BP 126
Instead of writing a typical post, I wanted to announce that book two in The Jack Sutherington series was published several weeks ago, so if you’ve already read book one and want to tackle the next book in the five-title fictional series, it is now available. Below, I will briefly describe the focus of the entire series and then end with a picture of the back cover of Pursued by Light so you can gain a general idea what that specific book is about.
If you are not familiar with The Jack Sutherington Series, I will repeat what I said in a blog post just before book one, The Rumbling Beneath, was published. As a believer in Christ, a clinical psychologist, a Pastor-elder, and an adjunct professor at a nearby Christian university, I summarized the five main reasons I decided to write the books.
Five Reasons I Wrote Jack Sutherington and Pursued by Light
First, loved ones from several generations in my family have drifted away from God and eventually deconstructed their faith. How sad and agonizing that has been to observe! Because of that, I decided to write books that will, prayerfully, help them and other young and older adults see why faith in Jesus is the best pursuit in the universe.
Nothing else compares. I have been convinced time and time again that no other faith or world view in this entire space-time continuum accounts for where we came from, why we are here, what is right and wrong and healthy and unhealthy, and where we are going anywhere nearly as validly as Christianity.
Jesus is the only One who answers all the psycho-spiritual-relational questions in this world. He is the only One who offers solutions to our anxieties, hungers, nightmares, and deep longings to be seen, known, and to belong. He is the only One who loves us unconditionally and has the power to fill us with joy, peace, love, and a belief that walks by faith in a world that walks by sight.
Second, I have felt an urge for a decade to write a series of books that will offer believers in Jesus a Hogwarts experience from a Christian perspective. I want to be very clear—my intent is not to criticize Harry Potter; rather, it is to write a book series that portrays the power of a real God moving in the lives of characters in a way that brings hope to all who read it.
The Jack Sutherington Series has nothing to do with fictional magic but everything to do with the greatest miracle in this fallen world—hearts transformed eternally by the indwelling presence of Jesus Christ! Most of the characters in the series are composites based on real people I have encountered over the years who have been challenged and/or transformed by the amazing love of God.
Third, I initially intended to write a non-fiction book for young believers in the age range from 16-25 (a period I refer to as the Love Him or Lose Him stage) that would assist them to navigate that difficult span of years when many who have grown up in Christian homes encounter tempests of doubt that can potentially shipwreck their faith against the rocks of materialism, secularism, relativism, and university professors who debunk metaphysical reality.
This initially planned nonfiction book would have incorporated apologetics, scripture, and psychology with a view toward inviting the reader into understanding how to live most genuinely and healthily in this world.
But when I began preparing to write the nonfiction book, I heard a podcast about C.S. Lewis and what he referred to as the power of story. Within days, I felt an irresistible conviction to shift from writing a non-fiction book to a fiction book. I have never looked back. I have embraced the power of story as my writing medium just as I did with my reading medium as I have read hundreds of fiction books beginning in second grade.
The fourth reason I wrote this book series was because of Satan. Over the years as I raised my own children and worked for 40 years with people struggling with mental illness—many of them in the Love Him or Lose Him range—I have witnessed that there is a dark personality in the universe who opposes God’s purposes for humanity. Accordingly, one intent of The Rumbling Beneath, Pursued by Light, and the books that follow is to raise the awareness of how the enemy subtly and not so subtly battles to undermine our intimacy with God, with other people, and even with our own hearts.
The war for your soul is real. It is fierce. It will be fought to the death. You must develop awareness and skills to wage that war in your own lives and in the lives of others.
The fifth reason I wrote The Rumbling Beneath is to honor the God who pursued me and found me at age 17 just as I was entering the Love Him or Lose Him period. I was well down the path of losing Him when He showed up in the most interesting ways and spoke to my heart that He is there. Since that critical juncture in my life, Jesus has been my best friend, my GPS (God Positioning System) for all the twists and turns in my life, and my eternal hope.
I hope you enjoyed reading The Rumbling Beneath and will find Pursued by Light an even more interesting and compelling read. Know in advance that all the books in this series are very character driven, i.e., they portray people relating to one another, God, and even their own selves in realistic ways as they attempt to live their lives in this world seeking purpose and joy.
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” ~ Ephesians 2:10
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy” ~ 1 Peter 2:9-10
