Customer Reviews

Just As I Am: The Autobiography of Billy Graham

5 star:		(55)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I found Just As I Am captivating from the moment I picked it up, and was unable to put it down. I read Just As I Am while I was convalescing at home for four days after an ankle injury at work. This was four of the most enlightening days I have ever experienced. Starting from the quaint surroundings of a North Carolina farmhouse, I was soon taken on a journey around the world, as Mr Graham described his many fascinating travels and crusades. Rev Graham not only describes his experiences for us, but by each chapter's end he capsulizes the lesson's he has learned during his trips and meetings with people of all walks and stations of life around the world. I was struck time and again by the depth of meaning Billy Graham finds in each of his life's experiences, his clarity of vision, and his ability to poignantly and keenly express what he has seen and learned. It becomes readily obvious why he has been taken into close company by many heads of state for the past 50 years of his ministry. This is a book not to be missed by any serious thinker.

The most prolific evangelist in Christian history, a pastor to the Presidents, and a Christian man of integrity -- this is Billy Graham. Or, at least that is how most people see him. Here we have the story of his life, from his simple farm-boy beginnings, through his tent revival conversion, his college days and marriage to Ruth, his early fiery and outspoken preaching days, his years of global ministry and maturity, and ending today, as a respected man of God by virtually everyone in the world.

The story is told with an easy-going pace and reading it you have to smile at Graham's style, which is honest, humorous, and very... normal. It's really amazing to see how God took this average fellow and used him in such amazing ways. This book is also a treasury for any other pastor, evangelist, or other person who wishes to live a life of integrity. Graham relates a wealth of wisdom gained from experience that the church would be wise to remember. We would all do well to remember Billy, and to honor his legacy by remembering his life and everything that he stood for. Just As I Am is an autobiographical masterpiece from a man I deeply respect.

I always wondered what it was about Billy Graham. I found out when I read this book. He is a humble man, a true servant of God, who took all things to the Lord, no matter what it was, before he made any decision. I recall from the book Pastor Graham flying over the middle east, wondering how he was going to speak to the people there about Jesus. And he thought, this is where Christ was born, where he lived and walked, and that is how he approached them. He found a way to connect Jesus Christ with everyone he ever spoke to. I learned much about humility and being a true servant of God from this book, and I recommend it highly.

I really enjoyed this book. Dr. William Franklin Graham, Jr. (Billy Graham hereafter) is one of the most influential American Christian evangelists of the 20th Century and ranks on the list of most influential Christians with the likes of the Apostle Paul (lived during the first century AD; executed in Rome in about 67 AD).

Graham takes you through his life from his early childhood in North Carolina, to College, and then to his unprecedented ministry. The general tone of the book is similar to a conversation by a fireplace, talking long into the night and recalling with a smile the great events of the past. Graham's style is highly readable; one never gets lost in the text.

The only time I have ever seen Mr. Graham in person was when he came to Toronto in 1995. He has traveled more than any person I have ever read or heard about; he has been to every one of the 50 American States several times, to Europe (Western and Eastern; Eastern Europe during the Cold War), to Africa, to the Middle East, India, Asia, Japan and Australia. He has also personally met with and often counseled every US President since President Truman (mid-1940's, right after World War II) to President Clinton (to 1997). There are chapters on numerous US Presidents and Graham's relationship with them (he always acted as a pastor and a personal friend; never as a political adviser or a partisan).

Dr. Graham was also been a great pioneer in the ecumenical (different Christian denominations working together) and inter-faith (different religions working together) co-operation movements YET he never comprised the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Graham's unwavering service to Jesus Christ and his simply amazingly high degree of personal and organizational integrity really impressed me. Graham has been very influential in founding schools of evangelism, founding the magazine, "Christianity Today," and, of course, bringing thousands upon thousands to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.

Dr. Graham has also been a pioneer in healing the great racial divide that still permeates the United States. Indeed, during the 1950's and 1960's, Dr. Graham was one of the first white leaders to oppose segregation; he refused to preach to segregated audiences. Dr. Graham was also a friend of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and desperately wanted to attend King's funeral but unfortunately he was doing a series of Crusades (preaching the Gospel in organized city-wide efforts) in Australia at the time and so was unable to attend.

Another interesting part was his tours of Asia. His wife, Ruth, was originally born in China to American missionary parents and only left in her late teens to go to America because of the Japanese invasion of World War II. The couple went back to visit Ruth's home and the medical compound that it was situated in during the early 1980's. Later, in 1992, Billy Graham was one of the first Westerners to travel to North Korea since the Korean War of the 1950's. Ruth had attended summer school here during her time in China; that fact no doubt helped Graham into the country. Graham made an effort to make some initial steps toward some state of reconciliation (he conveyed a message from the US President to the President of North Korea and vice-versa). Despite this, Graham has always been an Ambassador for the King of Kings, first and foremost, that is to say Jesus Christ. By the way, there are numerous photographs throughout the book documenting Graham's meeting with such persons as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II, numerous US Presidents and, of course, his large family. In addition, there is a bibliography of books by Graham at the end of the book. The two final sections list all the places he has traveled to by year and a complete index to facilitate looking up references to people or places.

