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Harper candidly recounts his career as a Christian minister in rural Central Florida, having been drawn to professional ministry when he was a university freshman. Informing his father, who had envisioned, but never pursued, a career as a missionary, Harper's aspirations were seen as an answer to the prayers of both. With his wife and three young children, he accepted the role of Baptist pastor in Astatula, where he garnered successes along with hard-won lessons. Parishioners might be rude, but pastors must control their reactions, offering the best examples, "not being thin-skinned or easily offended." Scenarios both amusing and distressing are depicted, as Harper explores the exigencies of his profession.
Three years later, he took a pastoral position in the First Baptist Church in Oxford, remaining there for fourteen years, preaching, officiating at weddings and funerals, and enjoying outdoor activities with enthusiastic churchgoers. This was followed by work for the First Baptist Church in Summerfield, where he oversaw teens and held other positions, including a job in a local Christian bookstore. Gradually, rifts arose between Harper's spiritual convictions and the policies of the Baptist administration. This would ultimately lead him to utilize his extensive religious experience in ordination and service as a priest for the Holy Cross Anglican Church, a choice he happily envisions as his final career move.
Harper offers his stirring spiritual memoir as guidance to readers across a wide spectrum, emphasizing what he designates as "the theological concept known as the providence of God"—solid proof that the Lord is always in charge, endowing His flock with scriptural understanding and spreading that essential knowledge to new believers. Harper's writing skills doubtless mirror his preaching abilities, combining human-scale humor, personal revelations and confessions, and, throughout, encouragement for aspiring church participants to share their beliefs and forge fresh life pathways.
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