FRANKLIN—Franklin native Willie Jester has self-published a book titled “Religion is a choice — Christ is a decision.” He will hold a book signing June 8 at the Peanut Patch in Courtland.

Jester said the book is about living in peace via “your relationship with Christ or if not there yet, it is about giving you something to think about.”

“It is about not being ashamed of being a Christian,” Jester explained.

He said the idea for the book started with him answering his own questions, “so I would have confidence in a conversation.”

He wanted to put his beliefs into his own words.

Subtitled “Hypocrites and Irrelevance” the book is about a conversation, or being able to talk to others about being a Christian.

“This is to empower and is to talking (about beliefs) backed by scripture,” he added.

In his own search for backing up his beliefs, he looked for the information to have conversations with others, which is what led to the book.

He said every religion acknowledges God but everybody uses him differently. “Christianity is the decision to accept him and want a relationship with him.”

Jester, a sales professor at Virginia Tech and a sales consultant who works with companies on sales techniques, now calls Blacksburg home, but is often in Franklin visiting family. He is the son of Frank and the late Peggy Jester, who founded Jester Insurance, where his brother, also Frank, works now.

Jester is currently working on a book about sales and starting a website in support of “Religion is a Choice” at mentionHim.com.

On the book jacket, Jester says, “Am I here to tell you what to believe? No, I am telling you what I believe and in doing so maybe I can shed some light, make you think, make you question, open your heart….As a Christian I am not called to convert you, convince you, convict you or be upset with you…Let’s have the conversation.”