Born in 1883, Gertrude Annie Hobbs grew up in Victorian England. Later she met and married Oswald Chambers, who was 10 years her senior. From the beginning, their marriage was focused on spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Wherever and whenever Oswald lectured or preached, Gertrude—or Biddy, as she was nicknamed—used her secretarial stenography skills to fill notebooks with his teachings. In the years they ministered at their London-based Bible Training College and later in Egypt, where Oswald served with the YMCA as a chaplain to soldiers preparing to enter the war theater in the Middle East, Biddy took prodigious notes.
After Oswald’s tragic death in Egypt, Biddy returned to England. A destitute widow with a young child, she nevertheless was committed to raising her child on her own. She also heard God’s calling to type all of her notes on Oswald’s lectures and sermons and prepare them for publication. With the financial support of friends, Biddy published 30 books in Oswald’s name, the most famous being a one-year devotional, My Utmost for His Highest. Published 10 years after Oswald’s death, the book has never been out of print and has sold more than 13 million copies. Most readers of this challenging, uplifting devotional have no idea of the role Biddy played in bringing it to fruition.
In this biography of a humble, hard-working, resilient Christian woman, author Michelle Ule captures the hardships of life at the turn of the century and in the following decades as the world suffered through two world wars. More important, she reveals God’s faithfulness and blessing on the marriage and life of two people who longed to do their utmost for God. (Baker Books)
About the Author
Sonya VanderVeen Feddema is a freelance writer and a member of Covenant CRC in St. Catharines, Ontario.
