Former president George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush appeared at the Billy Graham Library December 20 to sign copies of their respective memoirs, Decision Points and Spoken From the Heart.
President and Mrs. Bush were greeted by Franklin Graham when they arrived at BGEA headquarters around 10:30 this morning. Afterward, they had a private lunch and prayer with Billy Graham and Franklin and Jane Graham. Franklin then took the Bushes on a private tour of the Billy Graham Library. Afterward, Mr. Graham joined the former president and first lady briefly in the Library to receive signed copies of both Bushes’ books and pose for photos.
A thousand people braved chilly December weather for their chance to speak to the former first couple, many having arrived before sunrise and some having driven hundreds of miles for the opportunity. Among those in line were a World War II veteran and several active duty military personnel.
“When I sat down write my memoir, I decided to take an nontraditional approach. Rather than providing an exhaustive chronological account of my life and years in office, I wanted to give readers a glimpse of the presidency from my perspective,” said President Bush. “That meant focusing on the most demanding and important part of the job–making decisions.”
One of the decisions points he discusses is the decision he made to follow Christ, and how Billy Graham was greatly used in that decision.
“He made it clear that the path to salvation is through the grace of God,” Bush says of Billy Graham in the first chapter of Decision Points. “And the way to find that grace is to embrace Christ as the risen Lord–the Son of a God so powerful and loving that He gave His only Son to conquer death and defeat sin.”
Topics covered by Bush in his memoir include: his decision to quit drinking at age 40, his run for the United States presidency, the factors involved in choosing his cabinet members, the events of September 11, 2001, the war on terror and the financial crisis.
In Spoken From the Heart, Laura Bush chronicles bright and dark defining moments in her life, from her wedding to “Midland’s most eligible bachelor” to a devastating high school car accident that left a friend dead. Readers can also learn about the seasons of her life as a first lady, both of Texas and the United States, and get a glimpse of her role as a human rights advocate.
