A little bit about Paul …
Concluding a satisfying executive career, I closed one life chapter and began to write the next—both figuratively and literally. My deep passion for searching Scripture and sharing its truths in relatable ways finds its expression through weekly posts to my blog, “A Word for Wednesday.” Of my writing, a reader once told me, “You understand the poetic possibility of language,” a compliment I’ve cherished, for I want your reading experience to be every bit as pleasurable as the content is helpful.
Shortly after retirement, I began to write Christ in Me, which celebrates the believer’s identity in Christ Jesus, who lives in us and makes us new. My new book, Working in Us What Is Pleasing to Him, explores our promised transformation into the likeness of Christ. One observer mused, “Your writings go deep for those who aren’t inclined to go deep”—exactly what I hope to accomplish.
When not writing, I am likely working out to stay fit or engaging with others in some way. Ministry doors open all around us in the smallest and most surprising of ways, so I try not to miss them each day. Grandparenting is a great gig, as well, and I treasure the friendships developed throughout the years as a volunteer with Kairos Prison Ministry and also with International Friendships (IFI), a ministry to international students studying in U.S. colleges and universities. Serving on The Salvation Army Columbus Area Services advisory board is an honor.
And a little bit more …
If you had once asked me to name ten things I could never do, writing a book would have been listed among them. That was two books and over 200 blog posts ago. Suffice it to say I was wrong. I never set out to be a writer—it was completely unplanned, at least from my perspective. The change began in January 2010 when I decided to keep a Bible journal. I would read the Scripture until a passage caught my attention, and then write whatever thoughts and responses came to mind. Just a week or two into this new morning routine, I was astounded by the insights I was learning from God’s Word and overwhelmed by a growing sense of freedom, fullness and joy in the daily presence of God—an appointment we keep still to this day. As I shared some journal entries with a writer at church, she invited me to become a weekly contributor to our church blog. There it began.
My passion is to search out Biblical truths and to share them through blogs, books, or conversation with those who share the hunger to know and to grow. Like the vast majority of my readers, I am a “parishioner in the pew.” Though I have never been a seminarian, God has taught me much over the decades through His Word, great pastors, and everyday life experience. In fact, a career in executive leadership continues to serve as a wonderful perspective on God at work in and through His people on the six days between Sundays.
Cheboygan, Michigan was a great place to grow up. It stands on the Lake Huron shore a few miles south of the Straits of Mackinaw, so “outdoors” was our way of life. For me this meant swimming all summer and playing hockey all winter, and for all of us the opportunities were endless. I attended Capital University in Columbus, Ohio, which is home now to my wife Peggy and me and also to our son Mathew, daughter-in-law Gwen, and grandchildren Abigail and Micah.
Paul Nordman—Author 