DAY ONE –-W. Terry Whalin, Editor / Writer

God Allows U-Turns Guest Blogger

I’ve always loved a good story. You know what I’m talking about. It’s the story where you sit on the edge of your seat and strain to hear the next word from a speaker because you don’t dare miss it. Or when you are reading a book and completely lost in the magic of the story and you can’t seem to turn the pages fast enough.

Because of this interest, I’ve always found a fascination in the stories of God Allows U-Turn books. How do the small and large choices of life influence the overall story of your life? In a matter of a few pages in the God Allows U-Turns books you can discover the significance of these choices. It marked a personal thrill to be included in the new God Allows U-Turns for teens volume. If you haven’t seen this book, I highly recommend you check it out—and especially the last story in the book (mine). It’s a story that has not appeared in print for a number of years and I’m delighted to have it appear in this fresh format.

I don’t want to ruin the story for you and tell it here. I return to my teenage years and talk about my personal rebellion from God and anything associated with the church. Through some bold words from a journalism colleague, I was directed to a Christian bookstore located near the campus. I purchased small book called Jesus The Revolutionary (now unfortunately long out-of-print). As I read the pages of this book, I saw a different side of Jesus Christ. It wasn’t religion but I learned about a relationship. I made a life-long u turn and began a relationship with Jesus Christ. From a book, I’ve experienced firsthand the power of the printed page. It’s driven much of my life-choices about what I’ve written and accomplished. The printed page can reach far beyond the boundaries of a single auditorium where you are speaking. That page can travel to places where I will never walk or see yet the words can touch and change lives. It’s a concept and privilege that I never want to take for granted.

Over the last fifteen years, I’ve had the opportunity to capture into print the stories of others. I’ve profiled more than 150 best-selling authors and listened to the stories of the choices—large and small—which have guided their lives. From a young age, I loved to curl up with a biography. During the summer months when I visited my granny in Frankfort, Kentucky, I would constantly visit the library and check out a stack of the red and yellow hardcover biographies. I did more than carry those books home. I spent hours reading every page. Now years later, I’ve written a number of these biographies to help others understand the significance of change in their lives.

Over the next few days, I’m going to tell a brief story from these biographies. Each day I plan to focus on a different person. I hope as you learn about these books, it will encourage you to understand and celebrate the power of changed lives.

This is Terry Whalin signing off for today. Come back tomorrow to learn about a U-Turn in the life of a well-known figure in American politics--Chuck Colson.