipal Office to join us, and then to leave her
friends and loved ones at the Coast to live in minus 30-40
degree weather, speaks volumes.
WHAT
MOTIVATED MARGARET GRAHAM?
You
may ask: "What motivated Margaret Graham? What made her
tick? What was the secret of her unfailing faith in God
and her dedication to her family and to our Ministry?" These are great questions. I will endeavor to answer them
with God's help, to the best of my ability.
Let
me begin by recounting a private conversation with Sister
Graham. She told of two funerals she had attended during
the past several years, where the officiating Minister had
failed to preach the Gospel of Christ and warn of the
uncertainty of life and the certainty of the Day of Judgment.
Then
she added, }I would feel badly if my 100th birthday would
be only a celebration and not utilized to share the Gospel of
Jesus Christ and His salvation to my friends and
relatives."
Margaret
Graham is a very wise woman. She knows that the Bible is
true and the Words of Jesus bring hope, healing and life.
And that people reap what they sow. St. Paul stated:
"Be not deceived: God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man
soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his
flesh shall of his flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to
the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life
everlasting." (Galatians 6:7-8)
Edmonton
is celebrating her 100th birthday this year and next year 2005,
the province of Alberta will turn 100. At the recent
Premier's Prayer Breakfast, one of the speakers spoke briefly
about three major needs in Alberta, namely: faith, family &
community.
WHAT
ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS IN LIFE?
A number
of years ago, God gave me a powerful message titled, 'The Three
Most Important Things in Life'. They were:
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A man's relationship to
God,
-
A man's relationship to
his family
-
A man's relationship to
his fellowman
At
the Prayer Breakfast, Preston Manning spoke about Alberta's
spiritual heritage and how it relates to business, academia,
science and politics. He reviewed Alberta's spiritual as
well as political history. In the early life of our
province, a Methodist ministry named Wordsworth entwined the
social gospel with politics. Manning calls this the "Horizontal Gospel"
which is people looking after
people - based on the teachings of Jesus about the Good
Samaritan.
The
other stream that greatly affected Alberta was the Evangelical
Gospel brought to the prairies by Premier William Aberhart - through whom Premier Ernest C. Manning was converted. This
entwined the evangelical gospel with politics. Manning
calls that the vertical gospel. When put together, they
form a cross. What the nation of Canada needs is the
evangelical gospel of being born again, joined together with the
social gospel of good works in helping one another.
Jesus
answered the question: "What is the greatest
commandment?" thusly: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy
God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul and with all thy
mind...Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." (Matthew
22:37-39) He said, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God,
and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto
you." (Matthew 6:33)
That
is exactly what Margaret Graham did all the years that I knew
her. She sought to follow the Lord and secondly, she
dedicated her life to help spread His gospel to the ends of the
earth. She put God first and therein is her success.
In
my books, she is a true Christian and a genuine lady. May
God give her many more years, is my prayer. Look at her
influence on her son Bob, who labored in the church in Surrey
for many years and Betsy, his recently deceased wife, who
faithfully worked in our White Rock office.
Then
to hear Vern and Julia's granddaughters sing a special song for
their great granny along with Maralee Dawn ... and what did they
choose? "Jesus Loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me
so."
And
who was sitting there as proud as a peacock watching his little
girls sing? Their Dad, of course. And it seems to
me, if I a not mistaken, that handsome young man, Kelly Graham,
used to attend our Church in Edmonton when he was only a
teenager. And who brought him to Church? You guess
it - his grandmother Margaret Graham.
Her
rewards down here are great, but nothing compared to what awaits
her and all of us who love the Lord and stay true to His Word.
The Bible says: "Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown
of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall
give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them that
love His appearing." (2 Timothy 4:8)
We
honour God who has given Peggy 100 years of life! He is the
giver of life, both temporal and eternal. Without our Creator
and life-giver, there would be no life. Jesus said: "I am the Way,
the Truth
and the Life and no man cometh unto the Father but by Me." (John 14:
6)
NOT
EVERYONE WANTS TO HEAR THE GOSPEL
There
is something I wish to share with those who have neighbours and
friends, who seem indifferent to the Gospel or even hostile
toward Jesus Christ and His claims upon our lives through His
magnanimous offer of salvation, purchased for us through His
horrible death on the Cross.
There
is an old farmer's saying: "You can lead a horse to
water, but you can't make it drink." And you can
preach the Gospel until you are almost 'blue in the face' to an
unconverted sinner, but only the Holy Spirit can change that
person's heart.
General
Dwight Eisenhower, Commander of the Allied Forces that
liberated Germany in WWII, said, "It takes no brains to
be an atheist. Any stupid person can deny the
supernatural. One thing I have learned....there are no
atheists in the foxholes."
And
in more than 40 years of Ministry, I can safely say that some of
the toughest cases end up crying like little puppies on their
death bed, and calling for the preacher when it is their time to
go.
THE
TIME TO CRY OUT TO GOD IS NOW
The
Bible says: "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is
the day of salvation." (2 Corinthians 6: 2); "Come
unto Me all ye who labour and are heavy laden and I will give
you rest."
(Matthew 11: 28). And Jesus promised: "Him
that cometh unto Me, I will in wise cast out." (John 6: 37)
Here
are some powerful Bible Scriptures: "For God so loved the
world, that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever
believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world;
but that the world through Him might be saved." (John 3: 16-17)
"Verily,
verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My Word, and believeth
on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come
into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is,
when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they
that hear shall live." (John 5:34-35)
"For
when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for
the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one
die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to
die. But God commendeth His love toward us. In that,
while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more
then, being now justified by HIS BLOOD, we shall be saved from
wrath through Him." (Romans 5:6-9)
"He
that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all,
how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?"
(Romans 8:32)
PRAY
THIS PRAYER NOW TO RECEIVE JESUS CHRIST IN YOUR HEART
"Dear
Heavenly Father,
I
ask for Thy great mercy and grace. I acknowledge my
sinfulness and confess that I cannot save myself. I
believe the GOOD NEWS that Jesus paid the penalty for m sins,
through His vicarious death on the cross."
"I
believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead according to the
Scriptures and He has the power and authority to forgive my sins
and save my soul. I repent of my sins and am willing to
forsake them with the help of the Holy Spirit."
"I
now renounce the devil and all his works and all his ways and I
now receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, my Master and my
God. Come into my heart and save me now, for Christs'
sake. Thank you Lord, for saving my soul. In Jesus
precious' name, I pray." Amen.
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