Uncle Bill and the Bible Readers League

The day is young, bright and hot. Gusty Santa Ana winds rush through our big Magnolia tree, bringing down last year's seed pods even as new blossoms begin to form. I have just finished my morning devotions, sitting here by the big front window. Wind chimes sing, the tree dances, and I brace myself for another hot, dry day.

Reading Jesus' words have been particularly meaningful this morning, touching on areas of my soul where there was particular need. I love it when God's Word becomes so recognizably alive in such a specific way.

I have been a Bible reader for almost as long as I have been able to read. I grew up in a Christian family who attended church each and every Sunday, who read a piece of Scripture every night at the dinner table. But it was a complete stranger who encouraged me to read my Bible, on my own, every day - for five years straight. His name was Uncle Bill.

I remember getting three magazines in our home when I was young:  Farm Journal; The Banner;  and Christian Home and School. The first was for my Dad, a dairyman. The other two were products of our church's denomination. Even though I was an avid reader, to be honest, I never found much of interest in any of them. Except for Uncle Bill's page.

Uncle Bill was the principal of a Christian school in Ontario, Canada and the creator of the 'Bible Reader's League'. When I was seven I discovered this league in the Christian Home and School magazine. Uncle Bill wrote a little story or message in it monthly, and he listed the names of his readers who had reached one of his landmark dates by reading their Bibles daily.

I wanted to join this league in the worst way, probably so I, too, could get my name printed in a magazine. My mom let me write him a letter requesting to join (remember, I was just finishing 2nd grade at the time) and in response I received a hand-printed letter and the first of four cards I would eventually receive.

This blue piece of card stock simply said: 

Bible Reader's Prayer

"Open Thou mine eyes, Lord, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law..."

This is to certify that

Kathy Koops

has promised to read a part of the Bible every evening

before going to sleep, and is therefore a

MEMBER of the BIBLE READERS' LEAGUE

as of 

Date: April 1963

That was it. That was the whole program. One letter and I was in. It was completely an honor system. No signed sheets by parents. No forms to check off daily.

And I actually did it. I read a portion of the Bible every night before going to sleep for five years. Sometimes it was a very small portion, just a few verses. And on the infrequent times I slept over at a friend's or cousin's house I would take my Bible with me and read it secretly in the bathroom.

After one year of this, I wrote to Uncle Bill, reporting that I had read every night. I received another hand-written letter from this man, along with the Green Certificate. It was bigger and more decorative than the Blue Certificate, and it recognized me as a Regular Bible Reader for ONE year "and on the promise to remain a PERMANENT MEMBER of the Bible Readers' League."

I had to read for two more years to receive the Red Certificate, and at the end of five years I got the Gold Certificate with Uncle Bill's accompanying letter penned on a gold sheet of paper. 

This is what he wrote:

May 3, 1968.

My Dear Niece, Kathy,
Your letter came today and deserves an immediate answer. Congratulations to you as you have now completed the entire 5-year course of our BRL. You have earned the Gold Certificate. Here it is.

I hope  you will treasure your certificates, but most of all I pray that the Bible reading habit may be a treasured habit which you will maintain and cherish as long as God gives you the ability to read.

It is good to hear that you have found this daily reading of God's Word useful in your life and in your work. I trust that you will find much more than this through your daily devotions. May these be the moments when you and your heavenly Father are very near to each other, for when you read the sacred Word it is none other than God Himself speaking to you. That is the deepest reason why we have this BRL. And that is the greatest blessing God can give us here on earth for His Word is the Word of Life.

And so we have probably come to the end of our correspondence. Looking back now, I'm sure you feel that the 5 years do not seem as long as they did when you started with the Blue Card.

Thank you for your good wishes. God be with you.

Greetings & love from your Uncle Bill

Uncle Bill was right. Reading the Bible is my most treasured habit, and I have found the much more he referred to.

It is not just intellectual knowledge I have acquired through the habit of regular Bible reading. Yes, I do know what the Bible contains, and if I ever become a contestant on a game show where the only topic is the Bible, I'd have a good shot at winning. But reading the Bible is more than this. Much more.

Over the course of my life, God's Word, the Word of Life as Uncle Bill called it, has reshaped me from the inside out. It has caused me to look at myself and at my life - my family history, my personality, my weaknesses and natural abilities, my desire for meaning and purpose, my need to be loved - and find out who I really am.  And the truth is that as I learned about who Jesus is, I also found my identity.

I am His beloved daughter. (Galatians 3:26)

I have been redeemed through His sacrifice on my behalf. (Colossians 1:13-14)

I no longer belong to the dark side of life, but live in the light of His unconditional love. 
(1 John 1:6-7)

I am not perfect, but I press on towards the goal of being who God created me to be. (Philippians 3:13-14)

I rest in the promise of eternity in heaven with Jesus. (1 John 1:11-12)

I have found that in Jesus Christ, I am a new creature; the old me that had been fractured by sin has passed away; the new life that God is building in me has taken root and is growing. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Do you have a list of people you would like to meet in heaven? Uncle Bill is on mine. This man taught me that the simple habit of regularly reading the Bible is the conduit through which God shows me how much He loves me. I have been changed by that love.

I wonder how many years Uncle Bill led the Bible Readers League, and how many hand-written letters he mailed to all his 'nieces' and 'nephews', and how many of them - now parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles - were also changed by the Word of Life. 

What an amazing legacy!