Last week at the age of 99, the Reverend Billy Graham went home to be with the Lord. His death has touched many thousands as they reflect on his life and legacy. People lined the streets to watch the motorcade transport his remains to the library which bears his name. Others, including two former presidents, paid their respects in person as he lay in repose in the Graham family homestead.
Some years ago, business travel took me near North Carolina and I had the opportunity to visit the Billy Graham Library.
The beautiful brick Colonial house was Billy Graham’s childhood home. Built in 1927, the house was moved from its original location and restored on the library grounds.
The interior features some original furnishings and Graham family mementos.
I found the home really charming and nostalgic.
A barn-shaped building features interactive exhibits, a bookstore and a restaurant. Guests enter through doors at the foot of a massive cross, symbolizing the way to God being through the cross of Jesus Christ. The purpose of the library is to continue the ministry of Billy Graham—presenting the Gospel to people who may never attend a crusade event.
Exhibits trace Billy Graham’s journey from a young country boy to an international preacher known the world over.
The journey begins in the days of his youth as a dairy farmer in Charlotte, North Carolina. Bessie, the talking cow, describes early morning chores which included milking the cows.
Exhibits focus on the man, the message, the ministry, and the mission of Billy Graham, from early tent revivals to large stadium crusades and massive overseas events. This photo shows people crowded onto a building where Reverend Graham could be heard on a loudspeaker from the church next door.
From the earliest days of his ministry, Billy Graham made innovative use of the media, harnessing television, radio, film, video, and the internet to reach audiences.
Video and audio recordings paired with life-size set reproductions bring the past back to life. This exhibit describes the efforts to share the Gospel with the people of West Germany and other communist countries.
Interesting memorabilia like the personal note from President George W. Bush shows the impact Billy Graham had world leaders.
His position afforded him the opportunity to pray with presidents, but most of the people impacted by his ministry were just regular ordinary folks—moms and dads, and boys and girls. Billy Graham preached at over 400 crusades, simulcasts, and evangelistic rallies, in more 85 countries and territories. During his lifetime, Billy Graham shared God’s message of love and salvation with more than 215 million people worldwide—the most of any preacher in history.
The strong and familiar voice of Billy Graham has brought comfort to many people including myself. Walking through the exhibits brought back a flood of memories from my childhood, when my parents and grandmother would listen to radio broadcasts, or tune in to the crusades on television. His bold proclamation of the truth was powerful and reassuring. The Gospel message gives people the hope they cannot get from the world.
God used Billy Graham in a mighty way, but he would be the first to redirect attention away from himself and toward Christ. He understood that he was a tool used by God to deliver his message of salvation. One of my favorite exhibits was a timeline of faithful believers, showing how God used one to reach another, and then used them to reach someone else and so forth.
Just as Jesus multiplied the loaves and fishes to feed thousands, this illustration shows how God multiples the efforts of one to exponentially affect hundreds of thousands of others. The faithfulness of those early preachers influenced Billy Graham, who in turn presented the Gospel to countless more.
I’ve read many tributes to Billy Graham over the last few days, and there are two traits that most people seem to remember most about him. He was humble and he was faithful. He used every opportunity God gave him to preach the Gospel, and whenever he was lauded, Billy Graham redirected the admiration back to Jesus.
His message was clear and it was consistent.
“I have one message: that Jesus Christ came, he died on a cross, he rose again, and he asked us to repent of our sins and receive him by faith as Lord and Savior, and if we do, we have forgiveness of all of our sins.”
Today the remains of Billy Graham lie in honor at the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. This is a tremendous honor for any American, but so much more appropriate I think for the man nick-named America’s Pastor.
His son Franklin Graham said that his father might have been embarrassed by the country making such a fuss over him, but I think this is more for us who loved Billy Graham from afar. This time of honoring him, gives us the opportunity to reflect on his life, his ministry, and his message. And it should encourage us to evaluate our own lives. Where do we stand with God? Do we have a relationship with him, or is he just a distant figure in the background of our lives? Do we know where we’re headed when we die?
Billy Graham had no doubt of his destination. He often talked of heaven, and was looking forward to going home. And his whole life was spent telling others how to get there too.
“I am not going to heaven because I have preached to great crowds or read the Bible many times. I’m going to heaven just like the thief on the cross who said in that last moment, ‘Lord, remember me.’” –Billy Graham
On the journey toward Home,
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My name is Rob Golding. I’m 83 years of age. Billy Graham was tremendous encouragement to me as a teen ,street preacher and then when I entered Baptist ministry in New Zealand in 1963 – 1983. When Billy came to New Zealand in 1959 I was a counsellor at the Carlow Park Meetings when over 60,000 people filled the stadium. I trained and entered the Baptist ministry in 1963 and served from 1963 – 1983. I’ve followed his ministry since I first heard of the 1949 crusade in Los Angeles. What a ministry!