A life of purpose
The sixth child of Edwin and Betsy Moody, Dwight Lyman Moody, was born on February 7, 1837, in Northfield, Massachusetts. In the next four years, his parents would have three more children – the last two, a set of twins. Tragically, on the morning of May 28, 1841, Edwin Moody would experience a deep pain in his side while working, return home at mid-day only to have it grow worse, and collapse in front of his wife, dying before either of them could understand the severity of his condition. Betsy was eight months pregnant with the twins when her husband died.
A Widow’s Struggle
The Moodys were not a wealthy family. Edwin had been a brick and stone mason, and their property was under mortgage when he died. Dower rights protected Betsy’s rights to the house; but, upon her husband’s death, creditors descended on the property and took their horse, buggy, cow, and everything else of value, except for Edwin’s masonry tools and a calf that Betsy and her oldest son, Isaiah, managed to conceal before the creditors arrived.
A Helping Hand
It was cold the morning after the creditors came, and the family awoke to a dark hearth, but Betsy’s brothers soon changed that. In Dwight’s own words, “I remember just as vividly as if it were yesterday, how I heard the sound of chips flying…”
A Spiritual Influence
Reverend Oliver Everett, a pastor of the Northfield Unitarian Church, helped the family. He believed in the Bible as the inspired word of God and in Jesus Christ as the saviour.
A Painful Loss
Dwight’s pain in losing his father was compounded when his oldest brother, Isaiah, left home without a word when Dwight was seven.
A Life-Changing Encounter
When Dwight was ten, an old man told him about God’s love and Jesus’ death, giving him a shiny cent. Dwight felt he had a friend and thought the man was “almost God”.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Tale Tuesday 069
Date: 2nd January, 2024
Title: : Dwight L. Moody – The Greatest Layman (Part 1)
Source: God’s generals- The Revivalists
Author: Roberts Liardon
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