President Jimmy Carter said that writing his 26th book was a "labor of love" but at the same time painful in more ways than one.
The devotional book, Through the Year with Jimmy Carter: 366 Daily Meditations from the 39th President (Zondervan, $24.99), was written by the former Georgia governor and U.S. president while recuperating from surgery.
"I had both knees replaced, so from the beginning of June and ending three months later I had dormancy," Mr. Carter said in a recent phone interview.
Aside from the physical pain, it was difficult paring down 30 years of Sunday school lessons and editing them to fit the format of a one-page, daily devotional.
Jimmy Carter
Born Oct. 1, 1924, in Plains, Ga.
Graduated from U.S. Naval Academy, 1946.
Married Rosalynn Smith of Plains, July 7, 1946.
Elected to Georgia Senate, 1962.
Lost first Georgia gubernatorial campaign in 1966; won in 1970.
Sworn in as Georgia governor Jan. 12, 1971.
Elected president on Nov. 2, 1976, and served until Jan. 20, 1981.
Awarded Nobel Peace Prize, Dec. 10, 2002.
"I was able to select the 366 of the best, what I thought were the best lessons, and then boil them down from 45 minutes to one page. It was difficult and a little painful," Mr. Carter, 87, said in his familiar Southern accent.
The earliest devotional that is included was taken from a Sunday school lesson Mr. Carter taught in 1977, the year he was sworn in as president. The most recent lesson in the book was excerpted from a class he taught in June at his home church, Maranatha Baptist in Plains, Ga.
"It was a labor of love," Mr. Carter said of the book. "I taught about 680-something times at Maranatha Baptist and 14 to 15 times at Baptist churches in Washington when I was president."
He said he never announced his Sunday school lessons ahead of time while he was president, citing security concerns and a desire to keep the classes from being disrupted by publicity seekers, protesters, or the media.
The Bible is an integral part of Mr. Carter's life, and he and Rosalynn, his wife of 65 years, read Scriptures to each other every night.
"One night she reads aloud and the next night I read aloud. We did that even before I was president, and we still do it," he said. "The last 15 or 20 years we have been reading it in Spanish."
He said he enjoys knowing a second language and being able to use it to "carry on a decent conversation" with Spanish-speaking people.
One of the overarching themes found in Through the Year with Jimmy Carter is that Christians need to "live out our faith."
In the world of politics, that might seem particularly challenging. But Mr. Carter said he feels he was able to stay true to his Christian beliefs throughout his career, including the political years.
"I tried to inject my faith into every aspect of my life when I was a naval officer, a businessman, a farmer, a state senator, and president," he said.
He said that his passion has always been for peace, which is of special emphasis in Christianity.
"The basic principles of all major religions are the same: peace and justice and the alleviation of injustice and suffering and things of that kind. But Christ had a particular obligation for peace. We worship the Prince of Peace. Too many members of my faith now are quite eager to espouse the conflict of war," Mr. Carter said. "Peace is one of the things I tried to espouse when I was in the White House. There was the Cold War, and the hostage crisis, but I tried to deal with those challenges in a peaceful way."
He said the biggest conflicts between his faith and his duties in the White House involved abortion.
"I had to deal with the Roe vs. Wade ruling by the Supreme Court. When I took the oath of office, I swore to uphold the laws as interpreted by the Supreme Court. But I tried to do everything I could to limit abortion," he said.
Asked if he had a favorite Bible verse, Mr. Carter named several.
"I like the book of John the best. I think it's so much more personal, human, and emotional writing than the other three Gospels. And collectively, I get so much out of the letters of Paul … but I like the verse, 'And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.' [Ephesians 4:32]. And like all Christians, I like John 3:16, which tells the Christian story, 'For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.' "
More information is available online at cartercenter.org.
Contact David Yonke at: dyonke@theblade.com or 419-724-6154.
First Published February 4, 2012, 5:00 a.m.
