I’ve been writing and “publishing” to my Facebook audience
for about twelve years. My “Facebook notes” eventually became a blog. But I
published those posts to Facebook, as well. My Facebook friends were my only
readers. That’s about to change. Since the beginning of this pilgrimage of
thoughts and words, several readers have said, “I really enjoy reading your
stuff, but you need to publish to a wider audience. More people need to read this.” That’s about
to happen. A publisher called Nurturing Faith has accepted my manuscript for
publication. “Nurturing Faith” might
sound like a “Christian publisher” and it is, but they publish a wide variety
of books including manuscripts like mine.
They would not have accepted my book if it they only published works
that are churchy and devotional in nature. Although Nurturing Faith has its
roots in the SBC (Southern Baptist Convention), the tree you see is in the
CBF(Cooperative Baptist Fellowship) and its publication Baptists Today. The CBF sprung to life during the takeover of
the SBC by radical fundamentalists during the late 70s and early 80s. This misguided group of Baptists, whose
leaders have been exposed as hypocrites and charlatans , used the inspiration
of the Bible to divide families, churches, colleges and seminaries, and
eventually the denomination. The CBF then was made of disenfranchised Southern
Baptists who were not ready to give up the name, but wanted to give up the
fight and find again a place of warmth and inclusion under the banner of
“Baptists”. There are rumors that the SBC is swinging back to the left toward
normalcy, but I’ll believe it when I see it.
During the process of getting this book published, I’ve done
very little writing and much reading. I’ve read a number of books especially of
American history, more particularly America’s westward expansion in the
1800s. I’m reading a book now by an
author I really enjoy. The book is PrairyErth by William Least Heat-Moon. I read and adored his Blue Highways many
years ago and decided to read this one. The book is about one county in Kansas,
Chase County. And totally by coincidence (or Providence) it includes much
history of America's westward expansion during the 1800s. It’s the Walden of travelogues, the Pilgrim at
Tinker Creek of documentaries. On page 203
refers to a diary of a “pioneer woman”
in 1862. “Seen together, her little
penciled accounts go against the conventional notion that pioneer life was all
toil and burden, an eking out of drudging survival and little else: Elizabeth’s
pages reveal horseback trips out to Jacob’s Mound, canoe trips on the
Cottonwood, and overnight visits with friends.
Her pleasures may have been simple, but they are abundant.” And I thought, “That’s what I’ve been
scratching up all these years, my simple pleasures”.
My “publications” began in March of 2008 with a memorial to my then recently
deceased mixed shepherd, Maggie. I did
the best I could do in about 1,000 words to convey her physical beauty, her
personality, my love for her and my grief for her sickness and death. Since the
response was immediate and positive I just kept writing and hitting
“publish”. So now Nurturing Faith tells
me that they want to publish my book. To
think that the editors feel that “my simple pleasures” are worth their audience
means much to me. And your encouragement to seek that larger
audience means much to me as well. I’ve
suggested as my title either In a
Different Light(the title of my blog) or The Lizard Way (the title of one of my
blog posts). Either one is fine with
me.
This future publication by “Baptists” brings it all full
circle for me. I grew up in a Baptist
Church. I graduated from a Baptist college and seminary. Baptists birthed me, burped me, diapered me
and sent me on my way. I’ve traveled far
and wide since then and now it’s
Baptists, after these many years, who
want to publish my words. Go figure. A distant cousin who I’ve never met, one
of my first Facebook readers, told me, “David,
you have become one of my favorite authors.” Considering who she read, I took that as a
high compliment. I have not felt like I
deserved the tittle, but now thanks to the editors of Nurturing Faith, author”
is going to become a reality. My dear
Facebook reader, thanks for being a vital part of this pilgrimage. After the
book is published, you will be among the first to know.
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