Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am sixty four years of age, and stand six feet four inches tall. I took early retirement from the insurance business as an agent to pursue writing fulltime. I turned from the secular genre of writing during my college years to write solely in the Christian genre. This change of heart was due to the gift of faith in God that was given to me by Jesus Christ.
I grew up in a well-to-do family in Bethany, Oklahoma. My father was what one would refer to as a businessman. He had a tremendous influence on my thinking. Some saw him as hard and demanding, but I saw and knew him as an extremely honest, good-hearted, and forward-thinking man. My father gave me my drive and ambition. Though he was always respectful of Christians and their beliefs, he never judged nor condemned them for he was a non-believer till shortly before his death. I was given a religious introduction and example of a Christ-led life by my Aunt Johanna Mae Oliver, whom I respected and loved. She was a minister and devout follower of Christ. She could walk into a saloon filled with drunks, and in a non-judgmental way talk with those people and have them on their knees praying to God before she walked out.
The town in which I grew up in was founded by protestant Nazarenes. They built a Nazarene college there. The town had strict laws based on Biblical laws, but never was it a problem for the non-Nazarenes living there. Contrary to media sensation-seeking, the majority of the citizens of the United States live in great harmony with the many assorted religions that abound in this country. A person can gain such a diverse education in religion and tolerance if that is what they choose. I attended many different churches while growing up; from Catholic to Protestant to Jewish. I was never cast out or rejected. I suppose that is why I am outspoken on Christian unity.
I served four years in the United States Navy during the Vietnam War years, and served inside Vietnam. I view all the different aspects of my life as God’s schooling me. As a young man who had grown up in a very conservative family with the values that upbringing provides, I thought it my duty to fight in Vietnam. The difference in my conservative values and training was that my father drilled into my head to assess any situation and draw independent conclusions from the crowd around me; think for yourself. When I told my father after Vietnam that wars are not glorious and a duty of mankind, he never flinched. He told me that he agreed as that was the very same conclusion he had drawn from his time spent in the Korean War. My life changed from that time on. I battled the conservative notion of God. What I did not realize was that Jesus was the greatest revolutionary to ever walk upon this earth. As I studied the Bible to denounce and condemn it, God showed me love, love, and more love. I was defeated. I gave my writing to him. I found the God of my Aunt Johanna Mae Oliver.
I am not the picture of perfection. My Lord has sent me into some of the toughest situations and places that a man can go, but he always stood right beside me giving advice and courage. I was involved in a situation in war where I was expected to kill many human beings, but thanks to my Lord, he guided me onto a path that saved the lives of the men on both sides. I have walked into the toughest bars and drank with those inside, and whenever I brought up the subject of God, I try never to miss an opportunity, the place was always brought to a reverent and introspective silence. It will make you shudder to witness the respect given by these so-called outcasts of society. As Christians, I feel we have an obligation to go into the very depths of Hell to spread the word if God asks. My Lord has made my life a great adventure.
The aforementioned aspects of my life have brought about two books for my Lord’s glory: WHAT DOES FAITH LOOK LIKE and 365 DAYS OF POSITIVE LIVING, co-authored with Rita Pam Tarachi.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is WHAT DOES FAITH LOOK LIKE. Through a class in my church, I found my spiritual gift is faith. As a service to my Lord, I began a mission I call the Faith Project. Part of that project is to write books about faith to help newly converted or longtime Christians with their journey of faith building. WHAT DOES FAITH LOOK LIKE is a series of snapshots of faith. The first chapter is a true story revolving around my Mother’s family, the Carr family. The other nineteen stories are about my journey to faith, The Journey, or the stories of other people’s journeys or experiences with faith. My goal was to show faith in a different way through stories that are based on true life stories. I am not a theologian or member of the clergy, just a layman.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Ohhhh, maybe that I love to write in the wee hours of the morning when all the world is quiet and God can be heard so clearly. I listen to classical music while I write.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Besides the Bible, of course, Moses, by Edmond Fleg. I love his poetic prose, and who better to have a deep feeling for Moses than a person of Jewish decent.
What are you working on now?
Currently, I’m doing research on a book about a relatively unknown but great servant of our Lord, C. Ray and his Straight Shooters. C. Ray was a man that took on a mission to bring really poor boys to Christ. He drove the poor neighborhoods of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on Sunday mornings picking up young boys to transport them to his church and God. He was a local sign painter that spent all of his extra time and money to bring poor boys to God. He had the idea that the best way to bring the word of God to these boys was to do it in not only a structured church setting but also in an atmosphere that they felt comfortable in; the outdoors. When a person complains, what can one man do? He needs to see this example of what one man can do. C. Ray brought thousands of lost boys to God through what he called the Straight Shooters Club. A man in my Sunday School class was in the Straight Shooters and it changed his life. His testimony in church one Sunday morning prompted our coming together to write this story. God always directs my path. Since beginning this project, many people are coming forward with stories and encouragement connected with this project.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Advice? I would probably say, write for the love of writing, not the quest for money. If your quest is money, your writing will reflect that and the statistics prove most writers never make a living writing just books. If you are writing for the love of writing and expressing yourself, you cannot be disappointed.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
In Matthew 22:37, when asked what is the greatest Commandment of God, Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” That is the best advice for any person to ever have lived.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Bible, Moses by Edmond Fleg, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, and The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien
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