Greg Brown, Author Interview with Crosscenteredbooks
On June 1, I was interviewed by crosscenterbooks. Below is the link to the audio interview and the manuscript.
Guest Name: Gregory Brown Title of book: The Armor of God: Standing Firm in Spiritual Warfare Genre?: Christian Nonfiction How Many Books Written?: 11
**Interview**
–Let’s fill-in the gaps of that introduction, tell us a little bit more about yourself?
-Chaplain at Handong Global University in Korea (5 years) -Pastor at Handong International Congregation -Navy Reserve Chaplain -Over 12 years of pastoring -Married to Tara, 3 year old daughter Saiyah Grace -Graduate School/Seminary: Trinity International University, Liberty University, Louisiana Baptist University -37 (soon to be 38) -originally from Austin, Texas
–Take us back and tell us what inspired you to write? Was there a point in time where God changed your heart or gripped your soul, and made you say, “I need to get my message out in the world!”…
Hmm… Soon after God re-called me to preach my sophomore year of college, I often would get inspired and write down whatever God was telling me and share it with others. As I look back, I always thought of it as the beginning of my sermons, but it also was the beginning of my writing. I would minister to somebody through email and say, “Wow! That’s pretty good!” Then I would modify it and make it a chain email. When I started preaching in 2003, I started sending my sermon manuscripts to others. People would always say they should be put into books. I figured God would make me do that at some point but it wasn’t time yet. As my writing became better and I started preaching through whole books of the Bible (and therefore having whole book manuscripts), I really had a desire to publish my sermons for free to help other pastors prepare. I’ve always used other people’s sermons to write mine plus lots of commentaries. I wanted to help others, as I was helped. That was the beginning of my publishing. I published my first two books with Tate Publishing in 2014: First Peter: How to Live as Pilgrims in a Hostile World and Theology Proper: Knowing God the Father. I was allowed to keep the rights so I published them for free on Bible.org. In 2015, I removed my books from Tate and started self-publishing. My model is publish the books, use KDP select for free giveaways for a couple of months, then publish them for free on Bible.org to help more people and bear more fruit.
–What is your process for writing your books?
Every year for church, I preach through 1 or 2 books of the Bible. When I preach, I fully manuscript my sermons. Then I edit them myself over the summer or winter break. Then send them to 2 or 3 editors. I make my cover or have somebody else make it and then self-publish under my own imprint BTG Publishing. I also have lectures from my classes at Handong that I eventually plan to edit, add more references, then publish. I have full manuscript notes through every major doctrine. If the Lord wills, I’ll get to that someday. My second book, Theology Proper, came from those notes.
–For our readers out there who may not know you, and maybe looking for something new; what would your work be similar to? For example, “if you like books from….then you will love me!”
If you like devotional commentaries like Warren Wiersbe’s Be Commentaries or practical commentaries like John MacArthur’s or Kent Hughes’, then my works are similar. However, they are also different. I call my series The Bible Teacher’s Guide series. The focus of each chapter is to guide a teacher through how to teach the text. It includes observation questions, interpretation questions, and application questions. These are questions you can give a small group for discussion. It also provides a preaching outing and commentary for the text. As a person reads, it teaches them observation, interpretation, and application skills. It essentially teaches the reader how to understand and teach Scripture.
**Book Spotlight**
–Tell us about your new book,”The Armor of God: Standing Firm in Spiritual Warfare” .
In Ephesians 6:10-20, Paul talks about the spiritual war every Christian is engaged in. When a person accepts Christ as Savior, he crosses over from the realm of darkness into the realm of light. He enters a spiritual war that includes Satan, demons, and angels battling over the souls of men. Sadly, many Christians live without any real awareness of this battle, and are therefore losing it. Satan is real! He is an enemy of God and the church. He tempts, traps, deceives, and kills, and nobody is exempt from his wrath.
How can we stand firm in spiritual warfare? Believers must know their enemy and his tactics (2 Cor 2:11) and be equipped with God’s armor. Let’s study this battle and our equipment for it with The Bible Teacher’s Guide.
–What inspired you to write this book?
Last year, we preached through Ephesians in our church. Ephesians will publish later this year, but I decided to make The Armor of God a separate book.
–Is there a message/morel in your book that you hope the readers will grasp?
We are in a real spiritual war. We must know our enemy and his tactics. But we also must know how God has equipped us for this war. For Christians this war is not just defensive (protecting ourselves), it is offensive. There is ground the Lord wants us to take for his kingdom, as we share the gospel, set people free, and expand his kingdom. Through studying the Armor of God and spiritual warfare, it prepares us these great works.
-New Projects?
Ephesians: The Mystery of the Church will publish around August 2016 and Abraham: Living the Life of Faith will publish around October 2016. We are preaching through 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy this year. In 2017, Lord willing, both will publish by the summer.
-Any advise for new Christian authors looking to write in your genre?
If God called you to write, write to honor him and bless others, even if it is only a handful of people. God requires us to be faithful not fruitful. As we are faithful, he produces the fruit.
**Quick-Questions**
-Favorite Bible Verse?
Matt 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled.
-What Christian book impacted your life the most?
William MacDonald, The Believer’s Bible Commentary
-What are your favorite books to give — and get — as gifts?
Devotional commentaries–I love understanding the Bible more
-How can our listeners connect with you?
https://twitter.com/pgregbrown https://www.facebook.com/PGregBrown www.pgregbrown.com
- See more at: http://crosscenteredbookspodcast.com/episode-003-interview-with-gregory-brown/#sthash.wApzdv3H.dpuf
