Tandem Vincitur

Obeying the Voice of God

by Jack MacDonald as told to Donnie MacDonald

ISBN 978-0-9778545-1-6

This book begins with an episode of a showdown between the author and a cult leader. The Holy Spirit gave Jack the leading to make a most audacious claim. Jack obeyed and God reaped a great victory in the small town where he was ministering.

Then he rewinds the clock with a brief history of his life; growing up in a single parent home and coming to faith in Jesus Christ in his teen years. The book is written from the viewpoint of an Assembly of God minister, and he writes about speaking in tongues. But there is much in this book to be gained even if the reader is a staunch Baptist. The message of the book is what can happen in and through a life that is yearning to follow God and listen to the Holy Spirit.

Jack writes about his experiences in Vietnam; how God used him to minister and how God saved his life, over and again. He writes how God moved him to change his career from farming to ministering. Every step of the way, he gives examples how God used him when he listened and obeyed.

His ministry work did not pay well but he wrote how God used the skills he had to provide for him and his family. Even better, he demonstrated that even though God gave him these skills, it was not the skills that provided, it was God who was his provision. This is a message we all need to grasp: even if we say we trust God to provide, we often fall back on our faith in our own abilities and it is easy to forget though God may use our skill, it is He alone who provides – and it is He who gave us the skill, in the first place.

After many anecdotal episodes of God’s hand in his life and how God used him when he listened and obeyed, he wraps up the book with admonitions to fellowship with other believers, the importance of unity among the brothers and listening to the Holy Spirit.

This is a fun book and it is full of practical examples on improving your walk with God. Though it is 350 pages, it is a fast read with large print and lots of blank pages. You will enjoy walking with the author and experiencing the life of one who yearns to follow God. It will encourage you to listen, and maybe you might hear God’s voice in your life and see what He will do when you obey.

This book is a simple, fast chronicle of a very interesting and complex life – a FUN life. We all should have fun lives. Some do more than others. To read my friend’s book is like reading the life of a charmed person. But, I know Jim and not everything has come to him easily.

Abraham Lincoln said something along the line that a person is about as happy as they make up their mind to be. James Galbraith decided long ago, he was going to be happy. His happiness, however, did not spring up from self-determination or any such other efforts. The source of his happiness came from finding salvation in the person of the Son of God.

You see, before he got saved (that’s believer talk for receiving Jesus Christ), he was a miserable wreck. His life was on self-destruct and he was destroying the lives of those around him. Jesus changed all that – in a day, in an instant. This book is a testament to a life sold out for Jesus Christ.

Reading about someone else’s life is always fun, especially when it is someone you know – and they are still alive. I had fun learning new things about my friend and reading about episodes he had told me before – some I had forgot. You will enjoy reading this book as well. Jim wasn’t a victim in any sense of the word. He reached out and grabbed life and you will enjoy reading about his faith and his courage. It will encourage you to raise your sights and set new goals, with the help of God in your life.

Less than one hundred pages and lots of pictures, this book is a fast read. A couple hours with this book and you will be refreshed and ready to take on the day, yourself – with God.

This is Bette Filley’s latest book and it is based around two premises: First, Christian bookstores are not likely to carry or promote a book written by an unknown Christian author; and Second, if you write a book and want to get it sold, you are going to have to work for it.

Writing a book is a daunting task in itself, marketing it can become overwhelming. I remember when writing two books in 1995 and 2000. There was so much research to do just to get the books printed and to market. What I learned during the first episode I had forgotten by the second. While reading 365 Heavenly Ways to Market Your Christian Book, my mind kept traveling back to all the hours-upon-hours of research and work to get my book to market – and here Bette has it all laid out in a simple to read and easy to grasp fashion.
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