Memoir Relates Pastor’s Love for People
LOUISVILLE, Kentucky – One of the most pulsating moments of Gene Enlow’s life occurred the night a man burst into his study, threatening to kill him because of the pastor’s opposition to legalizing sales of liquor by the drink. As Enlow pondered what to say, the Holy Spirit prompted him to pray that God help him love this man the same way He did.
“This experience taught me a lesson that would guide me throughout my pastoral career,” Enlow says. “Whenever I encountered problem people, I prayed, ‘Lord, help me to love this man (or woman) like You love him.’ That often resolved tense, difficult situations. Saying that prayer can disarm critics and supply you with supernatural strength. It gave me the realization that God is working on behalf of both parties and will resolve the problem. It is up to Him to take care of it, not me.”
This anecdote appears in A Legacy of Faith: The Enlow Papers. Enlow compiled it with the help of veteran co-author Ken Walker, a freelance writer for several national Christian publications and the Kentucky Baptist Convention. Enlow, who turned 90 in mid-October, wanted to leave a record for future generations of family and others. The memoir includes a collection of his favorite sermons and essays, as well as reflections on his father, Isham, a longtime pastor, church planter and district missionary in Kentucky and Florida.
“I think some of the experiences I’ve had and stories I tell will help people with the problems they face,” says Enlow, a graduate of Georgetown College who earned his doctoral degree at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville. “I hope it will also be inspirational to churches where I’ve ministered.”
A former trustee of Southern Seminary, Enlow is Pastor Emeritus of Beechmont Baptist Church in Louisville. He served three other Kentucky churches: Crooked Creek (now Marcus) Baptist in Pendleton County, Clover Bottom Baptist Church near Versailles, and Bethany Baptist in Louisville; and Immanuel Baptist Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Enlow held numerous interim pastorates after retiring from Beechmont in 1988.
A native of Covington, Enlow spent many of his formative years in Whitesburg. He graduated from Dry Ridge High School and attended Georgetown on a basketball scholarship. He holds three degrees from Southern Seminary and an honorary doctorate from Georgetown. Married to his first wife, Culley, for 52 years before her death in 2001, Enlow married his second wife, the former Bettye McSwain, in 2003. They make their home in Louisville.
Copies of the 162-page paperback are $15 plus shipping ($3 for the first book and $1 for each additional copy) and can be ordered from the publisher, Publishers Place, 821 Fourth Avenue, Suite 201, Huntington, WV 25701. For more information, e-mail or call 304-697-3236.
