Name:

Rev. Dr. Glenn M. Wagner (I can send you additional photos and graphics for your Spotlight feature and can be
contacted at 616 510-1770 if you have further questions.)

Hometown

I was born and raised in Elmhurst, Illinois and currently live in Holland, Michigan. I served as pastor of
First United Methodist Church in Harvard, Illinois from 1986-1992 and will be returning there to preach for
the first time in 25 years on Sunday, July 9 at 10:30 AM with book signings at 9:15 and 11:30 AM.

Latest Book:

"God Incidents: Real-Life Stories to Strengthen and Restore Your Faith."

Publisher:

EBook MyBook LLC

Release Date

June 2016

Where can we find it?

Easy direct links for free preview and purchase from online book-sellers (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iTunes,
and Google) in print and e-format can be found on my website at www.glennmwagner.com. Print copies will be
available to purchase at the Harvard book signing.

What's it about?

The book is written for persons who are losing faith in God. According to a recent Pew research poll this is
the fastest growing segment of the US population. The book is also written for persons who wish to help those
who are struggling with their faith.

Using real life stories, biblical lessons, and historical examples, "God Incidents" aims to offer perspectives
on God that like an optometrist's prescription for corrective lenses can help persons with failing faith. The
book is also designed so it can be used in group study with discussion questions for each chapter and sample
course outlines included. Since its release last summer, "God Incidents" was the #1 best seller in the local
book store in Grand Haven, Michigan where I served as pastor, and the #1 best seller at last summer's meeting
of the Michigan Annual Conference of United Methodist Churches.

Where did the idea come from?

The idea for "God Incidents" came from two sources. One inspiration came from real people I have met in my
ministry whose personal pain and doubts have had a powerful impact on my own wrestling with faith issues,
like the parents whose baby died at childbirth, the husband who bailed on his marriage, and the teen who
was horrifically burned in a car crash before graduation from High School. In the book I also share my
personal wrestling with prayers that don't turn out as we hope and insights gained from personal
experiences with suffering through spinal fractures from a fall and a broken leg in Israel.

The second source of inspiration came for the book has come from life shaping encounters with God in
creation, in miracles, in struggle, in conflict, in prayer and more. Chapter 2 in the book looks at the
formative encounters with God that have come from being a brother for a special needs sister. Proceeds
from the book help Lambs Farm in Libertyville, Illinois, a world-class community for special needs adults
that has been home for my sister Jane for over thirty years. Chapter 20 in the book, "Can You See the
Hand of God," is about a life changing God Incident that occurred while I was serving in Harvard, Illinois.

What genre is your book, and why were you drawn to it?

The book is non-fiction. After forty years of ministry that has taken me in travels, education, and service to
all 50 states and many parts of the world, I want to share what I have learned about God because I believe
faith is important. We live life differently if we choose to live it with eternity in mind. The book
expresses my deeply felt core value for ministry, "In God's math, everybody counts."

Who is the intended audience?

The intended audience are persons who have given up on God. The secondary audience are those who wish to be
helpful to family members, friends, neighbors, and co-workers who are struggling with faith issues.

Why is this story important to you?

Faith has been an important influence in my life. I believe it can be helpful for others. (Here is a
sample from the book's introduction that explains further...)

Try this: picture yourself as a nomad living a century ago in the great empty quarter of Saudi Arabia,
riding a camel atop a vast dune. In that bygone era you would have been totally ignorant of the truth that
lying within reach, beneath the sands under your feet, was the world's largest supply of oil. Without the
benefit of experience, even if you had been told of such a treasure, you might not have been able to
understand its potential. Today, as a direct beneficiary of oil, can you imagine now choosing to live
without it? If you were told today that there is a gusher waiting to be tapped on your own property, would
you not be motivated to use that knowledge for your benefit and for others?

Like the nomads of yesteryear who were unaware of the potential at their feet, many today are unsure how to
connect with God. God incidents help us to discover heaven at work in our midst. Knowing where and how to
look for God can kindle deeper faith and open up divine lines of communication. Growing a living
relationship with a loving God will help you discover spiritual purpose. We live life differently when we
live it with eternity in mind.

How long did it take you to write? What was your process?

This book has been percolating for four decades. Preparation has come from education received at Hope
College, Yale Divinity School, the American University of Beirut, the Near East School of Theology, and
Jerusalem University College. Lessons have been gleaned from teaching Bible and English to medical students
in Taiwan, chaplaincy work at Yale New Haven Hospital, Pine Rest Christian Hospital, and the Connecticut
Mental Health Center. I have learned about God in each of my parishes and in travels in China, the United
Kingdom, in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

I spent three years in actual writing. The book has received helpful editing from two United Methodist
bishops, three newspaper editors, two popular Michigan newspaper columnists, the dean of a college English
department, a seminary professor emeritus of church missions, a retired college writing professor, a
tenured university psychology professor, and multiple church study groups. Graphics for the book were done
by the talented Ann Rhodes Riebe.

