An Interview with R. Christian Bohlen

R. Christian Bohlen is a bestselling author and an award-winning consultant to Fortune 500 companies, providing instructional design services and developing human performance improvement programs. He has been involved in ministry and church leadership for more than thirty years and worked for over a decade with juvenile offenders as an educator. He’s enjoyed a successful career in corporate training, resulting in prestigious personal and team awards including the 2023 Brandon Hall Gold award for blended learning design and the 2015 ISPI Outstanding Human Performance Improvement award. He holds a Master of Science degree in Communications. His interest in writing Christian learning materials developed thirty years ago as he looked for simple resources to help youth understand the Bible and find Christ.

Visit rchristianbohlen.com to learn more or contact the author directly at christian@hislifeandmine.com.

Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

I’m an unlikely author in one sense: I tried to escape my typing class in high school, quite literally, and for years, I never even considered writing a short story much less a novel. But necessity is the mother of invention: While working for twelve years in a juvenile correctional facility, I perceived a great need for easy-to-understand books about Jesus Christ for those who were not great readers or knew very little about the Bible. Being a passionate teacher at heart, I felt called to write my first book titled, Jesus Christ, His Life and Mine, which presents the abridged life and teachings of Jesus in an engaging, relevant format that’s not too long—making it all wonderfully relevant to our social media era. I had some amazing spiritual experiences to help change my own life from selfishness and drug addiction to a life that seeks to honor God, so I wanted to help others have that same experience.

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

I started as a full-time rock-n-roll musician, traveling the East Coast with the band I organized. It was a blast until I fell in love, got married within six months, and that was the end of the high-flying life of a musician—but on to the greater joys and experiences of marriage. Then on to be a math teacher at the correctional facility (wow, big change), and on to corporate training, instructional design, learning materials development, project management, and program leadership. But again, I’m a teacher at heart–particularly when it comes to the things that matter most: God’s purpose for His children and how to experience happiness and joy.

Tell us the story of your book’s title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

It came rather easily. Spiritual miracles are very great miracles even though they happen on the inside. So the book is about a miraculous shared experience among acquaintances in the town of Angels Bend. The town has its own miraculous past that folds into the story at one point. Therefore, it is the story of the Miracle at Angels Bend.

How did it feel when you first saw your book cover? Or when you first held your book in your hands?

I love this book’s cover beyond my ability to say. It’s engrossingly colorful. It shows Christ overlooking the bend in the river surrounding the town of Angels Bend. He is illuminated by a rich, golden segment of the sky that absolutely melts my heart. He stands on top of Angels Mountain, the scene of a transformative experience for one of the characters and a near-death plunge for another.

If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?

“If We’re Honest” by Francesca Battistelli is a great fit, because the characters in this book are so troubled and broken and hiding deep, troubling secrets and pains. But as the song says, “Mercy is on the other side, if we’re honest.” If you’re not sure whether you know this song, give yourself this gift today: Look it up and play it. It’s divinely beautiful with a genius message and heart-melting music. “Bring your brokenness and I’ll bring mine, ’cause love can heal what hurt divides.”

What is one thing you hope readers take away from reading your book? How do you envision your perfect reader?

Anyone who has experienced tragedy, grief, intense guilt, lust, addiction, adultery or wishing for adultery, mental illness or living with someone mentally ill, or doubt that God is even there at all will find a character to relate to. I hope readers experience a powerful, undeniable witness that Jesus of Narazeth was more than a man, and that believing in Him fully can heal and bring joy. I hope someone who has nearly lost all hope will experience new hope that a spiritually focused life can change everything.

What was the most rewarding/meaningful part of publishing your book?

While writing this book, my family’s life was deeply touched for the better. I literally wept many times while writing because the power of the Holy Spirit was so strong and the story was so real. I will never forget that experience and surely never cease to be grateful for it. I’m also in the middle of narrating/voice acting the audiobook, which is not my first time, but it’s so amazing to read your own powerful story and feel it just working and coming to life even more.

What new writing projects are you currently working on? Or, other projects that are not writing?

I want to continue blogging. My website has become very popular and I see that people are hungry for solid content about topics that matter, like faith, mental health, marriage, sex, God, and more. I currently have thousands of visitors per month spending a lot of time reading my posts from the past eight years and that’s very exciting to me. Please visit me at rchristianbohlen.com and send me a message! Would love to hear from you.

Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.