25 Years ago . . .

Let me tell you a story.

Twenty five years ago this month, my life changed dramatically. It all started with my major depressive episode three years earlier. But the story is not about that episode. The story is about what happened afterwards.

One evening at church about a year and a half into my counseling I was approached by our educational minister, Randy McGee in the hallway outside the nursery. Randy, a very aggressive, highly motivated man never took “no” for an answer. He had decided Sherry and I were going to teach a college and career class starting very soon.

At this point in my therapy, I had learned the hard lesson of how to say “no”. That may seem easy for most people. For me, it was almost impossible. To help me with this decision making process, I had created my “LifeFilters” (and the details of that are in our book). I pulled my Lifefilter card out of my pocket and read the Bible verse. I turned it over and looked at the five questions. Each question was designed to make me stop and ask whether of not this request was a “God” idea or one of my “good” ideas. (More than likely, someone else’s “good” idea.)

With my heart racing and my hands shaking I looked Randy in the eye and said, “If you will let me think and pray about it and talk to Sherry, I might say yes. But if you want an answer right now, it is no.” This was one of the most difficult things I ever had to do. Randy was stunned. “You’re telling me no?” He said with honest shock and dismay. He stormed off into the church office. I calmed myself down and wasn’t ten feet down the hallway when my pastor, Mark Sutton appeared from the office.

“Bruce, come to my office. Now!” He said.

I was in trouble? Maybe. But I was determined to stick to my decision. I sat across his desk from Mark expecting another barrage of demands. Instead, he simply said, “What is this card you pulled on Randy?”

I handed him my LifeFilter. And thus began a long, deepening conversation not only about my depression, but about his! (Again, see the book for his admission.)

Fast forward to the summer of 1998. Mark and I had decided to write a book on depression. I couldn’t find any good Christian books on depression. My sister, Sue, told me I had bad habits and “anybody can break a habit in thirty days.” Mark had written a book “Thirty Days to a Better Marriage.” We settled on a thirty day format for our book on depression.

Having done my research, I put together our book proposal according to the template from “Writer’s Digest”. I even put the printed out book proposal (this was long before the days publishers accepted digital files) and enclosed it in a clear plastic binder so the editor would immediately see the title page.

By the middle of November, the book proposal was finished, polished, and ready to go. I don’t believe in coincidences! Mark, every thoughtful, was about to go to Nashville, Tennessee to hold a marriage seminar. Over the past few years, we had met an editor from Crossway Books named Len Goss. Mark had one of his brain storms.

“Bruce, I’m going to Nashville the end of this week and Len Goss is now the chief acquisition editor for Broadman & Holman. Now I know Broadman & Holman is far too big to be interested in our book, but Len can give us a direction to pursue.”

Turns out, I was off that next week and I offered to go with him.

And so, we found ourselves driving around Nashville that following Friday. Huge banners hung from every building in the Southern Baptist Convention complex proclaiming “LifeWay”. The LifeWay bookstores had just been announced.

We met with Len in his office and he took us to lunch. Mark and I had agreed ahead of time to let him do the talking.

Len took us to an old two story “brownstone” housing a cafe popular with SBC employees.

Len and I went through the salad bar and Mark was still at the salad bar when Len and I both sat down. I placed the book proposal on the table beside me. Len noticed it and his first words were, “What is this?”

Mark was still at the salad bar so I said, “I am recovering from depression and Mark suffers from depression. We couldn’t find any decent Christian books on depression, so we wrote our own book. Mark talks about the counseling and spiritual elements and I cover the medical.”

Len stared at me with sudden interest. He picked up the book proposal and his eyes filled with moisture.

“When my wife and I moved here, we were both depressed. We looked for good books and couldn’t find one.” He glanced down a the book proposal. “I’ll take it!”

Lettuce fell from my open mouth as Mark sat beside me.

“Len, we have written a book on depression.” Mark started his well practice presentation.

I tapped him on the arm. “Mark.”

“Just a minute, Bruce.” Mark gave me a look that said “I’m supposed to talk.”

“But, Mark, he wants the book!” I said.

That was it! The rest of the conversation centered around our mutual experiences with depression and the lack of decent books on the subject.

That was twenty five years ago. “Conquering Depression: A Thirty Day Plan for Finding Happiness” was released in February, 2001. In the years since our first book came out, we have written two updates, held countless depression seminars, and received the most humbling emails about how our book “saved my life”.

That fateful meeting with Len Goss was magical. I’d say, miraculous! So here’s to twenty five years of a little book that just won’t quit! Just today, I sold another set of LifeFilters and just a couple of weeks ago, received one of the most powerful testimonies to the power of this little book.

And here is the most important fact: We never planned on writing a book on depression! It was never in my plan. But then, neither was depression. The lesson: God is still in control even when we are convinced He is absent or deaf. God works his will through our failures and uses our weaknesses and the subsequent growth for his glory. Am I thankful for the painful seven years it took me to overcome one depressive episode? No, I am not! But, I am thankful in this season of Thanksgiving that God showed me otherwise how powerful is His mercy and His love.

I think about the blind beggar sitting in stony silence when he overheard Jesus’ disciples ask: “Master, who sinned that this man was born blind, he or his parents?” And Jesus’ answer should comfort all who are in spiritual and emotional darkness. “Neither.” Jesus replied. “But that the glory of God will be demonstrated.” I am paraphrasing but Jesus then healed the blind man and his testimony stumped the hypocritical religious leaders and motivated others to turn to Christ.

Let God transform your weaknesses and failures today. In so doing, you will grow and heal and God will be glorified!