ACTOR, SINGER, SONGWRITER, PASTOR RAISON THOMPSON TALKS ABOUT HIS FIRST BOOK
We know him as the super positive actor, singer, songwriter who won Best Actor in a Stage Play last year at the Church Stars Awards, but did you know Raison Thompson is also a Pastor in Dallas, Texas? That's right, the immensely talented Pastor Raison has turned his talents to the written word by writing his first book. We just had to catch up with him to find out more.
CS: Congratulation on your book "They Shall Be Called The Sons of God" Pastor Raison, tell us about it?
RT: The book is a collection of Revelation principles designed to provoke the reader to connect and have a renewed sense of purpose.
I first wrote this book in 2000 and just shelved it, until 2013 when I published it. This year, I revamped it, so that it speaks to the challenges of today and published it a second time. I want the readers to know first that we all have a purpose and that it should be relevant to every area of our lives. so it is essential that we are driven to find that purpose and live in it.
CS: The word "renew" stands-out in the description of your book. Do you feel in order to continue fulfilling our purpose, we have to continually renew our faith?
RT: Absolutely. Faith is tied to knowledge and understanding. When we learn better, we should be able to believe better. Romans 10:14 says "...how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?..." So as we grow in knowledge of God's word, we should grow in our ability to believe in Him. But with each new layer that is revealed, we have to RE-new our minds again in order to walk in that next dimension of truth. So it is a constant process of renewal. We must never get complacent with our development in Christ.
CS: Tell us Pastor, your choice in choosing a "lion" for the cover of your book was definitely purposefully. What did you want us to know about ourselves in choosing the cover?
RT: Well… that is exactly what I wanted to project with the cover. I wanted to reader to be empowered and know who they are just like that lion on the cover.
CS: We know that in God the majority of the time when God gives us something, it is for us first. In writing about purpose, how did you find yours? Was it passed down to you, did you stumble upon it, did you have an epiphany?
RT: Honestly, I think my purpose was just part of who I have always been. According to my older sister, apparently when I was just a toddler... before I could even speak, I used to climb out of the crib and waddle into the garage and arrange empty paint buckets like a sanctuary with a bigger bucket in front of them like a pulpit. And I would stand on top of a tall bucket in front of those empty paint buckets and scream and holler at them. She said it looked like I was preaching. All of my memories of my youth, in school I was always the one asked to address the class or speak at some function. So when I heard God calling me into the ministry, it made sense... at least to me.
CS: You mentioned that you shelved the book for 3 years before publishing it. What pushed you forward to publish it? Was there a lesson in the wait?
RT: Well, honestly, the manuscript was actually shelved for 8 years. I wrote the book in 2000, but I didn't publish it until 2008. During those years, my personal life was in Hell. I was dealing with a great deal of loss. and honestly, it may have cost me. What pushed me forward was my faith that God would restore what was lost through my personal battles. If there was a lesson in the wait, it was this... DON'T LET YOUR PERSONAL PAIN GET IN THE WAY OF GOD'S PURPOSE! I regret that... But never again.
CS: Lastly Pastor, what advice can you give to your fellow Christian entertainers when it feels like fulfilling their purpose is taking forever?
RT: PUSH THROUGH IT! Seek advice from someone who has gone where you are trying to go! Be willing to change your mindset! Be humble enough to admit when you were wrong! Practice doing the right thing when nobody is looking and when nobody will give you the credit for it! that is called character! Be willing to fail! Be willing to be embarrassed temporarily in order to achieve your goal! Don't use your personal issues as an excuse to NOT be excellent!
Pastor Raison Thompson is currently penning his second book, "The Masculine God”. He and his wife, Denette reside in Dallas, TX where he is the pastor of Agape City of Worship.
