In recent years, I’ve had a growing desire to write. I started this blog nearly 7 years ago as an avenue to write short articles centered around theological issues, though adding in thoughts on various other topics.
The ultimate goal was to one day write books, but not only write lengthier works, but to have them published. One is willing to self-publish, just as a musical artist might be willing to self-produce, publish and market. With social media avenues, the internet, and Amazon, that’s not a difficult feat.
However, this past week I received a surprise email. Wipf & Stock Publishers have offered me a publishing contract on a book proposal I had recently submitted to them.
The book is entitled Change for the First Time, Again. The working subtitle is A Story of Change and How Change Is Our Story. This will be published under Wipf & Stock’s imprint, Resource Publications. The plan is to finish the manuscript in the latter part of the year (I need to balance this knowing I have recently embarked on a new 1,349-day journey). Then, the hope would be for the book to be officially published and released in the Spring of 2016.
A dream has come true. I am deeply grateful to God.
Here’s a brief summary of the book:
As human beings, change is our story. Whether joyous or difficult, life-altering or small, painful or beautiful, our pages are written with the story of change.
Change For the First Time, Again shares the life journey of the author to offer insights about how to walk through and embrace change.
Change is our lot in life: It is everywhere in the journey of life. Whether joyous or difficult, life-altering or small, painful or beautiful, our pages are written with a story and that story is one of change.
Change calls for us to embrace new: If change is everywhere, we are encountering new realities all the time. From our first conversation with a person to our first kiss to a new job to our first experience with loss, newness is all around. Perhaps if we remember God’s heart for newness, we will more readily welcome change, even challenging change.
Change calls for us to deal with resistance: When encountering change, we can be hesitant to embrace it, even outright resist it. It’s either scary or hard or too much or not as much as we desired, or possibly a combination of these. How can we know the good heart of God in difficult change?
Change calls for us to embrace again-ness: Bilbo penned his own story, There and Back Again: A Hobbit’s Tale. Because change is so regular, it can seem as if we are walking through the same scenarios again and again and again. We have felt these feelings before, we have had these conversations before, we have walked through these situations before. It’s like Bill Murray and Groundhog Day. But even as we journey through the same situation for a second or third or tenth time, it calls for something new, for our story of change to continue.
As stated, these things are all addressed through my own story. So, I might say it’s similar to Donald Miller’s approach in many of his works – offering insights through his story. I’m not known, no celebrity by any means. But I think this is what a younger generation appreciates. Real stories from real folk who are traveling on a path they can relate to.
Here’s to the rest of 2015 in preparation of the manuscript. And I am grateful to Wipf & Stock and Resource Publications for publishing the book.
The Prodigal Thought 
This article explains the various benefits of using the Online Publishing
model (OPM). The defence pre fans criticized though
not perfect and not weak. It reads just like a business plan about the book proposed.
Very cool