without objection the senate will proceed to the measure. >> i ask unanimous consent that the joint resolution be read a a third time and passed, the preamble be passed in the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. >> is their objection? >> without objection, so ordered. >> the president suggest the absence of a quorum. >> the clerk will call the roll. >> all spend a few minutes talking about your fellow north carolinian,n, billy graham. it's very appropriate you are in the chair as i do this and some of my family members. [inaudible] he was sometimes called america's preacher, sometimes called america's pastor but he went to heaven last week and what a 99 years he had following this year. he lies in honor today in the

rotunda of the capital, only three private citizens prior to todayiz have been granted that honor, a civil rights champion rosa parks and to u.s. capitol police officers who died in the line of duty in 1998, officer jacob chestnut junior and detective john gibson were there. someone observed this morning while we were in the rotunda that they are surrounded by friends that he made during his life, president eisenhower, president ford, president reagan, doctor martin luther king are all memorialized with statues in the capital so billy graham sort of right at home today with people he made friends

with during his life, gave advice to during his life, but never really seen as uniquely his ministry. his ministry was for people everywhere. i might mention that president truman who i stand right here behind one of the desks he used as a w senator from missouri, he was thebo first president that billy graham met with in 1950 and president truman like lots of us midwesterners was closely held with his faith when billy graham said can we pray, i think was president truman who said i guess it wouldn't hurt anything. that was the first opportunity that billy graham had to pray with the many presidents that he prayed with and i'm sure prayed for after that. his mom and dad were dairy farmers like mine. he was born in charlotte north carolina. president trump said this morning there was a prayer

meeting in 1934 on the graham farm that his father made the place available to have a prayer meeting and the focus of that group of leaders from charlotte north carolina was to pray that god would send a leader who would take the gospel around the world, probably nobody at that prayer group had any sense how close they were to someone who was just about to begin the processgr to do that. that was the c year that billy graham became a christian. from that time on he said my purpose in life is to help people find a personal relationship with god, which i believe comes through knowing christ. that's the end of the quote in his view and in so many different ways, that was the simple statement that defined

his life. five years after that in 1939 he was ordained and became a pastor and he was pastoring at a church in illinois when he went to college at wheaton college. education was important but maybe the best thing that happened there, i'm sure he would say the best thing that happened there was that he met his wife ruth bell, they were married for 64 years. it was a partnership as one person went all over the world and the t other person took care of their children and on rare occasion was able to go with him. this was clearly a committed life that she understood. their children, all five of their children were in the rotunda today and in their own wayhe they pursued the work

there parents that was so important. reverend graham didn't just preach the gospel from inside the four walls of the church. it washu probably a rare occasion when he preached in a church as opposed to the places that he preached all over the world. los angeles in 1949, he spoke to 350,000 people over eight weeks. he began to call those efforts are saves and eventually 200 million people would hear the message from him directly, in person. millions more would hear the message from television and print in movies and i read recently that billy graham, a young, handsome guy was offered a movie contract not long after that 1949 los angeles crusade pretty said that was not d his job and he

wouldn't do it for million dollars a day. his work was clearly understood by him. he shared christianity with more people directly than any other person in history of the world. in our state, 1953, he led his first crusade in missouri and st. louis. he returned in 1973 for another st. louis crusade and to celebrate his 55th birthday. they reported that the revivals opening night at 20000 people and 4000 people were in the choir, most of the nights that the st. louis effort occurred. he made several trips to kansas city in 1967. was the heart of america crusading kansas city bedroom 364,000 people and the mayor of kansas city made reverend

graham an honorary citizen and gave him a key to the city. he returned to kansas and missouri many times during that work. 1959 he came to my hometown, springfield missouri and i was pleased to read recently that he said it reminded him, the ozarks reminded him of his native north carolina. he spoke to a crowd in 1982 at the university, inside 2200 people. for seven decades, billy graham brought the gospel to nearly 250 million people displaced wide recognition he was known for his humility, speaking with a person on the street or the president, his main purpose was to share his sense of the importance of knowing his lord jesus christ.

he had a message of grace, not justice that god could forgive anything, god would forgive anything and nobody gets to heaven based on their work, they get to heaven based on their understanding of the grace ofd god. he defended civil rights for afghan americans. he insisted from the early 1950s on, from the beginning of his f crusades they would be integrated and he was a friend of doctor martin luther king 1957. he invited doctor king to speak at one of his revival meetings. he later bailed doctor king out of jail. he said had it not been for the ministry of my good friend doctor billy graham, my work in the civil-rights movement would not have been as successful as it has been. that is the end of doctor king's quote. he spoke about critical issues. his face inspired him to build

bridges. for decades he was always includedor in the ten most admired men in the world. 61 times, morehe than anyone else in history of that poll. he led a remarkable faith filled life that he touched many lives and there's no objection, i would like to include in the record this articlek. from february 23 wall street journal from george w. bush talking about the impact billy graham had on his life and i thought my favorite line in that article, when george w. bush father was president, his father was gone, he and his mother were having dinner at the white house. they began to argue about what it took to get to heaven.

