Mrs. Chambers and Me

Most Christians are familiar with the devotional classic, My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers. But do you know that he did not “write” it or see to its publication? That was due to his wife, Gertrude, whom he married in 1910. Because he had a sister named Gertrude, Oswald called his wife “Beloved Disciple,” shortened to BD and then Biddy.

Oswald Chambers was a Baptist evangelist with an emphasis on holiness, born in Scotland in 1874. He traveled in Scotland and England; and in his last years, he was associated with the YMCA as a chaplain in Cairo, Egypt. He died at age 43 in 1917 after a hemorrhage following an emergency appendectomy. His wife, Biddy, returned to England to care for their child, Kathleen.

During Oswald’s life, Biddy not only listened to her husband’s messages, but she used her secretarial and stenographic skills to take notes, writing down all his words. After Oswald’s death, Biddy decided to get his messages published. She took her notes and typed out the manuscript for publication. That first book, My Utmost for His Highest, was published in 1918 and has never been out of print, having sold more than 13 million copies.

Biddy continued to pursue publication of 30 books by her husband. This task proved that Oswald and Biddy longed to do their “utmost” for their God. Biddy was 10 years younger than her husband, and they were married for 53 years. Biddy died at age 83 in 1966. Their daughter, Kathleen, lived to be 84. Here is a photo of the family when Kathleen was young.

Now this introduction leads to the reason why I’ve written about Biddy Chambers. I can associate with her in some ways. I did take notes on Bill’s sermons, but not to the extent that I got every word down. Bill’s messages were taped at Asbury College, camp meetings, and during his last pastorate, World Gospel Church, in Terre Haute, Indiana.

These messages have currently formed four published books and a weekly podcast, Words of Endearment with Bill Coker. I did not wait until Bill died in 2024 to start compiling his messages for publication. Earlier, when I would encourage Bill to write a book, he would always answer, “There are enough books out there.” But when Bill contracted Alzheimer’s disease, he could not object to my getting his messages published.

These began with the book, Words of Endearment: The Ten Commandments as a Revelation of God’s Love. When Bill saw me writing on a typed sermon, he would ask what I was doing. Avoiding the word editing, I said I was moving his words from speaking to reading. That satisfied him, and he was excited to see the printed books arrive. The other two books of sermons are: The Scandal of Christmas and Let the Church Be the Church. The fourth book is a collection of his pastoral prayers: Prayers for the People: from the Heart of a Pastor.

After Bill’s death, the two tech guys who put together the podcast continued to do the mix and download the episodes, with my writing the intros and outros and a host reading those. I’m grateful for their consistent work to have a podcast every Wednesday. You can listen on most servers and purchase Bill’s books on Amazon.com.

So Mrs. Chambers and I have set out to leave a legacy of our husbands’ works, and while I’m sure that Bill’s books will not reach 30 million sales, I am confident that his messages have and will continue to teach people from God’s Word. That’s the main reason for pursuing this ministry. Thanks to all who have read Bill’s books and listened to his podcast.