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James Curtis Geist
Jim Geist grew up in Allentown, Pennsylvania, when tens of thousands of blue-collar jobs under Presidents Carter and Reagan were moving overseas in a global economy from the Lehigh Valley in the 19...view moreJim Geist grew up in Allentown, Pennsylvania, when tens of thousands of blue-collar jobs under Presidents Carter and Reagan were moving overseas in a global economy from the Lehigh Valley in the 1970s and 1980s. His father was a member of the United Auto Workers and assembly line worker at Mack Trucks; his mother, a nurse; and his younger sister, a lover of art, volleyball, and horse riding. The neighborhood park, friends, and church provided a healthy way to pass time. Family gatherings were weekly, and family vacations were spent on the shores of New Jersey and moved further south every year, until finally reaching the shores of the Outer Banks in North Carolina.
Geist attended Nyack College and the Alliance Seminary, and one of his favorite books is Confessions by early church father, Augustine. Geist became a Protestant minister in New York City from 1993 to 1999 and a human rights activist, speaking out on sweatshops, child labor, modern-day slavery, and genocide in Sudan. He has served as a social studies teacher from 1999-2015 in New York City and Newark, New Jersey, in both public and charter schools. He ran for office in 2006 and lost, gaining many valuable lessons to share in his government classes. It also deals honestly with failed relationships, healing a broken heart, and how to develop health relationships with others and oneself and God.
He has been in the recovery rooms for eight years and testifies as to how it has deepened his spirituality and helps him live a life of reasonable contentment. Living in the moment, processing feelings, keeping connection with God, and focusing what to be grateful for have kept his life boat keel steady in the rocky seas of life. Often the very things you fear most are the key to finding answers to your questions. How does one deal with the “hole in the soul” syndrome even after developing a relationship with your higher power?
He currently lives in West Milford, New Jersey, enjoys reading, hiking, campfires, and visiting family and friends. Students called Mr. Geist “Mr. Incredible” because he looked like the cartoon father character in the movie The Incredibles. This is his first book full of many humorous stories, insightful observations, and lessons learned. Jim Geist can be reached at jcgAugustine@gmail.com.view less