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Five Lessons from Billy Graham: A Grandson Reflects

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My friend Tullian Tchividjian wrote a post honoring his grandfather Billy Graham on his 90th birthday. Tullian notes five things he's learned from him:

1) Humility: Daddy Bill has always been keenly aware that God is God, and he is not. He has always been conscious of his smallness and God's bigness, his imperfection and God's perfection.

2) A love for the Gospel: Daddy Bill has always had a deep sense of his own sin, which has led him to a deep love for his Savior. He has always exemplified the sweet reality that you can never know Christ as a Great Savior until you first know yourself to be a great sinner. God's amazing grace still amazes him -- and that amazes me!

3) Faithfulness: Although he has had the opportunity to do many things, he has never wavered concerning God's call on his life to be an evangelist. He knows he's not a scholar or a theologian; he's never tried to be. He has always remained true to God's calling.

4) Never show favoritism: I have been with Daddy Bill in numerous places with numerous people, and I have never, ever seen him show favoritism. He treats all people the same, whether they are rich or poor, weak or powerful, socially significant or socially insignificant.

5) Be real: Daddy Bill is normal! He gets mad; he gets sad; he's fun to be around. His favorite restaurant is Morrison's Cafeteria. His favorite movie is "Crocodile Dundee." His favorite drink is orange juice, and he loves catfish. He's just another man with all of the limitations and idiosyncrasies that the rest of us have -- and I love him for it!

Read Tullian's full post and an article in which Tullian and other family members reflect on Daddy Bill's life and legacy. On another note, Tullian's new book Unfashionable: Making a Difference in the World by Being Different will be released in April.

Comments (1)

My last name is Graham and people would always ask me if I was related to Billy Graham, and I always say to myself I wish I was and I'm glad I'm not.

I wish I was because he is a Godly man and would love to be related to him, but I'm not.

I'm glad I'm not because I can be a selfish person who can sometimes only care about myself. I would give him such a bad name and a bad repusation for having such an inconsiderate family member.

I hope that made sense to some people.

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