What did you enjoy most about writing this book? What was the hardest part?

I have enjoyed the collaborative nature of writing this book and it is rewarding for me to hear from others
how reading this book is helping them deal with their faith struggles. The book is also helping them to
remember places in their own lives where God has been made known and to recognize God's fingerprints in their
present.

The hardest part in writing the book was to be open to the honest feedback from respected professionals and to
be willing to keep re-writing to improve the book.

How are you publishing this book and why (traditional/indie/self-publishing)?

As a first time author in the field of religious non-fiction I chose to publish this book with the help of
several respected friends who have demonstrated expertise and infrastructure in self-publishing. I learned
about the traditional publishing process from experts at a Christian writer's conference and decided that it
would be easier for traditional publishers to take an interest in a new author if I could prove myself first.

A helpful review of the book can be found at http://www.readthespirit.com/explore/glenn-wagner-god-is-alive-
and-well-and-calling-all-of-us/

Customer reviews are posted at https://www.amazon.com/God-Incidents-Stories-Restore-Faith-ebook/dp/B01FY9MDLA?
#customerReviews

What is your education/background?

I have a BA with honors from Hope College (1975), Master of Divinity and Mersick Prize for Preaching from
Yale Divinity School (1978), Doctor of Ministry from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary (1986). I
have studied also at the American University of Beirut, the Near East School of Theology, and Jerusalem
University College. I have served in ministry in Meriden, CT; Jacksonville Beach, FL; Yale-New Haven
Hospital; Pine Rest Christian Hospital; Connecticut Mental Health Center; Freeport, IL; Harvard, IL; North
Muskegon, MI; Holt, MI; Grand Haven, MI; and York, England. I am an ordained elder in the United Methodist
Church.

When I served in Harvard, Illinois, I was president of the Harvard Rotary Club and president of the Harvard
Clergy Association. Since leaving Harvard I have served as a representative of the West Michigan
Conference to the World Methodist Council. I also hosted a TV program in Muskegon, Michigan for 10 years,
served as chair of the West Shore Committee for Jewish-Christian Dialogue and Vice Chair of Community
Mental Health for Muskegon County. I am currently co-chair of the design team for the Michigan Conference
of the United Methodist Church tasked with uniting the two existing United Methodist Conferences and 800
United Methodist Congregations in Michigan in a new structure.

How/why did you decide to write a book?

Jennie Weber, a retired English professor from Lansing Community College and a member of my congregation in
Holt, Michigan, recognized my talent. She urged me to write for a larger audience, encouraged me to go to a
writer's conference, and was instrumental in helping to edit the first ten drafts of my book.

Who are your favorite authors?

Favorite books are: "Les Miserables," by Victor Hugo, and "Roots," by Alex Haley. I am also a big fan of
historical fiction writers, James Michener and Edward Rutherford. Christian non-fiction writers I admire
include C.S. Lewis, Philip Yancey, Adam Hamilton, Max Lucado, and John Ortberg.

I have most recently enjoyed recent Pulitzer prize winning books for fiction including: "The Sympathizer,"
and "All the Light We Cannot See."

Pick one: Danielle Steel or John Grisham?

John Grisham

Pick one: Stephen King or Nicholas Sparks?

I haven't read either of these authors but would be more drawn to Sparks.

Pick one: Ebooks or hard/paperbacks?

I have read books in all formats. Ebooks are less expensive, easier for purchase, storage, transport, and
sharing. As I age, my eyesight appreciates the ability to change font sizes electronically. I still prefer
books in print and value libraries and local book stores.

Have you written anything else?

I have been writing for church newsletters and weekly sermons for forty years. I published an article that
was a cover story for the Church Herald, a denominational magazine for the Reformed Church in America many
years ago. "God Incidents: Real-Life Stories to Strengthen and Restore Your Faith" is my first book.

What's next for you?

I am enjoying traveling, speaking, and doing book signings. I have begun accumulating ideas for a sequel.

How can readers discover more about you and you work?

Website: www.glennmwagner.com
Blog:
Facebook:
Twitter:
Amazon Author Page:
Goodreads:

Submitted by:

Glenn M. Wagner

E-Mail

gnmbwagner@aol.com