Author’s experiences lift him to successful testimony

Published 3:03 pm Friday, October 21, 2022

GW Tolley wrote his first book, “Comforting Messages From Heaven,” in honor of his mother, Jean Tolley, who died Sept. 26, 2014. It was the beginning of something big.

But it didn’t start out that way.

Tolley was just a regular Elizabethton kid, though he always seemed to have problems with his ears. Even after his tonsils were removed, the health issues continued.

“I had ear issues from birth and that went on until my second year of high school [in Elizabethton],” Tolley said. “I was constantly at the doctor and … the issues would come right back, sometimes worse than before.”

With a name starting with “T,” Tolley found himself in the back of classrooms, where he couldn’t hear much going on up front. “I would get bored and I would doodle, and my mind would wander all over the place,” he added. “For me to receive a grade of a D+ or even a C- was a major accomplishment for me.

“My mom would work with me with flash cards. ‘You are smart, and you can do anything you put your mind to. There is always a way around, over, or under every situation and sometimes you have to just go through it,’ [she would say]. My momma was loving, kind, intelligent and business savvy. But if you messed with her family or her children … Well, that is another story.”

Because of his own sufferings and the kind care his mother provided, Tolley said he’s proud of what he eventually overcame and where it has led him. “Wear your scars with pride – I do,” he said. “We can not have a testimony without a test.”

Tolley’s main test came when his mother took him to an ear, nose and throat specialist, who discovered the boy had 95 percent hearing loss in one ear. “I had surgery and tubes to correct the issue,” he said. “My situation was so bad they did the surgery right then and there. They brought in a machine that was like a big vacuum cleaner. There was a big needle and …the liquid [that exited his ear] was almost black.

“They could not numb my ear and I just had to be a big boy and tough it out. My mom was right there with me. She said, ‘Be strong; I am right here with you.’ I did well and she wiped the one and only tear from my eye. All of this taught me to keep on moving forward and be an ‘overcomer’ [who would] ‘reach for the stars, but remember to keep your feet on the ground.’”

Tolley went on to grow up, and like everyone, tried to figure out his life direction. He’d attended church as a youth, but as many youths will do, he walked off in a different path. He had many ups and downs, including homelessness. He spent more than 20 years trying to figure life out, which lead him, he said, to a 10-year odyssey of learning.

Things got better and he ended up in the corporate world. There were good times, but some mind-numbing. He knew this wasn’t what he wanted to do with his life, but then his mother died, and all seemed lost.

“I had to pray for faith, broader shoulders, strength and seeing others as God’s children and not judging,” he said of his stepping-stone travel to find God again. “I also had to learn to forgive. Giving situations to God, I started watching my words; a few words of kindness can change a person’s day – or life. This process was all about learning to be Christ-like, selfless and having unshakable faith, hope and love. Listening to God and being obedient.

“I [had] wanted to do what I wanted to do. Free will … but that got me into a lot of trouble. God was always there. I found out it is all about a relationship with God. When I hit rock bottom, God was the rock are the bottom. He was there when no one else was. ‘God does not call the equipped, He equips the called.’”

An unexpected result was that Tolley became an author. “If anyone had said I would write a book – or even 13 books – I would have laughed at them and said no, not me,” he said, amused. “You have mistaken, you have the wrong guy. English, spelling grammar, punctuation ….that is not me.”

But, regardless of those hindrances, it was.

Tolley had a habit of writing thoughts on sheets of paper. Quite by accident, he found all these papers again and realized those thoughts might help others. So he got a good editor, kept his eye on God, and self-published them into the book “Comforting Messages From Heaven.” And he dedicated it to the woman who made such a difference in his life.

Flash forward to 2020. After winning the top award at his company – and then being laid off due to COVID-19 – Tolley took as his winnings a trip to Israel, all by himself.

“It was my first international trip,” he said. “What an amazing experience! While I was there, three additional books were in progress. “A Modern Day Job” was revealed at the city of David.” He is currently working on book 17.

He’s been busy indeed.

Book 16 sold well in the United States, but also internationally: Germany, United Kingdom, Canada, India, Brazil, Australia, Japan. “That amazes me,” Tolley said with a laugh about his success.

Now Tolley has 3 million social media followers who enjoy his work. Five-time Grammy award-winner Matthew West has hosted Tolley on his podcast. He’s found himself and his purpose by telling “it like it is, even if it sometimes hurts,” he said.

“When you have a story that is going to get out of you – if you like it or not – and it feels like you are going to explode, you have to get it out of your system,” he said. “Release it and get it out. That is what happened to me. The stories had to come out, [along with] the pain, the hurt, the shame, the tears of sorrow and joy. Write even when it is uncomfortable, because one of the best ways to heal is getting it out.”

“When you …are in control of yourself, that is powerful. Never let people, [or] where you came from or your circumstance dictate who you are and where you are going,” he said. “You have a purpose, I have a purpose. We all have a ‘Kingdom Purpose.’”

Along with being an international author, host of a TV show called “What’s Your Story,” and a self-publishing coach, Tolley is also a hard-of-hearing deaf advocate who leads Chanan Ministries, which works with aged-out foster children and homeless.

Life has come full circle. Tolley has been in Elizabethton – where it all started – since Sept. 3, visiting his dad, sister, brother-in-law and nephew.

Tolley talks a mile a minute, but says “it’s not about me; it is all about people helping people.” And that attitude how now brought filmmakers into the mix: A movie is in progress, one called “I am JOSIAH.”

“My trials have become my testimonies and giving God all the praise and glory,” Tolley explained. “My life has been restored and blessed and God made His Masterpiece out of my mess. But here I am; I have stopped fighting my calling. …[to] just embrace God’s love and His mercy.

“I share my stories through my trials, tribulations and testimonies. I want people to see Him, not me, and to God be all the praise and glory.”