Billy Graham
Billy Graham
William Franklin "Billy" Graham, Jr.is an American evangelical Christian evangelist, ordained as a Southern Baptist minister, who rose to celebrity status in 1949 reaching a core constituency of middle-class, moderately conservative Protestants. He held large indoor and outdoor rallies; sermons were broadcast on radio and television, some still being re-broadcast today. In his six decades of television, Graham is principally known for hosting the annual Billy Graham Crusades, which he began in 1947, until he concluded in 2005, at the...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionReligious Leader
Date of Birth7 November 1918
CityCharlotte, NC
CountryUnited States of America
The thing that I remember the most in my childhood was the love of family and the discipline in the family. My father and mother both were disciplinarians, and they didn't mind using the rod. Maybe because I was the oldest child I always felt I got much more of it than anybody else.
In my family we got up in the mornings around three o'clock and went out to the barns to bring the cows in and milk. In high school I milked about twenty cows every morning and about twenty in the afternoon when I got home. I have wonderful memories from those early days when my parent's influence was so strong.
Some of the greatest values that have influenced me through the years are those that I learned as a boy growing up on the farm. I remember mostly the love in our family, but I also remember the discipline. Then there was the work; we all had to work.
I never imagined anybody would ever come out to hear me preach. I'm just a country dairy farmer from North Carolina.
After I graduated from high school, one of the former workers on our farm asked if I would be willing to join him in selling Fuller brushes through the summer. It seemed like a perfect way to make some money for college. And being away from my parents and learning to make my own way gave me self confidence.
As I got older, I guess I became more mellow and more forgiving and more loving.
I used to read five psalms every day - that teaches me how to get along with God. Then I read a chapter of Proverbs every day and that teaches me how to get along with my fellow man.
Everybody has a little bit of Watergate in him.
I can't explain 9/11, except the evil of man.
No matter how prepared you think you are for the death of a loved one, it still comes as a shock, and it still hurts very deeply.
Communism has decided against God, against Christ, against the Bible, and against all religion.
Christ demands first place. There's no room on the throne of your heart for two gods.
Chose you this day whom, not tomorrow, whom you'll serve?
Evil is real - but so is God's power and love.