Borrowed Bibles: A Memoir

Product Description It was during the 1940s in Arkansas when the very young Jim Good first learned from his father's sermons that drinking Coke was a sin, but drinking Royal Crown was not. He also learned not to lie, to keep the Commandments, to love Jesus, and that God wanted segregation. By the age of twenty, he had moved thirty-one times and attended thirteen schools.In his compelling memoir, Good shares the heartfelt story of what it was like to grow up with a nomadic teacher father who borrowed Bibles and hymnbooks from churches so he could conduct services on the front porch. With the goal of seeking income and respect, Good's father moved the family more than once a year-from segregated Arkansas to integrated Washington and Oregon and back to segregated Arkansas, filling his son's life with continuous culture shock. As he embarked on the challenging path to adulthood, Good began to question everything about God, soon realizing that the only way to find the truth was to become a preacher himself. Borrowed Bibles is an engaging chronicle of one man's fascinating, faith-filled journey as he learns to accept life as an unsolvable mystery and discover his true purpose. From the Back Cover . . . Dad used the hot weather as the basis of a church service he held on our front porch one Sunday. After gathering Mom, Joan and me on the porch, he passed out our hymnbooks and Bibles, raised his right hand, and asked God to bless the service he was about to conduct. We then sang, "The Old Rugged Cross," and after we finished, Dad said it was OK for us to sit down. He cleared his throat and said the weather sure was hot, but it was nothing compared to the heat of hell. And the hot weather should be a reminder to us to lead good Christian lives so that when we die, the devil won't come get us and take us to hell. About the Author Jim Good is the author of three genealogy books-one a winner of the Award of Excellence by the Heart of America Genealogical Society. His diverse career includes stints as a manager of engineering, chief financial officer, corporate president, and business school dean. He currently lives in California.