When you hear the name Billy Graham, do you think first of his leadership? Most of us do not. We recall his preaching to vast crowds in stadiums. We see the gracious television guest, appearing with hosts from Johnny Carson and David Frost to Larry King and Barbara Walters—always responding with gentle wisdom, explaining the gospel, but humbly admitting his own limitations. We remember his leading the nation in dramatic times of grief, or helping inaugurate presidents, but more as national pastor than leader.
Even though God had delivered Larry completely from drug addiction, he had not been delivered from the uncontrollable outbursts of anger that had plagued his life. Larry had tried everything he knew, but he could do nothing to put these terrible moments of rage behind him. These outbursts would come upon him unexpectedly, and when they did, he said and did terrible things to his wife and even terrified his children. After violent episodes, he would apologize in tears and beg his wife to forgive him. Though he would promise to never lose his temper again, sooner or later his control would slip. During one extreme outburst he understood that he had become just like the generations before him, angry and violent. Though he had vowed never to do those things, he had become the very thing that he most hated. In a moment of revelation he knew that he was confronting a generational pattern, acting out his anger just as generations of his family had done before him. He went to the Bible a...

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