Here are the contents of this month’s Larimore Family Newsletter:

• Publication Update
• Broadcast Update
• Events of the last month
• Upcoming Events

Broadcasting Update

Bryson City Secrets and sexual abuse

The Larimores (Barb, Kate, Scott, and I) will be on a two-day Focus on the Family Daily Radio Broadcast discussing the topic “Finding Healing from Sexual Abuse” on Monday, February 1 and Tuesday, February 2. Information about the broadcasts can be found here:

• Monday, February 1, 2010, Finding Healing from Sexual Abuse (Part 1 of 2),
• Tuesday, February 2, 2010, Finding Healing from Sexual Abuse (Part 2 of 2).

I first publically discussed the sexual abuse that occurred in our family in my book Bryson City Secrets. It was this abuse that led us to leave Bryson City back in 1985.
Why would Barb and I (and, why would Kate and Scott [and Scott’s wife Jennifer]) want to discuss such a private thing – such an intimate family secret publically?
Here’s what I wrote in Bryson City Secrets:

Our children were exceptionally close. They could talk together about almost anything. They were each other’s counselor and confidant. They could talk for hours and were surprisingly accurate in predicting what the other would think or say about nearly any subject.

So to have such a deep and painful discussion as a family didn’t seem unusual.

What impressed Barb and me most during our Thanksgiving visit was our children’s maturity and knowledge of biblical principles. We would each take time to share our insights about the difficulties of our past and how, in each case, God had turned apparent disease and disaster into a blessing for each of us.

Kate’s Cerebral Palsy and surgeries, Scott’s many accidents, our financial downturns, and many other family events had taught and matured us. We could see the good and the blessing that eventually developed from each situation.

As a family, we were convinced the same would come from this time of talking so openly about something we all would rather have forgotten. Finally we could talk no more. We were physically and emotionally spent. We gathered around each other to have an evening prayer.

In bed that night Barb and I held each other close for a long time.

The next morning was Thanksgiving Day. We shared a glorious Thanksgiving lunch at a restaurant in the gargantuan lobby of Union Station near the Capitol. After our meal, we practiced a Thanksgiving tradition for our family—we each named something for which we were thankful.

Around and around the comments went—for many, many minutes. We laughed and smiled and occasionally shared some tears as we each recalled all the things for which we could truly give thanks. But most of all we were thankful for each other and for the many gifts bestowed on us by our Creator.

Kate later wrote to us, “It was good for us as a family to discuss what had happened and its effects on us. I knew the Lord could bring wholeness and healing to our family. I knew that in some ways our family journey was just beginning.”

Now that we’ve decided to discuss our pain, and our healing, publically. And, we pray that it will be of help to many families around the world who hear this broadcast.
If you’re interested, you can get an autographed copy of Bryson City Secrets, or any of the other Bryson City books) here. You can also read sample chapters of most of my books here.

Coach Joe Gibbs and Gameplan for Life

I was so pleased to be selected (along with Tony Dungy, Chuck Colson, Jerry Jenkins, Josh McDowell, Ravi Zacharias, Randy Alcorn, Os Guiniss, and Tony Evans) to be a chapter author for Joe Gibb’s best-selling book, Game Plan for Life. I wrote the chapter on health.
Joe will be featured on the Focus on the Family Daily Radio Broadcast on Wednesday, February 3. You can learn more about the broadcast, or listen to it here.
The Game Plan for Life is the fulfillment of a long-time vision of Joe Gibbs. Given his unique rise to the top of two different sports, NFL Football and NASCAR racing, Coach Gibbs is often asked to speak and share his personal testimony with crowds.
Men especially want to know what it takes to be “successful” and “relevant.” The Game Plan helps men to find true success and relevance in their own lives. However, it is less about Joe, than it is about who men are, why they were created and what they can really do with their lives.
Joe says, “The Game Plan for Life is a fail proof, long-term approach that will change you from the inside and impact every area of your life—from relationships to finances to your view of what winning really means.”
You can learn more about Game Plan for Life here.

Publishing Update

A Medical Professor’s Feedback

Barb and I were pleased and blessed to receive this note from a professor in obstetrics and gynecology at a well-respected medical school at which we had the privilege of teaching last year:

Last year when you were (here), you and Barb were gracious enough to visit the CMA group over at (another professor’s) house. The med students still speak of this. Thanks!

(The professor) was telling me that his nephew, a non-believer, was speaking to (him) a few weeks ago and brought up a great book he was reading at the time and how it had brought God to a new light to him.

(The professor) asked what book this was and his nephew informed him that the author was Walt Larimore and the book was about his time in a small town as a family medicine doc.

(The professor) then told his nephew that he was very familiar with the book but also that the author was at his house last spring. His nephew was impressed.

I just thought that you would like to hear another story about how your writings have positively affected many in this world. We continue to pray for his nephew.

Thanks for all that you do.

Events of the last month

Jan 15: I actually beat the due date for my first solo novel, tentatively named Hazel Creek, by turning in the manuscript on Jan 13. Hallelujah. Now, let the editing begin!
Jan 15-25: Barb and I traveled to Ethiopia to participate in a mission trip to provide medical care to extremely poor widows and orphans in Northern Ethiopia. We were also able to do some sightseeing. I’m hoping to post details on the blog in the next week or so. But, we were pleased to see God move in many ways – and teach us so very much – while we were there.
Jan 29: I attended a virtual HCJB Global Board Meeting. I feel privileged to be a small part of this wonderful ministry. You can learn more about them here. http://www.hcjb.org/

Upcoming Events

Feb 2-8: Barb and I will travel to Kissimmee, FL, to visit with friends. From 2/4-6 I’ll be attending an AMA meeting.
Feb 12-13: I will fly to Austin, TX, where my friend Bill Peel and I will be teaching a conference at Covenant Presbyterian Church on “Workplace Grace: Becoming a spiritual influence at work.”
Feb 24: Barb and I will be attending a Life Network Board Meeting in Colorado Springs.

Past Issues

• January 2010
• December 2009
• November 2009 edition

You can get more information on many of Dr. Walt’s upcoming events here.