I didn't think I would ever write again.
I didn't even know if I would ever be able to talk again.
When I came home from the hospital after suffering a series of strokes in March 2019, I thought my life was over.
I had always made a good living writing, talking, editing. I never saw myself doing anything else. Writing was a way of life. I was one of the youngest editors at a major metro newspaper. I was a nationally syndicated radio talk-show host. I had been a celebrity ghostwriter. I had written half a dozen books. And I had started the first independent online newspaper – this one, WND, WorldNetDaily, in 1997.
Then, at 65, my career was over. How bad was it? I started using children's flash cards to learn words again.
Improvement was excruciatingly slow. It's been nearly two years now. I actually think differently since the stroke. Loud noises make me very nervous. I can't drive on some highways. I cry at the drop of a hat. I'm far from being myself again. Or, maybe this is the way I'll always be!
But I am writing again – as some of you have noticed.
Why did I have a stroke? I was working very hard. I was under immense pressure. We had many good years at WND to the point that the company was earning about $15 million annually for about five years in a row. Then the bottom dropped out.
It was 2017 when it started – the best of times and the worst of times: President Donald J. Trump and Big Tech. I was writing "The Gospel in Every Book of the Old Testament" and was extremely busy battling Google, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon and Apple to preserve dwindling revenues.
By the time I had begun to recover, WND was down to less than $1 million in revenue per year. I'm sure we're not alone among the MAGA press – the free press, the press that tells you the truth.
I remember distinctly the time I had my first stroke.
It was the first day of promotion for "The Gospel in Every Book of the Old Testament." I was doing the first television show for my friend Jonathan Bernis in Phoenix. I was so excited to talk about the book. But halfway through taping the program, it was clear something was wrong with me.
"The Gospel in Every Book of the Old Testament" was written as a love note to God. It reveals that the Gospel isn't just found abundantly in the New Testament. The message of love, grace, mercy and repentance resonates in every book of the Tanach.
I don't know why God stopped me from telling people what an adventure I had writing that book. I was convinced it would be a bestseller. I think others were too. It had the most amazing endorsements of any book published in 2018 – Franklin Graham, Mike Huckabee, the late Jack van Impe, Chuck Norris, Pat Boone, Eric Metaxas, Jonathan Bernis, Jonathan Cahn, Greg Laurie, Dinesh D'Souza, David Barton, Ray Comfort, Ben Kinchlow and many others.
Now I want to see if I can still help the book get enough attention in the time God has been so gracious in giving me.
My career isn't over. I'm just starting out with Act 2 of my life.
I am so grateful to my dear wife, Elizabeth, for what she did for me, how she patiently loved me back when it seemed that all was lost.
Most of all, I wish those who have not had a chance to read "The Gospel in Every Book of the Old Testament" will do so.
Thinking about that book, I can understand why I was so excited about it. I'm thrilled I had the chance to complete it before that stroke.
I thank God now for giving me that chance.
Editor's note: "The Gospel in Every Book of the Old Testament" by Joseph Farah is available in both hardcover and e-book versions.
Content created by the WND News Center is available for re-publication without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@wndnewscenter.org.
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