Eugene Sherman releases latest book

ALBANY — As a child, Eugene Sherman Jr. learned early about prayer. With the exception of one brother, who died from appendicitis at age 7, the five Sherman children along with both parents held a devotional time with prayer before each meal.

“You know, that was what we called breakfast, dinner and supper,” Sherman said.

There were bedtime prayers in the Sherman family as well, starting with the simplest “Now I lay me down to sleep …” As he and his siblings grew older, they were taught the Lord’s Prayer from the King James version of the Bible.

On Sunday, the entire family went to their small church in Grady County. The younger Sunday school class was for ages 5-13. The only other class was for ages 14 through adults. In Sherman’s early years, his mother was his Sunday school teacher. When he became old enough to move up, his father was his teacher.

Sherman chuckles as he relates the fact that he was in college before he had a Sunday school teacher who was not one of his parents.

Sherman, PhD, DST, DA, DD, DHL recently released his fifth book. “Prayer: A Biblical Examination and Applications” is just what the title says, and it includes reflection of those early years. The 70-page book is intended to be an additional resource for strengthening readers’ prayer life.

Asked to define prayer, Sherman answered, “It is the art by which an individual speaks with the Almighty of his or her faith.”

Asked why a person should pray, Sherman responded, “Because it is a divine commandment and it gives us the strength to face the toils and the pleasures of life.”

The age-old question about whether God answers prayer brought a much longer response from the author.

“We want our prayers answered our way and in our time,” Sherman said. “God does not always work that way and, as humans, we deduce that the prayer was either not heard or left unanswered.

“He may say yes, he may say no or he may say wait.”

Sherman is the founding pastor of Institutional First Baptist Church in Albany and still takes the pulpit every Sunday. He retired from Albany State University in 2002 after 35 years on staff.

Sherman set a goal in 2012 of publishing one book a year as long as the Lord allows. So far, he has come close to reaching that goal. Here’s his list: “The Abundant Life” (2012), “Black Religiosity: A Biblical and Historical Perspective” (2013), “Children: Biblical and Ethical Teaching” (2014), “The Christian Family, A Biblical Perspective” (2015) and now, “Prayer, A Biblical Examination and Applications.”

All of Sherman’s books are available at Lifeway Christian Book Store, Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Recently asked how a man goes from a plow to a professor to a pulpit and then to the president’s (Obama’s) bookshelf, Sherman responded, “People must put God first regardless of other issues, circumstances or related experiences.”