Billy Graham’s Guitarist, Franklin Graham’s Friend

Award-winning guitarist Dennis Agajanian has spent over 60 years combining blazing guitar skills with fearless evangelism. From confronting Hell's Angels bikers to performing at Billy Graham Crusades worldwide, Dennis never wavered from his motto: impress them with the guitar, then lead them to Christ. 

On this episode of GPS: God. People. Stories., you’ll hear about his unforgettable stories of street preaching during the "Summer of Love," dangerous ministry trips with close friend Franklin Graham, and how Franklin helped Dennis propose to his wife Victoria (twice!).  

Connect with us through email at gps@billygraham.org or on Facebook at Billy Graham Radio. 

If you’d like to know more about beginning a relationship with Jesus Christ, or deepening the faith you already have, visit FindPeacewithGod.net. 

If you’d like to pray with someone, call our Billy Graham 24/7 Prayer Line at 855-255-7729. 

Transcript

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:00:00] Could you imagine this? You’re in a dark parking lot. You encounter a member of the Hell’s Angels. Yes, those Hell’s Angels, the infamous motorcycle club. You see an opportunity to talk with the biker about Jesus Christ. You seize the opportunity. And then, you realize the biker is looking at someone behind you. 

Dennis Agajanian:
[00:00:23] And I just talked to him. What I’m doing there. He’s looking over my shoulder. And I turn around, and Billy Graham is standing right next to me. And it’s this mist, you know, a cold, foggy mist. And I said, Sir, would you like to continue? And he said you’re doing just fine. And he stood there. And I turned away, and I finished my business. I said, sir, there is a God who cares. And the question I have, give me one good reason why people don’t believe in God? Any one of these educated people, sir, that’s what I’m asking them. And then, the guy’s eyes kind of went and followed Mr. Graham. And my eyes kept right on that biker. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:01:07] It was Berkeley, California, 1967. Dennis Agajanian had no fear about confronting the chaos of the drug-fueled summer of love with the true love of Jesus Christ. What he didn’t expect ever was that Billy Graham would show up at his divine appointment with a Hell’s Angel biker. This is just one of the rich experiences Dennis has had as he preached and played guitar around the world. And today, he and his guitar continue to confront chaos with Christ. Dennis’s story is our story in this episode of GPS: God. People. Stories. A podcast outreach of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. I’m Jim Kirkland. Dennis Agajanian is an award-winning guitar player who plays at Franklin Graham outreaches and at churches across the United States. He also performed at Billy Graham Crusades. He knows well what his old friend, Billy Graham, also knew. 

Billy Graham: 
[00:02:04] Man is on a self-destruction binge, but God is still in the business of turning men and women’s lives around and bringing them to Himself. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:02:14] And it’s up to us to share that good news with people. You’ll hear Billy Graham talk more about that a little later in the episode. But if you’re in a place where you need God to turn your life around, please connect with us right now. You can visit us online at FindPeacewithGod.net. There, you’ll find just about everything you need to know about beginning a relationship with Jesus Christ. The address again is FindPeacewithGod.net. Or if you’d like to speak with someone, call our Billy Graham 24/7 prayer line. The number is (855) 255-PRAY. That’s (855) 255-PRAY. And if you didn’t get to jot those down, you can find both the website and the phone number in our show notes. 

Audio and Music Tag:
[00:03:01]

Jim Kirkland
[0003:07] Dennis Agajanian has been called the world’s fastest flat-pick guitar player. 

Music:
[00:03:12]

Dennis Agajanian: 
[00:03:21] I said, well, that’s a rumor Johnny Cash started. You know. Because Cash was a friend of mine. And he started a rumor that I was the fastest in America. And I don’t want to be known as that. I just want to be known as a good guitar player. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:03:34] And that he is. But Dennis is also known as a fast guitar player. He’s won awards and performed for hundreds of thousands of people over the decades. Why has he spent most of his life mastering his guitar-playing skills? 

Dennis Agajanian: 
[00:03:49] It would be impress them with a guitar so I could lead them to Christ. It’s the only reason why I play the guitar the way I do. If I can get their attention, lead them to Christ. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:03:59] And Dennis has been making music and leading people to Christ for more than 60 years. He grew up in a small town north of Los Angeles. 

