Brothers, Ballard was a Recovering Alcoholic

Yesterday, I posted some comments on John Piper's "Brothers, Bitzer Was A Banker" from Brothers, We are Not Professionals: A Plea to Pastors for Radical Ministry (Nashville: B&H, 2002). I received a very encouraging anecdote from Paul Nelson, the one who initially encouraged me to read this chapter, and he has granted me permission to share it with you. I hope that this will be a blessing to you as it was to me.

By Paul Nelson

I grew up as a PK in Michigan. My father knew both Greek and Hebrew, but never taught either one to his four sons, none of whom followed him into full-time ministry. I don’t fault him for that, as he spent his entire ministry in rural or small-town churches where he often had to take secular employment to support his family in addition to pastoring a church.

When I was about 9 years old, we moved to the church where my father had the longest tenure of about 17 years. There was an older couple in that church whom I got to know very well. There names were Sid and Frances Ballard. Since they were in very poor health my father gave me the responsibility of cutting their grass during the summer, shoveling snow during the winter, and doing various small chores to assist them.

The Ballards had been saved under the ministry of the previous pastor, and it was an amazing work of God’s grace, as both had been alcoholics. They had both been divorced and out of alcoholic misery for one another married each other. In an effort to escape the taverns of Detroit, they bought a ramshackle house out in the country about 175 miles northwest of the city. It was no use. The hold of alcohol was so great that they would walk (they were too poor to own a car) the couple miles to the nearest village to buy a bottle. Sometimes they would pass out in the road or in someone’s field on the way home, since they couldn’t wait to get home to consume it.

The previous pastor witnessed to the Ballards, gave them a Bible, and challenged them to read it. While Sid professed to be a skeptic, he did read it. And the Holy Spirit convicted him of sin and self-righteousness, and he was saved. Frances was skeptical of her husband’s profession, but after she saw his changed life, she too was saved. Amazingly, even after salvation, it was more difficult for them to give up their cigarettes than it was to give up alcohol, but God gave them victory over both.

The amazing thing was that this man was truly a genius. While in the Army during World War II, he had worked in counter-intelligence. After the war ended, even though he had no more than a high school diploma, he taught math on the junior college level until he couldn’t keep his job because of his alcoholic habits. When he got saved, he had a desire to study the Word like I’ve never seen in any other man who wasn’t a full-time pastor. He had the time to do so because his health prevented him from working any kind of job. So, he literally taught himself to read both Greek and Hebrew. The previous pastor of the church knew Greek, but had never taken any Hebrew. When my dad came to the church, he was literally God-sent. My dad and this man spent many precious hours studying the Word together in the original languages. And as he studied the Word, God actually renewed his alcohol-besotted mind (Romans 12:2).

Both Sid and his wife, Frances, had children living in the Detroit area from their previous marriages. Their children would occasionally drive up to see them and bring booze, as long as they were unsaved. But after they were saved, when the parents started witnessing to them, the visits from the children became more and more scarce. However, the closeness of this couple to the church family grew ever closer and more precious as their health failed. Because of many years of alcoholism and tobacco use, they both had repeated heart attacks while battling emphysema. During my senior year of high school, Sid went to the hospital, yet again, with another heart attack and died there. Eight days later, Frances followed her husband into heaven.

What impressed me most about this story was the evident hunger for the Word of God displayed on the part of Mr Ballard. One doesn't have to learn Greek and Hebrew to be able to profit from Bible study. However, learning the Biblical languages will greatly sharpen one's understanding of the texts. I'm reminded of Frances Ridley Havergal, whose hymns we love to sing ("Take My Life and Let it Be", "Like a River Glorious", and others). She may have been a bit advanced intellectually, but she learned Greek and Hebrew so that she could better understand the Bible. This ought to be a "no-brainer" for preachers. Not all of us will be first rate linguists but we ought to be as well-equipped as we can.

Considering the power of the Scriptures to restore life, here is Psalm 19:7-11.

תורת יהוה תמימה
משיבת נפש
עדות יהוה נאמנה
מחכימת פתי׃

The law of the LORD is perfect [or blameless]
reviving the soul:
the testimony of the LORD is sure,
making wise the simple;

פקודי יהוה ישרים
משמחי־לב
מצות יהוה ברה
מאירת עינים׃

The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the LORD is pure,
enlightening the eyes;

יראת יהוה טהורה
עומדת לעד
משפטי־יהוה אמת
צדקו יחדו׃

The fear of the LORD is clean,
enduring forever;
the rules [just decrees] of the LORD are true,
and righteous altogether.

הנחמדים מזהב
ומפז רב
ומתוקים מדבש
ונפת צופים׃

More to be desired are they than gold,
even much find gold;
sweeter also than honey,
and drippings of the honeycomb.

גם־עבדך נזהר בהם
בשמרם עקב רב׃

Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward. (ESV)
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Study Helps:
¹On Torah as having the basic meaning of teaching, or instruction see John F. Hobbins "Law and Gospel: What I learned about gender while excavating at Tell Qarqur (Part Four)" posted at Ancient Hebrew Poetry, 12/23/07. See also his "A Psalm to Learn by Heart: Psalm 19" for a translation in prosodic structure.
²Gerald H. Wilson. Psalms Volume 1 in The NIV Application Commentary. (Zondervan, 2002), pp. 365-371.

Brothers, Ballard was a Recovering Alcoholic