James Carter from Plains, Georgia, is the thirty-ninth former president of the United States. On the first day of October 2024, this venerable saint of God celebrates his hundredth birthday. I call him a saint because he aptly fits the role of saint in the Holy Bible. He is not a stained-glass figure in a cathedral but a peanut farmer who is a devout follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. For many years Jimmy taught Sunday school in his little Plains church. But beyond his teaching ministry, he practiced his Christian faith by building homes for the poor and by his efforts to bring peace around the world. He has been a carpenter like his Lord and a doer of good works. 

He has authored a number of significant books, including one that explores our endangered values and another that discusses the plight of the Palestinians under the rule of the Israeli government.

President Carter represents America at her best. We congratulate him on his attainment of 100 years. He is an honorable, good, decent human being. We are all in his debt. God bless Jimmy Carter, the peanut farmer from Georgia.

— John Carter