I wrote this book to communicate many of the lessons that God has taught me through many trials in my life. I hope to provide you those hard-knock lessons without the cost I paid for them in physical, mental, and spiritual pain. My reference to hard-knock lessons is based on the fact that most of them were self-inflicted in that God promises chastening to those that He loves. I clearly understand that God must love me a lot based on the frequency of the chastening. Those lessons sometimes came with scars that lasted a lifetime although God forgave the sin from the beginning. Also, I included doctrinal truths that I learned far too late in my life.

I so wish I had learned them earlier as my life would have been more peaceful and spiritually more productive. The lessons were typically learned later than desired due to my lack of knowledge from a specific doctrinal teaching in the Bible. I sincerely feel God inspired and led me to write this book. The initial thought occurred when several people commented on my extraordinary life experiences and the lessons learned from those experiences. God healed me miraculously on two occasions during my life. Those comments were usually followed by a comment of needing to write a book.

As for my investment in time and effort in providing you knowledge that I hope you find as valuable, I offer that my time in writing was precious as related to the time I have remaining to live. I write it while doctors have diagnosed me with stage 4 cancer and two to five months of life remaining. I pray for God's third time of healing.