Walking Forward – Discoveries in Freedom and Forgiveness

by Arden J. Campbell

Ever since I was in grade school, I dreamed of being a writer.  Somewhere along the line, those dreams fell to the wayside, until I found myself blogging about every day experiences and events through which the Lord was teaching me His truths.  Then came the comments from friends that I should write a book.  I shrugged it off, fears of rejection and the daunting task of actually putting all of my thoughts together nearly overwhelmed me.  Yet the promptings continued from both people and the Lord, and finally, one spring day in 2008, I sat down and began compiling some of my blog entries.

I noticed there was a running theme in all of them:  freedom and forgiveness and the lessons the Lord had taught me through everyday life and events.  As I continued to seek the Lord and compile, He began to drop other experiences from my life into my heart and mind connected to this particular theme.  Miraculously, it took just two weeks of diligent writing and compiling to put together the rough draft of this devotional-type journal.  Then I began asking the Lord for the title; clearly, when we apply the Lord’s command to forgive, we walk forward into freedom in Him; thus, Walking Forward – Discoveries in Freedom and Forgiveness emerged as the title.

I sat on the manuscript for nearly a year, tweaking it here and there, wondering if I should really publish it, when I realized that many people out there could benefit from these stories, even though they are my personal journey, because of the deep truths God poured into me through these experiences.  I gave rough manuscripts to about seven friends to read, edit, and give me feedback, which  helped in the process of refining and revising. �
I was turned down by a major publisher in the eleventh hour, and opted to self-publish, a choice I am happy to have made, even though getting the word out is more challenging this way. An interesting thing happened during the self-publishing process: the Lord awakened me at 3 a.m. and said, “Delete the chapter, Proverbs 17:17.”  I knew exactly what chapter He was referring to, and while I ‘argued’ with Him for a few hours, I knew I needed to do so, even though I believed that was the best chapter in the entire book.  Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend loves at all times,” and I realized that I would have been dishonoring a friend by publishing that chapter.  God’s peace hit my heart the moment I deleted it!  There is great joy in partnering with the Lord in writing, and even in the process of writing, I was asked to apply those very lessons I was writing about to my own manuscript!

So, I encourage all you wanna-be book writers out there to take that step of faith and write and publish!  The feedback I have received from friends and even strangers has been incredibly encouraging!  The Lord is using this book to touch people’s hearts and help them to walk in increasing freedom and forgiveness, the very thing Jesus prayed from the cross. It’s easy to read as the chapters are short, and there are a couple of thought-provoking discussion questions at the end of each chapter for either individual or group discussion.

Because I self-published, you can get copies directly from me at a reduced price, and I am happy to accomodate you for larger orders at an even lower price. Contact me through my blog. Or you can order it through