A L.A. meeting during the 1940s that lit revival fires around the world

In the 1940s, a young Billy Graham gained attention around the world by using the media platforms available at the time. His willingness to try new technologies to reach people for Christ is inspiring as Dallas Leadership Foundation remembers the can-do attitude of the 1940s for its 20th-anniversary gala Oct. 1.

According to the Randall Balmer for the Encyclopedia Britannica, Graham sought "to dissociate himself from the image of the stodgy fundamentalist preacher. He seized the opportunity presented by new media technologies, especially radio and television, to spread the message of the gospel."

In 1949, according to Britannica, after a spiritual retreat in southern California, Graham "decided to set aside his intellectual doubts about Christianity and simply 'preach the gospel,' " Balmer wrote.                                                                                                                                                      
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Biography.com describes what happened this way:

It did not take long for people to identify with Billy Graham's charismatic and heartfelt gospel sermons. In 1949, a group called "Christ for Greater Los Angeles" invited Graham to preach at their L.A. revival. When radio personality Stuart Hamblen had Graham on his radio show, word of the revival spread. The publicity filled Graham's tents and extended the revival for an additional five weeks. At the urging of newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, papers around the nation covered Graham's revival meetings closely."

Graham, the founder of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, has been a fixture in America for multiple generations. Through the association, according to its website, Graham started the "Hour or Decision" radio program, which was heard around the world for more than 60 years, developed television programming, wrote a syndicated newspaper column, penned 33 books, and published a magazine. 

The choice Graham made during his early years of ministry carved out a path to fulfill his ministry call -- with the contemporary platforms tools he'd been given. Graham reflected over what he learned in life during a 9/11 message he gave in 2001:  “I’ve become an old man now. And I’ve preached all over the world. And the older I get, the more I cling to that hope that I started with many years ago and proclaimed it in many languages to many parts of the world.”

Support Dallas Leadership Foundation's gala as we celebrate 20 years in Dallas with our "Help Us Do More" theme inspired by the 1940s. Visit http://www.dlftx.org/ to purchase tickets or tables. You can also invite others to support DLF by sharing our posts on your favorite social networks and using the hashtag #Give2Transform.

The world listened when C.S. Lewis commanded audiences during WWII

Before Aslan roared his way into the hearts of children (and adults), the author of "The Chronicles of Narnia" books featuring the majestic lion king was a comforting voice on British radio during World War II. The author was C.S. Lewis, and he enthralled audiences on BBC Home Service radio as his country faced war. 

From Wikipedia

As Dallas Leadership Foundation prepares to commemorate 20 years of service with a 1940s-inspired gala, Lewis is a figure no one can forget. One of his famous broadcasts during the war was "Right and Wrong:  A Clue to the Meaning of the Universe," a program that lasted nearly three years. The program started in 1942 in Great Britain and ran as "The Case for Christianity" in the United States starting in 1943. He also presented other radio programs. (Listen to Lewis in this recording of this 1944 broadcast "Beyond Personality.")

In a scholarly discussion on Lewis' role in World War II in 2011 at Seattle Pacific University, the Rev. Palmer praised Lewis for his four-talk series, "Right and Wrong: A Clue to the Meaning of the Universe," according to writer Jeffrey Overstreet:

 "The first of his BBC broadcasts on faith that ran for almost three years. Lewis did not start by condemning Nazis or by evangelizing, said Palmer: "He begins by describing common quarrels, like two people fighting over a bus seat." Lewis revealed, carefully and strategically, that "every human being knows of a durable, a real, a permanent rightness," Palmer added. "What is the sense in saying the enemy is wrong unless right is the real thing?"

From Wikipedia: jschroe from Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, USA - Lewis' House

Historians also say Lewis entertained guests at the Kilns, his home in Oxford. As Lyle Dorsett wrote in C.S. Lewis: A Profile of His Life: 

Writing, to be sure, is a lonely enterprise. This Lewis understood. And even though he felt called by God to write, he likewise felt it was required of him to counsel those who made the pilgrimage to The Kilns, his home on the edge of Oxford. Frequently he believed it was his calling to explain the Christian faith to people over BBC radio, and to the airmen at the RAF bases during World War II. 

Lewis understood making a leadership difference when and where he could. In the book "Weight of Glory," Lewis wrote: “Never, in peace or war, commit your virtue or your happiness to the future. Happy work is best done by the man who takes his long-term plans somewhat lightly and works from moment to moment ‘as to the Lord.’ ” 

Support Dallas Leadership Foundation's gala as we celebrate 20 years in Dallas with our "Help Us Do More" theme inspired by the 1940s. Visit http://www.dlftx.org/ to purchase tickets or tables. You can also invite others to support DLF by sharing our posts on your favorite social networks and using the hashtag #Give2Transform.

