Ignition: How I Went Professional - Bruce Atchison

Stories were my childhood deliverers. The animals in Fables of the Green Forest temporarily led me away from the pain of my exile in Jericho. The Hobbit transported me into fantasy realms, the like of which I never dared hope for. Black and Blue Magic gave my soul wings during my sojourn in the tilted land. But we live in a practical world where money answers everything.

In the cold  wind of freedom, once my exile ended, my stories hid shivering in my heart. Inspiration went dormant as the struggles of public school and work ensued unabated. Nevertheless, a spark of my childhood fascination with the craft of storytelling survived deep within me.

Though I wrote on an amateur basis, I never dreamt I could be paid for my scribbling's. My abundant  supply of articles appeared in fan "zines" but payment seemed a total fantasy. Practicality held my muse prisoner so I only wrote CD reviews of electronic music albums and recycling tips for the work newsletter. Those utilitarian tear sheets bolstered my pride but remuneration seemed an impossible dream.

Out of the smoldering ruins of a lay off, I received a golden opportunity. The work counselor asked me about my hobbies. On the next visit, I presented him with a small stack of my photocopied tear sheets. Then he fanned my creative spark by telling me I could go professional. What had I to lose?

Certainly the magazine writing course helped me understand the value of my work but many editors rejected my fledgling prose. Then, of all publications, The New Age Journal purchased a Three-hundred-word article about a newly-formed choir of blind singers in Edmonton. I glided on air as I took that fifteen-dollar cheque to my bank. At long last, I became a professional writer.

But the path grew steep and rocky as I struggled to research magazine content and to write catchy query letters. I obeyed all the commandments of my teacher, yet few rewards arrived in my mail box for my arduous labours. In the swamp of despondency, I changed directions in the hope that the trail would grow verdant with remuneration.

So I mined the treasures of my life after taking an online course on autobiography writing.  Realizing my extensive manuscript was far too cumbersome, I divided it into memoirs. When a Man Loves a Rabbit was my first paperback. More than 200 bunny-loving friends purchased it and reported how much they enjoyed the amusing tales of my long-eared companions.

Success soon eluded me. Deliverance from Jericho was my second memoir. It bombed horribly. The sighted world couldn't relate to my narrative of being in a school for the blind for six painful years. So I racked my brain for a profitable and engaging topic on which to write.

How I Was Razed should have been a hit. I presumed Christians would be interested in how God led me out of a cultic house church to the sunlit land of his truth but few bought it.

So I turned my back on memoirs. God willing, I will write about who goes to heaven from the viewpoint of the Bible. I also hope to unleash those restless short stories pacing the back corridors of my mind. Slowly approaching retirement, my fear of being cut off from the pension I slaved so hard for is lessening. Even so, I'm learning to trust in the heavenly Father and to deal with today's evil. May my Lord be glorified by the work of my hands and this labourer be worthy of his hire.

Just Keep On Truckin' - Bruce Atchison

Have you ever felt like you were flogging a dead horse, yet you believed that the animal would somehow revive and take you somewhere? That's how I feel about my latest memoir. I know that it's a good book and I gave it my best effort, yet marketing it feels like pushing a rope uphill.

In November of 2012, I finally published How I Was Razed: A Journey from Cultism to Christianity. Four-and-a-half-years of effort went into that testimony of God's providential work in my life. I hoped it would bless the lives of its readers and sell enough copies to show Canada Pension Plan that I wasn't merely lounging around all day. After sending out press releases and promoting my new book on my blogs, I waited for the orders to come in.

My hopes were dashed when the expected flood of orders was more like a few drops. Thanks to a few kind friends, I managed to sell my paperbacks at various meetings and a crafts sale. Even so, the number of books sold was, and still is, patheticly low. Even my e-book version, which various folks assured me was the new wave of publishing, didn't sell very well.

So why am I still whipping this dead horse? I believe that my testimony shows, not tells, the great mercy of the heavenly Father and the diabolical nature of cultic organizations. My hope is that victims of toxic churches will discover and identify with the story of my years devoted to the wrong cause. Perhaps what I wrote about turning painful memories to Christ will give them the tools to undo the damage done to them by cruel misleaders.

