Book review – Deadline Eternity: a journalist torn by three loves

“One deadline no one will miss is the moment we die,” writes veteran South African journalist Ron Steele in the final chapter of his frank and fascinating memoir, Deadline Eternity: a journalist torn by three loves.

Now in his 80s, Ron began sports reporting for the Rand Daily Mail at the age of18. “It was exciting to get that adrenaline fix when working against a deadline – one thrill of newspapers,” he writes. He says he loved seeing his name under a flashy headline above an exclusive story. 

“Herded” to a Methodist Sunday School by his mother, he says he was not “anti-religion”. But his reporting job required Sunday work which meant skipping church. “Personal ambition and a love for sport easily snuffed out any serious contemplation of the church or anything spiritual,” he writes.

“I was unaware that God’s unseen hand was guiding my life and blissfully oblivious and not concerned about it,” he says.

After accepting a newspaper job in Zambia (then Northern Rhodesia) in his early 20s, which he saw as a stepping stone towards his ambition to work on leading newspapers in London’s Fleet Street, he accepted Jesus as his Saviour during a church service in a small mining town. And so began a journey with a second love in his life – God. In a remarkably short time he was preaching and then pastoring a small Pentecostal church in Lusaka.

And then he met the third love of his life, Maureen – to whom he has been married for 55 years. Things became complicated in his church when he started dating her and he decided to go back to South Africa where he landed a newspaper job in Durban. 

Ron confides that it was exhilarating to be back in journalism. But, he writes, there was a cost. “The challenge this brought was ominous. A conflict of interests waged in my soul. Christian values were at stake in an arena that, though strong in reporting truth and justice, encouraged a sensual and mostly godless lifestyle.”

He says the lifestyle pitfall that eventually got a grip on him was alcohol – something he had not touched for three years as a pastor in Zambia and for another three years after that.

He also shares how he had a “divine wakeup call” about the woman he had walked away from when he decided to end his time in Zambia. The eventual outcome of this reminder was that he and Maureen got married in Durban in October 1968. In his memoir Ron shares about many ups and downs as he tried to reconcile the three loves of his life.

With a family to support he left the newspaper world for the more lucrative world of corporate public relations in Johannesburg. But eventually the pull of newspapers led him to resign and begin a new chapter of journalism back in Durban. Around this time he was also aware that “my drinking was going to destroy my life”.

Ron’s passion and talent for journalism landed him assignments like writing columns for cricket stars Barry Richards and Clive Rice. But debt problems and time spent with his newspaper drinking buddies put an increasing strain on the Steele’s marriage. 

Eventually, at a low point in their relationship, Ron agreed to attend a special church service with Maureen. It was a turning point in his spiritual journey – and an end to his drinking problem. Some time later he realised he needed to surrender to God. He prayed for an opportunity to return to ministry. He did not want to be a pastor again but said to God he was willing to do whatever He wanted.

God responded by opening amazing doors, in which Ron got to serve Him through his media gift. He wrote biographical books for both evangelist Reinhard Bonkke and Rhema Church founder Pastor Ray McCauley. He also got to travel with Bonnke on Africa crusades and was a spokesman and right-hand man for McCauley in a number of extraordinary exploits that included significant moments in South Africa’s transition to democracy and peace missions in Africa.

In their 80s, Ron and Maureen are still living a faith-stretching life. In his concluding chapter he writes of the final deadline – the moment we die. “In that instant, we discover whether there is life after death. Yet we make our decision about eternity before we die.”

Ron’s life story is a compelling testimony to the reality of the eternal life we can enter through accepting the claims of Jesus with childlike faith.

• Deadline Eternity: a journalist torn by three loves is available at Takealot (soft cover) and Amazon (e-book).

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