call billyll graham. according to president bush, here is what billy graham said to them. george and barbara, i believe what is written in the new testament but don't d play god. he decides who goes to heaven, not you. we can spend a lot of time arguing but it grace filled life, lifeal built on the principles of the gospel is a life we've benefited from. we recognize uniquely today and we are glad to be here with our colleagues on the floor as we talk about this great life and the impact it has. >> without objection, it will be printed inna the record. >> i too want to join my colleague from missouri. senator blanc and others who

pay tribute to the life of billy graham. we lost a man of great faith and at the end of the gospel of matthew, jesus gives his disciples a great mission where he says go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father, the son and the holy spirit and teach them to obey everything i have commanded you. anyone man is said to have fulfilled that charge, it was billy graham. it was a ministry that spanned more than 60 years and he truly made disciples of all nations, preaching the gospel in the united states and around the world. in the days since his death, many remembered him as a spiritual advisor to many presidents which he was. neither his association with presidents, nor the famous of this world ever distracted him from his primary purpose which was making sure that the good news of christ reached

everyone. from china to south africa and russia and australia and his home state of north carolina, his countless appearances on television, video and the internet, he labored tirelessly for the gospel. i think it's fair to say no one has lived a life of greater impact for the cause of christ in our lifetime. remember as a young child growing up in south korea, when the crusades would come on and we would turn them on along with her parents, you had billy graham come you had george beverly shea, s chris farrell and the message of hope, the message of grace, the message of redemption the impacted so many people in the united states and all around the world. it was great to hear michael w smith sing that great song, just as i am, that was always offered at the end of every billy graham crusade as an invitation for people to come

to know they lord he knew. my wife kimberly and i were privileged to sing in the choir for the 1986 crusade in washington d.c. it was an expense neither of us will forget. he reminded us that he reminded everyone that there thing that matters in life and that is serving christ. if -- he paraphrased dwight l moody and i take it sums it up pretty effectively. someday you will read or hear that billy graham iss t dead. don't you believe a word of it. i shall be more alive than i am now. i will just changee my address. i will have gone into the presence of god. mr. president, i remember insa the 1986 crusade there is a story written, presumably in the washington post in which he was asked what he wanted to be remembered for when he

died. he said preach the gospel of christ, that i have opportunities to do other things but i never deviated. he never deviated mr. president. i'm confident he is rejoicing in the presence of the lord. in the book of ask it talks about king david and said he served god's purpose for his generation. i think it can be said that he truly did serve god's purpose for his generation. so many were impacted by his life and consequential ministry. i yield the floor. >> the senator from georgia. >> america has lost in the world has lost today a great

man in billy graham. as he said in his own remarks, don't grieve for him. he has not gone anywhere except to be at the right hand of god the father almighty in heaven. he has left us but he is in heaven. for his entire life heac witnessed on behalf of a place called heaven and his father to try to take his message around the world l and for the people of the world. i spent a lot of time working with young people. when i do i work with them many times in my church. i taught sunday school for 30 years. it's a hard challenge to find out what you'reea going to do to get through. i learned from billy graham that the best way to teach people about god p is to witness for god. billy grahamwi was the witness of faith. we can all turn on booktv and find a fellow evangelists who

will send you a bible and tell you you are saved for $25. that isn't true. you may be saved by them but you're not saved by jesus. he taught us to live a life of respect and honor and what jesus christ stands for and that we should live a life as an example to others on what it's like to be a christian. in the sadness of the loss of billy graham, he says rejoice evermore and pray without ceasing. i think we are in that time right now in terms of billy graham's life. we should rejoice for the great service he gave to all of us, the great message he brought around the world and we should pray that the world will continue to be blessed. we will do in our small way to

see that we are disciples of that faith in jesus christ. witness and of and evangelism is to witness for other folks. he was a former marine and met hematocrit said. he volunteered to help him in his off-duty time and impress doctor graham and he asked him to join the crusade. he said i can't do it right now. he said if you will come to me at the end of those two years i will put you on my team. 48 years ago he joined the team of billy graham and became his agent, representative and in fact

today he is the last of the billy graham team left alive on this earth. he is living and witnessing every single day from what he learned from billy graham and what the crusade meant to him. he's been in-and-out of north korea more than anybody else in this country. he goes there was samaritans to help people who are oppressed. i know when doctor graham passed away he was not sad but happy knowing that billy graham's place in heaven. he could not wait to join really graham so they could be

together again. the one-on-one passing of the word, from doctor graham to someone else was the way christianity was built over the decades and will be continued to be preserved in the years to come. as we honor in the united states america and the senate, great man, great leader, a man of god and a servant of god. i am so thankful i have the opportunity to be in this chamber on the day we honored billy graham and his life but i'm so happy i have the opportunity to know his servant and be one of those along the way that was helped to live a more responsible and loving life. i yield back my time. >> the senator from oklahoma.

