IT'S GOOD FOR ME



Now again, I'm gonna talk a little bit about my looks. I know, tonight I look a little gnarlly, more than normal. But, the bottom line is, I'm not Billy Graham. Case you hadn't noticed. :) I love Billy Graham with all my heart. I admire Billy Graham. I wish I could have had the life that Billy Graham had growing up. I think most of us, Pastor Juan, I'm sure, would trade his rough testimony in a minute for a testimony to be able to say, 'I grew up in a Christian home, with Christian parents, and served the Lord everyday of my life. And I'm a man of God today, blessed, and have my family.' I would love to have a testimony like that, but I don't. My testimony is, I was a dirt-ball; and Jesus had pity on me. While I was still a sinner, He died for my sins. And I got the second best testimony, but it is a good one for me. I gave my heart to Jesus. He washed me in the blood, delivered me of drugs, and I'm saved. Now I can't be Billy Graham. If I cut my hair off, and graduated from Baptist Seminary [and I admire the men that have graduated from the colleges. The Baptist colleges are tremendous colleges in the United States of America.] But if I was to go through Seminary at the Baptist church just because Billy Graham did that, that would be wrong. If I cut my hair off, and started dressing a certain way, or being a certain way, because I felt that somebody else had done that and it worked. That would be wrong. I have my testimony, I have my background. I have my life. God is not lookin' for a Hollywood performance. He's lookin' for your heart. When You get saved, you don't enroll in acting classes. We don't have to go around and pretend we're somebody we're not. I don't have to pretend, all of a sudden, that I'm soft and [I started to say 'cute'. I am cute. :) ]

But the Lord is using all of us. He's using grandmas; He's using bikers; He's using businessmen; He's using Billy Graham in a tremendous way. And Billy Graham is reaching people. You know last time I was up here, in this area, Pastor helped me set it up here. And a friend of mine from the church here, drove me up to the prison, Corcoran. I spent two hours with Charles Manson. Now, I'm not cutting on Billy Graham. Please understand, I love him with all my heart. I'm just using his name as a reference. Charles Manson didn't call Billy Graham, he called me. Billy Graham has his ministry; and I have mine! He gets to minister to the President of the United States; and I get to minister to Manson. Praise God.

That was a wild meeting with Manson, by the way. I'll never forget the first thing that, the first contact we had. We were in that room alone there, nobody around. And Manson came over to me, and put his eyes right up on me. Walked up over to me. He came up on me like this [trying to intimidate]. And he said, 'Why are you here to see Charlie Manson?' And I looked at him and I said, 'I come in the name of Jesus!' Yea-a-a-a! Praise God.

That's funny, Juan never looked away. :) You know, you're the first man I have ever done that to that just went [stared back]. Like, make your move. I'm saved, but if I backslide, you're in trouble, dude. :) Praise the Lord. I'd like to do Hosanna. How many have somethin' to worship the Lord about? Praise the Lord.

My Deepest Love,
Jeff
Summer, 1992


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© 1997, EFI
Updated: April 7, 1999
Created: 6/25/97