Dennis Agajanian: 
[00:04:08] A little place called Newhall. You might think, well, north of LA is Los Angeles County, but it was out in the hills. I mean, a lot of actors and different people live there because it’s very much in the country. And, um, that’s where they filmed Gunsmoke and a lot of the cowboy movies. And my dad, he had a rubbish company. We got in a lot of fights in junior high of people making fun of our rubbish company. And so, made us tough. You know. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:04:36] When he was around two, Dennis’s mother and grandmother took him to Billy Graham’s historic 1949 outreach in Los Angeles. It was the event that put Billy Graham in the national spotlight. Dennis doesn’t remember much beyond the stage and the steps leading up to it. 

Dennis Agajanian: 
[00:04:52] And a breeze. Kind of a breeze. It was just a breeze coming through. I think the tent was up like this, and the side curtains were up. I just remember the music. And I remember people coming forward. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:05:06] Dennis had no way of knowing then that he’d one day be playing guitar at Billy Graham Crusades. But he did hear his mom talk about Billy Graham. And seeing her read his books while he was growing up with his parents, his twin brother, Danny, and his older brother, Roger.  

Dennis Agajanian: 
[00:05:23] We were just a real working family. You know. We had go-karts. And Danny collected birds of prey like red-tailed hawks. We had two hawks, two owls, and four buzzards, and one raven. You know, we taught them how to hunt. So, we were outside kids. We’d ride our bicycles. And we’d put an owl on the left handlebar and a hawk, red tailed-hawk, on the other handlebar. And we would-we would wrap an Ace bandage on it where they would hold on. It was a country town that we lived in. We-we loved it. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[0005:57] Church was an important part of life for the Agajanians.  

Dennis Agajanian: 
[00:06:01]  We went to a small, little church. This one guy was, uh, no one ever invited him to speak. He was 70 years old. So, he bought a bar outside of town, about 10 miles. Painted it white. And in black letters, he put church on it. And my mom liked his preaching. So, we all went there. We were the only youth department. The only music department. There was like 30 senior citizens there. And I think that’s where the Lord gave me, uh, the talent to play the trumpet at nine years old. And then, when I was 15, I was playing guitar. I played guitar and did the old hymns. The pastor said, you know, you can play any hymn you want, any way you want, just don’t change the words. And so, we took advantage of that. We played songs like “Victory in Jesus” in a bluegrass way. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:06:47] Dennis was 11 years old when he made the decision to become a follower of Jesus Christ. Here’s how it happened.  

Dennis Agajanian: 
[00:06:54] A friend of mine invited me to church on a Wednesday night. It was cold and raining. I went to this little church and went inside. There was one little room with one light bulb. And they had-had a little felt board, you know, with the little characters of Joseph, and you know. And there were three friends sitting in front of me in the front row. And I was in the second row. Just the four of us. And this guy comes through the door wearing a suit that was three times too big for him. And, uh, he just started preaching. It wasn’t we’re going to sing a song or hold hands and pray. Nothing. You know. And when he was done, it really made sense to me. And anybody want to accept Christ raise your hand. I raised my hand. I was the only one that did. Made me stand up. Are you sure you know what you’re doing? It was the first time I ever talked back to an adult. I said, of course, I know what I’m doing. Because, you know, the balance was heaven and hell. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:07:52] From that moment on, Dennis was fully committed to Christ and to the Word of God. He loved reading the Bible, which is noteworthy because he wasn’t much of a reader in school. 

Dennis Agajanian: 
[00:08:05] I felt like I was worth something. I believed the Bible. You know, I can read the Bible and comprehend it. It’s kind of like the Holy Spirit was, uh, was that pedagogical object, the teaching device, that-that you understood. And so, I understood the Word when I would read it. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:08:24] His love for God’s Word continued. His love for music continued. And in the summer between high school and college, Dennis began developing a love for street preaching. Dennis got the opportunity to hone his new love when he enrolled at California State Polytechnic University in Pomona. 

