About the Book

Book: The Orphan Carpenter: Orphaned at birth. Adopted by God. A tale of hope and a future. Author: Kenneth Ian McQuarrie Genre: Spiritual Growth/Memoir Release Date: November 22, 2022

“Ok Lord, I sure hope you have this under control, because from where I sit things aren’t looking so good.” When I came into this world, there were no baby showers, no celebrations, no father handing out big cigars, or first photo being passed around the office. Grandma, grandpa, aunts, and uncles would not be visiting, pinching my chubby cheeks and saying how cute I was. You see, I was an orphan. Unwanted, cold, hungry, and alone … or was I? Have you ever wondered where God is? How can this be happening? What did I do to deserve this? Have your circumstances led you to question your faith? Does God care? Does he even exist? My core beliefs had been shaken. To make sense of what just happened, I went back and examined my own life. So many times, the odds were heavily stacked against me, life and death situations. Yet, somehow, someway, God always showed up. From orphan to carpenter and beyond, the pages of this book are my life stories. But the book is not about me or my story. It’s about God. As you read these true stories of my life like parables, may they be a testament that God loves you and has a plan to give you hope and a future.

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About the Author

An orphan from birth with serious medical complications, Kenneth went into foster care at three months old. Eventually adopted by his foster family, he grew up in a small northern Canadian city. Being raised by loving Christian parents and mentored by his carpenter grandfather, he dreamed of becoming a carpenter himself one day. The Lord had different plans for young Kenneth. Plans that would take him on an incredible life journey to the pinnacle of the North American construction industry. Kenneth has always held firmly to his faith throughout the journey, trials, and tribulations. He’s served in church administration and hosted and led Bible studies throughout his adult life. He lives in Orange County, California, with his wife, Celine.

More from Kenneth

Back in early 2018, following a very harrowing experience, I found my marriage starting to crumble. My wife Celine and I were processing things very differently. I’m a builder, a fixer, and I couldn’t fix it. Jeepers, I didn’t even know what it was. Suddenly, this random thought flooded into my brain, and I blurted out, “Would you be willing for us to go see a counselor to help us process all this?” Did I just say that? I thought as Celine said, “OK, yes, let’s do that.” At one of our counseling sessions, the counselor said, “Your lives together began when you started dating. But, before that, both of you had lived separate lives for many years. So, for this week’s homework assignment, I want you to write each other a story from your life. The life you had before you met. Your memories from when you were growing up.” “Me, write a story? I barely passed English class in school. I’m no writer,” I responded. The counselor smiled. “I’m not saying write a novel. It’s more like a letter, just write down some memories of your life you can share. Just like our session today, this will help you to understand each other better.” “OK, I’ll give it a try,” I said. That night, Celine fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, exhausted from the emotional roller coaster a few hours before. So, I pulled out a journal and pen and began to write. I scribbled notes down for about an hour then fell asleep. In the morning, I handed Celine my journal. As she began to read, her brow wrinkled, followed by her face contorting as if in pain. Finally, after a couple of long minutes, she looked up. “Is it that bad?” I asked. “No, it’s not that it’s bad. It’s … you should write this.” “I just did.” “No, I mean you should write your story, your whole story.” “You mean like a book? I can’t write a book. I barely passed English class. “No, you can’t spell, and yes, your grammar is terrible, but you tell stories all the time, and people like your stories. People remember your stories.” Celine was right about one thing, the fact that I tell a lot of stories. When I was young, Mom would tell me stories repeatedly of how I came to be a McQuarrie. I loved Bible stories about Moses, Joseph, and King David as a little guy. I guess not being good at English, I often used stories of my life to explain myself or try to relate to others. “Stories are one thing, but to write a book, you have to have a point or a purpose, not just a bunch of stories,” I said to Celine. “Well, you should pray about it,” Celine responded. After almost a year of praying about it and three years of writing, in November 2022, The Orphan Carpenter was published. I know the Lord had his hand in writing this book because there is no way I could have pulled this off on my own. I pray the Lord takes these stories to those they were meant to encourage. “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.” Acts 20:24

Interview with the Author

Why do you think the topic of your book is important?

Many statistics today state that people are losing faith in God. Many of the younger generations don’t believe God exists. The entire purpose of this book is to present the gospel message in an easy and relatable way. The stories in this book are like modern-day parables, proving that God not only exists but also loves you and is working in your life to bring you hope and a future. All the stories are true; they really happened. But my life stories are secondary and are used only to show how God works today in our lives, just like he has been for centuries in the lives of those who came before us. I pray the stories in this book bring encouragement and renewed faith in how much God loves you and is working in your life.

Why do you think this topic is needed?

Depression and crime are on the rise, and faith in God is in decline. With social media and a 24-hour news cycle, the world is bombarded with information overload. Much of the information is negative. We hear story after story of pain and suffering. This book is to bring hope and a renewed faith in God through real-life stories. I use these stories to show that God is real and working to bring us hope and a future.

What did you learn from writing this book?

This book began as an assignment my wife and I were given during a counseling session following a traumatic experience. The assignment was for each of us to write a story about our life before we met. So we could better understand how we react differently to situations based on our upbringing. Well, I just kept on writing. I always knew God was working in the background of my life, but it wasn’t until I finished this book and linked all the stories that I could see how much God is involved in our lives. Regardless of the events, big or small, life or death, God always showed up somehow. And he is working through the circumstances of life to guide us on a specific path. Nothing is random or by chance.

Do you have a favorite Puritan? If so, who and why would you choose them?

My favorite Puritan would be John Wesley, who founded the Methodists. John Wesley was an ordained Anglican priest and theologian. He was very knowledgeable in scriptures and Christian doctrine. But his ministry didn’t really begin until he was filled with the holy spirit at age 35. From then on, he became a fearless evangelist and traveled over 250,000 miles on horseback, preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ and giving money to the poor. John Wesley’s life shows how if we try to control things and do it our way, we may learn a lot about God, but it’s not until we humble ourselves and put our complete faith in GOD that he can powerfully use us to help others. I write a little more about John Wesley in the book.