A Conversion Story

Why Read My Conversion Story? Who am I to write a book to you about myself anyway? Well, no offense, but I hadn't planned to write it to you but to my children. You were only an afterthought. I took my conversion story from my book to my children, creatively called The Book for Gabi and Ricky. I don't mean that flippantly. The purpose of my book is the passion of my life--to help people find a friendship with God--but I wouldn't have written it except for my children. God has not...
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Why Read My Conversion Story? Who am I to write a book to you about myself anyway? Well, no offense, but I hadn't planned to write it to you but to my children. You were only an afterthought. I took my conversion story from my book to my children, creatively called The Book for Gabi and Ricky. I don't mean that flippantly. The purpose of my book is the passion of my life--to help people find a friendship with God--but I wouldn't have written it except for my children. God has not raised me up to be a person deserving a memoir, and I wouldn't presume such a thing. In fact, I'm embarrassed that you might think so, and "embarrassed" indeed is the word for how I often felt writing my book, even to my kids. Now that I've modified it for people I don't know, I feel especially vulnerable and want to hide. But I have a good reason to write it, nonetheless. As I prepare to self-publish A Conversion Story on Amazon, I'm 64 years old and my children are Gabi, 12 and Ricky, 10. You can do the math for when they are 32 and 30, keeping in mind that no age is assigned when someone is dead. To help you understand why I'm publishing A Conversion Story, here's what I tell Gabi and Ricky at the beginning of their book: Hello Gabi and Ricky. As I begin my book to you, you are eleven and nine, and I'm sixty-three. I'm doing pretty good for sixty-three. I bet if I didn't have gray hair and look older than other dads, you wouldn't even know the difference. If I'm like my parents, I'll keep this up until your late twenties. I'm even hoping that God will keep me focused and full of life through your thirties. (Don't you get mad at Him if He says "no"!) But someday, sooner than most parents, I won't be involved in your lives anymore. Because of that, I am opening a portal through time. I will talk to you over the years and remind you of your roots, of how you came to be and of what your Mom and I dream for you. I want you to feel our love through these words I leave you. Your mom and I believe in you. We believe that God brought us together, as husband and wife. We believe that He has worked in both of our lives, over the years, to prepare us to have a family, and that He had a plan to bring you two into the world through us. There is a reason and purpose for why you are here. I write to keep you on track, so you will fulfill it. I write to pick you up, when you fall. I write to keep you from bitterness, when life happens. I write to remove the veil, when darkness deceives you. I write to pull you back, when you drift away. I write to yank you from your comfort zone, when you settle for mediocrity. I write to ensure that you both will "always trust, always hope, always persevere". And I write so that someday, your mom and I will see you again in the place where we are going. Thus originated The Book for Gabi and Ricky, a guaranteed success with two people in the world long after I am gone. My dad passed on 14 years ago--how much I would love to hold a book he wrote to my sister and me in my hands right now. If you have started seeking God in your life, or at least are open to the idea, you should find my book worth your time. My life is a distinct example of God's promise in Jeremiah 29:13, You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart. (By "distinct" I mean capable of being perceived clearly.) If you're struggling with your faithfulness now--or thinking of returning to God after you've left Him, you should find my book helpful as well. My life is also a distinct example of how God blesses everyone, sooner or later, who stays faithful to Him, even if it means just barely hanging on at times or returning after you've left (returning after you've left is still faithfulness). I hope and pray that this book, which is my conversion story and more, will help you draw near to God and find Him and maybe even, someday, find a wonderful family--a Maria (Mi Amor), as well as a Gabi and a Ricky.