Moment by Moment I Pray

The story behind this book started when I found myself alone after the funeral of my wife, Chief. We had been together almost fifty years. My wife, Annie Jewel "Chief" Banks, was held a funeral on Monday, January 5, 2015, at Ben Hill United Methodist Church, located in the heart of the Ben Hill Community. After a forty-plus miles drive to our birth home of Griffin, Georgia, she was laid to rest. Three days after her funeral, I took my original manuscript from a storage area in the house that we had made our home and had raised our family and went out into the backyards and destroyed all twenty-six thousand pages. I did not see the need nor did I desire to continue writing or to live. But that was January 8, 2015. I looked up into the heavens and asked the Lord what did He want me to do. I said, Lord, I have pulled myself up from a small starting place in Griffin, Georgia, completed high school, accepted to pursue my education at Clark College [now Clark Atlanta University].

From 1966-1970, I completed my degree in sociology and psychology. During my senior year at Clark, I married the love of my life, Miss Annie Jewel Hosely, my high school sweetheart, also from Griffin, Georgia. We set up housekeeping in Atlanta, Georgia. But in January 1971, I was drafted into the Army and I served a tour of duty in the Republic of South Vietnam, as a squad leader, in a military police unit. I worked very hard, and I was promoted to the rank of Sergeant E5. I survived Vietnam and many other situations, but Chief's death took a toll upon the very essence of my soul. But on February 12, 2016, I started back writing, and after my talk with the Lord, on September 17, 2018, I had handwritten about three thousand pages. At that point, I asked the Lord, "Lord, what do You want me to do?" A soft but firm voice came to me. "Warren, my son, I want you to publish your story, which you have written, in the form of a continued prayer. I will send you the name of a publisher." Well, looking back upon my life and the Lord has always been there for me, even when I thought my life was over.

About seven days later, I was listening to my favorite Gospel radio station and I heard this message, "If you are considering publishing your manuscript, call this number or go to this Web site." I was not quick enough to get the information down; therefore, I missed out on get that information that I needed to make my contact. But a few days later, as I was again listening to the same radio station, the message came again; this time, I was ready, and I wrote down the information. Within the next few minutes, I had contacted the publisher and I spoke to the agent and she directed me to mail my manuscript to the address that she had given me. I mailed my manuscript to the address, and within a week, I received a phone call from an agent, telling me that the company had accepted my manuscript for publication. I was really beside myself. I have been in constant prayer with my Lor...