Dennis Agajanian: 
[00:08:44] I didn’t think that I had a great gift of street preaching until questions were thrown at me by professors that would see me at noon. Like you could go at noon when you’re on a college campus, and there’s a free speech platform. And you can go up there alone and just say, you know, I’m only going to give you … I’m giving you five minutes of your time. But I would just give them Scripture. There is a God who cares. He does love you. You know. And I would do that. And when they would come up and ask me questions, I was able to answer every picking question because I was studying the Scripture. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:09:22] Street preaching gave Dennis opportunities to combine his knowledge of the Bible with his love for music and his heart for people’s eternal well-being. He remembers one such occasion at a coffee shop in Berkeley. 

Dennis Agajanian: 
[00:09:35] It was full of these hippy guys. And I was standing in the back drinking a cup of coffee. And the guy playing guitar on the stage said, hey, are you a good guitar player? And I don’t usually talk about myself. I said, yeah, because I thought I was. You know, he wasn’t that great. He said do you want to play during my break? I said, I’d be honored to because I thought this would be the time to witness. You know. I got up there and I scratched away “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” on the guitar. And scratching means picking. And so, they liked it. And they went nuts. And I looked at the guy if I should do another one. He said do another one. I did another one. I ended up doing four. And then, I told him what I was there for. It got real quiet. You know, then, I went in the back. And some people thumbs up. Some guys, you know, didn’t like it. One guy said you can leave now. And then, this big biker guy said, you say that again and I’ll punch ya. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:10:29] Dennis walked outside. And there in the parking lot was a group of Hell’s Angels bikers. Dennis likes motorcycles. So, he started talking to one of the leaders about bikes and got him to open up. Then, he started talking to him about Jesus. While he was talking, Dennis was unaware that someone was standing behind him. 

Dennis Agajanian: 
[00:10:52] I just talked to him, what I’m doing there. He’s looking over my shoulder. And I turn around, and Billy Graham is standing right next to me. And it’s this mist, you know, a cold, foggy mist. And I said, Sir, would you like to continue? And he said you’re doing just fine. And he stood there. And I turned away, and I finished my business. I said, Sir, there is a God who cares. And the question I have is, give me one good reason why people don’t believe in God? Any one of these educated people, Sir, that’s what I’m asking them. And then, the guy’s eyes kind of went and followed Mr. Graham. And my eyes kept right on that biker. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:11:35] Those were some of the most turbulent times in U.S. history. And Dennis was in the thick of them in one of the hotbeds of the counter-culture movement. The San Francisco Bay Area. It was a movement marked by anti-war protests, sexual promiscuity, and heavy drug use. Dennis was sharing the message of Jesus Christ in the midst of the unrest and recalls one tragic day in particular. 

Dennis Agajanian: 
[00:12:00] This guy was playing a flute on the fifth floor of this-this building. And I look and I see this woman sprawled right in the middle of the street. She was dead. And I walked up to her. This guy was playing the flute. And I looked up at him. And he stopped. He goes I’m playing her funeral. She was a little butterfly, and she thought she could fly like a butterfly or a bird. And he kept playing that. And out of anger, I looked up. I said stop the music. And I just leaned down next to her, put my arm around her head, her neck, her shoulder. I just felt like I should kind of protect her. You know. People stood away. Ambulance came. Police came. Firemen came. And I gave her to him. I said, uh, looks like she-she jumped. He said, oh, yeah. What’s your name? I said, Dennis. Dennis, this happens all the time. And so, uh, I stood up and walked up to the crowd. I said, are you blind to see what drugs does? She thought she could fly. She lost her life. Does anybody here care that there’s a God that could save you? Save you from this. And so, that’s when I kind of started my open-air preaching. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:13:22] Dennis continued to share Jesus as a street preacher for the next several years. Eventually, his gifts of music and evangelism caught the attention of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. They contacted him and asked him if he’d be interested in performing at Billy Graham’s upcoming Crusade planned for Lubbock, Texas. Dennis accepted the invitation. And he was surprised that Mr. Graham remembered their first meeting outside of that coffee shop in Berkeley.  

Dennis Agajanian: 
[00:13:52] Well, I-I remember telling him that … just saying from the platform that I met Mr. Graham. I was witnessing to some Hell’s Angels. And, uh, when I played the song, and I got back to the seat, he turned to me. I was sitting right behind him, one chair to the right. He looked at me. He said I see you haven’t changed. [Laughs] Yeah, he remembered me. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:14:17] It was during that 1975 Billy Graham Crusade in Lubbock that Dennis first met a man who would become a lifelong friend. It was Billy Graham’s son, Franklin Graham. 

