According to His Purpose: An Interview with Gary Zimak

We know that in everything God works for good with those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose (Rom. 8:28). When I interviewed popular Catholic evangelist, Gary Zimak, I wanted to know just exactly how God totally fired up a man who, by his own description, was a "lukewarm" cradle Catholic, with very little knowledge of the Faith—a dissatisfied corporate professional who avoided public speaking, and a married homeschooling dad with too much on his plate already. Yet, in a few short years Zimak has morphed into a dynamic and faithful speaker with a couple of great books to his credit, several regular gigs on radio, and a very busy full-time mission to bring the life-giving, faith-restoring truths of Catholicism to parishes all over the country. So, Gary, how did God prepare you for this work? I don't know if you can ever be prepared for this! I was a cradle Catholic with twelve years of Catholic education. However, I was very lukewarm. I did not know my faith, and didn't care about it. In 2004 I came down with a mystery illness and I panicked, thinking, "This is it. I could be dying. I could be judged! I should be close to God." And that resulted in a big reversion. I suddenly had a great desire to learn as much as possible about the Faith. I began studying, never intending to get into radio or blogging. It's funny, I made my living for thirty years in technology, but I didn't know what blogging was, and I never wanted to write! I really depended on EWTN radio and TV, and I started praying the Liturgy of the Hours. These were the initial beginnings of growing and having a personal relationship with Christ, which I had never had before. This experience gave me the knowledge necessary to share the Faith with others. As for my mystery illness, it disappeared with no diagnosis ever being made. The Lord definitely knew how to get my attention! What made you so sure God was calling you into ministry? Not only did I begin to love my Faith, but I now had a desire to share it with others. I knew that there were many other lukewarm Catholics out there who didn't understand their faith, and I wanted to help them. And of course, I prayed a lot, and asked for guidance. God closed some of the doors I tried to go into. My initial desire was to become a permanent deacon. I thought that was what I was supposed to do, that I needed to be ordained if I was going to fully live and profess my faith. But my kids were young at the time and a priest said, "I don't know if that is really right for you." It never fell into place. I realize now that holiness is for everyone, not just the clergy and religious. Lay people are also called to learn, live, and share their faith. I started getting more involved online, and God used me to reach out to more people than I ever thought possible. And my main goal still is to present the teachings of the Church and help people come to a personal relationship with Christ. You're getting a lot of work as a speaker. How do you see God's hand in that? Funny thing is I do a lot of public speaking, now, but in the past I dreaded it. In fact, I hated it. But now I really have this desire to do it! Right before talking, I'm not nervous. My main concern is that I never want to mislead anyone. I do everything I can to do the best talk that I can. I want to reach people and communicate the Lord's message. I always pray, "Lord, please give me the words." I do my homework and prepare, but I don't use notes, just an outline—and let it flow. When I go and do my talks I realize this is not me, it's the Holy Spirit. I remember when Matt Swaim contacted me for my first interview on EWTN radio. Before the interview, I told my wife, "Well, I'll do this one, but I will probably never do another one." I remember praying, "I don't know how to do radio, Lord. Give me the words," and it flowed! And the rest is history. I've been a regular on EWTN and Relevant Radio ever since then. My radio career still amazes me because it's just a radical departure from my natural style and personality. For most of my life I've been an introvert, but working for the Lord has certainly changed that! How would you describe the beginnings of your apostolate? The Lord was very good to me. I created the Following the Truth website in 2008, and he let me go on working as a project manager until 2012. I was in ministry part-time, did a lot of radio and writing, but without having to worry about making a living with Catholic evangelization. I absolutely hated my job in the last several years, and I would pray, "Lord, what's going on, here? I seem to be doing a lot of radio and writing, people seem to like this; but why am I still at this job?" I couldn't understand why the Lord still had me working in the commercial world, but I knew He had His reasons. Looking back, I now realize that He allowed me to concentrate on evangelization and not worry about earning a living doing it. I had a corporate paycheck and was getting much-needed practice in getting more contacts, and learning a lot of PR and marketing. In