These Words Changed Everything
A Website presenting simple words that have powerfully transformed the lives of ordinary people.

Presented by Dave Aeilts

Wordsmith, Author, Speaker and Communication Consultant
   

Readers Comment on These Words Changed Everything

"It is very hard to put down. I find myself reading at my lunch breaks and any free minute I get."--Steve L.

"I read the first paragraph in the book and stopped and tears came to my eyes. You write so I can see the picture of what the words say."--Laverne K.

"I've been sitting and reading your book - work and chores going by the wayside becaue I can't put it down. I finally had to pause to help Dick with our kitchen (new counters going in tomorrow) and just had to let you know how riveting the story is." - Linda B.

 Lessons from the [Open] Heart™

On July 8, 2009, cardio-thoracic surgeon Dr. Lyle Joyce performed open heart surgery on Dave at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.

Before that surgery, Dave heard powerful words like "calcified aortic valve" and "heart failure" that threatened to put his life on hold.

While preparing for surgery and in recovery, Dave heard other more powerful words which gave him hope and the ability to laugh amid the crisis.

Dave shares these words of hope in a special presentation designed for general audiences. All of us will eventually face a life crisis, whether medical, financial, legal, or personal. All can benefit from Dave's inspirational talk: Lessons from the [Open] Heart. Visit our Speaking Engagements page to learn more.

 

Welcome to my website! 

It is said there are four things you can never recover:
1. The Stone . . . after it is thrown.
2. The Word . . . after it is spoken.
3. The Occasion . . . after it is missed.
4. The Time . . . after it is gone.

If No. 2 is true, each of us should be very careful what we say and how we say it. King David remarked, "When words are many, sin is not absent; but he who holds his tongue is wise." (Psalm 10:19) On the other hand, we should pay close attention to well-chosen words, because of their high value. Another King named Solomon observed, "A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver." (Proverbs 25:1)

My Website will provide you with a few carefully chosen stories of how words have transformed individuals and nations, both my writings and the writings of others. Below is my first offering, a non-fiction novel entitled These Words Changed Everything.

Sincerely yours,
Dave Aeilts

Chamulas of Southern Mexico

. . . had little hope. Descendants of the once proud Maya Indians, they were enslaved by Spanish conquistadors to build a great city and its cathedrals. Centuries later, the majority Ladino population continued to discriminate against them.

Chamulas kept themselves poor and wretched by practicing witchcraft and ritual alcoholism within a system designed to keep any one man or woman from rising above the rest. To protect themselves, the tribe kept outsiders at arm's length and violently guarded their traditions.

Fear was perhaps the greatest price Chamulas paid for the counterfeit comfort of tradition - fear of fellow Mayas and fear of gods who required unwavering obedience and sacrifice.

Then it happened. Chamulas finally met their written language - written words in their own mother tongue. These words caused tens of thousands to abandon their allegiance to death and poverty. These words forged prosperous new lives and permeated communities with uncompromizing hope. For the Chamula people, These Words Changed Everything (STEM Press, 2009).

 

Forty-two years ago Paxcu (right) was burned out of her home by a mob of vigilantes who objected to the Good New Words she was following. Three of the four children in her care died that night. Paxcu, then 18 years old, took a shotgun blast to her face and still carries 21 pellets in her body from that brutal attack.

This Book Available Now!

These Words Changed  Everything, a 192-page adult non-fiction novel with eye-witness accounts by Paxcu and dozens of Chamulas who lived the story, has just arrived from the printer.

Order your autographed copy today at the author's discount. Order two and give one away for Christmas.

Your books will ship within two days of receiving your order.
Paxcu López Hernández

Ken Jacobs & Dave Aeilts on KKMS

KKMS Live Hosts Jeff and Lee recently interviewed author Dave Aeilts and Ken Jacobs, whose translation of the Bible into Chamula forms the plot line for These Words Changed Everything.

At right, Ken explains to Jeff Shell that ordinary methods of evangelism did not work with the fierce Chamulas.

"If Elaine and I went out knocking on Chamula doors, we'd probably get to the second house before feeling a razor-sharp machete on our necks or the blast of a muzzle-loaded gun in our backs."

Instead, the Jacobs hired Chamulas to work in their large walled garden and learned the language from them. One of their language helpers, when he read and believed in the Good New Words, dared to tell another Chamula who dared to tell another and so on, until Christianity began spreading like a wildfire throughout the tribe.

Listen to the entire interview at http://www.kkms.com/blogs/JeffandLee/archives/

Ask Ken and Dave to speak at your next club or company event. Contact Us with date and time.