The author grew up in a Parsonage, the son of a dedicated, evangelical, conservative minister described as 'a man who tried very hard to please God." He believed that fathers were duty bound to make sure their children did not get misled while they still living at home. Of great importance, they not get tainted by exposure to Hollywood. Since TV was not a part of our life, I never saw action on a screen until 1951. That year the award winning movie 'Quo Vadis' was produced: Three more movies with similar themes, 'The Robe, ' 'Demetrius and the Gladiators, ' and 'The Silver Chalice.' were produced in 1953 and 1954. My father thought these might benefit his son. I was privileged to see them several times. And, they made a great impact on me. The scenes of Christians being martyred in the arena were of special interest. I asked myself, would I be able to stand without fear? Could I face death in a positive and victorious way? One thing I was very sure about. If you could face death, either by yourself or with loved ones, positive and singing while you died, there was something very real that sustained you. And, I knew it was something far deeper than the explanation of a 'spell.' Through my years of ordained ministry and a lifetime of serving the church, I have witnessed people living out hard experiences. I have witnessed people who were caught in a reality that you could not miss. But there was obviously a greater reality carrying them over the reality we were witnessing. This book is the stories of some of those people I met along the way. People who accepted, understood, and lived in victory because they trusted Scriptures of promise. They lived a 'Greater Reality.' Also included is how to find it.
The author grew up in a Parsonage, the son of a dedicated, evangelical, conservative minister described as 'a man who tried very hard to please God." He believed that fathers were duty bound to make sure their children did not get misled while they still living at home. Of great importance, they not get tainted by exposure to Hollywood. Since TV was not a part of our life, I never saw action on a screen until 1951. That year the award winning movie 'Quo Vadis' was produced: Three more movies with similar themes, 'The Robe, ' 'Demetrius and the Gladiators, ' and 'The Silver Chalice.' were produced in 1953 and 1954. My father thought these might benefit his son. I was privileged to see them several times. And, they made a great impact on me. The scenes of Christians being martyred in the arena were of special interest. I asked myself, would I be able to stand without fear? Could I face death in a positive and victorious way? One thing I was very sure about. If you could face death, either by yourself or with loved ones, positive and singing while you died, there was something very real that sustained you. And, I knew it was something far deeper than the explanation of a 'spell.' Through my years of ordained ministry and a lifetime of serving the church, I have witnessed people living out hard experiences. I have witnessed people who were caught in a reality that you could not miss. But there was obviously a greater reality carrying them over the reality we were witnessing. This book is the stories of some of those people I met along the way. People who accepted, understood, and lived in victory because they trusted Scriptures of promise. They lived a 'Greater Reality.' Also included is how to find it.
