I’m thrilled to welcome author Marvin Wilson to Quiverfull Family as a stop on his OFECCT08 (Owen Fiddler Experience Christmas Cyber Tour 2008) journey across the blogosphere!  To get the low-down on the tour, available prizes and other stops along the way check out the details here.

Marvin is one of the most real, authentic, three-dimensional online personalities I’ve ever met.  I’ve truly been blessed by knowing him as a new friend this year.  He’s the author of Owen Fiddler (published in the Spring of this year), which I hope to review once the mail system delivers the book here!  I can’t wait to read Marvin’s work for myself!

Something I’ve discovered for myself is that Marvin is an aggressive commenter and comment follower on blogs, and he’ll be spending a lot of time here throughout the day - responding to your comments - so feel free to ask questions and let him know what you think!

Today he’ll be sharing with a part of his testimony, salvation experience and how that has influenced his writing.  He’ll also give us the low-down on plans for the future in terms of upcoming books, so read on!

Jennifer: Marvin, I know that you’ve mentioned that you became a Christian 4 years ago.  Was there anything specific happening in your life that pointed or led you towards Jesus and putting your trust in Him?

Marvin: Boy, I’ll say. How about try one this on for size – crack cocaine. Yep. It had me. Four years ago I was a crack head. Lost. My world had crumbled around me. Business failure, marriage on the rocks, drinking heavily – I went out and got me a girlfriend. Young girl, about thirty or so. She turned out to be a crack smoker. One day after about three months of dating her I tried it out of curiosity. A word of wisdom here? You cannot TRY crack.

You can try marijuana, you can try alcohol, you can try acid, you can try opium-based pain killers,  you can even try the soft kind of cocaine that you snort. And I’ve done all of those at one time or another. But crack is a different animal. It is instantly addicting. One hit and you are hooked. For good. On the first inhalation the chemical goes straight up to the brain and hardwires a connection. From that moment on, your brain will send out repeated demands that you have another hit. And another. And another. Until your very soul is sucked out of you and you are a dead person walking. Then you die. Emotionally, psychologically and spiritually, and eventually, unless you can somehow get the beast off your back … it will kill you physically too. It can even take you out with no warning with a sudden heart attack. I’m warning you, everyone reading this. Do not ever for one second think that you can TRY one hit of crack cocaine. You can’t have just one.
So within three months of that first hit I was completely strung out. One hundred dollar a day habit and heading to hell faster than you can say “gimme a shotgun.” If it were not for a meeting with Christ – and I mean I met with Jesus. It was as real an experience as making love. I wrote about all this in my first book, my memoirs, I Romanced the Stone. It’s an intense read, and a testimonial to the power of Christ’s unconditional love and the redeeming, free and transforming Grace of God.

Jennifer: It seems that all of your published works have been printed after coming to faith in Jesus Christ.  Is there a correlation here, or did you already have manuscripts in progress before your conversion?

Marvin: I had never intended to be a published author. I’ve always been a writer, I’ve kept journals and written stories and poems and just general thoughts and musings on life ever since high school. But it never occurred to me to attempt being published until my conversion experience. I made a deal with God. Not that you have to deal with God to be saved. God’s love and forgiveness is free and unconditional. But I said, God, if you take this demon from me, if you will set me free from this nightmare and allow me to live again as a free man, I will write for you. I will write my story, I will minister to the lost and confused, I will devote the rest of my life to helping others to not make the same mistakes I have.

Jennifer: You’ve also mentioned that you have grandchildren, how has coming to Jesus later in life affected your family?  What do your children and grandchildren think about the change in you?

Marvin: My family is overjoyed. Both immediate family and extended. My family is very tight. And the vast majority of them are Christians. You can imagine the hell they were going through when I was strung out and killing myself quickly with a bottle and a pipe. The grandkids were too young to understand of course, but they would ask, “What’s wrong with Grandpa?” It was my family that never failed me. They never threw me away. They prayed. They set up prayer chains all around the world. They offered over and over to help me get into a rehab center and get the help I needed. My daughters would call me crying, so scared that I would be dead soon and they wanted me to live and get clean and be the husband, Daddy and Granddaddy everyone wanted me to be again. The imploring, the pleading, the caring, the loving – it was relentless. Amazing. Amazing grace. My eyes are filling up as I write this, Jennifer. I can’t dwell on this subject for long without shedding tears of joy and relief that that horrific period of my life is over and done with. Thank you, Jesus, and thank you my family, hallelujah! Today I am a free and healthy man. God is sooooo good!

Jennifer: You claim that you don’t write ‘traditional Christian’ literature, tell us a bit about how you classify your books and the target audience you are aiming to reach.

Marvin: I write what I call “cross-over” books. They are Christian-themed books that I hope and pray communicate to the secular readership. My calling, my ministry, is not to preach to the choir, but rather to speak to the secular readership.  In fact I wrote a post on that subject at my Free Spirit Blog, titled just that – “I Don’t Preach to the Choir.” And that’s the truth. Look, there are plenty of great Christian books and authors out there. No need for me to add my one and a half cents, they are doing a great job for their readership. I speak my heart to the secular readership. I talk up the love of Jesus to the unbelievers. That’s my role, that’s the what I’m meant to do. So many folks out there, really good people, righteous people, living upright morale lives with good hearts and an open minded love for everyone, have been hurt by organized religion. The church. That ugly place, that building, where hypocrites go and act all holy on Sunday and then gossip all week long and commit sins they never admit but judge others for doing so. That is not Christianity in my mind. That is not being Christ-like. That is not the Way. No. As Christians it is incumbent upon us to love everyone just as they are, without judgment. Jesus did that for us. We must do that for each other.

