On Life's Greatest Surprise What is the greatest surprise you have found about life?

a university student asked me several years ago. The brevity of it, I replied without hesitation. ... Time moves so quickly, and no matter who we are or what we have done, the time will come when our lives will be over. As Jesus said, As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work (John 9:4). On His Greatest Passion and Joy in Life Greg Laurie relates this story in Breakfast with Jesus."We were all pleasantly surprised when Billy said his greatest joy came from talking to and hearing from Christ. In the hospital during an operation that year, he thought he was going to die. 'I came face to face with my own sins and the Glory of God!" he said." On Marriage Ruth and I dont have a perfect marriage, but we have a great one. How can I say two things that seem so contradictory? In a perfect marriage, everything is always the finest and best imaginable; like a Greek statue, the proportions are exact and the finish is unblemished. Who knows any human beings like that? For a married couple to expect perfection in each other is unrealistic. We learned that even before we were married. Being human, not one of us will ever have a relationship with another person that doesnt have a wrinkle or a wart on it somewhere. The unblemished ideal exists only in happily ever after fairy tales. I think that there is some merit to a description I once read of a married couple as happily incompatible. Ruth likes to say, If two people agree on everything, one of them is unnecessary. The sooner we accept that as a fact of life, the better we will be able to adjust to each other and enjoy togetherness. Happily incompatible is a good adjustment. On Parenting Except in emergencies, we never let a day go by but we had Bible reading and prayer. As the children got older, we asked them to participate. When I was home, I went up to tuck them in and to pray with them. Sometimes Ruth would stay up till one or two oclock if one of them wanted to talk. Some of the greatest conversations Ive had with any of my children have been late at night. The same principles and promises we applied to our children are still true for our grandchildren and great-grandchildren. We pray for each one each day and spend hours each week on the telephone with them. Without question, the regrets are greatly outnumbered by the delights. The mistakes we did make were not fatal, and we both thank the Lord for that. And that bolsters our faith that He

will do the same for the generations coming after us. On Aging Most of us, when we are young, think that we are never going to get old. I certainly admit feeling that way from time to time. ... I know my time on earth will not be over until He calls me home. I admit I dont like the burdens of old agethe slow decline in energy, the physical annoyances, the pain of losing loved ones, the sadness of seeing friends decline. But old age can be a special time of life, and God has lessons to teach us through it. Certainly, one lesson is to remind us of our responsibility to be diligent in our service for God right now. I may not be able to do everything I once did (nor does God expect me to), but I am called to be faithful to what I can do. Another lesson surely is to make us realize in a fuller way that this world is not our final home. If our hope truly is in Christ, we are pilgrims in this world, en route to our eternal home in Heaven. Old age should make us look forward with joyous anticipation to eternity. The Apostle Paul put it this way: For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal On His Own Success I have often said that the first thing I am going to do when I get to Heaven is to ask, Why me, Lord? Why did You choose a farmboy from North Carolina to preach to so many people, to have such a wonderful Team of associates, and to have a part in what You were doing in the latter half of the twentieth century? I have thought about that question a great deal, but I know also that only God knows the answer. Now we see but a poor reflection; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known (1 Corinthians 13:12) On Illness Over the years, Ive had a number of illnesses and surgeries Often they came just as we were about to embark on a Crusade or other project, and I could not help but wonder whether Satan was using them to attack our work in some way (and I suspect that was true). At the same time, though, God used them to teach me patience and to give me time that I might otherwise not have taken to read and contemplate. On Parkinsons Disease I know this will continue to cause me increasing difficulty. Someone asked me recently if I didnt think God was unfair, allowing me to have Parkinsons and other medical problems when I have tried to serve Him faithfully. I replied that I did not see it that way at all.

