CHARLOTTE, NC – This is the final installment of columns from my recent travels. When I returned home, I realized I had been out of town 18 out of 23 days, and I had slept in five different states.

I enjoy traveling, but the culmination of three different trips involved driving over 4,000 miles, and even for me, that is a lot and very exhausting.

Before leaving Charlotte to head home, my wife and I had the opportunity to tour the Billy Graham Library. This is something we have wanted to do for many years, but it just didn’t work out, so this time, we made sure it was on our schedule of things to do.

First, don’t be misled by the name, this is not a tour of Bill Graham’s library. The only books you’ll see are in the bookstore/souvenir shop. When you arrive on the grounds, you will first approach the Graham Family Homeplace. This is the home where Graham grew up and it was built in 1927 on his family’s dairy farm. It was later moved about four miles to the current site.

On the grounds is the Memorial Prayer Garden, where Graham and his wife Ruth are buried. Also, buried nearby are original crusade team members George Beverly Shea, Cliff Barrows and Billie Barrows.

The main building which is the Billy Graham Library, houses The Journey of Faith, Ruth’s Attic Bookstore, Graham Brothers Dairy Bar (snack shop), and the Billy Kim Hall.

The Journey of Faith is where you will learn everything you never knew about Billy Graham and his ministry. The rooms are broken into different themes or periods of Graham’s life, leading all the way up to his funeral, which was held in a large tent on the property.

The presentation of the Journey of Faith includes dozens of videos, audio recordings, photos and personal memorabilia from a man who lived 99 years and ministered to millions of people around the world, in hundreds of crusades.

It is a fascinating tour and quite educational. I thought I knew a lot about Graham, but I learned so much more about how he was called to ministry, the number of countries in which he ministered, and the dozens of world leaders and celebrities who he had the opportunity to meet and or advise.

It was also fascinating to see so many of Graham’s and his associates’ personal affects; everything from his Honorary Knight Commander of the British Empire medal, to Cliff Barrows’s harmonica collection, to Bibles and handwritten notes that Graham used while preaching during his crusades, and much more interesting items.

If you ever visit Charlotte, don’t miss an opportunity to tour the Billy Graham Library, in fact, there is no admission charge. You will come away realizing why Graham was considered America’s preacher.

For more information, visit billygrahamlibrary.org.

BASEBALL FAN’S GRAND SLAM

Another thing I realized following all my recent travels is I’ve completed what I will call a “Baseball Fan’s Grand Slam.” In less than four weeks, I attended a Major League Baseball game in Kansas City, a Triple-A game in Indianapolis, a Single- A game in Kannapolis, NC, and upon arriving back home, a Tulsa Drillers Double-A game.

I have attended hundreds of baseball games in my life, but never have I attended all four levels of baseball in one season, let alone in less than a month. I seriously doubt I’ll ever get the opportunity to do that again, but I’m not going to say “never.”

TULSA BEACON RADIO

My guests this week on “Tulsa Beacon Weekend” will be ORU Director of Athletics Tim Johnson and business consultant Ron Hudson. The show airs on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. CST on 970am KCFO.