way out, “I always assumed you hadn’t had any painful experiences.” You see, it’s not so much what we have to deal with in life but how we deal with it that matters!
That is what this book is about. Life is a long, winding, uncertain road, and none of us knows what’s around the bend for us; nor in many cases would we want to know. I’m sure we can all agree that “The greatest certainty in life is uncertainty” (a Nully Nugget).
Readers may wonder where that designation “Nully Nugget” originated. I had the pleasure of having five Dutch sisters work for my decorating company, and when new employees would come on board, they would often ask, “What should we call the boss? Shall we call him ‘Reverend’ or ‘Mr. Nullmeyer’ or what?” The sisters got together and decided that my new title and nickname would be “Nully,” and I liked it. The “Nugget” idea came from my son Kevin, who had a master’s degree in marketing and was always full of great new ideas. I liked it, and it stuck.
Speaking of my beloved son Kevin brings forth another reason I have written this book. Kevin often urged me to put my Nully Nuggets into print and also to write a follow-up to my memoirs. He would say, “Dad, you have had a lot of losses in your life, and yet you just keep on smiling and singing. I think that writing about those losses and yet coming through them without being bitter would be a great inspiration to people.” I thought for a long time about taking Kevin up on his advice but kept putting it off as I knew it would take an incredible amount of time and energy to write a book that I could be proud of and people would want to read. I just kept mulling around in my mind what the title of the book would be and what the structure would look like.
And then came the moment when I sat down at my computer and commenced putting my thoughts into words. That moment was about a week after family and friends had gathered to celebrate Kevin’s life. That very sad story is related in part 1, Traumas Revealed, chapter 5, “Loss of My Beloved Son.” I kept asking God, “How am I going to get over this one?” And then the answer came loud and clear into my mind and spirit: “Start writing that book Kevin talked to you about and dedicate it to him.”
So one morning—bright and early, following breakfast and my exercises—I sat down at my computer and prayed, “Lord, through Your Holy Spirit, guide me in every word I should include in the book, so that it will be an inspiration to all who read it.”
Little did I know back when he suggested it that my dear Kevin would never get to read the book he so passionately encouraged me to write. However, he has been with me in spirit throughout the writing of the manuscript, and I know that he will be looking down from heaven with that wonderful smile he so often had on his face, pleased that I took his advice.
The third reason I decided to put my thoughts in print is because since my youth I have desired and tried to be a blessing in some little way to everyone who comes across my pathway. I want this book to be a blessing—in some little way—to everyone who reads it.
My desire for you—as you read the book and as you live out your life—is beautifully and poignantly expressed by the apostle Paul in his letter to his fellow believers at Rome: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13, emphasis added).
May your life and mine be not just filled “with all joy and peace” but overflowing with that joy, peace and hope! Overflowing to bless others! Amen!
INTRODUCTION
I have divided the book into two parts. In part 1, Traumas Revealed, I share some of the major traumas I have experienced in my life. This is not for the purpose of trying to gain pity but rather as a lead-in to part 2, Traumas Relieved, with the hope that my experience of triumphing over the multiple traumas of my life will bring hope and inspiration to others. In this part of the book I reveal how I accomplished this through three principles and seven pillars and thus became a better person rather than a bitter person.
It is true that the apostle Paul tells us that God’s grace is sufficient for any situation in life and that God’s power is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9), but it is also true that God expects us—as His children—to live wisely and to be willing to do our part when dealing with the traumas that come storming completely unexpectedly into our lives. Just as sailors setting out to sea have a plan for dealing with a potential (and likely) storm, so we need to have a plan in place for when we are going to be in the midst of a storm in our life. In the book I describe the plan that (with God’s help and wisdom) has enabled me to get through the storms of my life triumphantly. Yes, God has promised us that His “grace is sufficient” (2 Corinthians 12:9) and that He will give us His wisdom (James 1:5), but that doesn’t mean that God is going to work out every problem for us without any effort on our part. As the old adage puts it, “God helps those who help themselves.” It also doesn’t mean that our Lord Jesus is always going to still the storm (Matthew 8:23–26), but it does mean that He will be with us in the midst of the storm (Acts 27:23–24). How often in my life I have prayed that God would still the storm—such as healing my beloved wife Marion and my beloved son Kevin and not allowing Alzheimer’s to take over my beloved Carolyn’s life—but He didn’t do any of those things.
However, all through those storms and every storm of my life, God has given me His sweet peace and a sense of His glorious presence. I love Annie J. Flint’s hymn “God Has Not Promised,” which I have sung often through my trials and traumas:
God has not promised skies always blue
Flower-strewn pathways all our lives through.
God has not promised sun without rain
Joy without sorrow, peace without pain…
God has not promised smooth roads and wide,
Swift easy travel, needing no guide;
Never a mountain, rocky and steep
Never a river, turbid and deep
But God has promised strength for the day
Rest for the labor, light for the way
Grace for the trials, help from above
Unfailing kindness, undying love.
Another hymn that has been an inspiration to me during challenging times in my life is “Wonderful Peace,” written by Warren D. Cornell (1889), which I hum to myself every night as part of my getting-to-sleep routine:
Far away in the depths of my spirit tonight
Rolls a melody sweeter than psalm.
In celestial-like strains it unceasingly falls
O’er my soul like an infinite calm.
Peace, peace, wonderful peace
Coming down from the Father above!
Sweep over my spirit forever, I pray
In fathomless billows of love!
The book is partly autobiographical and partly a synthesis of my theological and philosophical beliefs with my home-spun theories woven in, and taken together they reveal the person I am. Where we may disagree on any issue, I trust we will do so agreeably.
One day when Pastor Brown was out visiting the flock the Lord said to him, “I want you to drop around and see Mrs. Green today and get
