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A New Soul
for the Kingdom
by Barbara Brabec
I believe this story of "how Shawn
Smith met Barbara Brabec" –and the dramatic impact we had on one another’s lives once we met – will be an
encouragement to every Christian who reads it. It proves beyond a doubt that God
not only works in the lives of those who work for HIM, but He blesses their
lives beyond all understanding.
Shawn Smith came to me literally out of the blue in April, 2004. While
looking for book publishers on the Web, he "accidentally" found me listed in an
ancient Yellow pages publisher listing of mine that someone had republished on
the Web without verifying the accuracy of the listings. I no longer published
books, but I had recently launched
a book manuscript editing and critiquing
service, so I told Shawn I might be helpful to him in that way. Since he lived
in the area, he stopped by the house to leave his manuscript for critiquing, and
we got personally acquainted. His book needed a lot of work, so I gave
him suggestions for things he needed to rewrite before I began the actual
editing.
Shawn’s book was the story of his life to that point, and all that he had
learned about self-help and the importance of being a virtuous person. It was
clear to me that I was dealing with a kind and loving person who had finally
gotten his life back on track after an incredible series of devastating life
events, but Shawn’s views about God, the Bible, and religion in general were
terribly skewed. I couldn’t let him go into print saying such things . . . but
how to tell this young man that he didn’t know what he was talking about?
When Shawn first started the writing of this book, he held a philosophy that
the authors of the Bible had created it as a way to control, manipulate, and
oppress other people, which wasn’t surprising, given his very hurtful past. In
his spirituality chapter, Shawn was strongly preaching against both God and the
Bible, claiming that "religion" had corrupted the world, and the men who wrote
the Bible had corrupted its words and meanings. This section of the book
included dozens of Bible verses that he had misinterpreted – verses he felt
proved that God was dictatorial and non-loving. He was, of course, also a
believer in evolution at that time. I was twisting in my chair when I read this
closing to his spirituality chapter:
"I notice that the argument for Christ's existence is still a hot topic. To
the Knight, his existence is a moot point. If he existed, he was nothing more
than flesh, blood, and a child of the creator just like the rest of us. If he
existed, the creator was using him for nothing more than a tool of virtue to
wield. Just try to remember that we are all brothers and sisters under the skin
and are pretty much the same . . . a little needy, and a little insecure, but
decent and good."
Shawn’s Godly Grandmother Planted the Seeds
Shawn had a Jesus-believing grandmother he adored (his book is dedicated to
her), so it was clear to me that she had planted seeds in her grandson that
hadn't grown yet. Since by now I had formed a lovely personal relationship with
Shawn, I gently suggested that if he was going to preach his religious beliefs
to others, he needed a better grounding in theology first. Since I knew he was
an avid reader, I asked if he would read a couple of special books I had on my
shelf – books that had made an impact on me as a new believer who was eager to
share her faith with others. I marked some special passages Shawn needed to
read, and included several small pamphlets on a variety of Christian topics (all
addressing topics Shawn had touched on in his book, of course). He accepted them
with thanks and said he'd get back to me about rewriting the spirituality
chapter.
A couple of months later, he stopped by the house to drop off his revised
manuscript and return the books. He didn't say a word at the time about changes
he had made to the manuscript, but merely said he had read every word of the
books I loaned him – not just the pages I had marked – and had found them "very
interesting and helpful." When I started the editing process, I went immediately
to the spirituality chapter to see if the books I’d loaned Shawn had changed his
thinking. Imagine my joy and relief when I read:
"When I started writing this book, I held a philosophy that the authors of
the Bible had created the Bible and called it God's word as a way to control,
manipulate, and oppress other people. In truth, the authors did not do the
manipulating and corrupting throughout man’s history, but men who denounced it
as God’s word. Terrible people in the world’s history have used God’s true word
as a way to do evil and thus turned many away from its wisdom and loving
guidance.
"Furthermore, Satan wants us to doubt the true origin and motives for the
Bible. He wants us to believe the word of God has been corrupted in the Bible.
In the first writing of this book, he had a true believer in me, and I included
a whole chapter denouncing the Bible. However, when I sent my finished
manuscript to my editor, Barbara Brabec – a writer I ‘accidentally’ found through a Web search
– I could not possibly fathom the wonderful changes that were about
to take place in my life, or the additional effort I would ultimately put into
the complete rewriting of this book to reflect God’s glory on every page."
I called Shawn to say how thrilled I was that he had finally seen the light,
and he stunned me by saying that he now felt God was calling him to the
ministry. "I am just so excited about everything I read in and about the Bible,"
he said. "I think few people find a career they can be this excited about. My
whole life, I have felt I was meant to do something, but could never find that
missing ‘something’ to fill that hole . . . and now I have. I love you and thank
you for the absolutely wonderful impact you have had on my life."
