A unique book about a unique life chronicles a persistent journey from an isolated Appalachian area mired in deep poverty. Illegal bootleggers and nasty mountain villains haunt the young man's family. A fundamentalist preacher condemns the young man to hell. As a four-year-old first-grader, he perseveres to academic excellence. Numerous episodes in his misspent youth ring outrageous with an abundance of original sin. The young man frantically struggles to find acceptance and eventually receives a surprise calling. Driven to find meaning in life, he battles against a social anxiety disorder and eventually speaks to audiences of thousands. He is the founder of a first-of-its kind publication for clergy and a clergy conference that renowned theologian Walter Brueggemann calls "a major piece of work that will stand when the history of the U.S. church is written. It must be providential that you were led from your start to that great work." Experience the epic travels from hillbilly obscurity to encounters with fame and the sacred. Paths cross with Archbishop Desmond Tutu, civil rights activists, U.S. senators, and world-famous musicians.

David Brown Howell is a consultant for Luther Seminary. He is a retired pastor in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), a Licensed Professional Counselor (VA), and a fellow in the American Association of Professional Counselors. He is the founder, publisher, and editor of Lectionary Homiletics andGoodPreacher.com and thefounder of the Festival of Homiletics. He divides his time now between the Chesapeake Bay and the Virginia mountains, volunteering as a Virginia Master Naturalist.