After publication of his first book, "What We Believe That Makes Us Different," Charles DeTurk uncovered a wealth of writings from his past, composed of articles, essays, transcripts of talks, the content of eLetters, and Weblog entries that few people have seen, heard or read. He realized that in the quarter of a million words in these documents that he potentially had another several books, to say the least, in exciting and provocative ideas and information. So he has sorted out a large part of these papers into what is, at present, 5 books that he is publishing as a Series entitled "Journeys In Consciousness," of which this book, "Growing In Consciousness," is Volume I. In addition, each chapter contains extensive commentary written just for this book. The original content is presented, as much as possible, in the same format in which it originally appeared, thereby giving insight into the setting from which these ideas originally sprang. In a day and age when we hear a lot about how people need to learn to "think outside of the box," Charles has been living a large part of his life outside of the box. And from that place of awareness, he has gathered together, over the years, some very interesting, meaningful, and insightful perspectives upon life and upon all of this stuff out here that we call reality. His goal, for decades, has been to discover ideas and principles that will help people to be able to rediscover the truths about who and what they are, and to thereby allow them to live more happy, healthy, successful and fulfilling lives. "Growing In Consciousness" contains about 20 earlier writings from 1974-75 that were published in what in those days was called an underground newspaper. And then there are about 20 motivating talks and eTalks presented in 2000 - 2001. Amazingly, many of these ideas and concepts are right on target for today's reality. But be forewarned, this is not just another self-help book. Charles tackles some ideas and concepts that just a short time ago would have been taboo in this field. However, he has a fervent belief in the ability of all people to ultimately understand the truths that underlie our very existence, and so he shares ideas that others only whisper about. He has always believed in open honesty and says that living that way "one has much less to hide." Scattered throughout these pages are several chapters dealing with the subjects of eternal life and resurrection. For more orthodox readers, some of these ideas that he presents may be something of a shock and maybe will even get this book banned from Texas schools. But Charles believes that we are dealing with ideas here that, for far too long, have been hidden from people in favor of ideas that are more supportive of the status quo. New ideas often have a difficult time being heard, much less being considered as valid. So this book is planting some seeds in the belief that they will latter bear the fruit of new, expanded awareness. Charles presents his information in a conversational way as though he was right there next to the reader. And he does it all with an understandable ease that will give one new insights about their life and ways to improve it. What he has to share is a comfortable mix of ageless metaphysics, cutting edge quantum physics, and practical ways of applying these engagingly compatible principles to one's own life. For the bottom liners out there, you will enjoy this book while learning something new in the process. The future titles in the "Journeys In Consciousness" Series will include "Roots Of Metaphysics and Quantum Physics," "Secular Issues From A Spiritual Perspective," "Beginning Explorations In Consciousness," and "Presidential Marathon." Keep an eye out, for Charles expects to have them all published by Summer 2011. After this Series is all published, Charles will be concentrating upon his long-awaited book, "Millennium Paradigm: Explorations in the Dynamics of Consciousness."
About the Author: Charles DeTurk is a lifelong Synergeticist, one who is interested in anything and everything and who endeavors to figure out how it all fits together. Born in Oklahoma, over the years he has lived in various states from coast to coast. He has worked in a variety of fields from small mom and pops to fortune 500 companies, from churches to universities, and self-employed ventures. Throughout it all, he has had a profound interest in, and love for, people, and he desires in his lifetime is to discern truths of how to live better, more fulfilling lives, and ways of imparting that knowledge to others. Considering himself a minister since his teens, Charles was officially ordained in 1996. His "church" is, as he says, "wherever I am and scattered throughout cyberspace." He leaves running church buildings to those who are interested in doing that and focuses instead on speaking, teaching, and writing. His assorted writings (300,000+ words) have been shared freely over the years through various avenues of the Internet. Additionally, he has spoken in dozens of venues all over the country. He has developed a profound ability to examine complex issues and discern ways of making them readily understandable to those who might otherwise find them too challenging to comprehend. His firm belief is in transforming the complex into the practical, and his ministry is therefore called Practical Truth Ministry. A part of that ministry is a thriving wedding officiate business called "A Beautiful Ceremony." Charles' first published book, "What We Believe That Makes Us Different," delves into the spiritual belief system that evolved through the early years of his life amidst a regular bombardment of more orthodox viewpoints that surrounded him. He finally, at the age of 50, pronounced the ten belief statements that comprise the content of this book. Charles has several other books that are nearing completion and a large volume entitled, "Millennium Paradigm," that is due for completion next year. Over the years, Charles has discovered potential solutions to many issues and experiences in the world that are on the cutting edge of a whole new perspective upon human experience. As a result, Charles guarantees that whoever delves into his writing and teaching will discover new ideas never before considered. Rev. DeTurk is available for speaking and teaching engagements. Email: RevDeTurk@yahoo.com or charlesdeturk@yahoo.com Practical Truth Ministry, P.O. Box 1763, Decatur, GA 30031