During my lifetime of dispensing home-business advice I have
received thousands of thank-you letters and e-mails from people who have told me
with heartfelt conviction that I had literally changed their lives, and they
could never thank me enough for the home-business help and direction I had given
them. Those letters warmed my heart and gave me encouragement as a writer, but
Shawn’s thank-you literally touched my soul and convinced me, once again, that
God always hears and answers our prayers – not necessarily when we expect Him to,
but in His own good timing.
For some time prior to meeting Shawn, I had been praying more ardently for
God to use me for the Kingdom and make my being on the Web have more purpose
than just dispensing home-business advice. He answered that prayer by
sending Shawn to me for spiritual guidance and help with his book. At that point in time,
I had been faithfully "sowing seeds" for nine years with little evidence that I
was accomplishing anything. I could think of only one person who said I had actually helped
her to come to Jesus. Mostly, it seemed, I was just preaching to the choir all those years,
witnessing to many, but saving no one; just offering my usual help and encouragement to friends,
business associates, and Christians in my network. But with Shawn, I finally got to see the results
of watering seeds that had been sown by someone else – in this case, his godly grandmother.
All this is to say that if YOU haven’t shared your faith lately, or tried to
change the beliefs of some of your non-Christian friends or family members, now
is the time to do it. Like most of you, I’m not cut out to be an outspoken
evangelist, but I do believe in sharing my faith with others. My experience
with Shawn reminded me that a few gentle words, and the sharing of some
Christian resources, may be all it takes to help some people find Christ on
their own.
Actually, that's what happened to me about twelve years ago. While
talking to a good friend
about my life and problems at that time, she simply asked if I had tried
praying. "To get help, you must ask for it," she said. Those words were
all I needed to get down on my knees for the first time in my life and ask God
for help. The dramatic way in which my life changed after that is documented in
my Christian testimony, and I hope it will be
an inspiration to you.
Part II of Shawn and Barbara’s Amazing Story
Shawn came into my life during the last year of
my husband’s life.
But he soon became more than a client. He became a special friend – one who, upon
seeing the struggle I was having in caring for Harry, began to offer us personal
assistance. Once, after Shawn had done some odd jobs around the house and in the
yard, Harry commented that he was a very nice person, almost like the son we
never had.
Harry had no idea then how true his words would prove to be. After he died,
Shawn was there for me, giving me exactly the kind of emotional support and
physical help around the house that a son would give his own mother. All work on
his book stopped for several months until I felt like working again, but Shawn
never pressured me to finish the editing. Instead, he began to attend church
with me every Sunday, and we spent hours discussing his plans for a ministry and
his plans to self-publish his book. That led both of us to start learning about
how books were now being published electronically on the Web and now, thanks to
Shawn, I’m exploring some new writing and publishing projects of my own.
A Web Ministry for Both of Us
Of course, Shawn and I knew that a Web site would be essential once his book was
published. Because his work was keeping
him too busy to manage a Web site, he asked me to design and manage it for him. And this was when God prompted me to suggest that I
contribute articles to Shawn's site. I have long wanted a special place on the
Web for my Christian writing, but I’m no spring chicken, and I wasn’t eager to
put in so much work on a web site that would only disappear into the ethers when I finally kicked the bucket. But now,
my articles on this site can live on long after I’m gone because my dear Christian friend and "adopted son," Shawn, has promised to maintain my Web pages on his ministry site as long as he’s on the Web.
God’s Perfect Timing
Initially, Shawn couldn’t bring himself to believe that God actually moves in
the individual lives of his children, but it didn’t take him long to realize
that his finding me as his editor – out of the thousands of editors out there he
might have found on the Web – was no coincidence. As all believers know, where
God is concerned, there are no "accidents" or "coincidences," but merely HIS GRAND PLAN for
His children’s lives.
Shawn needed the business services and Christian encouragement I had to
offer, and I needed the love and support he so generously gave me after my
husband died – and continues to give me today. We now believe that the way God
brought the two of us together at just the right moment in each of our lives was
nothing less than a miracle. And then God put the frosting on the cake by
empowering both of us to grow in our faith, get Shawn’s first book published,
and launch this Web site. We hope it will enrich the lives of others for years
to come.
________
© 2007 by Barbara Brabec. Barbara is the author of several
home-business books.
Her personal domain
includes information on her books and a wide
variety of articles on business, writing, publishing,
computers, crafts, and personal interests. |
