Authors Hall and Moore remind ACU that 'one person can make a difference'

Picture provided by Tammy Marcelain

Ron Hall, co-author of The Same Kind of Different as Me, an autobiographical account of the unlikely friendship between a wealthy art dealer and a homeless man, began his presentation at Abilene Christian University by saying, "It's hard to believe that people continue to show up to hear our story. Really, we're just a couple of nobodies, but we were loved by a real somebody."

That "somebody" was his wife, Deborah Hall, a Christian servant and champion for the homeless, who facilitated the unique friendship between Hall and Denver Moore, his co-author. Moore had escaped modern-day slavery to live homeless on the streets of Fort Worth. According to Ron, The Same Kind of Different as Me is their story.

"If not for Miss Debbie's faithfulness to God, we would not have a story to tell," said Hall. "And if not for Denver, the man who heard from God to pick up her torch and carry it for the homeless people, there would not be a story."

The two authors spoke on ACU's campus September 9, first in a question-and-answer session with ACU students and faculty in the afternoon, and then in a larger presentation in Moody Coliseum that evening. The evening session was attended not only by ACU students, faculty and staff, but also by many members of the Abilene community, including Mayor Norman Archibald. Moody was more than three-quarters full.

For Hall and Moore, this visit was unusual.

"We don't normally do these kinds of things; we only do fundraisers for homeless people, and you already do so much for the homeless, it seems redundant for us to come here and tell our story!" Hall said.

It was Charles Mattis, dean of the First-Year Program, who convinced them to come as a part of ACU's Freshman Common Reading project, which invited all incoming freshman to read The Same Kind of Different as Me and participate in campus-wide discussions and activities related to the book. The authors' arrival on campus was the culmination of the project.

The authors had a clear message for those who attended both sessions, which Hall summarized during the evening presentation.

"Our message is always the same, as we travel," he said. "It is that one person can make a difference."

To see both presentations in their entirety, visit ACU on iTunes U.

Visit our The Same Kind of Different as Me event photo gallery.

If you are a member of the media who would like more information about this release, please contact ACU's Public Relations Office or call (325) 674-2692.