The primary purpose of this book is to emphasize by my life's example the fact that God is real, that he does still exist today, and that he does still call men and women for specific purposes today, just as he has done throughout history.

My writing these memoirs was inspired by a sermon I heard in February 2012. The point of the sermon was that everyone had a testimony. Well, I had never thought that I had a testimony. I jokingly told the pastor that if I had a testimony, it would take a book to tell it!

Never in my entire life prior to 2012 did I ever think about or believe that I would write a book. But God placed it on my heart, and as I began writing notes, the more I wrote, the more that came to my mind to write.

Also, I wanted to emphasize the fact that you never get too old to serve God. There are many examples throughout the Bible about people in various circumstances whom God has chosen for specific tasks. I was seventy-seven years old when I began writing this book and eighty-seven at its completion. I wanted to emphasize that you do not age out in your service to God. God has used old people to accomplish his purpose through history, and he still does today.

In regard to the book's title, But God Had Other Plans, throughout life, it seemed almost every time I planned to do something, God would lead me in another direction. Also, the saying "But God" is mentioned many times throughout the Bible.