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CNN Saturday Morning News
Interview With Anne Graham Lotz
Aired April 06, 2002 - 08:49 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Since September 11, U.S. religious leaders report a renewed interest in spirituality and the afterlife. And a new book now addresses dying and is dedicated to all who face the future with a troubled heart. It's called "Heaven: My Father's House," and it was written by Anne Graham Lotz, the daughter of evangelist Billy Graham. She's our guest this morning. And what a pleasure to have you here with us.
ANNE GRAHAM LOTZ, DAUGHTER OF BILLY GRAHAM: Oh, thank you. Good morning, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: And I was telling you how crazy this morning has been. It's so wonderful to have this segment right now. What a contrast.
GRAHAM LOTZ: Yes, it is wonderful to know that while the world is blowing up, God is preparing a lace for his children. So I'm so thankful that I have a living hope and I know when I die I'm going to heaven.
PHILLIPS: All right, let's talk about heaven, OK? Let's address this for the skeptic, the non-believer. How do you explain to somebody what heaven is, where heaven is, how do you get to heaven? Who has, someone who has no concept?
GRAHAM LOTZ: Well, I think all of us in our hearts long for a better place and we long for a place where there'll be no more suffering and no more pain, no more crime. And the Bible actually describes heaven as a place like that. It's a home that God is preparing for his children. In fact, I took the title, "My Father's House," from what Jesus said in the Gospel of John, Chapter 14. He said in my father's house, there's room enough for everybody. And so God has invited everybody to come spend forever with him, but you have to RSVP to the invitation.
You have to place your faith in Jesus to go this his heavenly home. And when you place your faith in Jesus, then forever and ever we can live in a place that's secure, it's safe, it's a wonderful place and we're going to be with our loved ones, who have also placed their faith in Jesus, and we'll never have to worry about wars or suffering or -- you know, I apply it to my family. My father has Parkinson's, my mother has arthritis, my husband had diabetes, my son has cancer. No more sickness like that. You know, we're going to be free of that and all the struggles in life, I think of our work, you know, and we're going to be able to serve the Lord, but not with struggle. And we won't make mistakes and I'll never fail and it's going to be a wonderful place. I want to go there.
PHILLIPS: So what do you think, if everybody focused on that and that idea and that concept, that belief, it'd be a lot easier to deal with death and dying. Because, I'll tell you what, that's one of the worst things to ever experience.
GRAHAM LOTZ: Yes, well, it is, and I use a story in the book, the first time I went in there, I was very afraid to go because I didn't know what to expect. I didn't know who would be waiting to welcome me. The second time I went in there, I looked forward to going because I knew what to expect and I knew who would be there at the airport to meet me. The same thing I think is true of death. We're afraid to die because we don't know what's on the other side. We don't know what to expect. We don't know who's going to be waiting to welcome us.
But when you know you're going to heaven, you know something of what the Bible says to expect on the other side. You know that your heavenly father is waiting to welcome you. It takes the fear away from death.
PHILLIPS: Your father talked you into writing this book, right? Why?
GRAHAM LOTZ: Well, he didn't really talk me into it, but I gave a message on heaven and he came and heard it. And he was so moved it just, you know, I know my daddy knows he's going to heaven. But to focus in on the details and to think about it was such a blessing to him. But I went home and I wrote it out and asked my daddy if I could get it into a little book form would he do the forward? And he agreed. And then September 11 happened. And I felt that God had just used that to compel me to write a book based on what the Bible says heaven is like to offer not only some comfort to people like my father, who are soon going to be in heaven just because of their age, but other people who are struggling.
My brother-in-law died suddenly last year from a brain tumor and I've lost other loved ones in the last year. And just people maybe who are losing loved ones or people who are sick or even children who have questions about heaven. And this is what the Bible says heaven is like.
PHILLIPS: Well, the title is "Heaven: My Father's House." Anne Graham Lotz, thank you so much. You gave us a little touch of heaven this morning in the midst of all this craziness.
GRAHAM LOTZ: Thank you, Kyra. Oh, God bless you.
PHILLIPS: Thank you.
GRAHAM LOTZ: Thanks.
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