The Story of America's Pastor, Billy Graham

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Some of our favorite 11 presidents. The Pope dozens of world leaders of shared their personal thoughts about matters of faith with him. We would like to give a wholehearted thank you to the folks at the Billy Graham evangelistic Association granting us permission to use the footage you're about to hear from their exceptional film Billy Graham an extraordinary journey here is Greg Hendler with the story of Billy Graham. Billy Graham was born in a dairy farm in Charlotte North Carolina November 7, 1918 as a boy he spent his time following baseball reading Tarzan and perfecting his techniques swinging from vines in the nearby woods.

Billy's mother Morrow Graham, his sister Jean's brother Melvin and Billy himself came to all why I knew it was on red, and then he will and he didn't like to laugh. He and Melvin weren't on the dairy farm.

Melvin weren't really didn't like to do physical work was interested in two things that would be baseball girls. Not sure which all you think about religion.

I Billy was brought up in a devout Christian household, but he had no interest in religious things. When he was 15. A friend informed him that some of the high school students in Charlotte were going to pick the very popular traveling evangelist Mordechai Hamm declaring she has no business telling us how to live our lives this day and age. Billy went to see the standoff when the students failed to show up. He decided to go in here for himself with this preacher had to say. Here's Billy the voice of Mordechai Hamm and Billy's mother and brother when Mordechai came to Charlotte some solid big circle saw big emotional event and I didn't have any about going have never seen such a large crowd attending a religious meeting on 4000 people, and it made a great impression on me and I decided I want to go back the next night and the next and then the next one will mean you that time, the conviction that I was a sinner that I needed redemption myself that I needed Christ in my heart I was a church member but I still knew that something was lacking. I knew that I didn't have a personal relationship. One night when the invitation was given just said more. I'm going and it was on the last verse of the last song they sang in about 401 for the night I did when I stood there seven from all my friends to my room that night.

I remember kneeling down like my and never knelt before. I never prayed like and I said Lord on what's happened. What this means. Whatever it means, I would appreciate your help in his life. We knew God had his emphasis became more on what the preacher been preaching in and wanting to know for doing something about the Bible in 19 37 billion ruled in the Florida Bible Institute.

He was here she experienced a calling he couldn't deny this little girl speaking so I want to use you for the bold arguments I could about not capable of proper education. But God was calling and I knew that. So I go home on the House of Lords all go where you want me to go will all be what you want me to be and I said yours first sermon church is the First Baptist Church of Venice install Sunday morning and the church was filled not to hear me know me from Adam David invitation and told people to come and I've never done that before and 11 people will never forget that and so far that said, you have given me a gift that I didn't know that I can give an indication people come to Christ and began to given the patient's after the 1945, Billy joined the youth for Christ as a traveling evangelist 1 million miles during the next four years but he soon faced the dilemma that threatened to derail his emerging ministry. Billy's son Frank Graham is going on within his friends began to question Scripture and were questioning why my father believed in the Bible to be the inspired word of God that you couldn't really trust the Scriptures and Bill fashion fundamentalist trust descriptions and I began to think perhaps they're right. Maybe this Bible isn't as authoritative as was how disturbed I was for that because I will believe in the Bible.

Billy Graham was at a crossroads. The summer of 1949 would bring them to a watershed moment and you been listening to the life story of Billy Graham is important. A person is there was in the 20th century, and I don't mean just a pastor when we come back will continue this remarkable story Billy Graham story here on our American stories American stories we bring you inspiring stories of history, sports, business, faith and love stories from a great and beautiful country need to be told we can't do it without you are stories are free to listen to with her not free to make if you love are stories in America like we do.

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I never had any correspondence with the rate certainly started a chain of events that I never dreamed not follow Associated Press, United press service stories and time life Newsweek Billy Graham became nationally known people standing outside switch place. Something about Billy Graham, 19 encouragement of his wife and her Christian friends Louisiana Marine reluctantly join the crowd became famous and Olympic track star 1936 and then well on a search and rescue mission. During World War II mechanical difficulties for Sam Perini's plane to crash into the ocean. After drifting at sea for 47 days. He was taken to a Japanese prison camp where he was tortured so we return home. A hero, he was filled with bitter rage towards his Japanese captor known as the bird and had turned to alcohol to drown his pain. Here's Louisiana Marine Billy Graham. Just like Scriptures is the right shot me on the heart not realize when I had to do one time before I got to the man I'll there.

