■ ■ ■Billy always insists on simply being called “Billy.” He titled his
autobiography Just as I Am, a perfect description of his humble
spirit, taken from the hymn sung when he invites people to come
forward and receive God’s love. With humble audacity and “fero-
cious resolve,” Billy has led with full, even painful, awareness of
his own strengths and limitations.
Those of us called to some sort of leadership realize that “just
as I am” describes each of us as we face demanding, complex chal-
lenges. In the refining furnace of leadership, we sense we must
seek empowerment from above. And we know we simply must
do the best we can with what we have and who we are.
Billy Graham did that. Whatever the challenges and hurdles,
whatever the limitations, he steadily led by full commitment to his
biblical values. His lifetime of vigorous leadership invites us to
engage with the same spirit, to consider his examples, and to reach,
as he did, into the rich resources of leadership literature that res-
onate with scriptural principles.
Harold MyraThe Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham