About the Book

Book: Back to God
Author: Tim Witte
Genre: Nonfiction
Release Date: January 27, 2020

Back to God: The Journey of Hope through a Broken World is a timeless, grace-filled message from the Bible to bring us back to God.
Sometimes we long not for escape but to find our way in the midst of the questions burning in our minds. Who can I trust? Do I have meaning? What hope do I have?
In a society where nothing is permanent, technological advances increase our sense of vulnerability, and relationships come and go, we long for one unchanging element in which we can trust and rest in wholeheartedly without fear. We long for hope. Author Tim Witte conveys just that with Back to God, offering foundational principles from the timeless truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ:

• the message of unfailing hope that meets us in our broken world
• a promise from the only one who cannot lie and who will not fail
• a powerful word from God to bring us back to God

Back to God is neither academic nor profoundly apologetic but is a truthful, down-to-earth dialogue filled with illustrations that will resonate with readers who long for true answers from the Bible for life’s biggest problems.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Writer and veteran Bible teacher Tim Witte holds a bachelor’s in Bible and Greek from Bryan College in Dayton, Tennessee, and studied computer science at Austin Peay State University. He lives in northern Indiana with his wife of thirty years. They have three daughters, two sons-in-law, and two grandsons. Tim enjoys teaching Bible classes at his church, woodworking, barbecuing, and spending time with family.

Author Interview

Q: What was your first published work, and how was it received?

A: When I was a computer programmer, I wrote an article for a technical journal. At least half of it was computer code. It was no literary gem, but the editor liked it and wanted more articles. From that experience I learned that writing is hard work and technical writing was not my passion.

Q: When writing non-fiction, what kind of research do you normally have to do? How do you choose the topic for your books?

A: Since my writing is biblically based my primary research involves understanding what the Bible teaches. I try not to make the Bible say what I want it to say. So with the help of Bible dictionaries, encyclopedias, commentaries, and the Bible itself, I seek to understand how a particular passage spoke to the original audience and how it fits into the overall message of the Bible. After determining that, I can better understand how it applies to us today. For researching extra-biblical illustrations, I stick to recognized and reliable sources.

Back to God is my first book. I thought it was needed to communicate the gospel with clarity to an increasingly secular society. I want whatever I write to meet a need for our day.

Q: When writing non-fiction, how do you keep the books from becoming “textbook” renditions to making the stories come alive so people are interested in them?

A: Deep down we share the same longings, fears, and failures. So it is important to get below the surface of the story and expose the internal struggle, the joy, or the wonder. Ultimately, I want the reader to see how the subject pertains to their relationship with God. For everyone, but especially the child of God, that should be of greatest importance.

Q: The perception is that non-fiction is harder to write than fiction. Is that true for you? Why or why not?

A: In my opinion, it is a matter of one’s interests and style. I have tried writing fiction and failed miserably. I am lousy at character development. I would much rather report on real people and events. In addition, fiction should convey a message indirectly. I prefer the direct approach.

Q: What is one topic you would love to write a book about but have not been able to as of yet?

A: I would like to write a book about the upper room discourse (John 13-17). These chapters capture Jesus’ thoughts, instructions, and promises just prior to his crucifixion. It is one of the best glimpses into the heart of our Savior.

More from Tim

If I Should Die Before I Wake

Next to a chainsaw, the most dangerous tool you could find in my hand is a rhyming dictionary. The good news is I have not touched a chainsaw for months. The bad news is I recently dusted off New Rhyming Dictionary and Poetry Handbook. My subject is prayer so maybe, with much prayer, I can do more good than harm.

A Child’s Prayer

Writing Back To God made me reflect on the people and events God used in preserving my life and leading me to faith in Christ. Though I did not have a clear understanding of the gospel as a child, my parents laid a good foundation with biblical truths about God and myself. One of my earliest memories is of my Mom stooping beside my bed and having me repeat this prayer:
Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep;
If I should die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take.
That nightly routine and the words of that little prayer helped establish a Godward orientation to my life. Not every child receives that. I learned some vital truths at a very young age:

• I learned I could pray to God. What a concept! Many PhDs have not figured that out.
• I learned I was not ready to go to sleep until I had said my prayers. I don’t speak of praying in that way now; it sounds more ritualistic than personal. Yet, it conveyed the priority of praying to God.
• I learned that God could protect me, but I should not presume upon that protection. I should ask for it.
• The third line presents the possibility of death. It would have been bizarre and borderline cruel if, night after night, my mother had said, “Now remember Timmy, you might die in your sleep. Good night!” However, prayer is serious business, and I can talk to God about the scariest stuff.
• Additionally, I learned my eternal destiny was not to be taken for granted; it was to be a matter of prayer. Ultimately, God would decide where I ended up.

As one would expect, my prayers became more varied and improvised as I matured. For most of my adolescence, I continued a somewhat sporadic pattern of prayer at night.

Gospel-ignited Prayer

However, the time came while in the Army when I ceased to pray. I recount some of this in Back to God. My life was a sinful mess. The last thing I wanted to think about was what happens “if I should die before I wake.” For prayer to be possible one has to have hope, but I was hopeless. Prayer would only be reawakened in me when another soldier brought me God’s message of hope.
Interestingly, my evangelist started the conversation by asking, “Tim, do you know where you would go if you died tonight?” From there, he proceeded to share the gospel of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. That prompted me to read the Bible, and particularly the book of Romans. I was overwhelmed by the astonishing message of God’s grace. Then the flame of prayer was reignited when I read, “For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved’” (Rom. 10:13). God heard my cry that day, and now I have the Holy Spirit dwelling in me and teaching me to cry, “Abba! Father!” (Rom. 8:15).
So recited prayers can be powerful tools for instructing small children about themselves and God. Such prayers may help them form a daily habit of praying. However, only the gospel has power to kindle the eternal flame of prayer in our hearts.

A Responsive Prayer

You may want to take cover now as I am about to wax poetic. Understanding the role that prayers can have in teaching important theological truths and the necessity of the gospel to ignite prayer in the heart, I recently composed a responsive bedtime prayer for my daughter and son-in-law to use with their young sons. I patterned it after the prayer my mother taught me, but I filled it with gospel hope.
Child:
As I lay me down, I pray,
Thank you Jesus for this day.
By your grace forgive my sin,
Make me true and clean within.
Parent:
Holy Jesus guard your sheep,
For you died our souls to keep.
Keep us trusting in your grace,
Till we see you face to face.

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, July 27

For the Love of Literature, July 28

Artistic Nobody, July 29 (Author Interview)

Inklings and notions, July 30

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, July 31

Simple Harvest Reads, August 1 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, August 2

My Devotional Thoughts, August 3 (Author Interview)

deb’s Book Review, August 4

For Him and My Family, August 5

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, August 6 (Author Interview)

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, August 7

Mary Hake, August 8

Blossoms and Blessings, August 9 (Author Interview)

God is Love, August 9

Giveaway

To celebrate his tour, Tim is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon gift card and a signed copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/fe35/back-to-god-celebration-tour-giveaway

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