“For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies”
(Psalm 57:10).
On July 19th, at the age of 81, Dr. Bright went home to be with the Lord. Three years ago, we knew he was dying with the terminal lung condition, pulmonary fibrosis, but when we received the call an hour after he died, it was a shock.? My first response was, “Oh, our father is gone.”
My husband Marvin reported to Dr. Bright for over 25 years and we knew him and Vonette very well. All the staff of Campus Crusade for Christ, International will miss him dearly.
Since his death, Marvin and I have talked much about how he inspired and cared for us. He was? truly of man faith – in a big God. The following are a few of the memories we have of him:
1. Dr. Bright was obedient to the vision God gave him in his early 20s – to help fulfill the Great Commission.
2. The materials he wrote were always transferable – anyone could use them and teach others how to use them. This resulted in a worldwide movement. Over 1.6 million? Four Spiritual Laws
(gospel tracts) have been printed and? there are 25,000 staff and thousands of volunteers in 170 countries working with Campus Crusade for Christ, International.3. He was obedient to the Holy Spirit’s promptings. Often when we were going through a particular challenging time, he would call and say, “I felt prompted to call you today – is everything okay?”
4. He always pointed us to the sufficiency of God.? When we needed his counsel on something he would usually say, “Oh, you know how to do that better than I.”? ? Then he would pray with us – direct us to the sufficiency of God.
5. Dr. Bright was available. Whenever we asked him to speak at conferences, whether in Canada? or worldwide, he would always come.
6. He cared for his staff.? Many times, when one of the staff were sick or had lost a loved one, we would call him and ask if he had time to call and encourage them and to my knowledge, he always took the time to call.
7. He began his talks by praising the Lord. As a new staff member, I was so inspired when, during one staff conference, the morning after a flash flood in Estes Park, even though he did not know if Vonette was dead or alive, the first words from his mouth were a psalm of praise.
8. He was honored by the world by receiving the Templeton Award. He promptly gave the million dollars to the prayer and fasting movement. He was generous.
9. He encouraged us when we came up with new initiatives.
10. He was fun.? We enjoyed having dinner with him and Vonette and
discussing many things.? He (along with us) was always on some kind of diet and Vonette saw to it that he took many vitamins pills. I recall one conversation when I asked him, “If God has appointed the day we are born and the day we die, will dieting, exercise and vitamins prolong our life, or only enable us to have a better quality of life?” Another time during a meal, I asked him, “How can you tell if you are hearing from God, or if it is your own imagination because it is something you want?” We had many interesting conversations. There are so many aspects of his life that pointed the people who knew him to God. Dr. Bright was truly a man of God.
Father God, we thank You for Bill Bright’s life, for his intimate
relationship with You. He modeled a life faith and obedience. He loved You deeply. Father, may those of us who call ourselves Christians follow his example. Amen.
Related Links:
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About the Author
This article was written by Katherine Kehler. You can read more about this author by clicking this link:
http://www.talk.thelife.com/katherine-kehler/
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