Official Interview: Val D. Greenwood, author of the August 2019 Book of the Month

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Official Interview: Val D. Greenwood, author of the August 2019 Book of the Month

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Hello my dear OBC'ers. It's time for another chat with Sarah. Today's guest is Val D. Greenwood author of I Will Make of Thee a Great Nation which was book of the month in August of 2019. Stay tuned til the end of the interview for more choice tidbits about the book.

Click here to view the official review.

Click here to view the book on Amazon.

Click here for the book of the month discussion.

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1. Please tell us a little about who you are and what you do outside of writing.

I am an attorney, but my employment was with a religious organization for 37 years. I have been retired now for 20 years and live with my wife Patty in Riverton, Utah. We have enjoyed traveling to the Middle East, especially Israel (I have been there three times). Israel is wonderful and the history and the spirit there are incredible. We have also been to Jordan and Egypt and have also enjoyed the ancient sites there. We have found some wonderful things. We also enjoy spending time with our families. We have six children and 25 grandchildren who are wonderful. I am also a genealogist and am best known for my book, The Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy. It was first published in 1972, and the fourth edition was published in October, 2017.

2. Who or what has been the biggest influence in your life?

My parents were the greatest influence in my young life and set the pattern for me. I am what I am because of them. I must also say that the gospel and the teachings of the scriptures have formed the foundation of my life.

3. Let's talk some about your book, I Will Make of Thee a Great Nation. This is a recounting of the Old Testament Biblical stories in chronological order. Why did you decide to write this book?

A few years ago, I found myself in a situation where I had spent quite a bit of time studying the Old Testament and had read it through a couple of times. In fact, I had even taught it. And though I found some parts of it very interesting, I have to admit that I had difficulty getting excited about it because so much of it seemed irrelevant to modern life.

For one thing, the fact that the writings of the various authors are not arranged chronologically made it difficult to see how everything fits together. There were also profuse details about things that I found to be either of little interest or of no importance to me--parts that seem totally irrelevant and unrelated to our modern lives. And some of these drag on and on for pages as a time.

I also have to confess that the seventeenth century vocabulary in which the scriptures are written is difficult to deal with.

Because I have always believed the scriptures to be God’s word, I wanted to like the Old Testament more than I did, but I could never like it as much as I wanted to. There were many wonderful stories that I had known and loved since my childhood, yet there was so much about the Old Testament that I did not love and did not even like.

Then, one day, I was dutifully reading through the Old Testament again. As I encountered some of the wonderful stories in the more understandable parts, my excitement for those incredible stories returned and I was struck with the thought that it would be a great project for someone to retell these incredible Old Testament stories in modern English for adults.

There are Bible stories for children everywhere, but they need to be available for adults, just for the sake of clarity and understanding, and in their sequential order. They should, I thought, begin with the Creation and then follow the story line on down until after the return of the Jews from their captivity in Babylon to rebuild the temple and the city of Jerusalem. That thought was exciting to me, and I knew that there were many great stories that would bless the lives of millions of believing Christians if such a book were properly done.

After some contemplation, the thought struck me that this project was one I could do. I was sure I could do it because I was familiar with the Old Testament and because I had written other books and was familiar with the process. So I began to write, and this book is the result.

4. What kind of research went into this book? How long did you spend on it?

As the writing proceeded, things came together better than I had ever imagined that they would; I was blessed more than I can even explain. Insights, inspiration, and understandings came from many directions. I gained insights from talks I heard, from conversations with others, from newspaper and magazine articles, and just from ideas that came to me as I pondered. It is hard to explain all of my sources of inspiration because they were many and varied, and they came from many directions.

The process also involved quite a bit of research, including consultation with different Bible translations in an effort to find clarity. My whole objective was to keep the stories true to the biblical accounts--no embellishments and no fictionalizing--and simple without being simplistic. And when the project was completed, I was astounded at the result. It was so much more than I ever dreamed that it would be.

5. Is there one of the stories that you would consider your favorite?

I have a deep love for many of the stories, but it is hard to pick one as a favorite.

6. How is your faith important to you and how did the writing of this book impact your life?

My whole life is built around my faith. This was true even before the book. I must say, however, that the book and everything that relates to it have just given me even more evidence of God’s love for us as His children.

6. Do you have any plans for more books in the future? What's next for you?

I am not planning on any more books at the present time.

Let's end on a few fun questions.

7. Tell us of your single happiest memory.


There are so many of them that I cannot choose one that is happiest.

8. What's your favorite food?

I like everything (except liver and parsnips).

10. Is there a single period of time in your life that you'd like to go back and relive or even change?

I would never go back and I cannot think of anything I would like to change. I had a hard time when my first wife passed away, but I have been blessed with a wonderful, rewarding second marriage.

11. When driving do you have the radio on, cd, audiobook, or nothing?

I often listen to talk radio, but I also like to listen to good music on a cd. Mostly, however, I just like to enjoy the quiet and concentrate on my driving.

