My Father’s Business: A Memoir of Purpose and Revelation
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About this ebook
For Bishop Aaron Williams, his journey has been about finding purpose, meaning, and a calling in his life. In My Father’s Business: A Memoir of Purpose and Revelation, he shares his story in order to pay respect to his forefathers and to provide his children with a written record of his life and their heritage.
This memoir details the critical, destiny-making moments of Williams’s life, providing a narrative of how he developed a relationship with Christ driven by inspiration and in spite of religious dogma. Recalling his childhood in Sweeny, Texas; his service in the US Navy; his family; and his ministry, My Father’s Business: A Memoir of Purpose and Revelation shows how Christ revealed his purpose for Williams’s life through a personal relationship with him—a connection that has nothing to do with religion and denominations and everything to do with knowing Christ.
A collection of one man’s remembered experiences and emotions, this written record delivers the message that through Christ all things are possible.
Vernard L. Ervin
Bishop Aaron Williams, currently the pastor of My Father’s Business Fellowship, earned a master’s degree in criminal justice from American Military University. Williams and his wife, Cynthia, have two children and live in Converse, Texas. This is his first book.
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My Father’s Business - Vernard L. Ervin
Copyright © 2014 Aaron Williams.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.
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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,
and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.
ISBN: 978-1-4582-1341-9 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-4582-1342-6 (e)
Library of Congress Control Number: 2013923102
Abbott Press rev. date: 07/20/2019
DEDICATION
T HIS BODY OF WORK IS dedicated to my ancestors, for their strength and fortitude to survive slavery in search of a better day.
CONTENTS
Dedication
Foreword
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1 Jesus Saved You For A Reason
Chapter 2 The Journey Begins
Chapter 3 Broken Road
Chapter 4 Backside Of The Desert
Chapter 5 Vision And Mission
Chapter 6 Naples
Chapter 7 Connection Pointe
Chapter 8 My Father’s Business Fellowship
Chapter 9 Mende
Afterword
About The Author
FOREWORD
Vernard L. Ervin
I ’LL PREFACE MY FOREWORD BY saying that I’m not someone who is usually attracted to memoirs/autobiographies. I’m not sure why since I’ve enjoyed the ones I’ve read, yet still I approach them with less enthusiasm than their fictional counterparts. Maybe it’s because I’ve often tried to forget my own childhood, exchanging it in my mind for something less dysfunctional, and thus I am leery of those who open their dark, messy closets, but also invite all their neighbors over to take a tour.
Bishop Williams does quite the opposite; his memoir is not an account of the aforementioned dark and messy closet, but a story of an individual’s spirit and tenacity. He wrote an insightful essay about his childhood, family, enlistment in the U.S. Navy, ministry, and African heritage covering from 1972 through 2013. Bishop Williams’s impetus for such a memoir was to leave a written account of his life for his children and his love for history. These were two very prominent issues that left an indelible mark on him growing up as a youth being ashamed of his African heritage and having no legacy to lean on.
The greatest take away from this very candid and necessary memoir was the author’s tenacity to find his calling in life. He attributes his mission to his maternal grandmother who planted the seed of purpose in his psyche, which he would lament about his entire upbringing. Anyone who has ever wondered: why this,
why that,
or why me,
will be able to identify and connect with the author vicariously.
The body of his memoir will take the reader through some of the most critical and destiny making moments of his life. First and foremost, the reader will learn right away the central role women played and continue to play in his life from his grandmother, mother, and aunt to his loving wife and first lady Cynthia who is the backbone of the family! Together these powerful women with the grace from almighty God were vessels used to help shape the potters clay.
I digress for a moment to let the reader realize that the author’s journey to find his purpose was no easy task to undertake, his path took him through a 20-year enlistment in the U.S. Navy (completed by broken service), job changing careers and various assignments overseas. All combined made him ripe for God’s service in the ministry, which was founded as: My Fathers Business Fellowship.
He was battled tested and experienced many wounds, but his spirit was never broken! For all intents and purposes, it should be noted that the author, while humble, is a very accomplished figure. He’s educated not just in terms of degree letters, but in the Word of God and is a studier of people. His ability to discern, analyze and see through an argument is with merit. He is very cerebral and has a passion for history.
I consider him to be a keeper of our cultural traditions. In the latter part of the memoir it will become apparent for all those who know Bishop Williams, that his fighting spirit is part of his genetic makeup by way of the Mende tribe of Sierra Leone.
In closing, firstly, I want to thank my dear good brother in every sense of the term for affording me the privilege, honor and opportunity to be a part of his memoir. Throughout the course of my reading, I got to learn and discover intimate details about Bishop Williams that gave me a more complete picture of the man I adore and support unequivocally. Secondly, I want to acknowledge Bishop Williams for showing the way and serving as an example of what a man and leader in our community should aspire to be: God fearing, family oriented, and of service to his community. There are very few grassroots leaders who I can say exemplify each of those tenets to the fullest.
I had the pleasure of meeting Bishop Williams in 1999 while serving in Twentynine, California.