By Will Graham
Everywhere I go, people ask me about my grandfather and how he’s doing. As we celebrate his 94th birthday today, you may be asking the same thing. Well, I’m really pleased to tell you that he’s doing very well, especially for someone who has spent so many years on the road and accomplished so much in his lifetime. He misses my grandmother dearly, and looks forward to the day when he gets to go home to Heaven, but he also understands that God still has him here on this earth for a reason.
The other question I often get – usually right after people ask how he’s doing – is “What’s your grandpa really like?” I have to admit that the question often amuses me a little, as if my grandfather morphs into some sort of other being (for better or worse) when he’s at home away from the cameras and news media.
The truth of the matter is that the Billy Graham that I see when I visit his house is the exact same Billy Graham that you’ve seen on television or in person for decades. There’s only one difference: at home he’s quiet. He doesn’t talk.
When you see him in a television interview, or preaching from the stage, he’s always spreading his message. In fact, in the early days of his ministry he was referred to as “God’s Machinegun” because he would walk the stage and speak so fast and with so much passion.
But when he gets home, he doesn’t want to talk (especially not about himself). He wants to hear you speak. He wants to know how you’re doing. He wants to know about your family, your ministry, your job.
If there’s one thing that I’ve always appreciated so much about my grandfather, it’s his humility. He honestly has no idea why God chose to use him – the son of a dairy farmer – to speak to so many people about the love, hope and salvation of Christ. He once said, “I feel like I’m just along for the ride, watching what God is doing.” It’s never been about him. It’s always been about God, and those around him.
I remember the day that the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association broke ground on the ministry’s new headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was a cold day and drizzly October day, with everybody bundled up under a tent. Many speakers had wonderful and glowing things to say about my grandfather, what he has accomplished and how loved and admired he is.
When it became his turn to speak, my grandfather took the podium to applause and quietly began with words from the book of John. “Jesus must increase, and I must decrease,” he said. “I sort of cringe when I hear my name called in something that I know has been the work of God through these years.”
If you are asking what is Billy Graham really like, there’s your answer, my friends. He’s a humble man who cringes when his name is mentioned, who doesn’t want to talk about himself, but deeply loves others and deeply loves his Savior.
It’s my honor to wish my grandfather a very happy 94th birthday. I love you Daddy Bill!
Click here if you would like to see what Billy Graham is doing on his birthday next year?
Will Graham is the third generation of Grahams to proclaim the Gospel under the banner of BGEA. Will has spoken to audiences around the world. He graduated from Liberty University in 1997 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Religion and in 2001 graduated from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity degree. Will and his wife, Kendra, have three children. He currently serves as executive director of the Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove in Asheville, N.C.