Will Graham, grandson of Billy Graham, bringing ‘Look Up’ tour to eastern Idaho
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IDAHO FALLS – World-renowned Evangelical minister Will Graham, grandson of Billy Graham, paid a visit to eastern Idaho Thursday morning to announce an event he’ll be a part of later this year.
The Idaho Falls Look Up Tour is happening at the Mountain America Center in September. It will feature a variety of speakers from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, along with local pastors, Christian leaders and live music.
Graham tells EastIdahoNews.com he and his team were invited to host a two-day event similar to the Billy Graham crusades that many people are familiar with.
“We prayed about it and figured this is where God wants us to be. We’re looking forward to that,” Graham says. “We’re going to do a kid’s program one day and then the whole family on the next day.”
This was Graham’s first visit to the Gem State, but he’s traveled through it many times. Since his ordination in 2002, he’s traveled around the globe and spoken to more than one million people.
Graham recalls a conversation he once had with the President of Nepal that was particularly meaningful.
“He was a Hindu, very gracious man. He invited us to his home and I had a chance to present the gospel to him,” he says. “That’s one of the first times I’ve met a world leader.”
As he’s met with other prominent people over the years and gotten to know them and their families, he’s realized how alike people are all over the world and how much they have in common.
‘God … had a plan for me early on’
The 48-year-old North Carolina native is continuing the worldwide ministry his grandfather began in 1949, according to the Billy Graham website. Following in his father and grandfather’s footsteps is an idea that he says God planted in him when he was just 7 years old.
“I look back at it, and I can see what I call bread crumbs, where God was working in my life … and had a plan for me early on,” he says.
He remembers his elementary school teacher asking the class to draw a picture of what they wanted to be when they grew up. He drew aviator headsets (his dad became a pilot to fly from place to place during his ministry) and an open Bible. On the paper, he wrote, “I want to fly around and tell people about Jesus.”
“I guess that’s what I’m doing now, but I’m just not flying myself. I fly on Delta or American Airlines,” Graham says, who is also a pilot.
Graham grew up reading the Bible with his family, but he “fell in love with it” while attending Liberty University in Virginia.
He attended seminary and eventually started pastoring at a local church, which he says was the last thing he wanted to do at the time.
“They don’t get paid anything, they have to work 24/7 and everyone’s upset with something the pastor said or did,” Graham recalls, laughing.
Since joining the Billy Graham ministry in 2006, he looks back on his pastoring days with fondness. And he’s proud to continue the work his grandfather started 74 years ago.
As the third-generation torchbearer of the Graham family name and ministry, we asked Will if there’s ever a moment, even in private, where he just wants to let loose and be a little naughty.
He responded, “No, my mama would beat me.”
‘Does God have a plan for me?’
In his travels around the globe, Graham says the question he’s asked most often is, “Does God have a plan for me?” Speaking from personal experience, his answer to that is a resounding yes. And by having a relationship with Jesus Christ, he says we can discover what that purpose is.
“We don’t look for the things of earth, but we look up. We look up toward Heaven. We look to God for our answers and meaning in life,” Graham explains.
The phrase “Look up” is the theme of his tour in Idaho Falls. He’s looking forward to sharing his message with eastern Idaho.
“We think there is a unique opportunity for Will Graham and the BGEA to partner with biblical churches in the Snake River region to … share the good news,” local pastor Todd Wood says in a news release for the event. “We anticipate a great rippling of the gospel outward from the river city of Idaho Falls.”
The Idaho Falls Look Up Tour is on Sept. 23 and 24. Visit the website for more information.
WATCH OUR INTERVIEW WITH GRAHAM IN THE VIDEO ABOVE.