Bahamian gospel artist Orlando “Landlord” Miller can now add author to his long list of accomplishments.
The award-winning artist shared intimate and painful details about his early upbringing in his book, titled, ‘Lord You’re My Strength. From Adversity to Triumph’, released on May 30, 2021.
In the 97-page autobiography, Miller tells the story of a life where he was made to feel worthless.
“When I was a youth, I had a low self-esteem,” Miller said when asked what people may learn about him from reading his book.
“I was told I am a nobody, my family is [nothing] and we will not amount to anything. And the funny thing is I started to believe every word they said to me. After attending Bahamas Faith Ministries, I learned about the kingdom and what the King has to say about me. Psalms 139:14 says I am fearfully and wonderfully made and that I am a king and He will give me the desires of my heart. And I chose to believe His words going forward, rather than the words of others, and that is when my life changed from a mess into a powerful message.”
But it would be years before Miller came to accept the word of the Lord. He said he hopes his book will inspire others who had a similar upbringing.
“Yes, this is my autobiography,” he said. “And most definitely I do feel I have a very powerful message to share because a lot of people are reliving my life every day. And by reading my book, [there] can be a guiding light out of the dark pathway they may find themselves in at this time. A person can only take you as far as they have been and, because I have been there, I am qualified to show them the way out through kingdom mindset.”
Most of all, he said he wants to give his readers hope.
“I want to let them know that your life is not too messed up that you can’t be used by God. He will take you from the pit straight into the palace.”
Miller, who was mentored by the late Dr. Myles Munroe and Pastor Dave Burrows, said he personally witnessed how books penned by both men impacted the lives of their readers. He said he hopes his book will have a similar impact on those struggling through life.
Miller said he shared a lot of secrets that he was ashamed to divulge while he was growing up, including one about his family structure.
“This book is filled with numerous sensitive moments of my early family life and our darkest struggles in the Caribbean, from being homeless, hungry, and spending the first 10 to 11 years of my life thinking my stepfather was my real dad, but he was not,” Miller said in a separate statement.
Providing the backstory, he added, “Mom was in her early 20s at the time and wanted to go back to Jamaica to visit her family. I surmise this was her way of getting some downtime and giving my stepfather a little space as well.
“However, while visiting back home in Jamaica, she met a young 17-year-old boy. He was tall and handsome. My mom really liked the young man and he was fond of her as well, but he lied to her about his age. He told her he was 20; his height allowed him to pass for being older.
“Well, as you would imagine, the unthinkable happened; she had an affair with the 17-year-old and a few months later, discovered she was pregnant. What a mess.
“Her predicament was dire: she was married, already had three children back in Nassau and this kid [had] nothing to offer. She could lose everything. I imagined the thought of having to return to live with her mom in Jamaica must have also scared her beyond belief.”
He said his mother, Rosalin Francis (now deceased), eventually made the decision to get an abortion.
“But as we know very well, God had another plan,” he continued. “I think she believed because my biological father was only 17 that he would not be too hard to convince to support her having an abortion. She was wrong.
“She went to the hospital to discuss having a procedure and called my birth father to bring her some money. After telling him why she needed the money, he vehemently refused. He told her, ‘No way would I help you kill my first child.’ And since she was unemployed and without any financial means to pay, she ended up carrying the pregnancy to term.
“This was extremely difficult for my mom. She also suffered from being bipolar and many times disrupted the entire family when her mental state was inconceivably out of balance. What I have learned through my harsh struggle is love will carry you a long way and give you strength to get up and keep fighting for a better day when others need you the most.
“I am so thankful to God for every moment of my life; the good, the struggles, and even uncertainty. If the devil had his way, I would have never experienced any of these things. Lord you’re my strength.”
Miller said though the months-long process was painful at times, he was proud of the work he did alongside his publishers.
His book is available on Amazon. It can also be purchased at Barnes and Noble.
