Gary Chapman has been a household name since the mid-1990s after publishing his book that helped people discover their primary ways of giving and receiving love. The Five Love Languages sold 8,500 copies its first year. It more than doubled that in the second year. It was still the top-selling Christian book for much of 2021. It has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide.

But an article in Christianity Today is titled, “Gary Chapman Doesn’t Know That He Is Famous.” The article says Chapman continues to live a humble and faithful walk with Jesus and his church:

Gary Chapman is constant. He’s lived in the same red-brick house for more than 20 years. He still counsels couples in the same Baptist congregation he has pastored for five decades in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He blocks Sundays from his busy speaking schedule so he can attend worship there, even if it means taking a redeye flight to make it on time. Many weeks, he stands at the door after services to greet parishioners.

He doesn’t drink. He seems to have worn khakis for most of his life. His guiltiest pleasure is that he can’t finish lunch or dinner without a dessert. … He waters his backyard flowers in the mornings and pulls kudzu. He prays through his first round of daily calisthenics: “I come to you in the name of Jesus,” he recites, swinging his arms up and down, then intercedes for people by name. During heel raises, he covers some refugee camps and rescue missions. He does it all over again at night, “but at night I’m just talking to God and praising God.”

Even when he retired in October, 2021, not much changed about Gary. He kept his church office and continues counseling.