This year, I remembered and surprised myself. Bill was fearless. A survivor of Cerebral Palsy, in the old days when treatments were hard and rarely successful, Bill was a championship wrestler, bad legs and all. He was also not afraid of anything. We studied together in Atlanta.
So, one day Bill just announced he intended to "drive over and see Dr. King." Those of us who heard him suggested it might not be all that easy to do. "Not a problem", and off he went. A few hours later he came back, rather wide-eyed. "I found the street, and started looking for the number. I got close, studied the number, and noticed a small crowd had gathered. They asked where I was going, and when I said what I intended, they just said 'No'."
"I looked at the gathering, and decided they were the "guards" in those very troubled times. And they were very large. Did you know Dr. King had some very large friends? Not that I was afraid, or anything, it just wasn't a good time to drop in!"
Atlanta was a tense city, just then, and no one was getting close unless invited. A candidate for governor was passing out axe handles, saying "You boys know what these are for, don't ya? Don't be shy 'bout using one!"
Bill championed MLK's causes, and he served well in ministry. History worked itself out. But behind the public figures were the large friends, who could always tell their man: "I got your back." Until the tragic day when they didn't.
Remembering him today, and remembering Bill, I read the "Letter from the Birmingham Jail" and remembered what an amazing gift of persuasive, moving speech the man possessed, as a gift from God.
There's a reminder here that God has gifted ALL of us in some way. Gotta use those gifts; there's life in them.
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