Today in History

Today in History
1980
U.S. Hockey Team -- Miracle on Ice

In one of the most dramatic upsets in Olympic history, the underdog U.S. hockey team, made up of college players, defeated the four-time defending gold-medal winning Soviet team at the XIII Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid, New York.

The Soviet squad, previously regarded as the finest in the world, fell to the youthful American team 4-3 before a frenzied crowd of 10,000 spectators. Two days later, the Americans defeated Finland 4-2 to clinch the hockey gold.

The Soviet team had captured the previous four Olympic hockey golds, going back to 1964, and had not lost an Olympic hockey game since 1968. Three days before the Lake Placid Games began, the Soviets routed the U.S. team 10-3 in an exhibition game at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

The Americans looked scrappy, but few blamed them for it–their average age, after all, was only 22, and their team captain, Mike Eruzione, was recruited from the obscurity of the Toledo Blades of the International League.

Few had high hopes for the seventh-seeded U.S. team entering the Olympic tournament, but the team soon silenced its detractors, making it through the opening round of play undefeated, with four victories and one tie, thus advancing to the four-team medal round. The Soviets, however, were seeded No. 1 and as expected went undefeated, with five victories in the first round.

On Friday afternoon, February 22, the American amateurs and the Soviet dream team met before a sold-out crowd at Lake Placid. The Soviets broke through first, with their new young star, Valery Krotov, deflecting a slap shot beyond American goalie Jim Craig’s reach in the first period. Midway through the period, Buzz Schneider, the only American who had previously been an Olympian, answered the Soviet goal with a high shot over the shoulder of Vladislav Tretiak, the Soviet goalie.

The relentless Soviet attack continued as the period progressed, with Sergei Makarov giving his team a 2-1 lead. With just a few seconds left in the first period, American Ken Morrow shot the puck down the ice in desperation. Mark Johnson picked it up and sent it into the Soviet goal with one second remaining. After a brief Soviet protest, the goal was deemed good, and the game was tied.

In the second period, the irritated Soviets came out with a new goalie, Vladimir Myshkin, and turned up the attack. The Soviets dominated play in the second period, outshooting the United States 12-2, and taking a 3-2 lead with a goal by Alesandr Maltsev just over two minutes into the period. If not for several remarkable saves by Jim Craig, the Soviet lead would surely have been higher than 3-2 as the third and final 20-minute period began.

Nearly nine minutes into the period, Johnson took advantage of a Soviet penalty and knocked home a wild shot by David Silk to tie the contest again at 3-3. About a minute and a half later, Mike Eruzione, whose last name means “eruption” in Italian, picked up a loose puck in the Soviet zone and slammed it past Myshkin with a 25-foot wrist shot. For the first time in the game, the Americans had the lead, and the crowd erupted in celebration.

There were still 10 minutes of play to go, but the Americans held on, with Craig making a few more fabulous saves. With five seconds remaining, the Americans finally managed to get the puck out of their zone, and the crowd began counting down the final seconds. When the final horn sounded, the players, coaches, and team officials poured onto the ice in raucous celebration. The Soviet players, as awestruck as everyone else, waited patiently to shake their opponents’ hands.

The so-called Miracle on Ice was more than just an Olympic upset; to many Americans, it was an ideological victory in the Cold War as meaningful as the Berlin Airlift or the Apollo moon landing. The upset came at an auspicious time: President Jimmy Carter had just announced that the United States was going to boycott the 1980 Summer Games in Moscow because of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and Americans, faced with a major recession and the Iran hostage crisis, were in dire need of something to celebrate.

After the game, President Carter called the players to congratulate them, and millions of Americans spent that Friday night in revelry over the triumph of “our boys” over the Russian pros.

As the U.S. team demonstrated in their victory over Finland two days later, it was disparaging to call the U.S. team amateurs. Three-quarters of the squad were top college players who were on their way to the National Hockey League (NHL), and coach Herb Brooks had trained the team long and hard in a manner that would have made the most authoritative Soviet coach proud.

