BEHIND THE CALLING OF THE BOOK
THE BIBLE IS LADEN WITH STORIES OF THOSE WHO'VE CARRIED THE BATON BEFORE US.
In The Relay, George Shamblin catalogs the successes and failures of nine individuals in passing along comparing their faith to the next generations — from the father of all failure, (Adam) to the ultimate Spiritual Rags To Riches success (Paul).
As a result is Christianity itself in peril? “Of course not,” Shamblin notes, “but under the right circumstances. it is endangered in any given region of the world. Consider that, just a generation and a half after John Lennon outraged the West by quipping that the Beatles were bigger than Jesus, Europe’s percentage of practicing Christians is in the single digits.”
At the center of his book, not only thematically but literally (chapter six of eleven), is Jesus Christ, whose followers took “the race” to a whole new level and a whole new arena.
GEORGE SHAMBLIN
writer, teacher, and pastor
In the summer of 1995, George Shamblin left a successful career in pharmaceutical sales. And a year-end bonus large enough to pay for three years of tuition; to enroll at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, MS. Though he experienced more than his share of challenges and setbacks over the next 25 years, it’s a decision he never regretted.
Since 2012, Shamblin has served as a pastor with The Center For Executive Leadership in Birmingham, Alabama — where he teaches Bible Studies, disciples others at various stages of spiritual growth, and maintains an active role in leading overseas mission trips. Also an adjunct professor at Birmingham Theological Seminary, Shamblin published his first book, The Relay, in 2020.
George is an avid outdoorsman, as well as a Master Gardener. George and his wife of 27 years, Jill, have four children — Sydney, Bailey, Miller, and George Jr.