Pastor's Pen: "Nearing Home" by Billy Graham

I went to visit a man who was dying of cancer in the hospital many years ago.  He was in his early 80’s and had been a member of a church all of his life.  He was all by himself, lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling.  He was quite alert and we began to talk.  We talked just about little things at first, but then I asked him if he was afraid to die.  He replied that he really was quite afraid.  When I asked him why, he said that he was not ready to meet his Maker.  I told him that there was only one way to get ready for that, and that way was to simply confess his sins and ask Christ to come into his life.  So there, in that hospital room, I asked him to repeat the sinner’s prayer after me and to accept Christ into his life.  When it was time for me to leave I asked again if he felt he was ready to die, and this time he answered that he was indeed ready to go home. 

One of the things that the church should be very good at doing is getting people ready to meet Jesus Christ.  In fact, as Rick Warren says, this life is primarily a preparation for the one to come. 

A couple of months ago I ran across a new book by Billy Graham called Nearing Home: Life, Faith, and Finishing Well.  Having been with many people who were at death’s door, and with the recent loss of my own father, I decided to buy it and read it.  It is quite a good book and I’m sure the last one he will write.  There are several things that he writes that are noteworthy. 

For one thing, Billy Graham is very open about how much he misses his wife Ruth, who died in 2007.  He tells many stories about her and you can tell that he loved her greatly.  He also writes about how eager he is to be with her again in heaven.  He says, “Knowing where she is, the One she is with, and the fact that I will be there with her soon are of monumental comfort to me.”  These are great words of comfort to those of us who have lost loved ones.

Billy Graham also talks about preparing for our own going home.  He does this like the evangelist he is.  He often presents the gospel and calls readers to respond in faith.  He even at one point includes the sinner’s prayer so that those who read this book can be certain of their eternal destiny.  He talks not only about preparing our souls for meeting Jesus, but also how to deal with such things as finances, homes and the like.  He also has some very good advice about simply growing old and coping with the feeling that the world has changed so fast that one does not fit in anymore.  A part of this is in understanding how we can relate to grandchildren and great-grandchildren who seem to have such different values than people in their 80’s do.

I would recommend this book to everybody, no matter what stage of life you might be in.  Graham quotes from the Bible all through the book and he includes delightful stories and illustrations that make the reading highly enjoyable for such a serious topic.  I’m sure you will enjoy it as much as I have and at the same time be better prepared for old age and the day of death.  We might not want to think about this or even talk about it, but not addressing death in our lives will not postpone what we know is coming.  It is best to prepare ourselves, and this book will be a big help in doing that.

~submitted by Pastor Gerry