Dennis Agajanian: 
[00:12:28] They wanted me to pick something up in the office because somebody was going to drive me to a, uh, a mall. I asked to be able to play at a mall and play different places during the day to invite people. That’s what I’d like to do. So, Franklin came up to me and said I heard you’re a fast guitar player. I said, well, that’s a rumor Johnny Cash started, you know, because Cash was a friend of mine. And he started a rumor that I was the fastest in America. And I don’t-I don’t want to be known as that. I just want to be known as a good guitar player. You know, who cares if you’re fast. So, we start talking. Yeah, I got a Jeep. I said, what kind do you have? Well, I’ve got a CJ-5 and duh, duh, duh. Oh, that’s a V-6. What do you have that for? You should have a V-8. And we’re already arguing. You know. And then, I thought, well, I don’t know if this friendship is going to last. 

Jim Kirkland:
[00:15:21] It has. That was 50 years ago, and the friendship is still going strong. And Dennis plays at many of Franklin’s outreaches every year. Dennis was also a very good friends with Franklin’s mom, Ruth Bell Graham. She appreciated his boldness for the Lord. One time, in particular, his boldness and Mrs. Graham’s encouragement led to an encounter with the police outside an adult bookstore in Asheville, North Carolina. 

Dennis Agajanian: 
[00:15:48] And I just said, look, just stay here. I’m going to go inside of that bookstore and yell at everybody. Okay. Because there are people in there that shouldn’t be in there. They’re married. Now, I’m going to yell at the owner, he should just get another job. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:16:03] He stood in the doorway and told everyone in the store that they needed Jesus to set them free. When he came back to the car, Mrs. Graham encouraged Dennis to play his guitar in front of the store to drive home his message. He agreed reluctantly. 

Dennis Agajanian: 
[00:16:19] All right. I’ll sit on the hood of the car, kind of on the side fender. And I’ll play the guitar. All of a sudden, a guy comes up. I’m against the wall like this. Freeze!

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:16:33] The police officer wanted to know what Dennis had been doing. He explained, and Mrs. Graham vouched for him. The officer then told him they needed a permit to preach and play music. So, Mrs. Graham said they’d be back the next day with a permit and with a group of students from nearby Montreat Anderson College. 

Dennis Agajanian: 
[00:16:52] She drives up to the picking county building. Goes up the steps. Thump, thump, thump. And she walks right by everybody. Goes right to the mayor. He needs a permit. A permit for what? To preach. The guy looks at me with one eyebrow up like that. To preach? When? Tomorrow. He writes on a piece of paper. Spell your name, sir. Spelled it. Permit to preach. We were there the next day with about 20 kids. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:17:22] A boldness for telling people about Jesus is something Dennis shares with his good friend, Franklin Graham. And that boldness has placed them in some dangerous spots together while ministering to people around the world. 

Dennis Agajanian: 
[00:17:36] We were in Beirut, and bombs were going off. But you’ve got buildings. You’ve got cars that will protect you. But in Cambodia, there’s-there’s no cars or buildings. And it’s flat. And you hear a mortar rocket come. And you go, and you jump in a ditch. And their ditches are the sewers. And I jumped in a dry ditch. But across the road, Franklin jumps in a wet ditch. And the mortar rocket hits. A second mortar rocket hits. And right before the third one hits, I look up. And Franklin looks up. He runs over to my ditch. And what am I doing? Trying to throw him out of my ditch because he stunk. He smells. I say get out of my ditch! And the third one hit. And then, a van comes up. The door opens. Franklin gets in the van, and I get in the van. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:18:22] What drives Franklin to run into dangerous places, says Dennis, is his love for people and his desire for them to know the hope that Jesus offers them. Dennis remembers a time he and Franklin ministered to a little girl in the burn unit of a hospital. 