***********************************************************************************************************************************************************

[*]This beautiful, award-winning book has 219 stories with 20 original illustrations by Owen Richardson. It was an “Award Finalist” in the USA Book News “Best Books” competition.
[*]Unlike the Old Testament itself, these stories are told in a smooth, flowing style without embellishment or fictionalizing so that you can gain a historical perspective and better understand the place of each story in the scriptural whole.
[*]The stories are faithful to the scriptural text and are told in a smooth, flowing style without embellishment or fictionalizing so that you can both understand them and trust their accuracy.
[*]The stories are told in modern English rather than the language of the seventeenth century Bible translators so that they hold your interest and enhance your understanding.
[*]The Biblical references relating to each story are written at the top of the story so you can study the story and its related scriptures together.
[*]Because the stories are written for adults rather than children, they are simple without being simplistic, never insulting your intelligence.
[*]The book has two indexes--one index to people and one to subjects--so that you can quickly and easily find stories that relate to the people and subjects that interest you--an invaluable reference tool for both the teacher and the Bible student.
[*]In those cases where the Old Testament tells the same story in more than one place, the book takes those divergent accounts and combines them into one story. When the facts are different in the different accounts, the alternatives are explained in footnotes.
[*]The book has a helpful pronunciation guide so you don’t have to get bogged down when you encounter unfamiliar names, either of people or of places.
[*]The book has a section of maps to help you gain the understanding and perspective that comes only when you visualize the stories in their geographical setting.
[*]In connection with those stories that relate to the time period when Israel and Judah were divided into separate kingdoms, the book has a chart showing how the kings in both kingdoms relate to each other time-wise. Also, those stories that relate to each king are also listed on the chart. This helps you easily see how the kings related to each other historically as well as the specific stories relating to each of them.
[*]All footnotes are on the bottoms of the pages so that background information, helpful insights, and cross-references are at your fingertips and not hidden away where people seldom bother to look. (Note: this is not true of the digital version.)
A book is a dream you hold in your hands.
—Neil Gaiman
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Post by LV2R »

There are so many great stories in the Old Testament of the Bible so to see them in a chronological order using simple language will be a benefit to many and enjoyable to read. Thanks for the interview. Much work must have gone into writing this book.
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Post by LinaMueller »

Val D. Greenwood is a decent and pious man. Amazing interview. Thanks for sharing.
Heart! We will forget him!
You an I, tonight!
You may forget the warmth he gave,
I will forget the light.

When you have done, pray tell me
That I my thoughts may dim;
Haste! lest while you're lagging.
I may remember him!

Emily Dickinson
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Post by aacodreanu »

It seems to me one needs to be very certain about his capacity of reading and understanding, especially the Holy Books, to set upon such a journey. I understand the practical purpose of the author and I hope it has been and will be useful to many. Those who do read the book will need to understand that what they are reading has passed through the filter of another person's mind.
I hope I will be able to have a look at it, for the moment it is not on Kindle.
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Post by Asfundyaar »

It seems to me one needs to be very certain about his capacity of reading and understanding, especially the Holy Books, to set upon such a journey.

When you have done, pray tell me
That I my thoughts may dim;
Haste! lest while you're lagging.
I may remember him!
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Post by BookishClassic »

I'm from Israel and it's so heart warming to hear her talk about my country! I always have been intrigued by the bible, especially the old testament so this book might be the right thing for me! Great interview!
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Post by KDJ »

Thank you for another wonderful insight into an author. I agree with him with the need for the retelling of the Old Testament for the modern time. As a previous member (aacodreanu) mentioned, the retellings have been through the filter of anothers mind. A pious man who has dutifully studied for many years of his life, is the better choice for explaining to other believers. I too hope this will benefit readers in personally understanding scriptures better. 😃😃😃
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Post by Oyedeji Okikioluwa »

Chronological explanation of the Bible, especially the old testament in a simple and water-down approach is admirable. Thanks for the interview.
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Post by Jeremie Mondejar »

The book fits for my study. I love it since I struggled a lot on Bible Chronological stories. Thanks for the interview. I learned something from the author's life.
Jeremie
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Post by Readanumba1 »

It seems like a difficult book for me to understand but I'm sure my would like to read it.
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Come on now, parsnips are among the most delicious vegetables.
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Post by Kaitlyn Canedy »

This book looks like an interesting read and I cannot wait to read it. I have read the Holy Bible a few times over in my lifetime, but I have a hard time being able to understand the Old Testament. The New Testament relates better to present times, so it is more appealing to this generation. However, I do believe that the Old Testament has relevance in our lives; the presentation just needs to be clarified.

I cannot wait to read this book once it becomes available. Great Interview with such a humble author.
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Post by lilliesreads »

This is a great interview. It is very informative. I would like to read this even though I'm from different religions.
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Post by siusantos »

I appreciate what Mr. Greenwood had done with this book. I've been wanting to read the bible for the longest time but was stumped with the complicated verses and the confusing order of stories.

I even tried reading the children's version because I really want to know about the bible, but I felt they were very simple.

So I really want to read Mr. Greenwood's book.
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Post by _l_e_x_y_22 »

Wow great interview! The idea behind this book is really interesting. A modernized version of the Old Testament and in chronological order appeals even to me and I’m not very religious at all.
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