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About the Book

Book: Back to God

Author: Tim Witte

Genre: Nonfiction

Release Date: January 27, 2020

Back to God: The Journey of Hope through a Broken World is a timeless, grace-filled message from the Bible to bring us back to God.

Sometimes we long not for escape but to find our way in the midst of the questions burning in our minds. Who can I trust? Do I have meaning? What hope do I have?

In a society where nothing is permanent, technological advances increase our sense of vulnerability, and relationships come and go, we long for one unchanging element in which we can trust and rest in wholeheartedly without fear. We long for hope. Author Tim Witte conveys just that with Back to God, offering foundational principles from the timeless truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ:

the message of unfailing hope that meets us in our broken world
a promise from the only one who cannot lie and who will not fail
a powerful word from God to bring us back to God

Back to God is neither academic nor profoundly apologetic but is a truthful, down-to-earth dialogue filled with illustrations that will resonate with readers who long for true answers from the Bible for life’s biggest problems.

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Author Interview

Who would you say inspired you the most in your life?

If I had to pick just one person, it would be my father. Both he and my mother modeled self-sacrifice and hard work. Having nine children, my dad worked two or three jobs to provide for our basic needs. Yet when he was not working, he enjoyed being with us. He taught me to value family above personal pursuits and appreciate the critical role of a loving, dependable father.

Do you have a special writing area?

Yes, my wife and I are empty nesters so I turned one of the bedrooms into an office. I get light from a window with not much of a view — so few distractions. The bookcases are filled with mostly reference books (commentaries, theological dictionaries, style guides, etc.). The fun reading is in another room.

Do you read much?

Yes, besides daily Bible reading and the news, I spend about 2 hours a day reading.

What is the difference about writing non-fiction vs fiction? Would you say one is easier than the other?

If it were not for character and plot development, I could be a great fiction writer. In non-fiction, the writer reconstructs what God has already developed. Another big difference is believability. In fiction you have to be careful that your characters and events are believable. In non-fiction, some of the best stories are those that would be unbelievable were they not historical facts. In conveying the message, fiction should be subtle; whereas, non-fiction is more direct. Both fiction and non-fiction are hard work, but I enjoy the direct approach with a smidgeon of subtle humor.

Anything else you'd like to share?

My writing ability is a gift that I should have been developing more. I wasted many years viewing writing as a hobby instead of as a ministry. There is always the allure of recognition, but I try to focus on being faithful with my gifts and leaving the outcome in God's hands.

About the Author

Writer and veteran Bible teacher Tim Witte holds a bachelor’s in Bible and Greek from Bryan College in Dayton, Tennessee, and studied computer science at Austin Peay State University. He lives in northern Indiana with his wife of thirty years. They have three daughters, two sons-in-law, and two grandsons. Tim enjoys teaching Bible classes at his church, woodworking, barbecuing, and spending time with family.

More from Tim

If I Should Die Before I Wake

Next to a chainsaw, the most dangerous tool you could find in my hand is a rhyming dictionary. The good news is I have not touched a chainsaw for months. The bad news is I recently dusted off New Rhyming Dictionary and Poetry Handbook. My subject is prayer so maybe, with much prayer, I can do more good than harm.

A Child’s Prayer

Writing Back To God made me reflect on the people and events God used in preserving my life and leading me to faith in Christ. Though I did not have a clear understanding of the gospel as a child, my parents laid a good foundation with biblical truths about God and myself. One of my earliest memories is of my Mom stooping beside my bed and having me repeat this prayer:

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep;
If I should die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take.

That nightly routine and the words of that little prayer helped establish a Godward orientation to my life. Not every child receives that. I learned some vital truths at a very young age:

I learned I could pray to God. What a concept! Many PhDs have not figured that out.
I learned I was not ready to go to sleep until I had said my prayers. I don’t speak of praying in that way now; it sounds more ritualistic than personal. Yet, it conveyed the priority of praying to God.
I learned that God could protect me, but I should not presume upon that protection. I should ask for it.
The third line presents the possibility of death. It would have been bizarre and borderline cruel if, night after night, my mother had said, “Now remember Timmy, you might die in your sleep. Good night!” However, prayer is serious business, and I can talk to God about the scariest stuff.
Additionally, I learned my eternal destiny was not to be taken for granted; it was to be a matter of prayer. Ultimately, God would decide where I ended up.

As one would expect, my prayers became more varied and improvised as I matured. For most of my adolescence, I continued a somewhat sporadic pattern of prayer at night.

Gospel-ignited Prayer

However, the time came while in the Army when I ceased to pray. I recount some of this in Back to God. My life was a sinful mess. The last thing I wanted to think about was what happens “if I should die before I wake.” For prayer to be possible one has to have hope, but I was hopeless. Prayer would only be reawakened in me when another soldier brought me God’s message of hope.

Interestingly, my evangelist started the conversation by asking, “Tim, do you know where you would go if you died tonight?” From there, he proceeded to share the gospel of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. That prompted me to read the Bible, and particularly the book of Romans. I was overwhelmed by the astonishing message of God’s grace. Then the flame of prayer was reignited when I read, “For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved'” (Rom. 10:13). God heard my cry that day, and now I have the Holy Spirit dwelling in me and teaching me to cry, “Abba! Father!” (Rom. 8:15).

So recited prayers can be powerful tools for instructing small children about themselves and God. Such prayers may help them form a daily habit of praying. However, only the gospel has power to kindle the eternal flame of prayer in our hearts.

A Responsive Prayer

You may want to take cover now as I am about to wax poetic. Understanding the role that prayers can have in teaching important theological truths and the necessity of the gospel to ignite prayer in the heart, I recently composed a responsive bedtime prayer for my daughter and son-in-law to use with their young sons. I patterned it after the prayer my mother taught me, but I filled it with gospel hope.

Child:
As I lay me down, I pray,
Thank you Jesus for this day.
By your grace forgive my sin,
Make me true and clean within.

Parent:
Holy Jesus guard your sheep,
For you died our souls to keep.
Keep us trusting in your grace,
Till we see you face to face.