Kevin McBain
of The Clarion
Kindersley’s Ron Baker recently self-published his first of what he hopes will be many books to come.
The book, In the beginning: 2005-2006 – Random thoughts as life goes on, is a compilation of selected blog posts he wrote over that period.
“I just love to write and I have always liked words,” he said.
Kindersley’s Ron Baker recently self-published his first book, covering some of his early blog posts and thoughts. Watch for more to come.
Baker has been writing posts since 1994 in a daily journal. In the early 2000s, he joined a small group of pastors and was encouraged by one who wrote his own blogs,to start a blog. But he was advised he had to do it on a regular basis.
So that’s where things began. He continues to write and you can check out his blogs at ronbaker.ca.
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Why does he do it?
“It is helpful in figuring things out each day,” he said. “I like to share my thoughts and put them down in writing. I also write so it engages people and it is not boring. Some of the entries close with a question and get people thinking about things. It’s good to be a thinking person.
“When we think, we often surround ourselves with catharsis, a breaking away from old patterns into the unknown. This gives me a new perspective, a new framework, on the world, so that I can be everything that God created me to be,” he said.
Who is Ron Baker and what does he write about?
“I am a faith-based adventurer who enjoys people, ideas and the mess of life,” he described himself.
Baker has deep roots in Kindersley. His grandfather homesteaded here in 1909, his father farmed the homestead, and Ron was born in Kindersley.
He attributes his love for words and writing back to sixth grade.
“A classmate and I tended to finish assignments early in class,” he recalls. “The teacher gave us a dictionary and said, play with this for awhile.”
After high school, he attended school for pastoral studies and earned a bachelor of theology degree and a master of divinity degree. Then he majored in archival studies to earn a master of library science degree.
He was assistant pastor of the Kindersley Alliance Church from 1976-1980. He left the area for 25 years, before returning to town in 2005, where he took over as senior pastor at the Kinderlsey Alliance church until he retired in 2015.
In 2012, his wife, Jill, died at 58 years of age, finally succumbing to heart problems experienced since she was born. He remarried in 2013 to Cynthia and they have six children and four grandchildren.
Retirement
“When my first wife, Jill, passed away in 2012, I created a company that was designed for media,” he said. “Now that I’ve been retired, I’m finally getting things out there.”
Ron also enjoys singing, mentoring, renovating, filling in at the funeral home and still enjoys speaking from the pulpit occasionally.
What’s in the book?
His experiences through life get chronicled in his blog posts and writing.
The book starts with his blogs that he began in 2005, when he moved back to Kindersley. His blogs for those first few years are detailed in his first book. They have a lot to do with faith and church, along with weather and just everyday occurrences.
“One lady, Elsie, told me, ‘You not only think outside of the box, you also think outside the warehouse,’” he remarked. “I try to make my posts entertaining and thought-provoking.”
What’s next?
This book is the first in a series and the next book he’s working on is Down on My Knees: 2007-2008. He had double knee surgery in 2008, which inspired the title and will be the focus of several of his blog posts.
He hopes to have it published this year.
He’s also working on another book that will be about a funeral director.
Publishing
Baker said publishing the book was quite easy. Self-publishing is quite popular and anyone can publish a book now.
He explained that he did it online through Kindle Direct Publishing in the United States. The company provides the software and the layout for the book.
All the paperback books are printed on demand and can be sent directly to a buyer’s home, eliminating the need to spend money on a large inventory of books. The ebook version is also available for download.
Kindle is part of Amazon, so the book is sold and promoted through them. This book is now available through amazon.com or you can contact him directly at [email protected].
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