There is a fascinating new show on TV that has just finished its first season. The show is called Heroes and is about people who seem ordinary but have extraordinary abilities. In life we need heroes. Not the superhero types that abound in comic books (excuse me, graphic novels), but the real life, everyday, simple people who do things way beyond the normal.

Looking through the Bible we have heroes of our faith--men like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob; prophets such as Jeremiah, Isaiah, and Elijah; and faithful leaders we remember as Paul, Peter, and John.

One of my heroes died this week. W.A. "Bill" Solesbee died on Tuesday, but his legacy is sure. This simple preacher and former missionary was a man whose influence will be felt for years, and throughout the world. Bro. Bill (as he was affectionately known) was one of the first pastors that I had the privelege of serving with. He was a man of faith and little more. He lived what he said, and was concerned for every person he encountered.

I recall being with him as he stopped in to the convenience store for a gallon of milk. He shared his smile and his faith with the attendant without distracting her from her job or allowing her to misuse her boss' time. Once I visited Bill in his home long after our ministries took us in separate directions. He had been "retired" for several years. his ailing wife was at Death's doorstep. He shared with me that he had been concerned that he was no longer of any use to the Kingdom any more. Those who knew Bill will know how wrong he had been. He had even prayed that unless God had more work for him, he could go ahead and die to cease to be a burden to his loved ones. In the next two weeks, the Lord opened Bill's eyes to no fewer than eleven people with whom he had been able to share his faith, with several accepting Christ as their personal savior and others rededicating their lives to God. "I guess," he told me, "that God is still working through me."

I pray that everyone has a mentor like Bill Solesbee. I pray that I may be such an influence on some who walk and work alongside of me.

Do you have heroes? What makes them heroes? For me, Bill Solesbee is a hero because of the extraordinary way he lived his ordinary life.