I recently was asked by my publisher to write an essay about
why I chose to write the book All the
Law. The essay was included in a book called Why We Wrote, and the proceeds of the book go to the Children’s
Literacy Foundation.
I was excited to get the chance to sum up All the Law to a largely non-Christian
audience. Here is the essay in its entirety:
As the opening pages of my book state, I wrote All the Law because I have a passion to
teach people about Jesus Christ, and I believe that most Christians are missing
the mark when it comes to doing this. Jesus said that the most important thing
we can do is love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and then
to love each other the way that we love ourselves. If we truly show
unconditional love this way then we will learn how to obey all the law.
Since becoming a published author my life has changed in
that my ministry has broadened. I was able to create Tommy Mann Ministries
(www.tommymannministries.com), which is a not-for-profit organization. This
ministry “uses words, whether spoken or written, to spread the message of Jesus
Christ and bring Him glory.” Everything the ministry does is underscored by our
theme Bible verse, 1 Corinthians 2:2: “I determined not to know anything among
you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.”
The lives of other people have been changed as well. Through
the ministry, which is funded by book sales and thus dependent upon my being a
published author, lives have been touched. I have heard many stories about
people learning and making changes in their lives after reading All the Law. And through the money that
has been raised our ministry has given money to other not-for-profit
organizations to help fund larger projects, and we actively send my sermon DVDs
into prisons, among other things. I have also been able to share the message of
Jesus in newspapers across several states, on the radio, and through other
speaking requests. None of this would have happened had I not become a
published author.
If I knew a person that is old enough to read but simply
does not know how to, I would strongly encourage that person to learn how. As a
Christian I believe that everyone is entitled to the gift of literacy, and I
would do my best to help teach this person how to read. If the person has the
desire to read but simply does not know how to, then my wife, a 1st
grade teacher, would be right there to help. But if this person simply had no
desire to read then I would try to help him understand what a blessing he is
missing out on. Without being able to read I could not read of God’s love for
me, I could not read letters from my wife, or birthday cards from my parents.
He might not have realized what he has been missing out on. We can always take
other people’s word for what something says, but there is nothing better than
to read these words for yourself:
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten
Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting
life.”
--Jesus
in John 3:16
All the Law can be
purchased here
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