Jim Graff

Shortly after graduating college, a friend and I were invited to hold an evangelistic rally in Kampala, Uganda. When we arrived, we discovered they expected us to pay for everything—the platform, PA system, and advertising. The problem is—we only had $250 for five weeks!  After praying, we decided to invest $200 on a stage and marketing […]

A famous NFL coach used to tell his team, “Everyone wants to live on Easy Street, but the path to Easy Street goes through the sewer.” I love that—because it’s life, and it’s true! Few people in Scripture understood this reality better than Job. We find one of the most beautiful moments in his story […]

Matt Emmons was considered the greatest rifleman in the United States about twenty years ago. He won gold medals in the Olympics and was at the top of his game when in 2004, something happened that would overshadow all his achievements. He was competing in Greece and was favored to win. He was far ahead […]

Last summer, I was at the beach with my grandkids when I heard a man exclaim to his wife, “Honey! Someone stole our stuff!” I chuckled to myself and thought, “He must not be from around here.” Why? Because he wasn’t aware of the drift—the pull of the water slowly but surely taking him away […]

One week in college, I remember feeling especially burdened. I was trying to discern what God wanted me to give my life to post-college, all while keeping bills paid and assignments done.             At our Wednesday night church service that week, my pastor approached me.             “How are you doing, Jim?” He asked.             “Pretty good under the […]

I recently heard a story from the Bedouin community—an ancient nomadic people in the Middle East—that gripped my heart. One day, two young men got into an argument that escalated into a fight. In a tragic moment, one struck the other in a way that accidentally led to his death. This community holds firmly to […]

We sing them every year. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing. Angels We Have Heard on High. It Came Upon the Midnight Clear. These beloved Christmas carols all point to the same moment—one that might just be my favorite part of the Christmas story. Shepherds were watching their fields in the darkness, probably exhausted from their work, […]

I’ve pastored over thirty-five years now, and recently, it hit me that I’ve probably preached on Advent from every single character’s perspective—except for one. The star of the show, the reason for the season—Jesus. As I thought through the story, I wondered how He might’ve felt leading up to His own birth—knowing He was trading […]

Perseverance isn’t easy. It requires choosing what’s hard over what’s easy over and over again. It can often feel pointless, but it’s the vital foundation of any lasting success. We see this clearly in the story of the Israelites during their critical period of restoration following exile. Here’s some backstory. In 539 BC, King Cyrus […]

Throughout history, every generation has faced defining moments that challenge the values of their nation. For my parents’ generation, it was the shock of the assassinations of the Kennedys and Martin Luther King Jr., which forced the country to confront the issue of civil rights. For my generation, it was 9/11. When those planes hit the […]