Suffering is part of the human condition, and it comes to us all. The key is how we react to it, either turning away from God in anger and bitterness or growing closer to Him in trust and confidence. On Regrets Although I have much to be grateful for as I look back over my life, I also have many regrets. I have failed many times, and I would do many things differently. For one thing, I would speak less and study more, and I would spend more time with my family. When I look back over the schedule I kept thirty or forty years ago, I am staggered by all the things we did and the engagements we kept. Sometimes we flitted from one part of the country to another, even from one continent to another, in the course of only a few days. Were all those engagements necessary? Was I as discerning as I might have been about which ones to take and which to turn down? I doubt it. Every day I was absent from my family is gone forever. Although much of that travel was necessary, some of it was not. I would also spend more time in spiritual nurture, seeking to grow closer to God so I could become more like Christ. I would spend more time in prayer, not just for myself but for others. I would spend more time studying the Bible and meditating on its truth, not only for sermon preparation but to apply its message to my life. It is far too easy for someone in my position to read the Bible only with an eye on a future sermon, overlooking the message God has for me through its pages. And I would give more attention to fellowship with other Christians, who could teach me and encourage me (and even rebuke me when necessary). About one thing I have absolutely no regrets, however, and that is my commitment many years ago to accept Gods calling to serve Him as an evangelist of the Gospel of Christ. On Heaven No, I dont know the future, but I do know this: the best is yet to be! Heaven awaits us, and that will be far, far more glorious than anything we can ever imagine. I know that soon my life will be over. I thank God for it, and for all He has given me in this life. But I look forward to Heaven. I look forward to the reunion with friends and loved ones who have gone on before. I look forward to Heavens freedom from sorrow and pain. I also look forward to serving God in ways we cant begin to imagine, for the Bible makes it clear that Heaven is not a place of idleness. And most of all, I look forward to seeing Christ and bowing before Him in praise and gratitude for all He has done for us, and for using me on this earth by His gracejust as I am.

"My home is in Heaven. I'm just traveling through this world." - Billy Graham "The test of a preacher is that his congregation goes away saying, not, 'What a lovely sermon!' but 'I will do something.'" - Billy Graham "The happiness which brings enduring worth to life is not the superficial happiness that is dependent on circumstances. It is the happiness and contentment that fills the soul even in the midst of the most distressing circumstances and the most bitter environment. It is the kind of happiness that grins when things go wrong and smiles through the tears. The happiness for which our souls ache is one undisturbed by success or failure, one which will root deeply inside us and give inward relaxation, peace, and contentment, no matter what the surface problems may be. That kind of happiness stands in need of no outward stimulus." - Billy Graham "They asked her (Ruth Graham) did she ever think about divorce and she said, 'No, I've never thought of divorce in all these 35 years of marriage, but,' she said, 'I did think of murder a few times" - Billy Graham "My prayer today is that we will feel the loving arms of God wrapped around us, and will know in our hearts that He will never forsake us as we trust in Him." - Billy Graham "Being a Christian is more than just an instantaneous conversion - it is a daily process whereby you grow to be more and more like Christ" - Billy Graham "God proved His love on the Cross. When Christ hung, and bled, and died, it was God saying to the world, ''I love you.''" - Billy Graham "Believers, look up -- take courage. The angels are nearer than you think." - Billy Graham "The number one problem in our world is alienation, rich versus poor, black versus white, labor versus management, conservative versus liberal, East versus West . . . But Christ came to bring about reconciliation and peace." - Billy Graham "A child who is allowed to be disrespectful to his parents will not have true respect for anyone." - Billy Graham "Only God Himself fully appreciates the influence of a Christian mother in the molding of character in her children." - Billy Graham

"Because President Clinton has been a friend for so many years, I feel like it is very difficult after he became President, because I led the Inaugural prayer, and when I stepped down I said, "Mr. President," and I almost said, "Bill," because I'd called him Bill so long. And I feel like calling him Bill again tonight after those warm words of a brother." - Billy Graham "There is nothing wrong with men possessing riches. The wrong comes when riches possess men." - Billy Graham "Prayer is simply a two-way conversation between you and God." - Billy Graham "But now we have a choice: whether to implode and disintegrate emotionally and spiritually as a people and a nation -- or, whether we choose to become stronger through all of this struggle -- to rebuild on a solid foundation. And I believe we are in the process of starting to rebuild on that foundation. That foundation is our trust in God." - Billy Graham "They asked her (Ruth Graham) did she ever think about divorce and she said, 'No, I've never thought of divorce in all these 35 years of marriage, but,' she said, 'I did think of murder a few times" - Billy Graham "Kindness is an essential part of God's work and ours here on earth." - Billy Graham "No one will do it for you." - Billy Graham "For a married couple to expect perfection in each other is unrealistic." - Billy Graham "While our world is shaking and crumbling, we need to realize that one thing will never change, and that is God. He is the same today as he was ten million years ago, and will be the same ten million years from today." - Billy Graham "Tears shed for self are tears of weakness, but tears shed for others are a sign of strength." - Billy Graham "When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost." - Billy Graham "We've always needed God from the very beginning of this nation but today we need Him especially. We're facing a new kind of enemy. We're involved in a new kind of warfare and we need the help of the Spirit of God. The Bible's words are our hope. . . ." - Billy Graham "Only those who want everything done for them are bored." - Billy Graham

