Len and Bev Allen were living in Chattanooga, Tennessee.  He was unemployed with her working to support them both.  Between networking meetings, internet browsing, rare job interviews, and an absence of results, he attended a number of weekly Bible studies sponsored by The Christian Business Men's Connection.  One of those meetings was called “Men In Transition."  It was made up of a number of unemployed men who met (and still do) in a local restaurant for a time of devotions, discussions, and dissemination of advice.  He found this group a terrific blessing and encouragement.

“Spending time with a group of men in the same unemployed circumstance taught me that there were mutual struggles in all our lives.”

Another group he attended was on Fridays at lunch time. They met at the Chattanooga downtown YMCA. This group, of mostly businessmen, spent its time in general Bible study and discussion. One day an announcement was made that a man who had written a book about personal finance was coming to town. At this point, he made an off-handed remark that it was too bad there wasn't a book about personal unemployment.  A number of guys agreed and laughingly suggested that he write it. He laughed along with the
joke.

But at home that day, he began to think through the idea of writing a book on the subject of being unemployed.  There were lots of books about searching for a job, but he had never found one about the struggles of being unemployed.  He thought about his friends at the Monday meeting and their need for spiritual encouragement while they were wrestling with being without work and decided to make some preliminary notes.

Writing out a rough table of contents and introductory thoughts, he prayed about what he thought would be a huge undertaking. When Monday came, he asked the group what they thought of his writing a book and received almost unanimous support. So it all began. To his amazement the writing went very smoothly. He would research a chapter for a day. Then write for about four or five hours the next day and repeated that process until a chapter was produced. When his wife came home from work she was greeted with the latest chapter for her to proofread and react to. In five weeks Mr. Allen had a manuscript, and the editing began.

Now, after nine months of work, the book has been released to the public and the story continues………………