essence, I was becoming very comfortable speaking and writing about the Catholic Faith without having to worry about earning a living doing it full time. What inspired your first book? The concept literally came to me as I was walking my dog around the block, but the initial seeds were planted many years ago. Do you remember the Gideon Bibles? Well when I was in college, someone gave me one as I walked across campus. And inside the cover were notes on where to find help in Scripture when you were worried, lonely, etc. I liked that, and I kept it and looked at it whenever I was discouraged or depressed. In late 2011, I suddenly got the idea that it would be great do a Catholic version of that Gideon Bible, which would direct readers to verses that would relieve their anxieties. I often give talks about dealing with anxiety. Some of my more popular ones are: "From Fear to Faith" and "Pray, Hope and Don't Worry." The answer is always a personal relationship with Christ, which involves prayer, following the teachings of His Church, receiving the sacraments, and reading the Bible frequently. Many Catholics are unfamiliar with the Bible, so my intention was that the book would help them to locate key verses when they were anxious. I contacted Liguori and they loved it, and it's since been published as A Worrier's Guide to the Bible: 50 Verses to Ease Anxieties. It's already in its second printing, but I want to reach even more people and let them feel God's peace in their lives. Tell me about your second book, Listen to Your Blessed Mother: Mary's Words in Scripture. I made my Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary in October 2011, when I was really struggling with accepting my job. I was miserable. I had never really appreciated the Blessed Mother, but then, suddenly, when I completed the Total Consecration, I got complete peace and the ability to accept my job. With Our Lady's help, I was finally able to say, "Lord, if this is where you want me, I'm fine with it." Two months later, I was laid off (for the first time in my life) and officially began working full time for the Lord! This book was written out of love for my Heavenly Mother and to call attention to her many great qualities. She is the perfect role model for us as Christians. Unlike other Marian books, I wanted this book to be based solely on Scripture so that any non-Catholic can see what the Bible says about Mary. In addition to Catholics coming to a greater love and understanding of Mary, my hope is that a Protestant might look at the book and see that Mary is important. After all, if she wasn't important, why did God use her to deliver the Savior? Why would Our Lord give her to Saint John (and to all of us) while He was dying on the cross? Why did Jesus perform His first miracle at the request of Mary? She is important and there's a reason that these details are included in the pages of Sacred Scripture. What is your relationship like, with Mary? I love her and I'm proud to call her my heavenly mother. I wear a brown scapular and pray the rosary daily. She's guiding me by the hand and taking me where her Son wants me to be. But working for the Lord full time is not easy. I'm the only one working in the house. My wife's homeschooling and the bills still need to get paid. If I get to the point where I'm unable to support my family, I may have to get a job in the commercial world again and that's okay with me. By her example, Mary is teaching me that following God's will means doing what He wants me to do, even if I don't fully understand it. Everything will be okay if I give it to the Blessed Mother. I've got enough money right now to lead the Total Consecration (on radio) again, this year, so I know she's in charge and wants me to trust her. Who inspires your work? Mother Angelica! She had a tremendous influence on me throughout my whole reversion process and even more so now. I owe so much to Mother. In a sense our stories are quite similar. She wasn't qualified to start a global TV and radio network, but she trusted. I'm not qualified to be a full time evangelist, author, and radio host, but somehow the Lord has allowed it to happen! By really studying Mother's life story—what had happened to her, how many times her back was against the wall, financially, and how something always happened to solve the problem—I've learned that if God wants me to work for Him full time, He will provide. Do you have a bucket list? To be totally honest, I just pray every day to do the Lord's will, whatever that is. I'd like to reach out to people in new and different ways; but I don't have any specific plans other than continuing to write and speak about the "Good News" of the Catholic Faith. I just try to go in the doors he opens for me. At some point I'd like to get involved with TV, but I'll trust that God will let me know when the time is right. My goal is to continue bringing souls to Christ and I'm excited to see how the Lord plans to use me! You can find out more about Gary's books, listen to many of his radio interviews, and contact Gary through his website Following the Truth.