The Path of Truth and Courage: The Wisdom of Sir John Holcombe

By J. Arthur Holcombe

The Path of Truth & Courage takes readers through the journey of a young Sir John Holcombe as he pursues his life long dream of becoming a Knight. Through his travels he is introduced to new family members and friends, which teach him important lessons on character and friendship. Along the path to glory, Holcombe also encounters enemies and decisions that seem equally difficult to battle; but with perseverance, consideration and will-- they are challenged and won with all the glory and vigor of sword fighting, hand battle and bloodshed expected from centuries ago.
Written in the setting of medieval times, the author writes with ease and explains lessons to the reader along the way that transcend time and can be applied to modern day living. The Path of Truth & Courage has taken on a life of its own as a tale for children of all ages to read and enjoy through the eyes of a Knight in training. But the book does not stop there; adults can easily translate the lessons that are given in italicized portions of the book as a plan to overcome daily obstacles at work and in life. J. Arthur Holcombe is often humbled by the steps that readers have taken to utilize his methods.
In the words of young and old, The Path of Truth & Courage entertains the reader while carefully teaching that love for a goal and love for friends and family cannot be compromised. Clearly, this novel will continue to follow in the legendary steps of its main character Sir John Holcombe, Knight Crusader and Benevolent Lord of Dorchester.
The first novel written by J. Arthur Holcombe has landed on nationwide bookstore shelves to overwhelming positive reviews from critics and readers from around the globe.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Jan 3, 2002
• ISBN: 9781469705521

J. Arthur Holcombe

James A. “Hoss” Boyd (Pseudo: J. Arthur Holcombe) Born in rural Arkansas near the town of Bentonville in the 1950's; J. Arthur Holcombe faced tremendous odds to become the successful businessman, real estate developer, investor and writer that he is today. With a true lineage that traces back to Sir John Holcombe, the Benevolent Lord of Dorchester; J. Arthur Holcombe’s personal life parallels the stories that he writes about so vibrantly in his first novel. Much like his legendary ancestor, J. Arthur was raised in a low income family background where most of his relatives did not have a high school education. With the guidance of family elders; he was able to work his way through high school doing manual labor on his family and neighboring farms, while also working as an electrician’s apprentice. Upon graduation from high school, Holcombe was accepted into the University of Arkansas; earning a Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture and a commission into the United States Air Force. Holcombe’s career in the Air Force flourished as he was selected for duty as a Titan II missile launch officer and would later become a missile instructor and evaluator. He met his wife, during his first assignment near Austin, Texas. In the mid-1980’s, J. Arthur transferred from active duty into the Air Force reserves, in order to pursue a calling into private business. His timing for a professional move could not have been worse---he chose to become a commercial real estate broker, just before the worst real estate market crash since the Great Depression. Over the next several years, he would battle the marketplace and a near-fatal bout with cancer that tested his personal limits in work, health and faith. It was during these times that Holcombe followed the teachings that he would later write about in his first book, The Path of Truth and Courage, (iuniverse.com, 2001). In the years to follow, Holcombe retired from the Air Force Reserves as a Lieutenant Colonel, and became a highly successful businessman with the center of his activities in the German town of New Braunfels, Texas. In 2008, he was invited to join the MENSA organization (www.mensa.org). Holcombe continues to live and share with others his principles of success found in The Path of Truth and Courage through his writing and speaking engagements. As of this writing Holcombe has been cancer free for 17 years and shares his life with his wife of over 34 years, two children, and two grandchildren.

Book preview

The Path of Truth and

Courage

The Wisdom of Sir John Holcombe

Knight, Crusader and Benevolent Lord

of Dorchester

As Retold by J Arthur Holcombe

Writer’s Showcase

New York Lincoln Shanghai

The Path of Truth and Courage

The Wisdom of Sir John Holcombe

Knight, Crusader and Benevolent Lord of Dorchester

Copyright © 2001, 2007 by J. Arthur Holcombe

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any

means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying,

recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without

the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief

quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Writer’s Showcase

an imprint of iUniverse, Inc.

iUniverse books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting:

iUniverse

2021 Pine Lake Road, Suite 100

Lincoln, NE 68512

www.iuniverse.com

1-800-Authors (1-800-288-4677)

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any Web addresses

or links contained in this book may have changed

since publication and may no longer be valid.

The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not

necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims

any responsibility for them.

Second Edition

ISBN: 978-0-595-21088-6

ISBN: 978-1-4697-0552-1 (ebook)

Printed in the United States of America

Contents

Foreword

Reflections

PART I

First Steps

Seeing Without Sight

Hardship: Gaining the Strength and Courage of a Warrior

Beginning the Journey to Knighthood

PART II

At the Hands of Others

To Trust, Seek, Honor, Love and Serve

The Lasting Chain of Friendship

PART III

A New Adventure

Difficult Choices and Fleeting Opportunities

The Secrets of Wealth

Changing Priorities

PART IV

The Quest for the One True Cross

PART V

Last Will

Retrospect

An Addendum

This book is dedicated to my loving wife and lifelong companion

Geneva, who has shared all of my many failures and

occasional successes but has remained faithful and patient;

and my beautiful, exceptional children: my daughter Melissa

and my son James.

All things are possible through Christ which strengthens me.

