Bryant Taylor, D.Min.
William Smith, a nosy teenager, strode into his older brother’s room. As he surveyed the room, he noticed something new and seemingly out of place — two books. Curious, William picked them up and read the titles: Bible Readings for the Home and Daniel and Revelation.
“What is this?” William questioned his brother.
William’s brother grabbed the books, placing them on a high shelf, and responded, “Bro, you’re not ready for this. Now, I’ve got to go, so leave my room so I can lock up.”
As William begrudgingly left, the door slammed behind him. He wondered why the books had caused such a strong reaction. His curiosity only grew as the day continued. Later, he heard his brother leave, heading out into the warm summer Chicago, Illinois, day. William rushed to his brother’s room and tried the knob. Locked. Taking a credit card, William wiggled it between the door and its frame, working it back and forth until the door popped open. He reached for the forbidden books, grabbed them, and returned to his room.
“How does my brother know what I’m ready for,” William angrily thought as he opened the books and began to read.
He was hungry for the words he read. He had been searching for something better in life, tired of living the way he had been. He had studied UFOs, smoked marijuana, ordered a pentagram necklace to attract good luck, read horoscopes, and tried psychic biorhythms. Despite all his attempts, each left him feeling empty. The books talked about prophecy and the future, much like his psychic readings had. Still, nothing else had worked to fill the void, and he doubted this would either.
A few days later, William’s older sister, who no longer lived at home, came to talk to him. Her eye was swollen and black. When William asked why, he discovered her boyfriend had hit her for reading the Bible. Despite this, his sister was persistent. She began talking about the truths she had learned about the Sabbath and about God — some of the same things William had read in the stolen books from his brother’s room. William wasn’t very interested until she began talking about baptism. She said she had been baptized and felt clean and at peace. William wanted that. He wanted to feel clean and at peace.
“What do I have to do to be baptized?” William asked.
She told him he needed to do Bible studies, and she arranged for a Bible worker to come to the house. The first time the Bible worker came, William’s mother ran her off. But, the Bible worker returned, and William and his brother began studying the Bible. They studied Daniel and Revelation. William was finally getting answers to the questions he had for so long. As he learned more, he started to feel peace and joy. William decided to be baptized and become a dedicated follower of Christ.
At first, William’s life was going well. He worked as a student literature evangelist and married a fellow student literature evangelist. But after a couple years, things seemed to be falling apart. He became discouraged and distracted. He couldn’t pay his bills, his car broke down, and he struggled to support his wife and baby. He knelt and prayed, asking God for guidance. The next day, he received a phone call asking him to serve as the associate publishing director in Birmingham, Alabama. He accepted. William was convinced that when God closed all the doors where he was, God led him to where he needed to be.
Over the years, William served in several positions throughout the Southern Union, and he now works as the publishing director for the Union.
Years later, the significance of those books would come full circle. William had met his Southern Union colleague, David Long, director for stewardship, before either of them worked for the Union, but they became closer friends once they both served as directors. One day, the two were talking. William shared about growing up in Chicago and how he had been saved through literature evangelism. David talked about how he had gone to Chicago one summer to distribute literature. As they compared notes, it became clear: the books William’s brother had tried to hide had come from the very literature evangelism group David had been a part of. Today, the two work together to further the Gospel in the Southern Union.
“I praise God for this whole journey. I’ve been excited ever since I’ve been invited,” said William.
Southern Union | April 2026
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