Today marks the end of months of hard work in bringing a book to publication with some amazing stories of God working miracles. Today the book “Miracles Do happen” by retired Salvation Officer, Major Allan Kerr, becomes available for booksellers around the globe to sell in their stores or online as a paperback or as an eBook.
Most people may hear of a miracle happening somewhere or at some time in the distant past, but Allan has had the extraordinary opportunity to be a witness of dozens of miracles happening every year of his life since becoming a minister of the Gospel of Christ. The very transformation of Allan’s life in itself was a miracle.
Were they really miracles? Or were they just coincidences happening?
There is no doubt that the miracles were genuine as other Salvation Army officers give testimony to what they have seen and witnessed for themselves. The many miracles recorded in this book is but a selection of miracles chosen for their succinctness in the telling – there were so many more stories that were just as amazing but were dropped in the final edit.
Why not include all the miracles in the book?
Well, some are rather personal, some take a lot of explaining of detail to get the message across, but mostly the book is not primarily about miracles at all – it is about the God who works miracles when there is no hope and people are in a desperate situation – even to the point of suicide. God sees every need and has great compassion on the poor, the wretched, and the needy. The very kind of person that Allan was himself before God met him. Allan was in the perfect place to be a messenger of God (as an employee of the Salvation Army) with the faith to see these desperate needs met. (You will read in the book that Allan was in desperate need himself from time to time). God did not disappoint on any occasion.
The book tells Allan’s life as he recalls it – warts and all. Allan was on a steep learning curve when he gave his life over to God. He had no idea how to live a life as a Christian. He had no role models to look to, no church history, nothing! Yet God took him into His care and began to teach him everything he needed to know (and is still teaching him) to be a worthy servant of the Most High God. Jesus was a great Teacher here on earth, and He continues to teach and empower His servants to do their Father’s will.
As an editor to this book, (it was quite a daunting task as Allan had left school in grade three, so his grammar and spelling were atrocious), but nevertheless, it was a delightful journey, as with each edit, with each read, there was an impartation of faith that came without warning. The book has that uplifting effect on the reader. When I gave out a few pre-release copies to people soliciting their opinion, a couple come back and said that they couldn’t put the book down – even though the night was getting rather late. Their intention was to just read one chapter at a time before going to bed each night. It was that compelling.
What message does Allan say about miracles?
One would think that Allan would be encouraging people to believe for a miracle at every turn of the page, but in actual fact, by far the greatest encouragement from him is for us to draw near to God and to live in His presence. This is not a mechanism to get God to do miracles for us, it is a place where we can find rest for our souls. It is the place that God yearns for each one of us to find, and to dwell in. It is in this place of rest that we can know His will and do the things that God is wanting to do. When we know the love and compassion of God that He has for His created beings, then unbelief floats away and faith begins to arise in our soul.
Miracles Do Happen – Allan Kerr