The 1980 U.S. hockey team was probably the best-conditioned American Olympic hockey team of all time–the result of countless hours running skating exercises in preparation for Lake Placid. In their play, the U.S. players adopted passing techniques developed by the Soviets for the larger international hockey rinks, while preserving the rough checking style that was known to throw the Soviets off-guard. It was these factors, combined with an exceptional afternoon of play by Craig, Johnson, Eruzione, and others, that resulted in the miracle at Lake Placid.

This improbable victory was later memorialized in a 2004 film, Miracle, starring Kurt Russell.

Words to Ponder

Words to Ponder
The BIBLE
“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:31

Quotes of Presidents
“Without God there could be no American form of government, nor an American way of life. Recognition of the Supreme Being is the first - the most basic - expression of Americanism. Thus, the founding fathers of America saw it, and thus with God’s help, it will continue to be.” President Gerald Ford

Wise Words
“His legacy encompasses the world..." Ann Graham Lotz on her father Billy Graham

Daddy Is Home

Daddy Is Home
Ann Graham Lotz on Her Father's Death

“My Father’s legacy is one that encompasses the world…and engulfs my own life. When I think of him, I don’t think of Billy Graham, the public figure. I think of my Daddy. The one who was always a farmer at heart. Who loved his dogs and his cat. Who followed the weather patterns almost as closely as he did world events. Who wore old blue jeans, comfortable sweaters, and a baseball cap. Who loved lukewarm coffee, sweet ice tea, one scoop of ice cream, and a plain hamburger from McDonald’s. Who was interested in everything and everyone, from the small to the great. Whose mind remembered details that even a computer would have trouble recalling.

“But when I think of him I also think of his message because he was immersed in it. Saturated in it. He was his message…a simple man who had responded to God’s love by placing his faith in Jesus, receiving the assurance that his sins were forgiven, that he would not perish, but would have everlasting life. Simple faith. Faith that now matters more than anything else.

“For years, over his head as he preached was the banner that quoted the words of Jesus: 'I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.' Jesus completed that sentence by saying that 'no one comes to the Father but by Me.' Based on what Jesus said, Daddy is safely with the Father. In Heaven. Daddy not only claimed Jesus as the only Way to God, he lived by the Truth publicly on platforms and privately behind closed doors, and is now enjoying real Life.

“I have often stated that I was raised by a single parent because ministry took my father away from our family—for weeks and months at a time. Daddy estimated that he was gone from home approximately 60 percent of his children’s growing-up years. Now, he has left again. This time, he will not be coming back. At least, not until Jesus does, too.

“While he may be physically absent and his voice silent, I am confident that his message will continue to reverberate throughout the generations to come. My prayer on this day of his move to Our Father’s House is that his death will be a rallying cry. That tens of thousands of pastors, teachers, evangelists, and ordinary men and women will rise up to take his place. That they will take up his message like a baton being passed in a relay race and faithfully pass it on to those with whom they come in contact. Because Daddy’s message is God’s message. And it’s a message of genuine hope for the future, of love for the present, of forgiveness for the past.

“It’s a message, when received, that brings a fresh beginning, unshakable joy, unexplainable peace, eternal significance, meaning and purpose to life, and opens Heaven’s door.

“It was this message, which Daddy carried to the world, that penetrated my own heart as a young girl and has created in me a personal, passionate resolve to communicate it myself to as many people as possible. And so, even as my tears seem to be unending, I silently rededicate my life to picking up and passing on the baton.

"Would you do the same?”

Franklin Graham's Message

Franklin Graham's Message Regarding His Father

My father Billy Graham was once asked, “Where is Heaven?”

He replied, “Heaven is where Jesus is and I am going to Him soon!”

This morning, at the age of 99, he departed this world into eternal life in Heaven, prepared by the Lord Jesus Christ—the Savior of the world—whom he proclaimed for nearly 80 years.

He will be missed by our family, his colleagues, faithful ministry partners, and, yes, many around the world. But what joy he has to be welcomed by God the Father, and to be reunited with my mother in the presence of Jesus who speaks peace to eternal souls.

What about you?

When you depart this world do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity? You can know this today.

Jesus said, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

The One who comforts weary souls has given us this promise: “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me … I go to prepare a place for you … I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:1-3).

