"Charles Sheldon" by Barbour

Genre: Biography

About:

Talented writer, beloved pastor, zealous performer-these all describe the Reverend Charles Sheldon, author of In His Steps. In Charles Sheldon by Barbour the author tells the amazing and unique story of Charles Sheldon, who became the multimillionaire, best-selling author of the novel In His Steps, and launched the worldwide “WWJD” (or What Would Jesus Do), movement that inspired millions of people all over the world. Growing up on a farm in Yankton in the Dakota territory, Charles was accustomed to hard work; however this did not get in the way of Spiritual “work”. Charles's father insisted as a family, each family member read two verses every single day, as well as sing a song or two , pray, and recite the Lord's prayer. Therefore from a young age Charles was grounded in the Word, but had no idea that these “'life lessons' on the prairie” would not go unheeded” Even though Charles Sheldon is best remembered for his 1896 Christian novel, Sheldon did much more. One of the lessons that Barbour's Charles Sheldon teaches is that hard work always pays off in the long-run.

Charles Sheldon teaches that hard work always pays off in the long run. In chapter 8 Charles demonstrates this truth by working hard and finishing his novel. In His Steps started out with just a few sentences swimming together in Charles's mind, and slowly advanced to a whole novel. Working day after day, Charles slowly poured out the sentences that were swimming in his head onto paper. Every week, at church, Charles would read aloud a chapter of his latest novel to his congregation; and when In His Steps was read, it became an instant success. The day after reading the first chapter, Charles received a letter from a publishing company offering to pay him seventy-five dollars if Charles would allow them to publish his book in serial form. Even though this wasn't phenomenal, it was a start, and Charles continued to attempt to get other major publishers to publish his book. The first two publishers that he tried rejected him, but finally the third agreed. Shockingly, as soon as In His Steps was released to the public, it became an instant best-seller as millions of copies were sold world-wide. No one was more surprised then the two publishers who rejected him.

Barbour's Charles Sheldon teaches the rewards of hard work. In Charles Sheldon the author tells the phenomenal story of a farm boy who grew up to be a world-famous writer and reverend. Life-lessons and spiritual questions which prompt the famous question What Would Jesus Do?, are all summed up into a unique story of another hero of the faith.

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208 pages