"God is unchanging in His love. He loves you. He has a plan for your life. Don't let the newspaper headlines frighten you. God is still sovereign; He's still on the throne." - Billy Graham "Nothing can bring a real sense of security into the home except true love." - Billy Graham "No man ever loved like Jesus. He taught the blind to see and the dumb to speak. He died on the cross to save us. He bore our sins. And now God says, ''Because He did, I can forgive you.''" - Billy Graham "God has given us two hands -- one to receive with, and the other to give with. We are not cisterns made for hoarding; we are channels made for sharing. Billy Graham, evangelist" - Billy Graham "The framers of our Constitution meant we were to have freedom of religion, not freedom from religion." - Billy Graham "Some believe strongly that each Christian may have his own guardian angel assigned to watch over him or her." - Billy Graham "America's founding fathers did not intend to take religion out of education. Many of the nation's greatest universities were founded by evangelists and religious leaders; but many of these have lost the founders concept and become secular institutions. Because of this attitude, secular education is stumbling and floundering." - Billy Graham "Gratitude is one of the greatest Christian graces; ingratitude, one of the most vicious sins." - Billy Graham "I can tell you that God is alive because I talked to him this morning." - Billy Graham "Out of defeat can come the best in human nature. As Christians face storms of adversity, they may rise with more beauty. They are like trees that grow on mountain ridges -- battered by winds, yet trees in which we find the strongest wood." - Billy Graham "A real Christian is the one who can give his pet parrot to the town gossip" - Billy Graham "The foundations of civilization are no stronger and no more enduring than the corporate integrity of the homes on which they rest. If the home deteriorates, civilization will crumble and fall."

- Billy Graham "The most prominent place in hell is reserved for those who are neutral on the great issues of life" - Billy Graham "May the Lord bless you real good." - Billy Graham "One of the things we desperately need is a spiritual renewal in this country. We need a spiritual revival in America." - Billy Graham "I played golf every day of my life nearly until a few years ago, except Sundays, and I gave it up. I'm not going to tell you why I gave it up -- but there wasn't enough exercise to me, and there's not enough money to pay those fees. I almost went to the government for a loan." - Billy Graham "Many people have come to Christ as a result of my participation in presenting the Gospel to them. It's all the work of the Holy Spirit." - Billy Graham "The only thing I could say for sure is that hell means separation from God. We are separated from his light, from his fellowship. That is going to be hell." - Billy Graham "My one purpose in life is to help people find a personal relationship with God, which, I believe, comes through knowing Christ." - Billy Graham "God has given us two hands, one to receive with and the other to give with." - Billy Graham "The highest form of worship is the worship of unselfish Christian service. The greatest form of praise is the sound of consecrated feet seeking out the lost and helpless." - Billy Graham "Comfort and prosperity have never enriched the world as much as adversity has." - Billy Graham "History is full of surprises, and the next century will be no exception." - Billy Graham "Transcendental meditation is evil because when you are meditating, it opens space within you for the devil to enter." - Billy Graham "We believe that in your province you have granted a second term to our president, George W. Bush, and our vice president, Richard Cheney," - Billy Graham "The angels minister to God's servants in time of hardship and danger." - Billy Graham