I also believe that the Lord placed the burden on my heart to tell my story of being deceived and then deprogrammed by his truth. Far too many new believers lack discipleship and become easy prey for cults. In my case, I wanted the power and advanced knowledge offered by the house church. I had a great hunger for the Word of God but the mainline churches never provided me anything substantial. In fact, it was the cult which provided me insubstantial spiritual food. I know I'm not the only one to whom these false shepherds offered outlandish promises of power and secret knowledge.

I plan to quit actively promoting my latest memoir at the end of this year. Short-story writing has interested me for years but I only dabbled in the genre thus far. Because I've had a love for making up stories since I was a boy, I'll give fiction a whirl and see what happens. No other form of writing has attracted my attention as of this writing so I'll try writing short stories.


Bruce Atchison is a legally-blind freelance writer as well as the author of How I Was Razed, Deliverance from Jericho, and When a Man Loves a Rabbit. He lives in a small Alberta hamlet with his house rabbit, Deborah.

Why Be Ashamed Of Having Been In A Cult? - Bruce Atchison

One topic that shouldn't be taboo in churches is having been in a cult. Unfortunately, most Christians seem reluctant to even mention the word. This is tragic since what ex-cult victims need most is understanding.

Having done extensive research for my How I Was Razed book, I learned that victims feel frightened and helpless when they leave their toxic church or aberrant group. During their years in the cult, it became their world. Leaders taught them not to speak to outsiders or have anything to do with them. Consequently all the members of the group knew only each other.

Ex-cult members also fear condemnation by "normal" people. Like anybody who was swindled by con artists, these people feel embarrassed to admit that they were taken in. As a result, they keep quiet and suffer in silence. Some even rejoin the group that had captivated them just for the companionship.

This sad state of affairs must be changed. Having been granted forgiveness by Christ, we must be gentle and caring when it comes to former cult members. These people have been through experiences that we might never have had. The last thing such individuals need is somebody pontificating about what a terrible mistake they made.

Though I wasn't in one of those Jim Jones-style cults, I know what it's like to be misled and not know it. Being young in the faith, and having nobody to disciple me, I know how easily being seduced by cultic missionaries is. What people need when they come out of a bad church is unconditional love and affirmation that they're not bad people because they genuinely believed lies.

It was for ex-cult members and Christians who care about the truth that I wrote How I Was Razed. I wanted to show, not tell, how deceived I was and how wondrously the heavenly father led me to the truth. My testimony of his providential guidance is available in e-book and paperback through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Virtual Bookworm Publishers.


Bruce Atchison is a legally-blind freelance writer as well as the author of How I Was Razed, Deliverance from Jericho, and When a Man Loves a Rabbit. He lives in a small Alberta hamlet with his house rabbit, Deborah.

Twitter handle: @ve6xtc

KNOW YOUR READERSHIP by Bruce Atchison

There are only two ways of working effectively, harder or smarter. I learned the hard way that the subjects I thought were interesting are obviously not of interest to others. My three memoirs are an apt example of this.

When a Man Loves a Rabbit: Learning and Living With Bunnies sold well, particularly since it was a debut book. I knew many rabbit owners and having been their friend, they bought a total of  two-hundred-and-fifty copies.

My second memoir, Deliverance from Jericho: Six Years in a Blind School, did poorly. At first, I felt astonished. The fact that most people with perfect sight have no interest in accounts of life in that sort of institution did not occur to me when I wrote my memoir. Neither did I record any sensational stories of abuse in it. Only blind people wanted the book but I lacked the money to have it in an accessible format. As a result, I barely sold fifty print copies.

I assumed my third book would do better. How I Was Razed: A Journey from Cultism to Christianity has been out for less than a year but it also has done poorly. Though I promoted it on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Linked In, only a few copies sold.

I now realize that I should have done research on how well books on the subject of toxic churches sold. My second mistake was to assume that apologetics ministries would jump at the chance to promote my testimony of God's providential leading. Every ministry to which I sent a copy politely said "no" or failed to reply.

Though we writers find it difficult to step back from our creations and see potential pitfalls, it is possible. What we can do, and what I should have done, is enlist friends who we trust to give good suggestions on where would be the best places to plug our books or articles. Of course Googling can be of help but it does consume a lot of time. Writing groups which point the way instead of the finger are also good places for advice.

