Lessons Learned in My Journey could fill a book. Perhaps someday I will write a book about my life’s journey. If you follow me on Facebook, you know I talk about my journey as a writer. This is not a repost of those videos, but I am taking a closer look at something I referred to in those posts.
My call to write Books.
I have referred to this calling several times, but this time I will take you through a step by step chronological journey.
My Beginnings 1st of Lessons Learned
I grew up in Michigan. In fact, I was born, raised, and lived a good portion of my life in Michigan. Early in my life we attended church, but dropped out when I was still in elementary school. However, while we weren’t going to church, we were religious. I can remember sitting in the living room with my father and watching Billy Graham. Sitting there with my dad and listening to the preaching of the gospel are some of the greatest memories I had.
In 1964 I joined the United States Navy and started out in Boot Camp. One rule they had there was everyone, that means everyone, had to attend church every Sunday morning.
I was religious and believed I was a Christian, but I didn’t know Jesus. That relationship wouldn’t happen until nine years later.
When I got out of the Navy in 1968, a desire I had back when a teenager returned. It was a desire to write! I decided to take a course in writing, but that only lasted a few months because I got laid off by Ma Bell.
My savings account was wiped out within a month, due to no income, plus paying for rent, etc. I cancelled the course because I could no longer pay for it. I have mentioned the School of Hard Knocks before, so I won’t go into it again.
But my first lesson I learned was that life wasn’t fair and that I wouldn’t always get what I wanted.
A Change of Direction 2nd of Lessons Learned
I mentioned earlier that we were a religious family and I considered myself a Christian. During my youth and my days in the military I had no problem going to church, but it held little meaning to me. In 1969 I was involved in a car accident.
A car had pulled out in front of me, I thought I saw children in the car, and I knew I couldn’t stop in time. I turned the wheel and went for the shoulder. Only problem, there was no shoulder. Instead, I found myself on the grass and managed to turn the car parallel to the road. Up ahead I saw a ditch. I tightened my grip on the wheel, held it as straight as I could and drove down into the ditch, across it, and back up the other side. It was a bit bumpy, but I made it.
Then I focused on coming to a stop which I managed by running into a stop sign. I looked at the empty passenger seat and knew that an angel or perhaps God Himself was sitting there. I didn’t see anyone, but I believed it to be true. And still do.
I opened the door and walked back to the ditch. Just before getting to it, I saw what remained of my gas tank. I hadn’t realized I had lost it, but quickly realized I was probably still alive because it had been ripped right off the car.
Shaking my head in wonder, I turned back to the ditch. That was when I saw it!
The ditch ran under the road through a concrete culvert. But that wasn’t it. The it was a tree stump about a car’s width from the culvert. And I had driven right between the two without ever seeing the stump!
That convinced me that God had spared my life. The car was totaled, but I was alive, and it wasn’t long before I started going to church. There I began hearing about Jesus and His death on the cross. But while the preaching was powerful, I took issue with their stance on drinking. I turned to the Bible to prove that drinking was permitted.
In 1973 I was transferred to Kalamazoo, Michigan for a 13-week assignment. While there I attended on Wednesdays a small church not far away. My study of scripture to prove drinking permissible was finished and I approached the pastor ready to defend my position.
I was quite confident, but before my argument got very far, he pulled the rug out from under me with Romans 14:21. I had never considered this idea that I could cause someone else to stumble. And what was this about a brother?
I returned to my motel room a defeated man. Sitting down at the table, I opened the Bible and God began reminding me of all the scriptures I had heard about salvation.
No longer burdened with a false issue, I saw my real need for Jesus, fell down on my knees next to the bed and asked Jesus into my heart.
More in a moment.
T&R Independent Books brings you this blog post to keep you informed on the issues of today. Authors need to stay informed so that they can relate to their readers facts as well as entertain them with their imagination.
Basic Authors Training is a Basic Writing Course that explains and guides you into becoming an author. Powered by video along with PDFs and Coaching you learn the basics of writing, publishing, and marketing. Plus, we will offer you a publishing package at no out of pocket cost to you if you complete the course and meet the criteria. What can be better? Guaranteed publishing by simply finishing your lessons and meeting simple criteria?
To discover how you can be the writer you want to be, write to us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. We will respond.
Back to my story.
Growing in the Lord 3rd of Lessons Learned
I began growing in the Lord. I call this Lesson #3, but in reality, I began learning a series of lessons about Jesus Christ, His birth, His life, His sacrificial death, His resurrection, and His coming again.
I also began learning other things. But something had happened to me back on May 9th. I didn’t ask God to take drink away, nor did I promise anything. I was too amazed. But God took away all desire for drink! It was and is a miracle.
Don’t get me wrong. I know that is not the normal experience. And I also know that I have other sins that I have to ask for forgiveness. But it was an amazing start to my walk with Jesus.
It would be another 8 years before I would meet and marry Teresa Wheeler. And it would be another 19 years after her name change, that the next step in my writing career took place.
The Call of God 4th of Lessons Learned
During those intervening years God called me to different ways of serving Him. One was to be the Financial Secretary at Shalom Baptist Church in Orion, Michigan. But my call to write was the 4th lesson in writing.
We lived in an A-frame house. For a while we rented out the upstairs, but eventually after a renter had left, we removed it from the market and the upstairs apartment became my office. One morning in the year 2000 I was at my desk reading Genesis 6 as part of my devotions. It was a familiar story about Noah and the Ark, but on that day, God opened my eyes.
I realized that the facts provided were not complete. God gave Noah general instructions including a blueprint, but there was a backstory missing. How did a farmer have enough information to understand the blueprint and build the ark? Here was a story. I could write the story behind the story.
But it was more than that. This was the first time that God had directed my thoughts in such a manner and the truth hit me. God wanted me to write. He was calling me.
Continued.
There have been many lessons I have learned since then, and I imagine there will be many more. But knowing God had called me transformed me as a writer and as a person. One of the lessons He has taught me is to not get relaxed. He had more lessons for me, and He had His own plan for my life and my career.
I am excited about what the future holds. He has continued to enable me, but at one point He gave me a verse to hang my literary hat on: “Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have showed Thy strength unto this generation, and Thy power to every one that is to come.” Psalm 71:18
Part of living in this world is learning lessons about life. But for a Christian the truly important lessons are those the Lord teaches us about worshiping Him, obeying Him, and serving Him. May He bless you and your service to Him.
T&R Independent Books brings you this blog post to keep you informed on the issues of today. Authors need to stay informed so that they can relate to their readers facts as well as entertain them with their imagination.
Basic Authors Training is a Basic Writing Course that explains and guides you into becoming an author. Powered by video along with PDFs and Coaching you learn the basics of writing, publishing, and marketing. Plus, we will offer you a publishing package at no out of pocket cost to you if you complete the course and meet the criteria. What can be better? Guaranteed publishing by simply finishing your lessons and meeting simple criteria?
To discover how you can be the writer you want to be, write to us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. We will respond.
Did God call you to write? If so, then you can contact me at info@trbookservices.com or use the contact form on the website.
VISIT MY AUTHOR’S PAGE TODAY: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.
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Company information:
T&R Independent Bookstore is a division of T&R Independent Books founded in 2014 by R. Frederick and Tess Riddle. TR Ministry, aka Christian Fund, is both a charge and an exciting outreach to the Christian Community.