>> it's a moving service in the rotunda today. for him tohe lie and honor in the rotunda and for the nation to pause forat a moment and for the leadership of theot house and senate ambleside to the aisle to all stop and look at a wooden casket simple as it was and remember the legacy of a man who gave his life telling people that jesus loves you. it's a remarkable day. it's not a common day in the senate to break in the middle of the day and contemplate the simple fact, there iss a god who you can know who loves you. it's interesting to think back on the legacy of doctor graham.

he's been to oklahoma many times. in 2003 have the opportunity to be a chair for the youth night of that mission. it's a moving night and a lot of people there as there were in all of his events. that night the students that there were there, there were thousands of teenagers there, that night after graham unpacked a message about solomon. a person who had everything. he challenged them and he always came back to all these things were vanity. you will. he's been challenging people of power. that message that night in oklahoma city, he said people like power and prestige. solomon had more power than any man in his generation. no nation dared to defy him. he looked on all his mighty military power and he said

even power brings no sense of fulfillment or joy or peace. the bible talks about another power, the kind of power that helps when the crisis comes. second timothy one : seven. he said god did not give us a spirit. [inaudible] but a spirit of love, and self-discipline. then he said jesus christ that all authority in heaven and earth has been given onto me and then he quoted paul's words for i am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of god to salvation. students responded to the simple and invitation to know the god that doesn't give you power but he is power. if you ask most oklahomans ask what was the moment they remember most, they would come back and say it was in 1995 when the federal building was destroyed by domestic terrorism. doctor graham was there a

sunday after thatt tragic attack on oklahoma and on the nation. he gave a message too, city in the nation and he laid out hope toward the end of his sermon he said this. he said this event also reminds us of the brevity and uncertainty of life. it reminds us that we never know when we are going to be taken. i doubt even one of those who went that building to work were to go to the children's place ever dreamed it was there last day on earth. that's why we each need to face our own spiritual need and commit ourselves to god. it is ironic that this terrible event took place just three days after the churches of the city were filled with people celebrating easter, just one week ago today and throughout the world, the eastern orthodox church celebrates easter on this day as easter always brings hope to all of us for the christian, the cross tells us that god understands our

suffering for he took upon himself as the cross all our sins and all our failures and all of our suffering. our lowered on that cross asked the question why. my god, my god, why has thou forsaken me. he received his answer. he knew to redeem the world, to save you and me from our sins, to give us assurance that if we died we are going to heaven. he was saying from the cross, i love you. he said i know the heartaches and sorrow and the pain that you feel. easter points is beyond the tragedy of the cross to the hope of the empty tomb. it tellss us there is a hope for eternal life. that christ has conquered death and it also tells us that god's triumph over evil and death and how. this is our hope. it can be your hope as well. doctor graham ended this conversation by saying my

prayer for you is that you will feel the loving arms of god wrapped around you and will know in your heart that he will never forsake you as you trust in him. >> this is a significant day for oklahomans. to begin the healing process together r. it's quite remarkable to have america's pastor be laid to res rest. doctor graham would assure all of us that the same hope that he t experienced, that he shared with as many people as he possibly could was not unique to north carolina. it wasn't unique to his family, it wasn't even unique to america and it was god's great affection for all people. the offer of that love that could turn around the heart like his could turn around the heart of a nation, could turn around the heart of all people. it's a goodr. day to remember. it's a rare moment to stop and

pause the way we have today. i think it's a significant message this should not be forgotten. mr. president, i yield back. >> our c-span cameras are alive at the rotunda where visitors are paying their respect to the reverend. he is laying in honor today and tomorrow and is the first religious leader to lie and honor at the capital. president trump paid his respect along with lawmakers. he died on february 21 at age 99. we will take a moment to watch visitors pay their respect. this is live coverage on c-span2.

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[silence] >> we will be leaving this in just a moment. you can continue to watch visitors pay their respects to the late reverend billy graham live on c-span three. at 8:00 p.m. eastern, we will

show you the ceremony from earlier today honoring billy graham. we will have that on c-span at 8:00 p.m. : : : >> >>

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