March 11, 2024: Visiting the Library of an American Legend

Hey Folks,

As I've mentioned before, our family isn't much for museums usually, but we were excited to make a trip to the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was one of only two stops we had originally planned for NC. (Tune into my next post to hear about the last-minute, thrilling, adrenaline-causing adventure that took 5 of the D-Team Crew soaring into the beautiful blue North Carolina sky!) The Library proved to be worth every minute of the 6 hours we spent exploring the museum, bookstore, dairy barn cafe, and grounds. We also loved that it was entirely FREE to visit, unless you bought something in the bookstore or at the dairy barn cafe. Built to be a 'continuing Crusade,' this library museum was created to point visitors to the Jesus that Billy Graham dedicated his life to preaching about.

The library is built to resemble a barn, symbolizing Billy Graham's childhood growing up on a 300-acre dairy farm in North Carolina. With a stunning glass cross boldly declaring the purpose of the building, the library is eye-catching and well-fitting to carry on the legacy of America's preacher.

The building was designed so that everyone who visits the Billy Graham library enters at the foot of the cross

Billy Graham's childhood home was originally located a few miles away from the library, but it was moved brick-by-brick to the library site by Mel Graham, Billy Graham's nephew. The house is approximately 2,400 square feet and cost about $9,000 to build. Billy lived in this house from age 9 until he left for college.

Thousands of these bricks are the originals from when the house was first built in 1927 by Billy Graham's father.

The quaint interior design of the house makes for a peaceful welcome to the library, setting the mood for further exploration. Pictures of Billy Graham and his family through the years, along with many original articles passed down throughout the decades allows for a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes moments of Billy Graham's life.

As a personal side note, Mom was moved to tears as she moved throughout the home of this man she remembers watching on ALL the network television channels (only three channels, growing up in small town in Iowa in the 1970's) as a young child. Saturday night programming was interrupted when Billy's crusades were aired. She remembers being annoyed as a young child that she couldn't watch her typical tv shows, but also sitting there listening to Billy preach about the love of God and the need for forgiveness of sin through Jesus. Long before she ever really understood, seeds were being planted in her life and heart by Billy Graham, and now here she was walking through the home he grew up in. It moved her greatly.

Much of the flooring is the original wood that was brought to the new site

This is the kitchen Billy and Mother Graham were standing in when he told her that he'd accepted Christ into his life

Shown here are the much-loved Bible and daily devotional belonging to Billy's mother.

Scriptures adorn beams of the lovely, rustic barn library

Billy Graham met with and provided spiritual counsel for 13 presidents, from President Truman through President Trump. Several of them became close friends with Billy and would later attend his funeral. He was asked throughout his life to take on positions of power in government and other areas of social influence. Each time, he declined. He was committed to God's calling in his life to preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth, until God took him home. And he was uncompromising in that the Bible was the source for all Truth. Day in and day out, he mined the depth of Scripture to grow in his knowledge and love of Jesus Christ and to bring the message of God's love to the world.

Billy Graham took Matthew 28:19-20 seriously, using TV, radio, print and so much more to spread the Gospel all over the world. He preached at 417 crusades in 185 countries between 1947 and 2005.

Throughout the library, there were photos and video clips of Billy being interviewed on all the big day and night-time talk show host programs (Johnny Carson, Larry King, Phil Donahue, Diane Sawyer, etc...) It's hard to imagine today, for those born and raised in a different generation in America, that a preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ once dominated the airways of the major network channels during Crusades and was invited for interviews by the big names in the industry. Billy talked about Jesus and shared the Gospel candidly with each person he interviewed with, and they kept having him come back. Politicians and dignitaries (even those of different faith traditions around the world) invited him to speak, pray, and preach.

Billy Graham took his last earthly breath and first heavenly breath on February 21, 2018, just nine months short of his 100th birthday. In his final column, he wrote of his imminent death saying "By the time you read this, I will be in heaven, and as I write this I’m looking forward with great anticipation to the day when I will be in God’s presence forever....I’m convinced that heaven is far more glorious than anything we can possibly imagine right now, and I look forward not only to its wonder and peace, but also to the joy of being reunited with those who have gone there before me, especially my dear wife, Ruth." (Fayetteville Observer, 2018) His body lay in honor at the U.S. Capitol for three days so that the many American citizens and politicians whose lives he impacted could pay their final respects.

Billy Graham is one of four private citizens to lay in honor at the U.S. Capitol

"Someday you will read or hear that Billy Graham is dead. Don't you believe a word of it. I shall be more alive than I am now. I will have just changed my address. I will have gone into the presence of God." ~Billy Graham

A private memorial service was held at the Billy Graham Library, where he was then laid to rest beside his beloved wife of 63 years, who had passed into eternity 11 years prior. Remaining true to his father's legacy, Franklin Graham delivered the main message, urging mourners to consider their own eternal destination: "My father preached on heaven, told millions how to find heaven, he wrote a book on heaven, and today, he's in heaven. His journey is complete...Most of his life was spent traveling the world, but last week he embarked on the journey he had been looking forward to all his life - the journey from earth to heaven. How about you? If this were your funeral, would you be in heaven? Are you sure?" (WRAL)

Graham's funeral was held in a large white tent, reminiscent of his "Canvas Crusades"

It was somewhat surreal to be standing in front of the final resting place of the man who reached more than 2 billion people with the Gospel, more than any other person in the history of the world. The warm sun, rustling trees, chirping birds, playful squirrels, and well-manicured gardens surrounding Billy and Ruth Graham's graves created an altogether peaceful and lovely environment for visitors reflecting on the legacy of how God used a country farm boy to reach the world, for His glory.

Billy Graham is well known for his many quotes. (In fact, we left the bookstore with a book entirely dedicated to them.) His words were featured in many spots along the Journey of Life section of the library. In keeping with his overarching message of preparing for death, many of his quotes pose the question to listeners 'what will happen to you when you die?'

To end this post, let me pose that question to you... if you were to die tomorrow, where would you spend eternity? Don't assume that you are saved because you grew up in a Christian family or go to church every week. There is no skating into Heaven on the coat tails of a family member, and pew-warming isn't going to help if you don't have a personal relationship with Jesus. My prayer is that this post will at least inspire you to meditate on what Christ has done for you, and how that knowledge has affected your life. Do you know of Jesus? Or do you truly know Jesus.

Until next time, God bless!