By Katelyn S. Irons | Echo
Bob Hostetler, who has spoken many times at Taylor writing seminars, is a prolific and award-winning writer who has written over thirty books, some selling over a million copies. He is best known for co-authoring eleven books with Josh McDowell, including "Don't Check Your Brains at the Door," a guide for Christian teenagers. His latest book, "Life Stinks . . . And Then You Die," is available via his website www.bobhostetler.com.
The Echo interviewed Hostelter regarding his most recent publication.
Echo: Your recent book "Life Stinks . . . And Then You Die" is about "living well in a sick world." How did you come up with the idea for this book?
Echo: What is something that college students could do right now to "live well in a sick world"?
Hostetler: Laugh. How odd is it that, as Christians, we often have a tendency to get offended easily, to be "against" all kinds of things, and spend our time dwelling on negative stuff? One of the overriding messages of Ecclesiastes-and of "Life Stinks . . . And Then You Die"-is to lighten up, stop taking ourselves so seriously and have a good time. It's a good thing, Solomon says, to enjoy life; he uses the word "enjoy" more than a dozen times in Ecclesiastes. He says, "Young people, it's wonderful to be young! Enjoy every minute of it. Do everything you want to do; take it all in" (Ecclesiastes 11:9, NLT).
Echo: How has your life changed through researching and writing about Ecclesiastes?
Hostetler: One word, mainly: Perspective. As I read, studied, outlined and planned "Life Stinks," I was initially kind of put off by the seemingly random structure of Ecclesiastes. Solomon keeps coming back to the same points repeatedly. But then I realized (and it was a breakthrough moment for me) that it's not random, it's circular. . . or spiral. Because what he's going for is not just intellectual assent, but a shift in perspective, one that comes about not so much through agreement as through absorption. And it did that for me. My perspective-on money, hardship, work, all kinds of things-has changed and is still changing because of Ecclesiastes' life-changing wisdom.
Echo: How did you research for this book?
Hostetler: Oh, I read everything on Ecclesiastes I could get my hands on, and as I mentioned earlier, went around and around struggling to make sense of (Solomon's) thought process. I researched not only biblical scholarship and other writings on Ecclesiastes, but learned from humorists and comedians (because Ecclesiastes is itself an ironic and humorous book) and so on. As with most of my books, I spent months reading and gathering resources before I started the first draft.
Echo: How did you come up with your title?
Hostetler: My wife and I have two children, who are grown, married and have children of their own. But when Aubrey and Aaron were kids, they whined and complained like all kids do. One day, after offering all the positive encouragement I could to no effect, I said, "Well, you know, life stinks. . . and then you die." They blinked at me, and then we all started laughing. From that day on, it became a sort of mantra in our family, much like the whole book of Ecclesiastes-blunt realism spiced with humor.
Echo: Do you use your own experiences in your books?
Echo: What is the best way your fans can connect with you?
www.bobhostetler.com @bobhoss Facebook(Thumbnail image courtesy of insidethepew.net)