Mary McLeod Bethune: An example of a persuasive leader

One leader whose story never fails to motivate is Mary McLeod Bethune. Her ability to transform her spheres of influence is worth remembering as Dallas Leadership Foundation commemorates 20 years of leading through service in Dallas with a 1940s-themed gala Oct. 1.

Bethune was born in 1875 to former slaves. She was one of 17 siblings. According to Biography.com, the whole family picked cotton to earn a living, but Bethune was the only one who got the chance to attend school. She traveled miles each day to attend class.  “The whole world opened to me when I learned to read,” Bethune is quoted as saying.

Bethune received a scholarship to Scotia Seminary (Barber-Scotia College) and attended Dwight L. Moody's Institute for Home and Foreign Missions in Chicago, known today as Moody Bible Institute. Although she was inspired to be a missionary to Africa when she was 12, one biographical account says that at some point Bethune was told there were no available positions for black missionaries at the time. She became a teacher instead.

From Wikipedia: Mary McLeod Bethune with her students in 1905.

After working as a teacher, in 1904 Bethune started a school for girls. Classes began with five girls. Bethune and her students made sweet potato pies and sold fried fish to workers at the dump to raise school donations. Eventually, the school merged with an institution for boys and became known as Bethune-Cookman College. The college was fully accredited in 1943 and became a university in 2007.

From Wikipedia: Mary McLeod Bethune anEleanor Roosevelt in 1943

Bethune worked with Presidents Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover on social causes, but she is most remembered for her relationship with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and President Franklin D. Roosevelt. 

During the 1930s, Bethune was appointed as a special advisor to President Roosevelt on minority affairs, and also a year later she was appointed as director of the Division for Negro Affairs of the National Youth Administration. She worked to make sure that black colleges participated in the Civilian Pilot Training program – which opened the door to the first African-American pilots, including the famous Tuskegee Airmen who fought in World War II. She also served as a special assistant to the U.S. Secretary of War for the selection of candidates for the Women’s Army Corps (WAC).

Bethune used the platform of friendship with the Roosevelts to spotlight the concerns of African-Americans. Bethune also served in the so-called “Black Cabinet,” which was known formally as the Federal Council of Negro Affairs, a panel of black leaders who held federal roles and who advised the White House.

Bethune, who worked to improve the lives of black women throughout the South, founded the National Council of Negro Women in 1935, an organization that is still active today. In 1943, she moved to Washington, D.C. at the council’s new headquarters. The council was a force against segregated conditions and a force for the betterment of black women throughout the country.

She also was an early member of the National Association of Colored People (NAACP). She joined W.E.B. DuBois and Walter White as representatives of the NAACP at the founding conference for the United Nations in 1945. She was the only black woman there.

Bethune continued to make history until her death in 1955. She wrote in her will: “Faith is the first factor in a life devoted to service. Without it, nothing is possible. With it, nothing is impossible.”

Support Dallas Leadership Foundation's 20th anniversary gala by visiting http://www.dlftx.org/ and purchasing tickets or tables. You can also invite others to support DLF by sharing our posts on your favorite social networks and using the hashtag #Give2Transform.

A new year brings in memories of the 1940s 'Exodus'

This evening starts the new year -- 5776 -- on the Jewish calendar. In Israel, and around the world, millions of Jews are celebrating the new year on the lunar-based calendar they've used for thousands of years. The two-day celebration kicks off the High Holy Days, also known as the "Days of Awe."

The creation of the State of Israel was a signature event during the 1940s, the decade of transforming leadership Dallas Leadership Foundation is remembering during our 20th anniversary celebration gala Oct. 1 at Union Station in downtown Dallas.

Israel officially declared statehood on May 15, 1948. Hollywood offered its perspective on the birth of Israel with the 1960 film "Exodus" starring Paul Newman and Eva Marie Saint. The film was based on the 1958 Leon Uris book of the same name. If you want to dive into this epic event from the 1940s (or if you need a break from football), check this one out. Turner Classic Movies offers an article  and notes to prep you about the story and the making of the film.

Support Dallas Leadership Foundation's 20th anniversary gala by visiting http://www.dlftx.org/

You can also invite others to support DLF by sharing our posts on your favorite social networks and using the hashtag #Give2Transform.