We’ve decided to invite authors to blog on our site as we move ahead into a new decade.

We didn’t have to look far for our first contributor as Dennis Welch here on our staff wrote his first book late last year. A candid memoir of his mother Patsy’s life, it is a book about tragedy and triumph, friendship and faith. I am a big fan.

Here’s one of his first missives from the “life as an author” file.

So, let me just begin by saying that there are all kinds of PR. I’ll explain later.

It all began with a breakfast meeting a month or so ago with my pastor, Will Davis Jr. He’s a great guy and I’m delighted that he’s my pastor and my friend. I met him at Waterloo here in Austin one morning at around 7:30. We had a delightful visit, I signed a copy of my new book Rich People Shop Here to he and his sweet wife Susie, and all was well.

Then, a couple of weeks ago I found out that someone was selling a copy of Rich People on Amazon for a premium because it was a “collector’s item, signed by the author”. I went right over to the item to see who in the world would be selling their copy of the book already, especially ONE I HAD SIGNED SPECIFICALLY TO THEM…

And there, plain as day was the inscription: “To Will and Susie.”.

What!!!! I jumped to EVERY conclusion and I have to say my first reaction did not give him the benefit of the doubt. SELL MY BOOK THAT I SIGNED TO YOU???? HOW DARE YOU???? It’s a work of art, for God’s sake!!!!

I waited a couple of days and sent Will a note to let him know that I had found it on line and I was very clinical in what I sent. Unemotional, even.

His reply was priceless: “Thank God you found it! We’ve been looking all over for it! We thought we’d lost it!” It turns out that Will and Susie had recently moved his parents out of their house and his house was FILLED with STUFF. Susie suggested that he take some of their stuff to Goodwill, so Will just started taking things down there to clear some space.

Unfortunately, my book was in the Goodwill stuff. When he found out it was for sale as a collector’s item he was appalled and embarrassed.

So, what did he do? He logged on to Amazon and bought his OWN BOOK back at a premium, a book that was signed to him!

This past Saturday and Sunday he preached about having too much stuff. That enough is what we need and that most of us have more than enough. We have so much that we lose our friend’s book and have to buy it back. He held the book up in every service and….

Well, I’ve already said it. There are all kinds of PR.

My lesson? Give people the benefit of the doubt. Don’t jump to conclusions.

All the things I write about in my book….