Run Baby Run

When I was a junior high school teacher in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, my students and I read Run Baby Run by Nicky Cruz in our Social Studies class. The students loved the story of Nicky Cruz, and it would appear that students still love to read this excellent book that was written by a friend of mine, Jamie Buckingham.

John and Elizabeth Sherrill, who had written the best-selling The Cross and the Switchblade, introduced Jamie to Dan Malachuk, the publisher of Logos International Fellowship, because they knew Dan was looking for a writer for Nicky's story. I believe that meeting took place at the Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship  International Convention at the Washington Hilton. I had the privilege of being there, and I will never forget the ministry of Kathryn Kuhlman, Merlin Carothers, and so many others.

Jamie, who has now gone to Heaven, was a Southern Baptist pastor at the time. As time went on, though, he became ardently charismatic. He was such an excellent writer, as is demonstrated in several of the books he wrote, including Run Baby Run, Daughter of Destiny, Glimpse Into Glory, Risky Living, and several others. I remember several things Jamie said, such as, "Our job is not to see through people, but to see people through." That positive attitude of faith and love was demonstrated in his ministry, his writing, and his daily life.

Here at Bridge-Logos Foundation we continue to sell many of these books, and they continue to do well for us. Why? I believe it's because the anointing of the Holy Spirit is upon them and within them. That same anointing reaches into the hearts of their readers, who are inspired by what Jamie wrote.

This, of course, was in the heyday of the Charismatic Renewal, and it was our privilege at Logos International to work with several well-known leaders, including Harold Bredesen, Harold Hill, Kathryn Kuhlman, Art Katz, David duPlessis, Judson Cornwall, and Dennis and Rita Bennett. As you may know, Dennis Bennett wrote Nine O'Clock in the Morning--an account of how he, an Episcopal priest, received the baptism in the Holy Spirit and brought the Charismatic Renewal to his denomination.

In many ways, though, it was Run Baby Run that put our company on the map. I'm happy to report that Nicky Cruz still ministers around the world, and a movie about his life may be coming out in the near future. The exciting story of how a New York City gang leader became a Pentecostal evangelist is one of the most inspiring stories ever told. Much thanks to Dan, Nicky, and Jamie for hearing from God about producing this classic Christian autobiography. It has changed the lives of countless young people and adults.