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God, He Don't Live In No Box
Messenger
SC/US (11/5/2002)
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GOD, He Don't
Live in No Box Jack Westmoreland's new book puts a different
slant on daily devotionals By Ardie Arvidson Staff Writer
November 1, 2002 When Jack Westmoreland started writing a daily
devotional book, he knew he didn't want it to be ordinary.
Typical daily devotions are kind of plain vanilla, he said. If
that is the case, then Westmoreland's God, He Don't Live In No
Box, is the cookies and cream of daily devotional books. Using a
slightly different slant, Westmoreland tells stories relating to
the different names used to describe God. The book evolved over
about 20 years of restless nights from an often stressful job at
Sonoco. Instead of counting sheep, Westmoreland would mentally
jot down the many names by which we refer to our Heavenly
Father. He said the technique was simple, practical, worthwhile,
enjoyable, beneficial and spiritual, and most of all didn't
disturb his wife's sleep. One night he got the idea of putting
the names in alphabetical order, so he was forced to start
writing them down. One Sunday morning he was asked to be a
substitute Sunday School teacher, and he collected about 40 of
the names he had written down and used them as the text for his
lesson. It was a big hit with the ladies in the class, said
Westmoreland. He ended his lesson by saying that we need all
these 40 names and titles and a whole lot more to describe our
Wonderful, Amazing Lord. It was on this day I had the idea of a
Daily Devotional of Names and Titles of Our Lord, said
Westmoreland. Since then he has collected more than 1,000 names
and still counting. My favorite is 'Jesus,' said Westmoreland.
The Lord is very real to me, and I just wanted to show it. I
wanted to illustrate how real Jesus can be. Names don't 'fit in
a box' As the title suggests, Westmoreland is trying to tell us
that all the names and titles used to describe The Chosen One
don't fit neatly in a box. The book is written in a casual
manner, and anyone who knows Westmoreland would say he writes
like he talks. While the idea for the book was a long time
coming, getting it started took some motivation. It wasn't until
Dick Puffer, a former colleague, sat in my office one day and
said, 'Jack, you better get with it.' Then I got serious, said
Westmoreland. I knew what he meant; I'll be 70 years old Dec.
15. Once he actually got to work on the book, Westmoreland said
it became personally rewarding. He intended to do research into
the names, but at the last minute decided he was going to write
this thing off the top of my head. The only references he used
in writing the book were the Bible and Strong's Concordance.
During the time he was writing, he stayed away from other books,
tapes and sermons. I wanted it to be Biblically correct and
spiritual, but I didn't want it to be for ministers, said
Westmoreland. I wanted it to be easy to read, to have an impact,
to have humor, to vary in style and format, and to sound like
you talk. I took great liberties with the English language.
Getting a book published is tough, said Westmoreland. There were
times I wondered about it. Only two times I thought about
stopping. A motivation to stay on track Westmoreland said that
in the wake of those doubts, he realized that if the book never
got published that it had been very rewarding for him and very
personal. It made my walk with the Lord richer, he said. It was
totally personal. I found these names in the middle of the
night, I would dwell on the names of the Lord. I never missed
the sleep. I did enjoy telling these real life stories. They
were personal experiences that meant a lot to me. I am very
serious about my relationship with the Lord. I'm very
open–minded, said the author. I went to 40 churches when I first
came here, and I have belonged to several denominations.
Westmoreland said he asked his wife, Helen, what she thought he
was trying to accomplish with the book. She told me she thought
I was trying to show Jesus to people with a different slant,
said Westmoreland. He couldn't have said it better himself. As a
youngster growing up without the advantage or disadvantage of
television, Westmoreland said he would tell stories at night to
cousins. Telling stories comes naturally to the author. I never
tell stories (in the book) that I can't verify, he said. The
thoughts Westmoreland would write in those hours between dusk
and dawn would sometimes surprise him. I amazed myself
sometimes, said Westmoreland. I'd read something and it was not
like I wrote it. I would be writing and I would be under some
special anointing. Westmoreland said that some of the passages
would bring strong emotional feeling to him. He remembers one in
particular that he wrote while on an outing in the mountains. He
got up early and admired the view of the mountains as the sun
rose from his vantage point. The scene was awe–inspiring, but
the words didn't come easily. As he began, he had no idea where
the words would take him, and suddenly it had wrapped me in God,
said Westmoreland. Westmoreland said as his book progressed, he
would take 10 or 12 stories and give them to people whose
opinions he valued and ask them to read them and give some
feedback. The first person he gave the stories to was Joann
Merck, a second–generation English teacher and a relative. She
is a good English teacher and very serious about her
relationship with the Lord, Westmoreland said. This made her the
perfect candidate, according to Westmoreland, but when weeks
went by and she didn't return the stories or make any comment
about them, he became anxious. When he finally got up the
courage to ask her about the material, Westmoreland said, she
said I told her she didn't have to return them. She said she
kept them in the car and read them all the time. Nearly
completed, Westmoreland took the unfinished book to an agent,
Brenda Bailey of the B. Bailey Literary Agency Inc. She started
reading it and didn't read very far before she took it away from
him and said she didn't need to read anymore. She thought she
could sell it to a publisher. Envisioning a book title The title
for many years was going to be The Many Names, Titles and
Attributes of our Lord, said Westmoreland. One morning before I
went to see Brenda, at 4 a.m. I woke up and had a 'mini–vision'
that I was in a book store. There is my book on the second
shelf. A voice or thought that didn't come from the brain said,
'Is that the best name for the book?' I'm opposed to the
question, but after the third time, 'Is that the name to catch
the attention of the reader?' was put to me, I looked back at
the book and the title 'God, He Don't Live in No Box.' appeared.
Westmoreland decided it might just be a clever marketing
strategy to entice the hurried and haggard shopper to pick the
book up and buy it. The title stuck. The preface was the hardest
thing to write, he said. It was difficult for him to summarize
it all in 150 words. Those who know Westmoreland and his love of
conversation would not find that difficult to believe. He said
he had no idea how he would react when the book was finally
completed. One day I had it all done, looked at it on my desk,
and I started to cry. I closed the door. It finally hit me what
I had gone through and the time it took. It was at that moment
it hit me. Money was never the issue, he said, and he is
considering offering the book as a tool for non–profit
organizations and churches to use as a fund–raiser. I want it to
be a best seller for the glory of God, said Westmoreland. I want
it to catch on. I want Jesus to be real to others as He is real
to me. Is there another book in the works? Yes, but don't tell
Helen, said Westmoreland. Published by Publish America, the book
is for sale at Burry Bookstore, Carolina Christian Bookstore and
other book outlet locations, as well as on the Internet. The
hardback book contains 426 pages and is $29.95. It is in larger
type than most books. E-mail comments on the article "GOD, He
Don't Live in No Box" to Ardie Arvidson. |
God, He Don't Live In No Box
Dale
South Carolina (10/30/2002)
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I am honored to
say that I have read Jack's book, God, He Don't Live In No Box,
and I must say that it was the most remarkable book I have ever
read. I am a very slow reader, but when I began reading this
very special book, there was not a place to stop. I literally
hated to put the book down. The inspiring language moved me
deeply, and left me with such warm feelings as though God was
actually embracing me. I use this book for my devotions each
night, and these A-Z devotions have inspired and encouraged me
in my walk with God. Congratulations, Jack,for pursuing your
dream to bless and encourage others! |
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