Remembering Billy Graham: 5 Christian Singers Share Their Memories of the World-Renowned Evangelist
2. Contemporary Christian singer-songwriter Matthew West
"The first thing I thought of was root beer," he says, referring to the passing away of Rev. Graham.
"At the age of 13 I was a preacher's kid who was pretty sure he would just get to Heaven because he had family connections. I remember sitting down in the basement of my childhood home one afternoon and turning on the TV in the hopes of finding a Chicago Cubs game. Instead, I found a Billy Graham Crusade.
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"I remember the choir singing, 'Just as I Am.' I was sitting on that old blue couch ... with the feeling that this would be the moment I would answer the question Reverend Graham had just asked, 'What will you do with Jesus?'
"My mom was doing a load of laundry and walked past me with a basket on her hip. 'Matthew, do you want me to pray with you?' I whispered, 'yes.' Together we prayed and that was the hour I first believed.
"Now here I was, all these years later walking into Billy's home and shaking his hand. I was invited to sit at a large, round, wooden table in the kitchen. ... Billy's drink of choice? Root beer.
"That afternoon a singer and a preacher sat and swapped stories over a couple of root beers. Well, mostly I just listened. I'll end this with words from a text message I received from Billy's grandson. He reminded me of something Billy used to say. 'One day you will hear that Billy Graham is dead. But don't you believe it. For on that day I will be more alive than ever.'
"Tonight, I'm going to drink a root beer with my family at dinner and I'm going to tell my daughters about the life of this man who is now seeing the Heaven he has showed so many the way to. A man who is now more alive than ever."