I certainly have learned my lesson. Like attracts like. My rabbit book sold well because my friends love to read about bunny antics. If I had my blind school memoir in an accessible format, I might have sold more copies to sight-impaired people. I'm now concentrating on  telling cult recovery organizations about my journey to biblical Christianity. Time will tell if I'm successful or not.

Bruce Atchison is a freelance writer and self-published author. His articles have appeared in a wide variety of magazines since the nineties. Atchison's first two books are available at Bruce Atchison's books while his latest memoir is at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Virtual bookworm publishers.

My Books Are Worth Buying - Bruce Atchison

Is there anything wrong in wanting to make a profit on one's work? As Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 5:18 (KJV), "For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that breadth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward." Is it evil to enjoy the fruit of one's work, whether it be writing or some physical task? Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 2:24 (KJV) "There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God."

I've noticed that many people tend to scorn anybody who peddles a product.  In my experience, Christians seemed the most critical of anybody trying to earn extra income. Yet the Bible has plenty to say about the value of work. The apostle Paul made tents and probably did other jobs to finance his missionary journeys. Most of the common folks were self-employed on farms or vineyards.

In our modern society, it's far more common to be hired by business people and large corporations. An increasing number of people are working for governments. Therefore, people appear to assume that wanting to earn extra money is a sign of greed.

Furthermore, because of home invasions and the alienation of citizens one from another, people are reluctant to open their doors.

Even with social networking, peddling one's wares is considered spam by some. Because of abuses by troublesome people, the public feels burned out and distrustful of everybody. This is a tragedy since it hurts honest folks who have valuable products and insights.

Since I'm not much good at anything but writing, I feel that my experiences can provide people with wisdom and an occasional good laugh. Because of this belief, I've written three memoirs. When a Man Loves a Rabbit: Learning and Living With Bunnies tells of the amazing things I learned while having house rabbits in my home. They also got into quite a bit of mischief and made me smile with their antics.

Deliverance from Jericho: Six Years in a Blind School shows the public what life was like in that infamous government-run institution. I also wrote about the mischief which my friends and I got into.

I believe my How I Was Razed: A Journey from Cultism to Christianity testimony is my most important work. It not only shows how easily I, a naive convert, was taken in by a false prophet but how kind the heavenly  Father was to lead me into the freedom of his love. The house church elders hurt me deeply with their criticisms. Now I know that my continuing poor vision wasn't because of hidden sin, lack of faith, ancestral sin, or lusting for good vision but so God's works can be manifest in me. I hope to comfort other wounded believers who had similar experiences and to glorify God through my testimony.

I post excerpts of my books on Wordpress and Blogspot pages. I also write about related topics and tie them to my memoirs. Not only am i entertaining readers but leading them to my book pages. Additionally, I treat customers as friends. This has led to many long-lasting friendships. Often times, these contacts give me a chance to talk about the Lord. Only he knows what will come of these mentions and compassionate replies to the troubles of others.

Bruce Atchison is a freelance writer and author of three memoirs. He's active on various social media sites. See what he's up to, or down to, on RebelMouse. He lives in Radway, Alberta with his house rabbit, Deborah.

HEALING WOUNDED LAMBS -- Bruce Atchison

Acts 20:28-30 (KJV) Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.

Throughout the Bible, Satan has corrupted and suppressed the truth. He continues today to use people, even professing Christians, to prey upon the flock of Christ. Disguised as shepherds, these phony leaders mislead and abuse their flocks to the point where many sincere sheep turn away from the Good Shepherd.

I was one of many who wound up in a cultic house church. Nobody discipled me when I gave my life to Christ in 1969 at a vacation Bible school. Consequently, I had no discernment skills. The World Tomorrow radio program became my mentor until a friend invited me to his church in the basement of a house.

The self-proclaimed teacher captivated my imagination with his stories and twisted scriptures. As a result, I believed that God lead me to a spiritually-advanced church that knew deep teachings which mainstream churches didn't.

One of these so-called secrets was the naming of Christ's name to cast out demons and heal people. Particularly appealing to me was the idea that I could be healed of my poor eyesight. I could prove to the skeptics that God was real and he still performed miracles through his apostles and prophets. Visions of TV appearances and speaking tours filled my mind as I imagined myself fully healed.