There is one poignant section I would really like to quote. The setting in 1945 or 1946 in Western Germany; a land totally shattered and defeated in the aftermath of World War II. Dr. Graham is alone in the office of Chancellor Konrad Adenauer (leader of Western Germany)

"Ever more memorable was German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer. One time when I was preaching in Germany, he invited me to his office. Coffee was served, but before my first sip, he started in. `Young man, do you believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ?' `I most certainly do,' I replied. `So do I. If Jesus Christ is not risen from the dead, there is not one glimmer of hope for the human race. When I leave office, I'm going to spend the rest of my life studying and writing about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It's the most important event in history.'"

One last note, despite his many incredible accomplishments, Graham keeps a great sense of humility and gratitude to God. Many lesser people would let such an amazing life go to their head but Billy Graham stays humble in such way that deserves to be followed by Christians everywhere. Graham finishes the main text of the book with a retelling of the essential, unchanging message of the Gospel and ends his acknowledgements with the Latin words: Soli Deo Gloria (To God alone be the glory).

First, let me say that I am an evangelical pastor who has the greatest respect for Billy Graham. I believe he has done more to further the gospel message in America than any single evangelist of our time. Second, it seems that my review will be in the minority as it seems to have been given 5 stars by everyone else who has read it.

With that said, I eagerly opened this book hoping for insight into his life. How he dealt with struggles. How he dealt with marriage and travel in the midst of his extensive ministry. What I got instead was an itenerary of his travels and very few insights into the difficult decisions that must have been made in his life. There is a great deal of humility within these pages, but very little vulnerability.

While I respect this man as much as any Christian that has lived in my lifetime, I found this book hollow.

While I am not a Christian, I was extremely impressed by this book. Mr. Graham's faith and desire to spread the word of G-d are most evident, as are his humility and his goodwill to all people. He provides interesting chapters on every president since Kennedy, showing their humanity and their good points, as well as being willing to rebuke when necessary. He shows love for all people regardless of nationality, race or even religion - his respect for Jews and Catholics comes across clearly throughout the book. His stand for integrated Crusades in the South and his friendship with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. are both expressed here, something one usually does not notice in discussions of Graham. Of course, these good points are mentioned in passing, as Rev. Graham is too humble to admit all he has done. In addition to his talk of meetings with national and international leaders, he offers numerous wonderful stories of normal people he has met during the course of his life and how G-d has made an impact on their lives. Having faced criticism from those to the left and to the right of him, he has perservered to become someone respected by men and women of all races and nationalities, and of different denominations and religions. Much better reading than your typical ego trip autobiography and recommended to anyone.

I read this book in one week sitting by the pool in Flordia. I couldn't even put it down and get into the pool to cool off. This book will lift you up and encourage you to go at anything with Jesus. It is a good example how a person no one knows such as this farmer boy, Billy Graham, and with the strength of God can change millions and millions of lives for the cause of Christ. I thank God for leading me to the book shelf to read this wonderful book about faith in Christ.

Billy Graham is a testament to what can happen to any person if they get in line with what God wants them to do with their life. I read this book in preperation for doing ministry and it has inpsired me to help serve the world through a ministry position. I am thankful that I was alive while Billy Graham was alive, he is an amazing man, with an amazing story.

You cannot help but read this book and be moved. This man, who continues to share the Gospel into his 80's is a living saint. This comprehensive work is filled with story after story of how Billy and his team traveled around the world and shared Christ with many different kinds of people.

One highlight of this book is how many governments would not even communicate at all with our government, but they would let Billy Graham come as a messenger of hope, this, was a moving part of this work.

Thanks to Billy Graham for the impact his life had, and continues to have, on mine.

This long but well-written book takes you through the life of Billy Graham. I couldn't put it down and read it over about 2 weeks despite its length (700 plus pages!!). Some reviewers say he is arrogant for "dropping important names" so frequently. But these are just the plain and simple facts. Billy Graham had incredible opportunities to preach all over the world and met many important world leaders and figures. He was (and is) highly respected by just about everyone, and has managed to remain a humble and simple-living man. He doesn't hesitate in the book to admit when he made a mistake in judgment or should have handled a situation differently. He and his main ministry assistants kept very high standards of accountability among themselves. Much of the book focuses on his crusade ministry and world travels. But in the final chapters of the book, he does get more personal and mentions some of the problems and challenges there were for his family because he traveled so much of the time. Long but worth the read!

Billy Graham takes us on a fascinating tour of his life. He talks about his teen years, his feelings about women, his salvation testimony, his college years, his romance with Ruth Bell, and of course, his many evangelistic Crusades. There are many stories here that will inspire you to want to do more for Christ.

But the parts of the book that I liked most were the discussions about his relationships with heads of state. It really gave you a unique look at the spiritual side of these leaders. And in a way, this book reads almost like a 20th century history of America and of Christian evangelicalism. Highly recommended.