"If a person gets his attitude toward money straight, it will help straighten out almost every other area in his life." - Billy Graham "Suppose you could gain everything in the whole world, and lost your soul. Was it worth it?" - Billy Graham "No man ever loved like Jesus. He taught the blind to see and the dumb to speak. He died on the cross to save us. He bore our sins. And now God says, 'Because He did, I can forgive you.''" - Billy Graham "I've read the last page of the Bible. It's all going to turn out all right." - Billy Graham "A keen sense of humor helps us to overlook the unbecoming, understand the unconventional, tolerated the unpleasant, overcome the unexpected, and outlast the unbearable" - Billy Graham "Hot heads and cold hearts never solved anything" - Billy Graham "You're born. You suffer. You die. Fortunately, there's a loophole." - Billy Graham "I wish I'd watched less TV." - Billy Graham "We need to be reminded that there is nothing morbid about honestly confronting the fact of life's end, and preparing for it so that we may go gracefully and peacefully." - Billy Graham "God is more interested in your future and your relationships than you are." "The people of the United States want peace. The people of China want peace. The people of the Soviet Union want peace. Why can't we have peace?" - Billy Graham "The Bible promises us that Jesus will return to take His faithful followers with Him to live with Him in His glorious presence forever. Everyone else will be left behind to face God's wrath and judgment. If Jesus were to return today, do you know if He would take you with Him to heaven?" - Billy Graham "This stranglehold has got to be broken or the country's going down the drain." - Billy Graham "I'm thankful for the news of the Exhibition of the Bible that will be brought to the United States. We certainly are delighted that it is going to take place and we will be praying for its success." - Billy Graham "they starve. Period."

- Billy Graham "Today, we come together to confess our need of God. ? Those perpetrators who took us on to tear us apart, it has worked the other way. It has backfired; it has brought us together," - Billy Graham "The ending was sad enough, never mind for it to come with allegations that he has thrown a fight as well." - Billy Graham "The fact is, we cannot truly face life until we have learned to face the fact that it will be taken away from us." - Billy Graham "Churchgoers are like coals in a fire. When they cling together, they keep the flame aglow; when they separate, they die out." - Billy Graham "There are nine orders of angels, to wit, angels, archangels, virtues, powers, principalities, dominations, thrones, cherubim, and seraphim." - Billy Graham "While nobody likes a watchdog, and for that reason many investigation committees are unpopular, I thank God for men who, in the face of public denouncement and ridicule, go loyally on in their work of exposing the pinks, the lavenders and the reds who have sought refuge beneath the wings of the American eagle and from that vantage point try in every subtle, undercover way to bring comfort, aid and help to the greatest enemy we have ever known -- communism." - Billy Graham "It is unnatural for Christianity to be popular" - Billy Graham "The Lord . . . put his hand on me and gave me a gift. God has called me to preach and be about the business of winning the lost." - Billy Graham "If we had more hell in the pulpit, we would have less hell in the pew." - Billy Graham "I just want to lobby for God." - Billy Graham "The men who followed Him were unique in their generation. They turned the world upside down because their hearts had been turned right side up. The world has never been the same." - Billy Graham "Theology never changes. A man's heart is the same. The Gospel is the same. There have been no additions to the Gospel that was preached in the first century, and there is no difference in the reading of the events of the first century; morally, they're still the same.

The same old sins, the same old problems, basically, that they faced in Egypt we face today in America." - Billy Graham "Most of us follow our conscience as we follow a wheelbarrow. We push it in front of us in the direction we want to go." - Billy Graham "World travel and getting to know clergy of all denominations has helped mold me into an ecumenical being. We're separated by theology and, in some instances, culture and race, but all that means nothing to me any more." - Billy Graham "Throughout my ministry, I have sought to build bridges between Jews and Christians. I will continue to strongly support all future efforts to advance understanding and mutual respect between our communities." - Billy Graham "Our days are numbered. One of the primary goals in our lives should be to prepare for our last day. The legacy we leave is not just in our possessions, but in the quality of our lives. What preparations should we be making now? The greatest waste in all of our earth, which cannot be recycled or reclaimed, is our waste of the time that God has given us each day." - Billy Graham "Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened." - Billy Graham "God will prepare everything for our perfect happiness in heaven, and if it takes my dog being there, I believe he'll be there" - Billy Graham "It is not the body's posture, but the heart's attitude that counts when we pray." - Billy Graham "Man has two great spiritual needs. One is for forgiveness. The other is for goodness." - Billy Graham "The most eloquent prayer is the prayer through hands that heal and bless." - Billy Graham "In my travels I have found that those who keep Heaven in view remain serene and cheerful in the darkest day. If the glories of Heaven were more real to us, if we lived less for material things and more for things eternal and spiritual, we would be less easily disturbed by this present life." - Billy Graham "God's angels often protect his servants from potential enemies." - Billy Graham "People have become so empty that they can't even entertain themselves. They have to pay other people to amuse them, to make them laugh, to try to make them feel warm

