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Cover of my new book |
My new book, Witnesses
of Hope, Faith, Love and Healing, is available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle. It is a compilation of testimonies of
faith journeys by fifty-one members of my church, Chapel for Peace, Springfield,
Missouri.
In requesting testimonies, I made no restrictions on topic or length and did not censor the submissions. I edited for spelling, grammar, punctuation, and clarity.
The Witnesses
The shortest testimony is four sentences by a young single mother who thanked God for her one-year-old daughter. “Sometimes I
stray, but my faith brings me back,” she wrote. She had never testified in
public.
The longest testimony is fourteen pages by an experienced storyteller and grandfather who tells of many times he encountered the Holy Spirit. “I must continue to listen with greater purpose and meaning,” he wrote.
Other witnesses:
“Suddenly, a giant hand swept across the room and my hatred was gone. Vanished.”
“I received an unexpected blessing because of my bad haircut.”
“I can’t see God in anything that is going on. It hurts.”
“The cancer was so rare that only about 100 of this type surgery had been done each year in the United States.”
The Pastor
Pastor Ted L. Tinsman wrote in his Foreword:
"This book includes testimonies of God’s physical protection; the
meaning of baptism; conversion experiences; how congregations help us love,
learn, and grow; and how God may slow us down to really see the beauty in his
creation. It includes testimonies of love, hope, fear, and dreams of an
imperfect people in an imperfect world doing their best to know, love, and
serve a perfect Creator. The testimonies are as diverse as the personalities
and faith journeys of the witnesses who shared them."
The Author
My thanks to members of Chapel for Peace for stepping out in faith to share their witness of God's infinite love through Jesus Christ. Like the single mother, some had never given a public testimony; others did not know they had a
testimony. The results of their struggles and willingness to share for
the first time, combined with testimonies of experienced storytellers, produced a unique and permanent record of God's blessings.
I have been deeply blessed to participate in this amazing project. Throughout, I was reminded of what God said when he entrusted his great work to Abraham: “I will bless you . . . so that you will be a blessing.” (Geneses 12:2)
Photo courtesy Chapel for Peace.
What motivates you to write about your faith?