How I ended up here, I’ll never quite know for sure. While growing up and through most of my adult life, I never really thought about becoming an author. As a young student, reading and literature in general were way down the list of fun things to do. Yet somehow I survived my early school years.
I think the first big turning point for me was when I became a Christian at 16 years old. Because my conversion was rather dramatic and life-altering, for the first time I felt passion for something in my life, beyond football or partying. As I immersed myself in studying and then teaching the Bible, a fire was ignited inside of me as I realized the transforming power of God’s Word.
I determined early in life, that I wanted to be different. I wanted to maintain a desire and openness to learning and change. I wanted to help people and make a difference in the world. In my mid-twenties, I had a personal mentor of sorts who was an extraordinary preacher and also an author. As a young pastor, I soon followed in his footsteps and began to write – first just short articles about certain Christian themes. My writing was expanded slightly when I faced some personal hardships and I took to my very first computer to express my thoughts and emotions.
Later, when I attended Bible College, my writing was forced up a notch or two, because I had to write many assignments and term papers. Then another personal crisis, followed by another, and then a string of life changes. You’ve been there before, right?
When I received a good review from an editor at the mission agency where I worked, I began to realize that I might actually have a talent for writing. He also gave me some corrections and excellent pointers about how to write better, and this spurred me on even more. I didn’t really know better, so I just continued to write in my own style, always being open to the comments or suggestions of others. I think this approach turned about to be right for me.
Gradually, over the years, writing became a way to formulate my thoughts and communicate messages that were deep inside my heart. Of course this always seemed to run parallel to my own personal experiences, passions, and my walk with God. During this time, I also continued to increase my skills in grammar, editing, proofreading and desktop publishing.
As I approached the age of 50, I had another profound period of enlightenment that I sometimes refer to as “my second epiphany.” This opened up an whole new dimension for writing about other subjects that I was passionate about. Along with these new topics, I also gained additional experience in writing numerous articles, blog posts, and publishing regular newsletters.
Finally, I decided to take another big step – to write my first book! It seemed insurmountable at first, but I found that there was already inside of me the capacity to organize and work through the detailed process. I found that as long as I followed my passions and applied myself diligently, I could (with great perseverance) finish the book and accomplish something I never even dreamed of before. The first book then became the second, and then the third, and now I am working on my fourth.
With each accomplishment, my knowledge, skills, and confidence all continue to grow. My ongoing desire is that others with be stirred or deeply impacted by my writing, and that at least my little corner of the world will become a better place.