And the Devil Smiled

And the Devil Smiled

Fox News Todd Starnes makes some great points in this piece he wrote – "The Devil Smiled." Take a minute to read it and ponder its timely message:

The Devil Smiled
Another American high school has been turned into a killing field. And the nation wonders why.

Well, I’m going to answer that question for you. And the answer may leave you a bit unsettled. You see – I believe there is a God — but I also believe there is a Devil. And I see his hand at work here.

We’ve raised a generation to believe that truth is relative – that there is no right or wrong.
And the Devil smiled.

They kicked God out of public schools – banned Bibles and prayer.
And the Devil smiled.

We’ve destroyed the traditional family – we have broken parents in broken homes raising broken kids.
And the Devil smiled.

There are no consequences for bad behavior – no personal responsibility.
And the Devil smiled.

Marriage vows have been poisoned by pornography. Society looks upon marriage as a temporary convenience, a legal date, that can be abandoned when maintaining its vows becomes inconvenient.
And the Devil smiled.

Our movies and music and games glorify violence and gore, and we allow our children to 'play' these games instead of engaging in wholesome activities with other young people.
And the Devil smiled.

What happened in Parkland, Florida is about wickedness – a war between the forces of darkness and LIGHT – a battle between evil. and GOOD. What has happened in Parkland and in so many other places evidences the age-old conflict between the devil and GOD!

There is no doubt our land is wounded, her people suffering. But we have turned our backs on the One who promised to heal our Land. (If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land." II Chronicles 7:14)

The politicians and pundits would have you believe this is not about God, it’s not about righteousness. They would have you believe it’s about politics and mental illness and gun control.
And the Devil smiled.

Billy Graham Touched My Life

Billy Graham Touched My Life by Aimee Herd

I hope you will allow me to add my heart regarding Rev. Graham
to other testimonies of the good work he has done. Billy Graham passed into the Presence of Jesus on February 21, but the impact of his life upon millions of other lives will be eternal.

God used him to touch my life too.

I'm not positive of the year, but I believe it was likely 1970, and I would've been nine years old. My distinct memory is sitting with my mother in our living room, watching the Billy Graham crusade on TV.

I remember only in pieces, but I know that we were intently listening to Rev. Graham's preaching, and to the testimonies of those who were touched by his preaching.

I know when it came time for Graham's invitation, my mom looked at me and I was already crying.

Although raised in the Episcopal Church, I know my mother and I both, that day, invited Jesus into our lives in a way we never had before.

It was the beginning of a spiritual journey for me that ebbed and flowed, but one that was always rooted in a deep awe and love for the Lord.

Years later, when I truly made a commitment to follow God, I was—and to this day I am still—able to look back at God's fingerprints at certain times through my growing up years, and how that journey was really set in motion by a faithful, godly messenger named Billy Graham.

Confirmed

Confirmed by Others--Message for the Young
From: Today God Is First by Os Hillman
February 22, 2018

"The LORD was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the LORD," 1 Samuel 3:19-20.

When I was 14 years old I was an exceptional junior golfer. This is not pride on my part, but merely a fact. I had already broken 70 several times and had three hole-in-ones. I competed in the US Junior Amateur and eventually turned pro after attending college on a four year golf scholarship.

Those who knew me affirmed the gift and calling that appeared to be on my life. I turned professional for about three years, but God later redirected my life into business and vocational ministry. All of these experiences have combined over many years to contribute to the calling I am living out today.

As we mature in our natural and spiritual lives, God uses our parents, teachers, uncles, coaches and pastors to affirm the gifts and callings that are on our lives. At the time, it often seems like these people are trying to get in the way of what we want to do. However, God uses authority figures to provide key direction during the early teen and twenty-something years. He is using these people to help guide us to the ultimate destiny He has for our lives.

When we are young, we are often more impressionable than at any other time in our lives. The young person who can allow wisdom to rule over immaturity and impatience is a rare individual. However, if you are able to receive from the people God puts in your life at this stage, you will be so far ahead of your peers and you will be amazed.

"God is continually preparing His heroes, and when the opportunity is right, He puts them into position in an instant. He works so fast, the world wonders where they came from," said A. B. Simpson.

Let God do the foundation work so that He can advance you to His ultimate destiny He has for your life.