Famous Civil Rights leader, Ralph Abernathy, was a campus speaker when I was in college. In a packed ball room he told about his experiences in the Movement and about working with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

After his lecture, he asked if there were any questions. I threw my hand up and he picked me. I asked: “Rev. Abernathy, would you please tell us how you came to know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior?”

Rev. Abernathy seemed a bit startled by the question. He paused, then he said: “When I was a young boy I went to the altar one Sunday morning in my father’s Baptist church and there I met Jesus Christ. And I’ve never been the same.” Then he got excited. He sounded like he was preaching from the pulpit in that special black-church style. For five minutes or so he boldly declared his love for Jesus Christ.

After we were dismissed, several angry people rushed up to me. One guy said: “Why did you ask him THAT?” “I was curious,” I said.

Another firmly stated: “He wasn’t here for THAT!” I replied, “He didn’t have to answer my question.” But I am sure glad he did. Even today, as I remember Ralph Abernathy’s passion for Jesus Christ, I am inspired!