Today is Reverend Billy Graham's 92nd birthday.
Age has taken its toll on Mr. Graham physically, but a spokesperson says "the lion still has a roar."
Today, Billy Graham spends most of his time in the remote western North Carolina mountain home where he and his wife, Ruth, raised their five children. "There are a lot of miles on that body," his daughter Ruth says. "His world has become smaller."
It has been a difficult time for Graham. In summer 2007, his wife, Ruth, died after being bedridden for many years. The grief is still constant for Graham.
Graham's children say that despite his remarkable life, he is a humble man who doesn't dwell on the past. "My father doesn't look backwards," his daughter Ruth said. "He really does see that God was the one who did it, and he just happened to be in the room."
I recently watched a couple of excellent movies about Billy Graham, and highly recommend them. The first movie, Billy: The Early Years of Billy Graham, chronicles his early life and tells the story of what drove him, as he followed his faith during the journey that ultimately led him to revolutionize modern-day evangelism.
The second movie, Billy Graham: God's Ambassador, is a documentary which uses rare archival footage from Graham's early life, and looks back on his ministry by talking to those who know him best, including family members, friends, and Presidents George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush.
At the end of the movie, Mr. Graham says that, "One day, we will hear a news bulletin declaring 'Billy Graham is dead.' But I'm not going to be dead. I'm just going to have a new address — in Heaven."
I have created a slideshow in honor of Mr. Graham's birthday today. If you would like to see it, turn your sound up on your computer and click on the arrow.
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6 comments:
Billy Graham is my mom's cousin (2nd I think). She is also from a small town in N.C. They are related through their grandfathers. Mom is also a 2nd cousin to Elizabeth Dole and remembers playing with Elizabeth at her home when they were small. I'm so proud to have these two wonderful people in my family tree.
Judy
Thank you for a wonderful tribute to this godly man who stayed true to his faith!
Carolyn
What a beautiful tribute on this glorious Sunday morning. Thank you!
Of all the sermons he's preached, the life he's lived, my most vivid thought of him is his credo that he was NEVER ONCE alone in a room with a woman not his wife.
Not a shadow, not a doubt, in this age of so much gossip and perhaps.
He respected her and his Work too much to discredit them with even a fleeting whisper of impropriety.
Happy Birthday Mr. Graham. So thankful for you and the influence you have been.
Oh, I adore this man. What a sweetheart and so humble. And such a strong servant of the Most High.
Happy Birthday, Mr. Graham. You have blessed my life more than I can ever tell you here.
XO,
Sheila :-)
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