Little
Egypt Minister Offers Wit, Wisdom, and Inspiration Enjoyed by Believers and
Non-believers Alike
Centralia, IL –– In his new book “Ken Qualls Just Thinking Out Loud” Xulon Press [ISBN 978-1-60791-397-9], pastor Qualls draws on his three
decades of experience ministering in small rural Churches to address various
aspects of Christian life and thought.
Gently
exposing their foibles, follies and flaws he encourages believers to
remember that they are ambassadors of the kingdom of God. Qualls strongly
believes that the Bible is the word of God and that Christians have a grave
responsibility to correctly interpret it. He also believes that believers
owe it to the world to be equipped to give an intelligent, well-reasoned
explanation for the faith they profess. The reader will quickly sense the
passion he has for the Bible and the compassion and respect he has for both
fellow believers and unbelievers.
The book is
a compilation of articles Qualls has written over the years. A Tribute to
Hypocrites, Are You Lonesome Tonight, Leave a Well in the Valley, Lessons
from the Miracle Kitten, The Saddest Time of Year, In the Dark of the
Midnight, and What Floats Your Boat are but a few of the chapters
that illustrate the author’s understanding of and connectedness with the
average person and the realities of life.
Ken Qualls
is an ordained Southern Baptist bi-vocational pastor born and raised in
Southern Illinois also known as Little Egypt. According to Qualls as a
teenager his pastor and his wife Ferdie and Margaret Schimpf thought that
God would use him as a professional comedian.
Qualls says
he has always been an avid reader and enjoyed writing. Robert J. Hastings,
essayist, editor, storyteller and author [A Nickel’s Worth of Skim Milk,
Penny’s Worth of Minced Ham, The Station, Tinyburg Tales] encouraged him to
write and published his first article, a guest editorial, in the Illinois
Baptist.
Although Qualls’ ministry has relegated him to small rural
churches ranging in attendance from three to 80 and have included many miles
of travel and hardships he says that it has not been insipid. “Oh my no,
I’ve ministered to people experiencing a wide array of circumstances from
the birth of a child to the death of an aged parent. I’ve married a couple
then a year later officiate the husband’s funeral. My ministry has run the
gamut. Real world stuff like suicide, incest, cancer, Alzheimer’s, spouse
abuse, child abuse, marital problems, unemployment, underemployment,
incurable diseases, infant deaths, broken hearts, emotional upheavals:
LIFE!”
Sitting in his modest home Qualls recounts his own experiences of accepting
lower paying jobs with few benefits so he could be off Sundays to preach, of
working nights, getting off at 8:00 a.m. then driving 50 miles to his
church, of the thousands of miles spent driving to and from churches,
meetings, visiting in homes and hospitals, of old cars breaking down at the
most inopportune times and of spending far more to minister than he ever
made. With a look of contentment on his face he sums up his ministry: “It’s
been good, I’m a blessed man; God’s been good to me. I’ve got my kids,
friends…it’s been a good life.”
Without big
marketing dollars, a celebrity author, high power publicity or a mega
ministry to sell it Ken Qualls Just Thinking Out Loud, an easy read that
will inspire, edify and entertain the reader, is quickly finding a place in
hearts and homes across America.
Just
Thinking Out Loud is available from Amazon.com and booksellers everywhere.
