Kim is an accomplished musician and choir director of her church. A
seminar on Radical Growth in personal spirituality, set in a series of
self-examination tests, rocks her belief in God. She fights back in
self-defense right up to the end, when the weight of evidence wins her
over.
Yes, childlike trust in God
is the central message of Kim’s Confessions. The “child” image here is
your 3-month-old baby whose survival depends on another. (Adults have
long weaned themselves from that vulnerability. Therefore it seems
self-insulting, if not suicidal, for adults to assume that posture.)
Wilson Awasu
Dr. Wilson Awasu is no beginner in the
literary world, he has several books
currently in print. The common theme running through them is
spirituality, and indeedKim’s
Confession continues in that tradition. The book
explores one young lady, Kim, and her relationship with God.
The subject of belief is one that can mean very different
things to different people. Wilson Awasu takes us into the
world according to Kim. Kim in someway is a bit of a
religious snob. She comes from a Presbyterian family, in
fact she is a ninth generation Presbyterian, and she loves
to flaunt this piece of intimidation at every opportunity.
Kim regularly attends the church services, in fact she is
even the churches choir director. But does this history,
piety and service really mean belief? Does her being a ninth
generation Presbyterian history make her better than a
recent convert?
Wilson Awasu explores these questions in a rather unique
way. Kim’s Confessions is written as a novel, however it
very much is also a self help guide to offer some directions
that people should take if they want to find the true path
to belief. The story opens with the pastor announcing a
weekend seminar, the subject being ‘Radical Growth’. The
very title causes Kim to have grave reservations, so much so
that she goes so far as to discourage her friends from
taking part. One friend though caves in to peer pressure and
does attend the Friday evening session. The thinking is
revolutionary and eye opening. Kim is not happy with her
friend for going against her wishes, but skeptical and
belligerent agrees to attend the following day.
Slowly Kim comes to see the error of her ways. Perceived
enemies are not enemies, merely friends she has yet to meet.
Books-And-Authors.net:
Where did you grow up and was reading and writing a part of your
life? Who were your earliest influences and why?
Wilson Awasu: I
grew up in Ghana, an English speaking West African country, where
reading was part of my life. My staples were Shakespeare, and Jane
Austin. By college, I’d watched videos of their works. All along,
friends, family, and college and graduate school professors, who
read my letters and papers respectively, often said I wrote well.
[Perhaps that was a byproduct of my reading, or a gift?!]
Books-And-Authors.net:
Why do you write?
Wilson Awasu: I
write in response to requests and encouragements I received from
to convert what I teach
into books. And consistently, I learn more from my own material as
well as enjoy the writing process.
Books-And-Authors.net:
Briefly discuss your new book Kim's Confessions. Who is Kim?
Wilson Awasu:
Kim is an accomplished musician and choir director of her
church. A seminar on Radical Growth in personal spirituality, set in
a series of self-examination tests, rocks her belief in God. She
fights back in self-defense right up to the end, when the weight of
evidence wins her over. She admits gaps of self-deception in her
belief in God, and commits to a growth process to redress them. Her
radical change blossoms all week following the seminar. It ripples
to the choir at choir rehearsal on Saturday, and spills over to the
congregation on Sunday.
Books-And-Authors.net:
Explain the seminar
in the story called "Radical Growth."
Wilson Awasu: The
“Radical Growth” seminar assumes that self-deception about “belief
in God” blinds, maims, paralyzes, and deforms victims, stunting
their spiritual growth. They remain spiritually defunct for a long
time without knowing it. Therefore telling people they’re
self-deceived doesn’t cut it. Helping them discover it, does.
Accordingly, the “Radical Growth” seminar exposes hideouts of the
self-deception through a series of self-examination tests, and
provides skills to break free from the deception, and commit to
radical (guided self-developed) growth processes.
Books-And-Authors.net:
What is the message of Kim's Confessions? Is it that we all need to
have a more childlike
trust in God? Explain.
Wilson Awasu: Yes,
childlike trust in God is the central message of Kim’s Confessions.
The “child” image here is your 3-month-old baby whose survival
depends on another. (Adults have long weaned themselves from that
vulnerability. Therefore it seems self-insulting, if not suicidal,
for adults to assume that posture.)
But that’s the point
when it comes to having and living a spiritual life alongside of the
physical life. All people need to come to God as infants, to trust
and depend on him to give them the spiritual life as a free gift.
Began in childlike trust, it thrives on childlike trust.
Books-And-Authors.net:
Briefly discuss your own 'faith' and how it help write Kim's
Confessions
Wilson Awasu: Up
until ten, I was convinced that my Christian upbringing made me a
child of God. But at ten, my mom jolted and taught me that it’s one
thing to be born and raised in a Christian home. But it’s another
thing to be born into the kingdom of God. To be born into the
kingdom of God, parents and children and grandchildren, etc, must
trust and depend on God as infants. That makes each of them relate
directly to God as individuals. [Meaning, God has only children, not
grandchildren or great-grandchildren.]
I did. And almost
immediately I knew a deeper sense of joy and peace and freedom. I
knew I was in a relationship with God. With that came
aconsumingappetitefor,and
betterunderstanding
of
the Bible.
Without being impudent,
I told people around me, and those I bumped into, about my new
discovery. In the process I discovered that trusting God like a
child for oneself does indeed elude many children of Christian
parents. And tragically, most of remain unaware of it.
Therefore in
writing Kim’s Confessions I drew
from my own experience, and that reality
from talking one-on-one with outbound
missionaries during pre-field cross-cultural training programs,
and debriefing returning missionaries
from people who confided during seminars I held
in churches, and
from students who shared their “Aha” moments
in classroom discussions
after class one-on-one talks, and
in their papers
Books-And-Authors.net:
What do you hope to achieve with your Kim's Confessions?
Wilson Awasu: I
hope that Kim’s Confessions will help people who’re seeking a deeper
relationship with God to enter it, know it, and mature in it.
Books-And-Authors.net:
What was the last book you read?
Wilson Awasu: I’ve
just readLess than
Perfectby Louise
Albert (2003), published by Holiday House, New York for the fifth
time.
Books-And-Authors.net:
What's next?
Wilson Awasu: I’m
currently considering converting into a book the material of a
seminar I have on “Life, Freedom, and Power” (subtitle: “Freed to
live free”).
Books-And-Authors.net: Do
you have any hobbies? What are they? How do they enhance your
writing?
Wilson Awasu:
Apart from reading magazines like Writer’s Digest, and authors like
Louise Albert, Kaye Banks, Garret Freymann, I sit at parks and watch
people, I take walks in the woods to absorb sights, sounds, and
smells of nature; and I listen to contemplative (instrumental)
music. And maybe, unconsciously, all that influence my writing.
Kim is an accomplished musician and choir director of her church. A
seminar on Radical Growth in personal spirituality, set in a series of
self-examination tests, rocks her belief in God. She fights back in
self-defense right up to the end, when the weight of evidence wins her
over.
