Posts tagged 10 Things I Hate About Christianity

Well, it’s official. My book’s release date is set.

10 Things I Hate About Christianity will hit the streets on MARCH 1st!

It will be available through all
the major retailers, amazon, and anywhere else books are sold. And I
will also have MAJOR discounts available on my site.

March 1st will also begin my media campaign. So you just might hear me on the radio in your neck of the woods. You can keep posted here on my blog to check my schedule.

So tell your friends, relatives, neighbors, second and third cousins, dog, cats, and birds to get ready to get my book (please!).

[And did I get published? Or have I taken matters in my own hands? More on that later this week…]

Last night I got my book 10 Things I Hate About Christianity: Working Through the Frustrations of Faith back from my editor. It may sound strange, but, yes, although I don’t have a publisher I do have an editor. I hired an editor on my own for two reasons:

1. Originally I intended to publish my book myself, so hiring an editor was part of the process.

2. I read a writing book that said it is always a good investment on your part to hire an editor on your own to go over the first draft even though you may be trying to get published. It can only help your chances.

So getting it yesterday means I had to resist the urge to stay up late reading it. But I did do a little reading.

It’s very strange to read your own work. There is a sense of deep satisfaction knowing you have written all that your reading and accomplished a HUGE personal life-goal. But there is also a sense that it stinks. I don’t know why that is. Probably just part of creating something in general, that goes along with the territory.

So I read chapter 2 on prayer. Below is little more sample reading to wet your appetite. Please let me know what you think. Have a great weekend!

#2: Prayer

I once had an office job, which took some adjusting to. I’m a hands-on type of person, and I like going different places and doing different things. Sitting at a desk was much more controlled and confined than I was used to. I gained twenty pounds from the change of pace.
One day I was sitting there at my desk trying to get in contact with the person in the next office. His door was closed, so I wasn’t sure if he was in a meeting or something. My need wasn’t immediate, so I sent him an email. No reply. As time went on the issue became more pressing, so I sent him an IM over the computer. No response. Next I called him on the office phone. I got his voicemail. I called him on his cell phone. More voicemail. I tried beeping him on the two-way radio feature our phones had. Nothing.
Finally, I got up and knocked on the door. He told me to come in. We discussed the matter to my satisfaction, and I went back to my office.
Thanks to today’s amazing technology, I had at my disposal a variety ways to communicate with my coworker. But though I wasn’t more than fifteen feet away from him, we weren’t any more connected relationally than before all these advances were available. In fact, we were more distant. They made our interaction less personal and therefore less effective. Even with all the new possibilities, the old-school face-to-face talking worked best.
There are no such technological advances to scroll through when I’m trying to communicate and connect with God. In fact, there’s only one—simply talking to him, or praying, as we say. No double and triple function buttons to fumble through with my fat fingers as I try to fire off a quick message.
Still, most of the time I feel like it doesn’t work, and I feel distant. Quite often it turns out to be even less personal than any other communicating I do in my life. I don’t find myself feeling measurably any more connected with him afterward. And I hate that.
I often wonder if there’s something I could do different. Or is it a pointless and empty undertaking?

More to come…

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This is the day that my book gets decided on at one particular publisher. Seven editors have been reviewing it and meet today to discuss if they will take the project on. If all goes well I hope to hear from them sometime this week and begin negotiating a contract.

So if you believe in such things like me please PRAY!

But I don’t want to disrespect anyone’s search for God or spiritual journey even though I might not understand or agree with it. So you may also:

*squint your eyes, clench your firsts, grit your teeth, and wish real hard for me

*read the stars and rub some magic rocks or crystals and send me your positive energy

I appreciate the support either way and I will keep you posted…

*First let me remind everyone that I will be posting the 2nd thing I hate about Christianity on Monday.

Anyway, I wanted to take a moment to talk about some of the comments on my book. I want to say thank you to everyone who took the time to read it and then share some thoughts. I had a few critical ones, which I can take. I prepared myself to hear that it really sucks and that I am probably going to Hell for saying some of those things, but I had mainly positive feedback.

Obviously, this is very fun for me. To think that an idea that birthed in my heart and then stuck in my mind came out on paper in a way that made some sense makes me happy. That’s not an easy feat. So thanks!

Anyway, I want to take a moment to highlight some of the comments that really moved me:

JD said:
Honesty. I think it’s the one thing that we as Christians need more than anything else. We need to show all the different areas of our faith that are “irrational” in nature and be open about them.

Dan said:
I really like that you use hate and Christianity in the same breath.

Julie said:
All I have to say is I can’t wait to read the rest. I read the first 15 pages and your views completely hit home with me.  The whole “personal conflict” thing is something I deal with everyday.  I guess it’s just a lifelong process…no one just wakes up and is perfect in their faith.

Trego said:
The best part of the writing this type of book is working through cynical attitudes that so many of us have.

Ben said:
It feels as if you went right into my head and pulled out some of my thoughts that I couldn’t express.

Don said:
A lot of times we fall into that tricky part of how much of it is intellectual and how much of it is just sort of accepting that we won’t understand everything.

Heather said:
Thank you for the breath of fresh air. I feel like I’m in a Christian twilight zone half the time and it’s nice to know I’m not alone.

Brandon:
Being a big time, old school Strongarm fan, I am VERY excited for this book!! I read the sample and can’t WAIT to read the rest!!

Dan wrote:
Wow…reading this almost brought me to tears.

Jamie said:
I greatly respect how you are standing up for what you believe in and aren’t afraid of saying exactly what you feel.

Brain said:
I’m very intrigued. I enjoy your writing style here, it seems very conversational- and therefore easy to read. You’ve definitely grabbed my attention!

Scott wrote:
I appreciated the fresh insight into faith, and the ironies, such as doubt being part of faith. Overall, I give it a 9/10.

These all mean a lot as I am just a schmo that had an idea that I thought needed to be done.

I’ve never written a book, but I had to do it. I had the feeling that if I didn’t someone else would. Plus, I also had a realization that writing was a childhood dream I had supressed.

So check back Monday for #2. Although I won’t post the whole chapter, I will highlight the subject. And I think it would be awesome for you to share your thoughts on it so we could share our experiences.

I recently sent a sample of my book 10 Things I Hate About Christianity:Working Through the Frustrations of Faith to someone to read. Here is her comment after reading it:

“For me, I have always accepted my faith and never went through the questioning that many have.  I don’t know why I never questioned, but maybe it was the environment I grew up in.  Who knows?  Many times, I have to stop, think, and realize that I’m the weird one and most don’t see faith the same way I do.  Reading this gives great perspective on what other’s think and helps someone like me when talking to others.  I think the intro. and first chapter are a great read for someone seeking answers and for those like me who never second guessed their faith, but need to understand the thought processes of others when questioning Christianity.”

What I love about her comment (besides that it is positive) is that I never told her anything about the book. That’s because I wanted her spontaneous, uninfluenced first impression.

What she took away is exactly why I wanted to write this book. I wanted to to tell a story for the rest of us. The one that doesn’t get talked about much. The story about how difficult it actually is to have and maintain faith.

I can’t say it any better than she did in her email to me. I can only hope others will receive it in much the same way. I am going to post some sample reading on my site here soon for all to read.  I promise!