Dennis Agajanian: 
[00:18:38] There was this child that was just about dead. Purposefully. I think somebody had done it to her. And the face was like a cabbage. Two holes for eyes. She was blind. Two holes for ears, and her nose, and mouth. And Franklin is holding this child. He’s-he’s whispering in ear, uh, this little light of mine; I’m going to let it shine. And tears are running out of the holes for the eyes. Tears are coming out. I’m playing the guitar. Franklin’s just wording this little light of mine. You talk about love. You talk about somebody that would hold somebody with this face. To kiss her. A little burned baby’s face. That’s the kind of man he is. There’s that compassion. Billy had that compassion. Ruth has that compassion. That’s the kind of Christian that he is. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:19:40] Franklin played an important role in Dennis marrying his wife, Victoria. Because although he’s bold in sharing his faith, Dennis was lacking some boldness when it came to asking Victoria to marry him. They met at church and had been dating for a while when Franklin asked his friend a question. 

Dennis Agajanian: 
[00:19:59] After eight months, he goes, now, Victoria, do you love her? I said, yeah, I do. He said, well, do you want to marry her? I said I’d like to. Have you asked her? I said, no. And he knows that I didn’t date very much in my life. He goes do you want me to ask her for you? I said, yes. And he goes, okay, because he knows my situation. He’s my best friend. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:20:22] So, Franklin asked Victoria on behalf of Dennis. And she said, no. But Franklin encouraged Dennis to keep dating Victoria and to ask her again at Christmastime. And that’s what he did. As Christmas approached, Dennis went to her home with an engagement ring, and he knocked on her front door. 

Dennis Agajanian: 
[00:20:44] So, she opened the door. And we talked Spanish back to each other. She speaks Spanish fluently. She opens the door. And I-I propose to her. And she says, oh, vida! And what does “oh” sound like? No. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:20:58] Dennis thinks he’s been turned down a second time. He calls Franklin. And Franklin asks Dennis to put Victoria on the phone. 

Dennis Agajanian: 
[00:21:05] Why did you say no? I said, oh. Oh, sounds like no. Give me back to Dennis. She said, oh. Ask her again. And then, she said, yes, I’ll marry you. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:21:17] Franklin hosted and officiated their wedding at one of his favorite spots on earth, Port Alsworth, Alaska, in the remote south-central part of the state. Victoria helps run Dennis’s ministry. And she shares his and Franklin’s love for people. Dennis sees it all the time in his wife. 

Dennis Agajanian:
[00:21:34] Some lady cashier is crying. She’s praying for them. She comes to the car talking to somebody. She is praying with someone. A neighbor down the street. Knocks on the door, an 85 year old lady answers the door. Haven’t seen you on the street. I wondered if you’re okay or needed anything. It’s kind of like that. You okay? A cashier says how do you know I’m not okay? Oh, could I talk to you in 10 minutes? Yeah. She’s waiting there with her basket. Comes over and talks to the lady and leads her to Christ. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:22:08] Dennis leads people to Christ through his music, for example. 

Dennis Agajanian:
[00:22:14] Last Sunday, I led 53 people to the Lord. Before that, it was 58, 75. It was Hell’s Angel and 20 other people. If I can play the guitar and get their attention, I could lead them to Christ. Only God knows how many people got saved. But, uh, we average about 1700 a year, I guess. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:22:34] All of Dennis’s appearances at churches are in addition to his being part of many of Franklin Graham’s outreaches every year. 

Music:
[00:22:42]

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:23:05] Dennis plays a variety of styles of music on his guitar. And he believes that God uses that to reach people. 

Dennis Agajanian:
[00:23:12] A guy say, okay, let’s hear what he has to say. Music’s not my type, but I like what he said. Or I like what he said and the music. Hey, I didn’t know, you know, I didn’t know that a guy like this guy could do classical. It’s interesting to know that you’re playing the old hymns. You’re playing classical. You’re doing country rock. You’re doing country; you’re doing bluegrass. You’re doing different styles. It’s portraying a song. It’s being able to do a song that really touches people. You want every note right. You want to play it right. You want it good, and you want to blow them away. You want to blow yourself away. You want to just play good. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:23:54] Dennis says he’s a better guitar player than a preacher, but he’s been doing both for a long time. So, we asked him, what would he say to someone about accepting Jesus as their Savior? 

