Stepping outside my usual postings about #daddylessons for this one, except, as a parent, everything we do is an example to our kids, isn’t it?

Years ago, when I was “roommates” with Paul Logsdon (we shared some office space and had a blast!), I would frequently tell him he needed to write a book about the history of Evangel. Dr. Barry Corey wrote about its founding in 1955, and I thought someone needed to capture the history since that time.

A few years later God would open the door for me to pursue a doctorate degree, something I never thought would be a possibility or of interest. After several promptings and confirmations to pursue it, I finally obeyed. My area of research focus? The history of Evangel. And of course, Paul was an integral part of making it happen.

I remember sitting with my wife while tears ran down our cheeks as we listened to the interviews I conducted. Partly because we couldn’t believe I got to record these stories, and partly because several of the people I got to interview passed away shortly afterward. I certainly wasn’t qualified to do the work, but I was obedient. And I’m so grateful to have been able to capture these personal stories just in time.

What is it God might be asking you to do, but you haven’t quite been fully obedient yet? Delayed obedience is disobedience, a lesson I’m still learning in many parts of life. It’s like we tell our kids more often than we care to admit:

Obey, right away, without delay. Good advice for us adults too.

Now, nearly two years after completing that program, my dissertation has been turned into a book. It sort of feels like an out of body experience to see a book with your name on it listed on Amazon. It is exciting, and yet again, humbling to contribute a small piece to documenting the history of the first Pentecostal Liberal Arts University in the country.

It’s out now and available on Amazon or any online bookstore.

It was an incredible experience to record these insightful interviews with so many beautiful people, review the survey responses from hundreds more, and pore over thousands of meetings notes and correspondence from those years. God Bless Betty Chase and Shirley Shedd for their ability to collect and organize insane amounts of information. So much could be said. And it was said. In the book. 😊

Walking through this experience has made me ask, what other books might God have in the future? I don’t know, but I’m excited to find out.

If you’re interested, or if you need help falling asleep, you can grab a copy today. If you do, leave a review and let me know what you think. Then, perhaps, we can get coffee and talk about it more. This November, my feelings of gratitude are running a little deeper than usual. Happy Thanksgiving! #daddylessons

PS. A portion of the proceeds will benefit a guy who was very impactful on my own Evangel experience as my Residence Director, Coach Bert Capel and his Evangel Men’s Basketball team.