E-mail
Print
RSS
G-bookmarks
Live
TechnoratiRenowned evangelist Billy Graham celebrates his 90th birthday today, just three days after the nation elected its 44th president.
(Photo: AP / Chuck Burton)In this file photo, Billy Graham, left, is seen during the dedication for the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, N.C., Thursday, May 31, 2007.
The man affectionately known as the “World’s Preacher” and “America’s Pastor” for more than 60 years has been a friend to every U.S. president since Harry Truman and recently issued an appeal on behalf of president-elect Barack Obama after he became the first African American to be voted into the office.
"President Elect Barack Obama faces many challenges, and I urge everyone to join me in pledging our support and prayers as he begins the difficult task ahead,” Graham stated Wednesday.
Today, however, it will be Graham who many will be praying for in gratitude for his ministry, which has touched countless lives all over the world. Graham is believed to have spoken face-to-face with more people in more places than anyone in history, having preached to over 210 million people in over 185 countries. Hundreds of millions more have been reached through television, video, film, and webcasts.
“Words cannot describe the impact this man of God has had on me,” writes “A.P.” from the West African nation of Ghana in a message to Graham featured by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA). “I am so inspired by his love for God and his work in the vineyard of the Lord."
Another individual, identified as “S,” recalled how Graham was in Richmond, Va., for an evangelistic crusade back around 1957.
“I felt the Holy Spirit and went forward and rededicated my life. I have never been the same,” the person wrote. “I started reading my Bible and over all these years have fallen more and more in love with the Lord.”
For the past month, the BGEA has been encouraging individuals around the world to bless and encourage Graham by sending a birthday greeting or a story of how his ministry impacted their life. According to the ministry, tens of thousands of these messages have been pouring in, and are being collected together to share with the evangelist as part of the birthday celebration.
Since his historic 1949 Los Angeles crusade vaulted him into the public eye, Graham has led hundreds of thousands of individuals to make personal decisions to live for Christ, which is the main thrust of his ministry.
In 1950, Graham founded the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA), which was headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., until relocating to Charlotte, N.C., in 2003. Through the ministry, Graham has broadcasted the gospel around the world, printed a magazine that is regularly distributed to more than 600,000 individuals, and produced and distributed over 125 evangelistic productions, among other endeavors.
The evangelist has been regularly listed by the Gallup organization as one of the “Ten Most Admired Men in the World,” making an unparalleled 51 appearances and 44 consecutive appearances since 1948. He has also appeared on the covers of Time, Newsweek, Life, U.S. News and World Report, Parade, and numerous other magazines and has been the subject of many newspaper and magazine feature articles and books.
Since retiring from public ministry due to his failing health, however, Graham has been largely confined to his home in Montreat, N.C. He has suffered from Parkinson's disease for about 15 years, has had fluid on the brain, pneumonia, broken hips, and recently revealed that he is suffering from prostate cancer. Continue »
darshan »
Agree: 
Disagree: 
