Covenanter Witness Vol. 55 - Rparchives.org

wonder'good."erable.'new.'A REPORTER'S TESTIMONYA subscriber in Topeka, Kans., sent us recentlya newspaper clipping, a story written by GeorgeBurnham, a staff writer on the Chattanooga NewsFree Press . . . the story eminated from Glasgow,Scotland. This reporter has been in attendance atthe Billy Graham meetings there.It is a little long, but it is a thrilling story, ofthe life of this reporter, a former alcoholic. GeorgeBurnham's story follows:The hotel chambermaid walked into my room asI was preparing to leave for the Billy Graham services in Kelvin Hall. She was a shriveled little womanof about 50 and, unlike most Scots, rarely smiled.For a number of days, in cleaning the room, shehad noticed all the clippings around my typwriterabout Billy Graham and assumed I was a memberof his team. To make conversation, she asked, "Well,going?"how is the campaign"Wonderful,"I replied.She frowned, and straightened up the bed before replying: "Sometimes I doubt whether therereally is a God. And if there is, He can't be a veryjust God. I don't see why He makes my life so hard.My health has never been good, but I have to putin long hours while others seem to prosper withoutworking too much. It just doesn't seem right."And I know God doesn't answer prayers. Before my mother and father died, I prayed as hard asI could God would spare them, but He didn't. Allthree of my brothers died in the last few years. Iprayed for them, too, but it didn't do anyI told her that my family lives in Chattanooga,where I got a job as night editor of the AssociatedPress."After three years the Associated Press firedme. I deserved to be fired. Soon afterward I got ajob with the News-Free Press. I don't know just whythey gave me a job, because I didn't deserve one. Toshow my appreciation, I tried to stop drinking, butcouldn't."One day I read Dr. Fred Garland was going totell his life story at a church in Chattanooga. Iout to write a huasked the city editor about goingman interest piece. He said okay."I didn't have any interest in Garland. I didn'thave any interest in the church, or the Jesus Christhe was going to talk about. The only reason I wantedto do the story was the time-and-a-half time I wouldget for working at night."I sat on the front row with a photographer andheard about a ''boy in show business who letdrink, dope and crime reduce him to the point wherehe walked the same streets, barefoot, on which hehad seen his name in lights. He told of how his lifehad been transformed as he hung on the bars ofToombs Prison in New York, called out to God andasked for mercy."He gave an invitation that night for people inthe church to come forward and begin a new lifein Christ. I knew I should go, but didn't. I was afraidof what the photographer would think. Found outlater he had been praying for me.88"Dr. Garland dismissed the congregation andcame over to where I was standing. He said, 'George,I appreciate the publicity you are going to give me,but there's something more important. I want toask you a question. Wouldn't you like to commit yourlife to Christ?' My reply: 'I don't understand toomuch what it's all about, but if He can do for meWhat He has done for you, I would like to. I can lookinto your face and tell you're a happy man. I'm mis"He asked me to go into a little side room withhim, where he asked if I would kneel with him inprayer. I had never knelt sincerely for anything."Dr. Garland opened the Bible and showed mewith Scripture sin was my trouble, not alcohol. TheBible says 'all have sinned and come short of theglory of God.' After the life I had lived, it didn'ttake much to convince me I was a sinner."He told me the simple story of Jesus, in a waythat had never made sense to me before how theSon of God came down from His home in Heaven andloved a miserable, wretched,no-good individual likeGeorge Burnham enough to die for him. I wept. Heshowed me a verse which said, "If any man be inChrist, he is a new creature. Old things are passedaway ; behold, all things become" 'George,'he said, 'you can wipe out the pastand become a new creature in Christ if you will, byfaith. Surrender your life to Him, right now. Youdon't have to understand all about it. Just let go andlet God. He will transform your life.'"That night, by faith, I surrendered my life toChrist and a strange, wonderful peace came into myheart as I knelt there on the floor. I felt different,somehow, when I got to my feet."We have a happy, Christian home now. Eachday, with my wife and children, we read the Wordof God and then kneel as a family to thank Him forall that we have. We wouldn't have a home if Jesushadn't been invited in to be our guest, advisor andfriendforever."The cleaning woman had dropped her head, buther eyes came up when I said :"You lost both your father and mother. So didI, within six months of each other. But you know,it's different when a person dies in Christ. My mother and father, bless their hearts, died without oneworry. They knew where they were going and theyknew that every child would be with them againsoon."But such assurance isn't all Christ gives to us.I read in the Bible one night where He will pick usup out of the dust of the earth and let us associatewith princes of our people. The first time I readthat was one midnight in the Mayflower Hotel atWashington, D.C. The next morning I had breakfastwith the President of the United States."Last year I had a talk with the Archbishop ofCanterbury, the man who placed the crown on thehead of the Queen of England. I had interviews withsome of the leading political and military figures ofGreat Britain and Europe, and I have probablywritten more personal stories about Billy Graham thanany living man."Please don't think I'm 'boasting about my ability. God gets the credit. I was a hopeless alcoholic, ona greased slide to oblivion and, just like He promised,He picked me up out of the dust of the earth and letCOVENANTER WITNESS