■ ■ ■Russian poet Boris Pasternak once said, “It is not revolutions and
upheavals that clear the way to new and better days but... some-
one’s soul, inspired and ablaze.”
Billy’s soul was, indeed, ablaze. Unsophisticated, he was
painfully aware of his limitations. But he was full of passion to
fulfill what he believed God was calling him to: spreading the
gospel, “the Good News,” as a message of liberation and love.
Yet as he focused and energetically began preaching and
receiving ever more invitations to speak, he sensed increasingly
that his eloquence could not persuade or transform. His deepen-
ing humility was anchored in fact. He knew he was not an out-
standing speaker and that his personal charisma was not enough
to fulfill the great call he felt weighing upon him. He had entered
a life of helplessness—helpless to do this work that was far larger
than his capacities.
As he found some success as an evangelist, he continually
sought a greater connection and empowerment. During a mission
to the British Isles, he met a young Welsh evangelist named
Stephen Olford, who had the spiritual qualities Billy longed for. “He
had a dynamic... an exhilaration about him I wanted to capture.”
After hearing Olford preach on being filled with the Holy Spirit,
Billy approached him and said, “You’ve spoken of something that
I don’t have. I want the fullness of the Holy Spirit in my life too.”
Olford agreed to set aside two days when Billy was scheduled
to speak at Pontypridd, just eleven miles from the home of
Olford’s parents. The two would talk and pray during the day,
pausing long enough for Billy to preach at night.
“This is serious business,” Billy told him. “I have to learn what
this is that the Lord has been teaching you.”
In the small stone hotel, Olford led Billy step by step through
the Bible verses on the Spirit’s power, which had produced
Olford’s profound spiritual renewal a few months earlier. The
effects of the mentoring, however, were not evident in that
evening’s service.
The Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham