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A Man Who Made A Difference: Bill Crooks 1924-1997

by Hugh MacDonald

207 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #00-0098; ISBN 1-55212-433-9; US$20.50, C$24.95, EUR16.30, £12.00

A Man Who Made A Difference is the true story of Bill Crooks, a man who dedicated his life without reserve to helping everyone who needed him. A specialist in alcoholism and addiction, he rescued countless lives.

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about the book      about the author      excerpt      catalogue info

About the Book Hugh MacDonald was the young and apparently successful minister of one of the largest congregations in Western Canada. Yet one October morning, he found himself in the high bell tower of his church, planning to jump to his death! In this book, he tells of how he was saved from suicide by a most remarkable man, Bill Crooks. He goes on to outline the stories of scores of others whom Bill also rescued from hopeless situations: the book abounds in personal accounts of how God intervened through the life and witness of a most remarkable man. Bill Crooks was described by many as the most "Christlike" man they had ever met. Despite incredible personal tragedies, he gave his life without reservation to helping those who were in any kind of need, often doing so at immense cost to himself. Profesionally, he founded two of the largest and most effective chemical dependency clinics in the United States, introducing alcoholics and addicts to the "Higher Power" who could lead them to recovery. Personally, he lived out that same message to all with whom he had contact, leading many to know for the first time that they were truly loved by God. This story of Bill Crooks is both for those seeking God and for those who have been found by God. It is for everyone who ever doubts that it is possible to lead a completely godly life. It introduces us to an unforgettable man and has a message that is for everyone, young and old, sceptic and saint. This book can change the life of anyone who reads it. Reviews "A slim and unassuming volume which unfolds the story of an extraordinary man and his sacrificial love for those in need, especially those battling addictions. This book widens the circle of those who will be challenged, graced, and changed by the life of a life-giver." -Christian Week "A book which will remain in the memory and which warms the heart, the sort of book which one takes off the shelf to re-read many times." -Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal "Here was a man who made the Imitation of Christ’ a reality ... To meet him in these pages is to know him and to be helped by him." -A. Leonard Griffith, former minister of the City Temple, London, England "The story of a man who was prepared to let his faith commitment to lead him wherever he was needed ... the book is an inspiring read." - Rod Booth, Executive Producer, the Meeting Place, Vision TV "You will be much richer for meeting in these pages this remarkable man." -Tod Sellick, personal and family counsellor, Winnipeg "The sick are healed; the blind receive their sight; the lame leap for joy. The personal testimonies are undeniable! ... If you would learn of Christ, read prayerfully this story of His servant" -John F. Coutts, chaplain, Royal Canadian Navy, Ottawa "This man' belief that God truly loved every person he met changed many lives. This book, itself, has the potential to change many others..." - The Anglican Journal

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About the Author Hugh MacDonald: Graduate of Carleton and McGill Universities; Minister of the United Church of Canada; former Minister of St. Paul's (Thunder Bay) and Knox-Metropolitan (Regina); Broadcaster (news and classical music); Professor of World Religions and the Humanities (Confederation College, Thunder Bay); Author of On Top of the World and Let's Face It!; married to June M. Morgan

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Excerpt

"I was aware of the impossible situation in which I was placing myself; but, by then, the physical and nervous strains of the previous ten years were taking over. Without realizing it, I was into the midst of a physical and emotional breakdown. My weight dropped to 109 pounds. Friends told me that I looked like a man twice my age. I passed most of my work over to my assistants and locked myself away in my office for much of the day. When I preached, I felt like the hypocrite I was; I could not bring myself to conduct the sacraments. No one knew what was wrong, and I knew that I dared tell no one. I, myself, didn't know how very sick I was.

"One sunny morning in late October '67, I decided that the only way to escape the pain and turmoil was to kill myself and that the most effective way to do that would be to jump from the eight-storey bell tower of Knox-Metropolitan. I climbed to the tower platform. I removed one of the screens and sat on the ledge, dropping pebbles to hear them click on the street below, timing their fall, trying to screw up the courage to leap out into space.

"For some reason, I decided that I should return to my office to empty my pockets and write a note of explanation. While down in the office, some impulse led me to call Bill Crooks in Port Arthur; it was about 1 p.m. in Ontario, and Bill was at work in his office in the pharmacy. He was surprised to hear from me, but I couldn't bring myself to explain to him why I was calling. (I, myself, didn't understand why I had wanted to speak with him.) I didn't share with Bill any of the trouble I was in, and I assured him that there was nothing of importance to report. After a few moments, I said goodbye and hung up the 'phone.

"Bill, however, was not buying my story. Immediately, he called me back and kept me on the telephone for more than twenty minutes as he described all the good work that was still continuing within the St. Paul's congregation. When at last I hung up the receiver, I found that the mad impulse to kill myself had left me. I felt exhausted. I drove home, lay down across a bed, and fell asleep.

At 8 p.m., I was awakened by the ringing of the doorbell. It was Bill Crooks, suitcase in hand. As soon as our 'phone call had ended, he had sensed that he had to go to Regina. He had raced to the airport and had caught the next flight westward. (To be honest, I was not at all pleased to see him. Here was one more person to complicate that hopeless mess into which I had fallen.)

"In the days that followed, Bill stuck with me 'closer than a brother'. He knew that something was destroying me. He didn't pester me to tell him what it was. He simply stayed with me, inventing excuses to come with me wherever I went. Four nights later, following the Sunday evening service, the two of us went for a long walk along the darkened streets of Regina. Bit by bit, I blurted out the terrible truths: I wanted out of the ministry; I didn't know what to do about my marriage; I was torn between two women; I was in a situation from which I could not break free.

"At that moment, had Bill decided to moralise and lecture, he could easily have destroyed me with a tongue-lashing. He could have told me what I already knew only too well--that I was a pathetic excuse for a human being, that I was a hypocrite, that I was behaving like an idiot, that I was failing all the people who had ever put their faith in my ministry, that I was betraying the Church and turning my back on God. Bill could easily have driven me back into my suicidal despair.

"Instead, Bill simply said, 'I've seen this coming for a long time. Even back in Port Arthur, I knew that you and your marriage were coming apart. I'd really like to meet this new person in your life.' A great burden rolled off me: here was someone who knew the worst about me and yet who didn't hate me.

"Bill's subsequent meetings with my special friend were remarkable. She, too, was desperately needing someone in whom she could confide about the impossible situation in which we found ourselves. In one of these private counselling sessions with Bill, she gave her life to Christ and turned our dilemma over to Him. Her Christian commitment was to bring an entirely new dimension into our relationship; henceforth, whatever would happen between the two of us would be in God's hands, not mine.

"When Bill flew back to Port Arthur two days later, he left me with hope, hope that my situation could be resolved, hope that some good could come out of the mess I had made of things, hope that God would straighten out my life. Thoughts of suicide had been shelved.

"Bill had been a week with me, a full week away from Marion and children, a full week from his work in the family business."

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Catalogue Information

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