Dennis Agajanian:
[00:24:07] Look, there is a God. He does love you. He did send His Son, Jesus Christ, to this earth on a rescue mission to die for your sins. Because He’s God, His blood is pure. And when He shed His blood, He was able to take away every sin you’ve ever done. And when He died on that cross, He paid the debt of sin for you. And when He died on that cross, when you put your faith and trust in Him, you’ll never see death. And so, when you die, you will immediately be with Him in paradise. And so, you can accept or reject Jesus Christ. He’s made a way for you to know Him. For that same Spirit of God, the Father, the Holy Spirit, His Holy Spirit will come into your soul that you’re born with. It never grows old if you just say this prayer. Repeat it after me. Lord, God, I am a sinner. I’m sorry for my sins. I accept Jesus Christ into my life right now. Thank you for coming into my life and living in my soul. Thank you that I’m a Christian. Thank you for dying on a cross for me. Thank you for rising from the grave, Lord, from the tomb. Thank you, Lord, for loving me. Lord, I love you. Lord, help me to be strong in You. Help me to serve You. Help me to share Your love with others. I love you, Lord. In Jesus’ name, amen. If you said that prayer, He’s right now just come into your soul. And He lives inside your soul. And He’ll never ever leave you or forsake you. And I want you to share this love with other friends. 

Music:
[00:25:54] 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:26:03] Dennis Agajanian has devoted his life and his musical gifting to telling people about Jesus Christ, who loves you and will never forsake you. If you haven’t already accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, you can do that now. We can help you with that. Connect with us online or over the phone. Online, we’re at FindPeacewithGod.net. You can explore questions and answers there, or live chat with someone who can answer your questions. The address again is FindPeacewithGod.net. If you’d rather speak with someone, you can call the Billy Graham 24/7 prayer line. The number is (855) 255-PRAY. That’s (855) 255-7729. There are some events that just lock in your memory. You’ll always remember where you were when they happened or when you heard about them. Dennis will share one of those memories he has in just a moment. 

Audio and Music tag:
[00:27:07] 

Billy Graham: 
[00:27:17] Man is on a self-destruction binge, but God is still in the business of turning men and women’s lives around and bringing them to Himself. 

Announcer:
[00:27:26] Billy Graham … 

Billy Graham: 
[00:27:28] People are disillusioned. Secular answers have failed them. We’ve tried everything in our search for peace, and security, and fulfillment. And we haven’t found it. Materialism, politics, drugs, and alcohol have failed. Thus, millions are open to the message of a hope, a new life in Christ. The Words of Jesus challenge me as never before. Behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already unto harvest. They’re ready and waiting. The human heart is filled with sin. We’ve broken God’s commandments. We are estranged from God. We are separated from God. We need reconciliation. And the only reconciliation is the cross, and the resurrection, and repentance, and faith. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:28:16] We can tell you more about how to be reconciled to God at our website, FindPeacewithGod.net. That’s FindPeacewithGod.net. Our guest on this GPS is Dennis Agajanian. He’s won multiple awards, including the Inspirational Country Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year and Living Legend awards. Dennis and Franklin Graham are close friends. And he was close friends with Franklin’s parents. He remembers when he learned of Billy Graham’s passing in 2018. 

Dennis Agajanian: 
[00:28:51] Yeah. I got up in the morning. They announced it on television. And I remember Mr. Graham telling me I’m looking forward to the death, but it’s just the process I’m not looking forward to. And, uh, I remember he used to say that to me. He would, uh, grab my hand, and put it on his heart, put it on his chin, and say I love you. Yeah, I played guitar for him a few weeks before he passed. I sat at his table and played for him some songs that he loved. And, um, I played “Jesus to a Man’s Desire”. And he said that was played at his wedding. So, that meant a lot to him. And, uh, Ruth was a real friend. I knew her before I knew Franklin. You know. She was a dear friend. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:29:42] We are grateful for the time that Dennis Agajanian gave us to share his story on this episode of GPS. If you enjoyed this episode, would you do us a favor? Would you please leave us a review or rating? And also, be sure you’re subscribed to the podcast so you don’t miss a single episode. We drop new episodes every other Wednesday. I’m Jim Kirkland. And this is GPS: God. People. Stories. It’s an outreach of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Always good news. 

Music:
[00:30:14] 

End of transcript