(Phil 4:13)

Foreword

Personal Testimonial of J. Arthur Holcombe

In 1985, I left a faltering career with the Air Force to make my fortune in commercial real estate—just in time to experience the worst real estate market crash since the Great Depression. About a year later, I began experiencing stomach cramps that was diagnosed as ulcers. It made sense to me that I would have ulcers, with all I was going through. The developer I worked for was bleeding red ink when I joined them as Vice-President of Investments. I didn’t know that until after we had nearly finished the new house and had moved out of the old one. They forced me out of the company a month before we were to close on our dream home. To make matters worse, the company’s Savings and Loan was financing both the construction loan and the permanent financing. The cramps got progressively worse as we faced the stress of finishing the house and coming up with a way to pay for it. As each problem arose, a solution presented itself. We found the financing we needed to finish the house and move in, and fortunately (thanks to my wife, Geneva’s intuition and persistence), I went into the Air Force Reserves straight out of active duty. Extra military duty gave us enough income to keep us afloat until I could find something more permanent.

Even though the problems were being solved, the cramps kept getting worse. The ulcer medication helped for awhile to ease the pain, but in time, the cramps came back much worse than before. In 1989, just as we were getting back on our feet, my health went into a nose dive. The night before I was hospitalized for advanced colon cancer, I came within hours of dying from a total blockage. After the emergency surgery, the doctors didn’t have much hope of my leaving the hospital alive. They told Geneva that I would be lucky to live two weeks more.

It was years later that Geneva shared that prognosis with me. The recovery wasn’t easy, but I never considered death as an option—I had too much to live for! My daughter was just 13 at the time, my son 12, plus my finances were in a total mess. For a year, I lived with a colostomy, endured 48 chemotherapy treatments, and went through a second abdominal surgery to reverse the colostomy. Through all of that, it occurred to me that I might not live to see my children become adults. I had so much I wanted to share with them, but there was the grim reality that I might not be there to do so. My decision to write The Path of Truth and Courage was to leave with my children some of the wisdom that had been passed down to me—to help them succeed in life if I couldn’t be there to guide them.

I’m writing these reflections in the year 2007, so as Mark Twain once said, the news of my death was greatly exaggerated. The Path of Truth and Courage was written entirely from the heart, and even though the principles in the book were intended to guide my children through life, those same words have helped me to live! And what a life it has turned out to be. In the first printing, I wrote on the cover that I was a self-made millionaire and cancer survivor, but at the time, I was neither! Once the book had gone to the publisher, it was too late to change what was written, so I was committed to live by those words and prove that they were legitimate—if to no one else but my own family.

Today, by living the words written so long ago in The Path of Truth and Courage, I can truthfully say I am both a cancer survivor and a multi-millionaire. I cannot say, however, that I am self-made. I must give credit where credit is due—I must give all the credit, thanks, and praise to God for making it all possible. He had a plan for me even though many of the experiences He led me through were painful. I’ve been blessed beyond my grandest dreams and now it’s time to share those blessings with you. I encourage you to read and live by the wisdom tucked between the lines of the story. I also welcome you to write me and let me know if you’ve been helped by the message. I look forward to hearing from you.

J. Arthur Holcombe

(You can contact J. Arthur through his website

at: www.truthandcourage.com)

Reflections

of

Sir John Holcombe

The Story Begins

Reflections

To my beloved Wife, Sons, and Daughters,

Death, I fear, is close at hand. It is through a lifetime of mortal combat we struggle, only to ultimately lose our final battle to the Dark Knight. With the end drawing near, I pray to Almighty God that He grant me sufficient time and strength to complete this record. Compared to my vast worldly riches, I have nothing of greater value to leave than these final written treasures.

I leave my earthly possessions according to written instructions contained in my Final Will, but this I also give to you now, the most valuable of all the wealth I possess … the final hours of my life. Although my strength is leaving me, my mind sees all too clearly the words I pass to you. Heed my words and you will become even more wealthy and powerful than I, the wealthiest and mightiest of Knights in the Court of King Richard, the Lion-Heart. The choice is yours, however to accept this challenge bears considerable hardship and danger … both the lifeblood of a true and courageous Knight. Only the worthy may pass beyond this gate. Only the strongest will endure. To those who accept the challenge and persevere to the end, comes the promise of great wealth and honor.

Fail in this quest and you shall spend the remainder of your days rotting in mediocrity. Succeed, and your grandeur shall endure all Eternity. The choice you make is yours and yours alone. May the grace and powerful hand of God be with you in your quest.

John Holcombe

PART I

Strength, Skill and Vision

First Steps

We all come into this earthly kingdom in like manner, yet why do some prosper while others do not? And is it not also a mystery that those who prosper, often do so at their own hand? It is true, there are the fortunate few who, being born into wealth, begin the journey of life ahead of the rest. Yet victory for even those who begin a prosperous life will come only after great effort. There can be no victory without a battle! And I faced my earliest battle while still in my mother’s arms.

Although we were not of nobility, we did not suffer from lack, nor did we fear from the many dangers that were common in other lands. I have but faint recollections of that special time … a time when I had the perpetual love of my mother and the total attention of my father. How simple and special should be the life of a child! Each day, I arose to the warmth of a fire tended by a firm but loving father; living each day under his watchful eyes. Each night I fell asleep enveloped in the arms of a loving, gentle mother. Nothing on this earth is as sweet as the melody of a mother’s lullaby. The lasting indelible image remaining in my mind is of my father, strong and powerful, embracing my mother in the dim hours of dawn before he rode away. That was the last time I would see my father … the last time I would ever feel the strength of his enormous arms carrying me high above his head.

To the day of her death, my mother never told me why my father left us, where he went, or why he never returned. This was a mystery that would be solved only with the passing of years. I only knew that from that fateful day, serenity was replaced by hardship and fear. Our peaceful home in Wales had been a thatched roof cottage surrounded by tall trees and grassy meadows … my father had been a good provider; my mother faithful and loving to us both. To them, God had given much … a first-borne son, and the promise of a second child newly conceived. But a time after my father’s departure, my mother and I were forced from our home by a cruel and uncaring