A documentary remembering Billy Graham's incredible life serving the Lord is just weeks away.
The new film - Billy Graham: an Extraordinary Journey - comes out on DVD early next month. Featuring historical footage of his many crusades and interviews with family, friends, presidents and journalists who covered him, the documentary follows Graham's unlikely rise to great evangelist.
As a boy growing up on a farm near Charlotte, North Carolina, he neither liked Christians nor wanted to be one. That changed, however, when, at 15 years old, he was forced to go to a revival meeting of an itinerant preacher named Mordecai Ham. There Graham accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior, no doubt never imagining he would follow in Ham's footsteps as a traveling evangelist himself.
And what an evangelist he was. His ministry spanned nearly 80 years and took him all across America and around the world. Speaking first in circus tents and ultimately in arenas and stadiums, Graham shared the Gospel with millions and millions of people, likely directly touching more hearts for Christ than anyone in history. His hallmark at those revival meetings was the call to come forward and come to Jesus, and come the audience members did.
It was Graham's 1949 Los Angeles Crusade, featured in this year's Christian film Unbroken: Path to Redemption, that brought him to international prominence. Initially scheduled to last three weeks, the crusade was extended to more than eight because of the of the overflow crowds flocking to hear him preach the Gospel.
Graham died earlier this year at the age of 99, leaving a towering legacy of faith. This 72 minute documentary includes footage of his funeral, mission stops around the world from his decades in ministry and a classic sermon entitled, "God Loves You."
Billy Graham: An Extraordinary Journey goes on sale November 6th. In the meantime, you can take in a sneak peek via the trailer.