The wolfish side of those false shepherds soon reared its ugly head. Whenever my eyes weren't healed after the laying on of hands, they accused me of having hidden sin, lacking faith, or having un confessed ancestral sins. For more than fifteen years, I struggled to build up my faith and crush all doubts. Nothing I did triggered God's healing power. Because of all the criticism and harsh judgements made against me, I stormed out of that church one June Sunday and turned my back on God for nine years.

I came to my senses when I realized the Lord wasn't at fault. I had been lied to by folks who I thought knew the scriptures better than I. Bible-believing churches and the sound doctrines of biblically-literate radio preachers steadily deprogrammed me of the lies I learned as a young Christian. I now realize that God is sovereign and nothing I could ever do would gain me better sight.

John 9:3 is now my life verse. Through my upcoming How I Was Razed: And How I Found Authentic Christianity memoir, I hope to comfort those wounded sheep who left the Good Shepherd as I did. I want them to know the real Lord, not the signs-and-wonders idol that I once worshipped. May the works of God be manifest in me as in the blind man Christ healed.

For more information on my writing, visit the Bruce Atchison's Books link.

Why Pray Daily? - Bruce Atchison

When I gave my life to Christ in August of 1969, nobody mentored me in the faith. As a result, I drifted aimlessly through my first few years as a believer until a friend invited me to a cultic house church. Though they held many blasphemous doctrines, they also taught me some valuable truths.

From my upcoming How I Was Razed memoir, here is an excerpt that relates how I began communing with the heavenly Father daily.

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Though I petitioned and thanked God once in a while, as in the case of Mom finding me my new room, nobody taught me about the importance of having communion with him through prayer every day. That changed soon after I moved to Mr. Forcier's house. "Are you praying every day?" Terry asked me after church one Sunday as we ate lunch in Sister E's kitchen.

"No. Why should I? I don't need anything now."

"You really should do that, you know. Prayer is important because it's part of your relationship with Jesus Christ."

"Oh? I didn't know that."

"Well, it's true. You shouldn't pray just when you need something. The apostle Paul used to pray daily. He even said in his letter to the Ephesians that he prayed for his friends each day."

I considered this new concept as I ate and later as Sister E drove me home. "What if Felix or the Forciers overhear me praying?" I worried. "Jesus did say to go into your closet and pray so nobody else will hear? Will I lose my blessing or get in trouble with God if somebody overhears me?" As I pondered, I recalled that a science teacher once told me about white noise and the way its broad frequency spectrum drowned out speech. The sole source of that type of sound I had on hand was my radio.

Once I was alone in my room, I selected the F.M. band and tuned the dial between stations. Then I spoke in a low voice to Jesus. My first daily prayer only lasted a few minutes. Since nobody knocked at my door and demanded to know to whom I was speaking, as Mrs. R often did, I omitted the white noise from then on.

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How I Was Razed is the testimony of the way I was mislead by a cult church, how I turned my back on God after I felt he perennially failed to heal my eyes, and how he graciously brought me to my senses.

My previous books are now available for purchase online by clicking here. You may click here to e-mail me directly as well.

The Strange Practice of House Dedication – Bruce Atchison.

During the seventies and eighties, I attended a cultic church. Not only did its self-appointed minister teach many aberrant doctrines but he claimed he received revelations directly from God. One of these was that all Christian homes must be dedicated to the Lord. He never told us the scriptural basis for this but Deuteronomy 20:5 fits it well. He added to this doctrine the superstitious beliefs that blessing homes kept out wicked spirits and that they attached themselves to evil possessions.

I described how this peculiar ritual was performed several times in my upcoming How I Was Razed memoir. In this excerpt from my manuscript, I relate how the cult leader himself dedicated my furnished room.

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Sister R, Brother H, and Sister E participated in the ceremony one evening a few weeks later. As Brother H waddled around my twelve-by-fifteen-foot room, reaching out his hands to detect demons, he pronounced blessings and rebuked foul spirits. Then he dabbed anointing oil on the corridor and balcony doorposts as well as the window frame.

After having gone over the whole room, including the closet, he hesitated. "I feel that there is still an evil presence in this room. Do you have anything here which is wicked, Bruce?"

"Well, I have some war memoirs by Spike Milligan. They do have some vulgar language in them I suppose."

"That's it then. You must get rid of those books. They're attracting demonic spirits."

