It’s long been said that seeing isn’t always believing. Although there are many skeptics who need their dosage of truth in the form of something tangible and concrete, sometimes your heart knows the truth in what it feels and that alone can instill something more powerful within you than anything viewed through the carnal eye.
Someone who the essence of who God calls us to be, is 98-year-old Midville resident, Mr. Leonard Quick. Quick recently wrote the book, “A Brief Study Guide for the Book of Revelation.” Although his age is an incredibly inspiring attribute to his recent success, it’s his admirable ambition and outstanding determination to write such an inspirational novel while being visually impaired that sets him apart from anyone else.
“10 years ago, I began losing my vision.” explained Quick, “I was hit with a fungal infection, and I had four corneal transplants in each eye. The infection had damaged both of my eyes and they wouldn’t heal.”
Although his Doctors at the Medical College of Georgia had attempted everything, they could to give Quick his sight back, they sadly informed him that the infection in his right eye was rapidly beginning to spread to his brain through his optic nerve and the only way to prevent any further damage was to remove his eye completely.
“You just can’t imagine how it affects you to hear that.” He solemnly said, “They removed my right eye, then the optic nerve was damaged in my left eye, and I lost my vision in both eyes completely. It was one of the greatest challenges I ever faced but the Lord gave me the courage and strength to accept it and work with it.”
With that mustard seed of courage, Quick was able to resume his normal routines, such as getting dressed and feeding himself as well as continue his favorite hobbies, including reading which he does through the digital talking book player that’s offered by glass, gardening and working in his garage.
“It came slowly. The blindness came slowly… and that was really a blessing because it gave me time to master every inch of this house.” He said, while comfortably sitting in his living room chair, “I dress myself, listen to audio books, and even go to my workshop and work. I garden and one of my favorite hobbies is working on lawnmowers.”
Although he no longer has his vision, Mr. Quick has never considered throwing in the towel and questioning God for the way things have turned out. Instead, he faces life’s adversities and challenges with grace and hope, by beginning every day with a grateful heart and an unwavering determination to master whatever it is that he sets his mind to. Something that he says, could not be accomplished without the love of his heavenly father.
“Even though I’m physically blind, I have “seen” more and learned more about God and have heard things in a different way than just simply reading them in the Bible. I’ve read these things my whole life but hearing it, it’s saying something different.” He explained, passionately, “This disability has given me the ability to truly listen to the things that I wasn’t hearing before.”
It was because of this that Quick felt compelled to write a novel on the Book of Revelation. His goal was to educate those who not only knew very little about the Bible or the Christian faith, but to also educate those who have followed Christ faithfully for decades.
“The truth of the matter is I wrote this book after I went blind.” explained Quick. “I didn’t know where to start but the Lord knew where to start.”
So, with guidance from above, and the help of many supportive loved ones, Quick spent approximately two years writing, A Brief Study Guide for the Book of Revelation, all without physically seeing a single word.
“I learned how to use a program called Dragon, that puts your words into text.” explained, Quick, “We never could get it just right, but I could speak in it and you could generally tell what I was writing. Then we went through it and edited it with a lot of help from my family. It was a huge ordeal to get it to work but we did.”
Christian Faith Publishing excitedly accepted and editing the book right away and released it in paperback on multiple major websites and in many renowned bookstores including Barnes & Noble, Amazon, AbeBooks, Quail Ridge Books, Scribd, Fable.co, hookedlansing, Walmart, and many others.
“It was a two-year process, but God orchestrated it all. My daughter Glenda and her husband Daryl were the answer to my deepest need. They have been here with me every step of the way.” He said as he smiled at Glenda, who sat next to him.
Glenda additionally shared that she feels that releasing this novel was one of her father’s purposes for being on earth.
“You know I told my husband Daryl that maybe God's reason for dad is that he's using him to get this book out at this time because of the way the world is going and the way that things currently are.” She said, “He needs him to do this. People have seemed to have lost hope and there’s no reason to lose hope. We should have true hope and trust that we are on solid ground, because with Him we are.”
Quick explains that one of the biggest reasons he wrote this book is because many people actually run from the thought of what occurs in the Book of Revelation which is the discussion of the second coming of Jesus Christ and the apocalypse.
“They are afraid of not being able to make heads or tails of the symbolic language in Revelation. My goal was to write a readable, understandable study guide that would encourage discussion on this important, timely, and very unique book of the Bible.” He said
He additionally shared that another reason for producing the book was to attempt to answer the many questions that people have, such as, Is there life after death?; What happens to us after we die?; Is there really a God that cares about me?; If God is real, how can I know Him?; And what does the Bible say about the future?
“The purpose of the book of revelation is to inform and prepare each person and church for the reality of the second coming. The purpose of the book is to inform, train, and prepare individuals and churches to engage the present culture with the gospel as we experience the radical effects of these long-prophesied end times.” explained Quick
On Tuesday, May 16, the Franklin Memorial Library in downtown Swainsboro will be hosting a meet and greet and book-signing with Author Leonard Quick to celebrate his achievement in writing A Brief Study Guide for the Book of Revelation. During the event, Quick will be discussing his book further and will be answering any questions that readers may have. This is a free event that begins at 12 p.m., and all are invited and encouraged to attend.
“This book is written for those who know very little about the Bible or the Christian faith as well as for those who have followed Christ faithfully for decades. Jesus constant challenge in Scripture was and is, “Be ready.”
For more information on where you can purchase A Brief Study Guide for the Book of Revelation, please visit https//www.christianfaithpublishing.com/books/?book=a-brief-study-guide-for-the-book-of-revelation
Be on the look-out for a follow-up feature on the Author in an upcoming edition of the blade
