Graham reaching 91

Billy Graham, born in Charlotte four days before the end of World War I, will turn 91 on Saturday.

He'll celebrate quietly this weekend, his son Franklin says, surrounded by a few friends and family members at his mountaintop home in Montreat.

"I've experienced God's gracious love in a personal way all these years," Billy Graham said in a statement. "Today, my heart is filled with gratitude to the Lord for all he has done for me, and for all the prayers from so many people over the years."

Friends and family say Graham's mind is alert, but that various ailments have left him physically fragile. He relies on a walker for balance and has trouble hearing. Macular degeneration has dimmed his eyesight.

Staff members read to him from the Bible and from various newspapers. The Rev. Don Wilton of First Baptist Church of Spartanburg, S.C., where Graham is a member, visits weekly.

Graham, who preached to 210 million people in 185 countries during the heyday of his international crusades, remains an avid fan of TV newscasts and CNN's "Larry King Live." He is pursuing writing projects, namely a book on aging. Its tentative title: "Nearing Home."

Graham has been hospitalized three times since 2007, most recently in October 2008, after tripping over his dog - a golden retriever named Sam. He still grieves for his wife of 63 years, Ruth Bell Graham, who died in June 2007.

"While I know God keeps me here for a reason, I look forward to the time when I will be reunited with Ruth in heaven," Graham said in the statement.

Graham is still chairman of the Charlotte-based Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, which he founded nearly 60 years ago. Franklin Graham, who is ministry president and CEO, meets weekly with his father on BGEA matters when he is in town. An evangelist who also heads Samaritan's Purse in Boone, Franklin Graham recently returned from a trip to North Korea and China.

Daughter Ann Graham Lotz of Raleigh and grandson Will Graham are also evangelists. Another grandson, Tullian Tchividjian, is the new senior pastor at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

"I am enjoying this season of life, watching my children and grandchildren - and now even my great-grandchildren - grow more fully into their own ministries," Graham said. "It is another blessing of these senior years."

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