Living with my family in the small town of Avalon, on Catalina Island, 26 miles off the coast of Southern California was supposed to be like living in paradise. For most who live there, this is no doubt, true. And in many respects for me, it was also true. But not quite.

At that time, among some 1500 or so souls who lived there year 'round, I was probably the only one who felt like I had nothing to do, and that my life was being wasted. I wrote a poem about it entitled, "The Song of a Castaway." Its first lines went:

Catalina Harbor

My publisher, Tyndale House, visited me in my office and offered a contract to write another book for them. I agreed to do so and did it. The book sold a lot of copies, but did not satisfy my compelling desire to touch people's lives with the love of Jesus, or the immediate world in which I lived.

Sitting on the hill above Avalon, fondly referred to as 'Mt. Ada' by the locals, lived a beautiful mansion built and owned by chewing-gum magnate, William M. Wrigley. Story was that he had four such mansions, each identical to the other. Problem was, this one on Catalina had sat empty for the past 40 years.

So here were two things: A wasting life (my perception of my own), and a wasting gorgeous mansion, both of us rotting where we stood.

Enter the old Roman Catholic theologian, Martin Luther himself. Luther nailed his 95 theses on the church door in Wittenburg, Germany. This began a religious movement impacting the whole of Christianity, which came to be known as Prostestantism.

What does this have to do with me and Catalina Island?

Wrigley Mansion

Well, I stepped out of my house one fine day and glanced upward to my right. There sat the mansion. This was an everyday occurence for anyone who lived in Avalon. The thing was obtrusively conspicuous.

Impossible not to see.

Somehow, the mansion and Luther's 95 theses connected in my strange mind. I had for years wanted to help kids entering college to discover who they are and the gifts they possessed as an individual. Many, if not most kids entering college are utterly clueless as to what to major in or how their lives will develop in the coming years. An idea entered my mind: Thesis 96!

I believe in the core of my soul and intelligence that every single person on this earth has rationale which justifies their life -- their living on this earth and the timing of their existence -- just as singular and unique as one's fingerprint, eye retina or DNA. Call it a purpose, a calling, a raison d'etre. Call it whatever you want.

Whatever it may be, it is the responsibility of the individual to find it, or become it. Like Luther's 95, an individual's Thesis 96 is meant to impact the world for the reason God had in creating that person, and giving him or her life on earth and in eternity.

As I looked at the mansion that day, I thought, "Why let that thing sit empty for another forty years or whatever? Why not use it to help kids find their purpose in life. At the very least they would gain the knowledge to determine their majors in college."

After mulling this over in my mind for a while -- not sure how long, I decided to find out how available the mansion might be for such a purpose. I made an appointment with the president of the Santa Catalina Island Company and explained my concept to him.

He thought it had merit, but the decision to proceed was not his. That decision belonged to the Wrigley Foundation in the Wrigley building in Chicago. He asked me to put together a proposal which he would forward to the decision makers there.

I did.

Months went by as I waited for a response.

Finally, one came. The board at the Wrigley company liked the proposal and was favorably considering it.

I was ecstatic.

In the course of waiting for the consequence of their consideration, the current heir to the Wrigley estate died. I was advised that all of the assets of the Wrigley company went into probate. No decision regarding the proposal would be forthcoming until the lawyers and the courts were done their probating. This took years -- after which I was informed that the mansion was donated to the University of Southern California.

I was back to "square one."

But not for long . . .

Long before Rick Warren published his popular book, The Purpose Filled Life, I began to teach at every venue to which I was invited, that God had an individual, unique purpose for every individual, every unique person. And Luther's 95 Theses was just the jumping-off point, the diving board for the rest of us. The name, Thesis 96 was a natural. It fit like nothing else I could think of. It was so strong that it re-shaped my "calling" from God.

The apostolic writers literally bristle their messages with the calling of God for his people. Here is only one of many passages . . .

"God . . . who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity." -- 2 Timothy 1:9

So the scratchings you find on this website stem from carefully measured thoughts, shaped and massaged by formal education, decades of study and practice. It is my sincere prayer that they become effective tools to lift your spirits, and produce rich experiences with God and a solid, productive life..

-- PDM