and happy and comfortable for a few minutes, to try to lose that awful, frightening, hollow feeling--that terrible, dreaded feeling of being lost and alone." - Billy Graham "The Christian life is not a constant high. I have my moments of deep discouragement. I have to go to God in prayer with tears in my eyes, and say, 'O God, forgive me,' or 'Help me.'" - Billy Graham "How often we commit our burdens to the Lord and then fail to trust Him by taking matters into our own hands. Then, when we have messed things up, we pray, "Oh, Lord, help me, I'm in trouble." The choice is yours. Do you want to trust your life in God's "pocket" or keep it in your own?" - Billy Graham "We are not cisterns made for hoarding, we are channels made for sharing." - Billy Graham "Being a Christian is more than just an instantaneous conversion - it is a daily process whereby you grow to be more and more like Christ." - Billy Graham "Read the Bible. Work hard and honestly. And don't complain." - Billy Graham "Everybody has a little bit of Watergate in him" - Billy Graham "The word "romance," according to the dictionary, means excitement, adventure, and something extremely real. Romance should last a lifetime." - Billy Graham "Today, we come together to confess our need of God. Those perpetrators who took us on to tear us apart, it has worked the other way. It has backfired; it has brought us together," - Billy Graham "The only people here are the quick and the dead" - Billy Graham "I loved him very much, and had the opportunity of discussing so many things with him, and we wrote each other several times during the years." - Billy Graham "The word 'romance,' according to the dictionary, means excitement, adventure, and something extremely real. Romance should last a lifetime." - Billy Graham "No matter how hard we try words simply cannot express the horror, the shock, and the revulsion we all feel over what took place in this nation on Tuesday morning. September 11 will go down in our history as a day to remember." - Billy Graham BILLY GRAHAM QUOTES

The greatest need in the world is the transformation of human nature. We need a new heart that will not have lust and greed and hate in it. We need a heart filled with love and peace and joy, and that is why Jesus came into the world. BILLY GRAHAM, Just As I Am In the founding era of our country, it was not organized religion but personal faith that brought focus and unified the early leadership--maybe an unspoken faith in God, and certain values that came with that faith. So in that sense, we cannot discount, in my judgment, religious faith in politics. BILLY GRAHAM, Newsweek, Aug. 14, 2006 Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened. BILLY GRAHAM, Reader's Digest, Jul. 1964 Sex is the most wonderful thing on this earth, as long as God is in it. When the Devil gets in it, it's the most terrible thing on this earth. BILLY GRAHAM, Just As I Am There are many things that I don't understand. Sincere Christians can disagree about the details of Scripture and theology--absolutely. BILLY GRAHAM, Newsweek, Aug. 14, 2006 The most eloquent prayer is the prayer through hands that heal and bless. The highest form of worship is the worship of unselfish Christian service. The greatest form of praise is the sound of consecrated feet seeking out the lost and helpless. BILLY GRAHAM, Chicago American, Apr. 16, 1967 Suffering is part of the human condition, and it comes to us all. The key is how we react to it, either turning away from God in anger and bitterness or growing closer to Him in trust and confidence. BILLY GRAHAM, Just As I Am All my life I've been taught how to die, but no one ever taught me how to grow old. BILLY GRAHAM, Newsweek, Aug. 14, 2006 I have a certainty about eternity that is a wonderful thing, and I thank God for giving me that certainty. I do not fear death. I may fear a little bit about the process, but not death itself, because I think the moment that my spirit leaves this body, I will be in the presence of the Lord.

BILLY GRAHAM, Newsweek, Aug. 14, 2006