Keep on the Path you are on, and God will see you Through

Perseverance and Persistence are my Middle Names

In March of 2001 I was lost and confused. I didn’t know my purpose or my goals. I was depressed, and was covered with self doubt.  I was on the edge of destruction. I sat in my Ford Explorer at a local high school parking lot, and was ready to leave this wretched world.

I finally yelled out to God, “I can’t take this anymore!” There was a sudden change in the air inside the Explorer. I felt a calmness that I hadn’t felt for weeks. It was as if God was saying, “It is about time you came back to me. Now let me carry you the rest of the way.”

I went home and sat at my desk. I couldn’t understand why God saved my life. I opened the desk drawer, and in it was a book I was working on called, “Close Encounters of the Cash Flow Kind.”  I was working on it because I had a cash flow funding company that I had let fail.

At first I was ready to throw it into the round file, but I decided to open it and what I saw amazed me. Each chapter I had in the book could easily be converted over to a Christian self help book. Some of the chapter titles were. “Need Directions?” “It is my Way or the Highway.”  “You can do all Things.”

You can see that each of those had a meaning for reaching out to the lost. I started writing the next day, which was April Fools Day. Good day to start don’t you think?

Over the next few years I wrote, rewrote and wrote again until I thought it was a presentable book. Then I went to several critique groups, and found out it wasn’t even close. So I went back to the table and revised several more times.

Then it happened! On January 15, 2010, I signed a publisher’s contract. I look back on that day in the Ford Explorer as a time I had to go through. God was always with me and He knew what my purpose was even though I didn’t.

The book is called, “Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World.” The sub title may be changed by the publisher.

It reaches out to those who suffer with anxiety, fear, self doubt, depression, addictions, hopelessness, and the many other usual suspects.

The publication date will be near the end of August or the first part of September.

For those of you that are discouraged and think that God hasn’t been there in your writing or in your life in general. He is there!! I know that sometimes He allows the storms to come. He won’t take them away, but He will help calm the storm. He will never let you face anything you can’t handle yourself.

Now for the words perseverance and persistence: I could have folded up that day in that school parking lot, and I wouldn’t be writing this. I could have given up many times during the 10 year waiting period that God allowed me to have.

I now know that God’s timing is perfect. I will see that in how things go when the book actually hits the streets. Never give up! Never! God has a plan for each of us, and it is up to each of us to seek what that is. Ask God to reveal what He wants you to d in life. Then act on it, and don’t worry how long it takes to accomplish that goal.

God bless…

Doug

Hope for Those Who Suffer in this Economy

                Don’t Close the Door on Life. Stay Strong and Survive

 

It seems like things will be getting worse before they get better. The economy showed signs of recovering in the market today, but the jobless rate hasn’t  budged. People are still struggling.

I got an email from an 84 year old man this evening and he said that the last three months have been the toughest in his whole life time. He is 84 years  old and struggling financially.

This type of situation has led many people to battle self doubt, anxiety, fear, depression, hopelessness, and all the other usual suspects.

What re we to do? What will happen to all of us if this keeps up? These are questions that many people are asking right now.

Let me give you some thoughts to try to help you through these troubling times:

  • Don’t ever give up. Remain strong. You will persevere by just decided that nothing can force you to collapse.
  • Try to enjoy the little things while the economy is faltering. Go to the park. Rent DVDs instead of going to the movies. Buy the store brands instead of the expensive brands.
  • Make some great home cooked meals that you found in the old recipe book you found on the shelf. If it was good for our elders it still must be good. By cooking your own meals you will save money from not eating out. Have  a “family,” meal. That means everyone sitting down at the table at the same time. Actually do some talking. Won’t that be different?
  • Go one a vacation with in driving distance. You can just as much fun somewhere closer as you can hundreds of miles away.

I realize that these aren’t exciting solutions. What we probably really need to talk about is how to cope in this troubled world.

My book, Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World, talks directly to you as readers about how to do that very thing. It shares ways to fight anxiety, fear, depression, self doubt, hopelessness, etc.

You can read some excerpts from, Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World, when you sign up for my free newsletter. You can do that by going over to the right side bar and clciking on the icon that talks about subscribing.

Notice that you will also receive a free eBook that I have written called, The Top 25 Ways to Survive in a Troubled World. There are 25 ideas on how to stay tough during these hard times. It is yours for free just by subscribing.

When you subscribe you also have a chance to win free books. Many will have the authors autograph in them.

The book being featured right now is called, Moments this Good: The Softer Side of Alzheimer’s. It is written by Bonnie Nester. It is the story of Bonnie’s mother Ruth. It is kind of like a dairy with many heart breaking stories, but also some that make you chuckle. Bonnie has autographed the book for you.

So if you sign-up right now, you get:

  1. A free newsletter full of excerpts from: Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World. Three other pages with interesting articles on them. A brand new page that will come out in the next issue is for writers. It will be called: Becoming Famous Before you are Famous. This alone is worth signing up for if you are a writer or even have thoughts of being a writer. It teaches you how to get known before you go to the publisher.
  2. A free Ebook called, The Top 25 Ways to Survive in a Troubled World. It shares many ways to cope.
  3. Free books with autographs in them through a drawing that is held every two weeks.

It hard to understand why someone would pass this up, but I am tooting my own horn. I happen to think that you would love any part of the three free bees above.

I hope you take advantage of this and sign-up.

OUT!