I made my just know what I trying to write. I knew it was all over.

Once I got not accepted Christ in my life is changing. After what became a weeklong revival. Nothing would ever be the same for Billy Graham and his wife Ruth Graham is Billy son Ned there never been a Billy Graham without risk. Graham in 1948 nearly 22 years of age. Billy was 6 feet and 2 inches tall and weighed about 160 pounds and spoke with a strong southern drawl. It was at this time were Billy met Ruth Bell while continuing his studies at Wheaton College near Chicago, the daughter of medical missionaries in China. She was known for deep and disciplined Christian faith and mischievous fun. Billy and his mother is working on a map, sunflower this round of truck began to tell me about this girl China. He said she's the girl you live lies already on the phone when I came out and saw her standing that he said that his at that moment I was in love not only love something foam inside. Shortly your wife. I was frightened to death, thereby asking for a date, but I finally worked up enough courage to ask her to go Christmastime to the Messiah. And so I took her to the Messiah and that she was everything that I've heard about her. Ruth came one day if you let me share his life, considered the greatest possible and I didn't know what lay ahead. I would've had the nerve. My mother was a partnership called together as a team. Mother Heather will two months four months six months. Don't know how she did it is down.

This drop with tears in my some months before Sarah daughter Gigi times she was doing taken jacket and sleep with it so she could smell smell and for young woman staff commitment enabled you to remain faithful to God's call as opportunities to reach people with the gospel group beyond anything they could've ever imagined a journey that would last six decades. His former news anchor Charles Gibson Franklin Graham is music and program director Cliff Barros is always hungry for faith in this country and for answers. He really brought that basic your people to the forefront the gospel message to as many people as I possibly could. God's word.

God's word.

Not only was Billy Graham willing to go anywhere. He was also willing to use every effective communication tool available on June 1, 1957, Americans witnessed the first live telecast of the Billy Graham Crusade. Here's Kathy Lee Gifford, Tom Brokaw and breaking your race skin. He knew how valuable media was important was to get his crusades on television that millions and millions exponentially. People would see Dr. Graham all always handsome as movie star, he spoken language everybody could understand. Television was a perfect medium night sky market as I couldn't take your eyes and your listening to the life story of Billy Bergman calling on his life son described in the gospel to the world and preach the more people than anyone in world history, and that is indeed why were covering the story is never been one like him.

There may never be one like him. I'll go anywhere at any time at any cost to spread the gospel. My goodness, Billy Graham just that when we come back the great Billy Graham. His life story continues here on our American stores and we continue with the life story Billy Graham here on our American stories. Let's pick up we last left off the audience was always faithful to the message.

Here he is with Jack Parr, Johnny Carson, Phil Donahue and Larry king about what you said but I always tell them that mom is not commandments can be broken in your heart and that's the reason the Bible says that everybody is is and Jesus said step in your heart you already committed. I really have trouble in the Bible says all that's the reason we need the forgiveness of God, and that's why Christ okay I don't want to know you except to go on the secular programs because he felt like this was just 1 More Way that the gospel of Jesus Christ.

He preached whether he was on Larry King live press and usually religious in any way. He never got off message is your purpose is going to the whole world find this message that God loves people that he's interested in people. He wants to help them in their present situation and he wants to save their souls know always new with Graham that it was about the message and not about the man in his sling all year's NFL coach Tony dungeon is love.

Try to overwhelm words was so blind I will call you shot you one of the greatest life were trying to make the world's free weights and demand aggression almost from the beginning about meetings in the South.

Today it's almost impossible generations understand things in those days what it threatening letters how many threats against my family.

As a result of the stand public acts against racial segregation took place in his crusades in the South during the early 1950s he walked into the Crusade in the ropes so Billy saw them. Blacks were supposed to sit back about them like to sit in front was called and decided that I had to speak out on it had to do something about no more of this and I went to the ocean, asking if you remove the ropes and they said no.