Who the hell is perfect? Who dares throw the first stone? Not me. So I write books that non-Christians can enjoy as just a good book with a message. And that message is that Jesus loves you and wants you to be with him for all eternity in eternal bliss.  Some get it, some do not, but everyone can at least enjoy a few laughs and think and ponder over some of life’s deeper issues. An every once in a while … every so blessed often, I get a letter or an email that lets me know that my book they just read has changed their lives for the better and led them closer to God. That’s what I live for. That’s what I write for.

Jennifer: If readers look closely at your written works will they find a core message of spirituality that underlies everything you write?

Marvin: Yes. This. We make heaven or hell for ourselves with our own free will choices. Our actions have consequences. Our thoughts become our reality. With our thoughts we make the world we live in. Be careful for what you ask for, on any conscious or sub-conscious level. You WILL get it. There is no ultimate good or bad, it’s how we perceive things. We are not human beings having the occasional spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having an eighty or so year long human experience. Death is not the end. Think about that now, while you are still alive. Act and think accordingly.

Jennifer: Do you feel called to write further works?  Are there any new and upcoming novels in progress for you Marvin?

Marvin: Oooh yeah. Lots. I have the first sequel to Owen Fiddler about two thirds done, a comedic detective whodunit, titled Detective Snoop. I posted a short story on Free Spirit on Halloween featuring this new nutcase character I thunked up, titled Detective Snoop and the Case of the Selfish Thirsty Vampire. He’s quite the charismatic sleuth, this guy, you’ll love him in spite of his sexist male chauvinist ways. The short story was well received, and I think the novel will be a hit. It’s short on spiritual messages, at least for this writer, but I do sneak in some valuable nuggets about not paying any attention to Satan lest you grant the (bleep)head power that he’s not worthy of. For the most part though, I just want to make people laugh with this one.

Another novel I’m working on is a spiritual quest for knowing God set within a romance, titled Heaven’s Slope Ascended. A black chick meets a white rock and roll star and they fall in love but there are many issues. It’s really about me and my wife, but totally extrapolated out there into the generic. Anyone will be able to relate at some level.

Then another pet work in progress is this story about, well, here – let me paste the ad    blurb for our readers-
What if a homeless, smelly, ugly unkempt old man had a hug so powerful it could cure cancer? Cause a prostitute to stop hooking and seek true love? Shake the demons of addiction free from a junkie? Make a fundamentalist Christian want to hug and love a radical terrorist Muslim and visa versa? Cause the blind to see? Raise the dead to life? But rare is the beneficiary of his divine hug – nobody wants to come near him out of fear.

I’m going to have a holy rolling ball writing that one. Just started it, but it’s tops. And I got more. The stuff is just pouring out of me. Owen Fiddler will be a series. Owen Fiddler will be on the big screen one day. Bet on it. God is just drilling me, shooting me full with inspirations faster than I can possibly key them in. Pretty cool.

Jennifer: If there’s anything I’ve missed that you’d like to share with our readers, please share with us!

Marvin: First of all, Jennifer, I want to say “thank you” once again for having me on your wonderful blog. I am a big fan of yours. You do a wonderful service here, blogging daily and getting the word out about so many wonderful Christian books and authors. The Christian community is a better place – hey - you know what, let me re-phrase that … the WORLD is a better place because of you, who you are and what you do here.

You want to know something? I was a little surprised when you accepted my request to host a stop on my tour. I had been reading your blog, checking out possible sites a few months ago, and I thought to myself, hmmm – I don’t know, maybe she wouldn’t be able to grok my kind of Christianity, maybe she would not be able to appreciate my kind of ministry, the way I get so flippant and flamboyant and even downright irreverent in my undertaking of speaking to the “un-choired” masses. She might turn me down after reading my blog. But I’m going to ask because I just feel like she is a REAL Christian. Not the judging type. Something (God?) told me to go ahead and ask.

Turns out I was right to ask. You said yes. And I’m so glad to be here today. Glad to share my Christian faith, the deeper Christian side of me with others. Thank you, Jennifer. I love you. And I love everybody reading this post. In the end, people, it is all about the love.
Only One Love.

Jennifer: Wow.  Thank you SO much for being here today Marvin.  Praise God for what He’s done for you!  Getting to know you and your heart for people has been such a blessing to me over the past few months.  I often share tidbits you’ve shared with me with my husband Larry.

I’ll be honest with you too!  When you first asked to tour your book here I wasn’t entirely sure what to think either.  I went to your blog again and again thinking - what is going on here ;)?  But it didn’t take too long before I figured out your ministry, and God taught me to appreciate it.  A big message that He has been teaching me this year is NOT to cut myself off from other parts of the body of Christ - even if they look a bit different than what I expected.  Jesus also made it clear after His resurrection that He has a different plan for each and every one of us, and we really shouldn’t question what His plans our for our brothers and sisters :).  I’m in awe of God’s hand at work in your life.

Thanks so much for your kind comments as well Marvin.  I love you, brother!

So, don’t forget to leave Marvin a comment here, visit him on his blog and check out his books on Amazon - Owen Fiddler and I Romanced the Stone in which you can learn more about Owen’s encouter with the Living God.

The next tour stop is taking place tomorrow at The Daily Blonde Blog and you can catch the finale of OFECCT08 on Wednesday at My Friend Amy’s Blog - see you there!