Buies Creek, N.C.-You could have heard a pin drop in Turner Auditorium on March 4, when best-selling author Cecil Murphey spoke about his commitment to God and how he uses his writing gift to serve Him. Murphey spoke during Campbell University’s chapel service on Wednesday.
The co-author of “90 Minutes in Heaven,” and other books, including “Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story,” Murphey explained how God uses seemingly inconsequential people to change the world. In the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John, for example, an unnamed boy provides the five loaves and two fishes that feed the multitudes at the Sea of Galilee. Again, in Second Kings, verse 5, God uses the commoner, Elijah, to deliver a fateful message to King Moab who had rebelled against Israel.
“The Bible is filled with a lot of these people,” said Murphey. “They seem insignificant but manage to do something extraordinary in history.”
In his latest book, “90 Minutes in Heaven,” Murphey tells the story of Pastor Don Piper whose car was crushed by a semi-truck on the way home from a conference. Medical personnel said he died instantly. While his body lay lifeless inside the ruins of his car, Piper experienced the glories of heaven. But there was a man at the scene, who wouldn’t stop praying for Piper, even after he was pronounced dead. Piper revived.
“What if that man hadn’t obeyed that call?” asked Murphey. “God gave him that moment and in that moment he was used by God.”
Out of the millions of people who pursue writing as a career only about two percent make a living at it, Murphey went on to say.
“I’ve often asked, ‘Why me?’ But I don’t know why me,” he said. “It’s just that so many times God has his hand on people and uses them for greater things.”
Cecil Murphey is a full-time writer and speaker and has served as a pastor in Atlanta, Ga. He also volunteered as a hospital chaplain and was a missionary to Kenya. He holds bachelor’s degrees in education and religious education and master’s degrees in education and theology. His book “Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story,” was made into a movie that premiered on TNT as a Johnson Spotlight Presentation Movie. Another book, “I Choose to Stay,” has been optioned for a feature film. It has also appeared on the New York Times bestseller list and was included on “USA Today’s” list of top 150 bestselling books in the last 15 years.
Photo Copy: Author Cecil Murphey speaks to Campbell University Students at a worship service on March 4.