My heart sank. I loved Spike's hilarious war memoirs. They contained some obscene humour, but that was how secular soldiers coped in battle. I also bought his comic novel, Puckoon, a fictional story of an Irish village divided by the Boundary Commission when the country was partitioned in 1924. As that book also contained some bawdy humour, I sighed as I dropped it and the other brand-new paperbacks in the garbage.

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How I Was Razed is the testimony of the way I was mislead by a cult church, how I turned my back on God after I felt he perennially failed to heal my eyes, and how he graciously brought me to my senses.

My previous books are now available for purchase online by clicking here. You may click here to e-mail me directly as well.

A Wise Answer For Christian Schoolchildren - Bruce Atchison.

Evolution is now the default belief system in public schools throughout western countries. This places pupils of faith in an awkward position. Should they answer test questions as if they believed the textbook or should they stay true to the Bible and risk receiving a bad mark?

One church friend gave me a clever answer to this quandary in 1974. From my upcoming How I was Razed memoir, here is a valuable reply which satisfies the faith convictions of students as well as the needs of teachers.

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I faced a dilemma when I returned to science class that January. Like millions of public school students, teachers taught me that the theory of evolution was the only reasonable explanation for the origin of the universe. "What can I do about this?" I asked Sister E one Wednesday evening as we sipped coffee in her kitchen after the meeting. "I like science but I hate that Evolution junk."

"I know how you feel," she said as she set her cup on the table. "When I was going to school, I had a lot of difficulty with science. I didn't want to write that this or that was true. Brother H told me I should say 'scientists believe that...' or 'the book says...' when I answer test questions."

"Wow! I'll have to remember that. That's so cool. You mean I could just say, 'According to the theory, this happened,' or something like that?"

"Sure. You wouldn't be lying or betraying Jesus. All you're doing is telling them what you had learned."

"That's brilliant," I smiled. "Thanks for telling me that. I'll do that the next time I write a test."

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How I Was Razed is the testimony of the way I was mislead by a cult church, how I turned my back on God after I felt he perennially failed to heal my eyes, and how he graciously brought me to my senses.

My previous books, When a Man Loves a Rabbit (Learning and Living With Bunnies) and Deliverance From Jericho (Six Years in a Blind School), are now available online by clicking here or by clicking here to e-mail me directly.

True Brotherly Love - Bruce Atchison

We certainly live in a self-reliant culture. For example, people would rather drive than take the bus or walk. Many folks frown upon those who live on welfare payments. In my own experience, I've had friends avoid me after I've asked a favour of them for the second or third time.

On the other hand, I've striven to be as self-reliant as possible, even though I'm almost blind. This character attribute is good in moderation but it can cause us to miss out on being blessed by our brothers and sisters in Christ.

In December of 1977, I went on a short term missions trip with Operation Mobilization to the Mexican city of Saltillo. While there, we went door to door with tracts, held street evangelism meetings, and studied methods of spreading the gospel in foreign lands. From my upcoming How I Was Razed memoir, here's a vignette of how I nearly missed out on being blessed by a fellow Christian.

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Since the Americans and Mexicans did not celebrate Boxing Day, we resumed our usual routine. I was blessed again, this time by a kind deed done by a soft-spoken Mexican brother named Adin. "May I please wash your coat?," he beamed. "It looks a bit dirty."

"That's all right, I think it's clean enough."

"Please let me do this. It is my way of serving my fellow Christians."

As I was about to demur again, I suddenly realized that letting him help me would honour Christ. Apart from that, bright yellow tends to show the dirt quickly. I removed the contents of my pockets and handed the nylon jacket to him. As I watched, he rinsed it under a tap over a ceramic scrubbing board and poured a little laundry detergent powder on it. Then he laboriously scrubbed every inch of the coat, rinsed it under the tap, wrung it out thoroughly, and handed it to me. I thanked him several times for blessing me with his selfless act of service, feeling chided by memories of occasions when I forgot to express my gratitude.

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How I Was Razed is the testimony of the way I was mislead by a cult church, how I turned my back on God after I felt he perennially failed to heal my eyes, and how he graciously brought me to my senses.

My previous books, When a Man Loves a Rabbit (Learning and Living With Bunnies) and Deliverance From Jericho (Six Years in a Blind School), are now available online by clicking here or by clicking here to e-mail me directly.