How would you like this for your epitaph?
Here lies Joe, who never had an original thought, never tried to do anything extraordinary, and never took a chance.
Not a very appealing prospect, is it?
The protagonist in Walking with Herb was certainly heading in that direction. Joe Goodman was living a very comfortable life. Like many others, he had a nagging feeling that he could do more with his life but never acted upon it; until that fateful day when God dragged him from the depths of complacency into a life with purpose.
One of the strongest duties of Christianity is stewardship. We easily identify with the concept of stewardship of our environment, our bodies, and other observable physical resources. I believe we should work at becoming better stewards of our creative abilities. We are made in the image of God.
God creates through us, if we do our part. Our part consists of having faith in the process, and opening our minds to the possibilities all around us. We are most creative when we are outside of our comfort zones.
I have to admit that Joe Goodman’s life in many ways mirrors my own. Comfortable, somewhat rewarding, but completely unremarkable. I didn’t get an email from God, shocking me out of my reverie, but I believe God communicated to me through a gut feeling that I should write a book, and that the book should help wake people to their possibilities. This has been way out of my comfort zone. I faced a lot of self-doubt, about putting myself out there, exposing myself to ridicule and embarrassment. The gut feeling persisted, and the book is complete. I don’t know if it will be successful, but I do know that it has been the most rewarding experience of my life.
Walking with Herb 