He got up from the platform, and he walked down past the archers and took the ropes down himself and I remember that ship resign and little black about that.

His approach is more of trying to get people into the relationship of Christ to transform their mindset in the way in which they live differently and thus treat people differently.

Make present Bill Clinton almost 50 years ago Sunday school teacher took me to Little Rock. Billy Graham Crusade tried to convince the pressure Billy Graham and all this people preach to the segregated audience and he told them that they insisted on that he would cancel Crusade until in my home state law. 1.when you nationality, worldview tested when he made a trip inside the curtain in 1982. He was fearless, old way to take a risk when it was the right reason will Billy's daughter was criticized even my father called his relationship with Christ in your listening to the story of Billy Graham and the love of God facing down totalitarians and when we come back more of this remarkable story here on our American stories and we continue with our American stories we just heard the story of Billy Graham's role in the Cold War and in the segregated South is Greg Candler with the final chapter of his story, here's Pres. George H. W. Bush moral awakening starting here in America December burning away places behind the Iron Curtain, Billy Graham with other messengers you carried forth the word balance in shock over what you believe in people were in search of something I knew that we needed to help the nation recover Karl Rove and pastor wanted Rev. Graham to purchase paid in service international Cathedral big problem was that there was no commercial air traffic in fact there were no civilian aircraft allowed to fly with the Defense Department and the FAA to get special permission of the morning of service literally insulate aircraft above the nation. Billy Graham 11.

History is to remember, no matter how hard we try simply cannot express shop revolts and will what took place in this nation on Tuesday morning, three days after vicious attack, just being his presence gave you a sense of calm in the nation needed calm.

We come together today to affirm our conviction that God is for us. The Bible says it is God of all comfort comforts us in our troubles. I sat there watching television with millions of people.

Tears face we see all around. He was a natural voice to the entire nation cross tells us that God understands himself in the person of Jesus Christ. How soon the class Pres. Harry Truman and extending to the presidency of George W. Bush, Graham served as their pastor preacher chaplain and counselor.

Here's preteen Larry King and Charles Gibson present reached out to them because they wanted what he had his relationship was a comforter rollover advisor sessions that he may have had with Bill Clinton when he was in trouble Johnson when he despaired George Bush when he was about to send kids to while we weren't in on those sessions. It's obvious that all of those presidents said, very open, I can take such comfort from talking to Billy Graham, Pres. George H. W.

Bush, Billy Graham, man, the preacher farmer's son help change the world is a spiritual gift to all of us prison Fellowship, Chuck Colson, my favorite stories ugly Graham is Memphis prison set up almost like a stadium inside the prison yard and broaden the people from all the surrounding but when it was over 71 of Roy preaching the prisons. I was going to the segregation because those who are in isolation can't come out and all the aides were trying to pull Dr. Graham away from the crowds and he said not want to follow Chuck so we went into the segregation unit walk-through from cell to cell and going to talk to them was through a little hole we passed food through this cold. Thanks prison concrete floor. Billy Graham set the and spent about 10 months leading up to Christ through the ear again. He would be visiting battlefield. Oftentimes the hospitals. I remember one time there was a soldier they brought in. He was in a Stryker framing been severely injured on the battlefield and the only way Bill could see it was to get down on his back and slide under that hospital bed, look at him and those that followed saw Mr. Graham on his back, looking at him and saying God bless you buddy, let me pray for you coming down soon as I Billy Graham press conference for his final no see God. February 25, 2018, 99 years of age, America and the world receive the news.

Billy Graham's children speaking is a little teachable but we all showed Graham's don't you believe one word of more alive than I am now just change the dresses that I can only imagine what it was like for my father step. There was the Lord Jesus Christ say well done sir. God can you just imagine that my mother's mother, father, friends, not because it was another child, another child final words will you open your heart and you and great job as always to Greg Hendler in a very special thanks once again to the Billy Graham evangelistic Association role that remarkable footage the life story of Billy Graham here on our American stories