Trick or Treat
There are times in our lives when we have to do things that are uncomfortable, things that are necessary, things that we ask God to not require us to do.
This week, I had a meeting that fit this description. It was painful, but at the end of the pain, I found peace.
Why do relationships deteriorate in such ways? How are our eyes glazed over when those we respect lead us by deceit? I am not glad to discover that truth was far from my acquaintance. It is a hard thing to digest.
The only way I know to overcome the disappointment is to hold tight to the Lord's hand and trust Him to show me the way. Please be in prayer for us. Terry and I have some decisions to make. I am so glad to have my sweet husband to help me through this sad time.
1. What is your name and the title of your book(s)?
Lori A. Moore, author of
(1) From Zero to Christian in Just 35 Years; and
(2) Missing Andy: The Journey from Grief to Joy
2. What is one thing you think your readers would like to know about you?
I had never set foot inside a church or heard of Jesus Christ until I was 35 years old. (book excerpt: One day in 1999, my friend Rick and his wife Cindy asked me to go to church with them. Little did I know that Christians are tricky! Not only did they offer to pick me up at my house to take me, but they also offered to treat me to lunch afterwards. How could I say no? I felt so awkward as I walked into the church sanctuary. I was gawking around taking everything in like a tourist. I was scared to death. I stood up to sing when they told us too. Even though they displayed the lyrics up on a big Jumbotron overhead,I had never heard any of those songs before and didn’t know the melodies, so I just stood and listened.After the worship songs ended and before the minister started to speak, people applauded.Clapping in church? Outrageous! Even though I had never attended church, I had somehow picked up some preconceived notions about church etiquette and expectations. I thought there was no clapping in church, no smiling in church, no being happy in church, and no experiencing hope in church. Communion came around, and I just passed it on down the row because I wasn’t going to do something when I didn’t know what it meant.Then the minister started to speak. He had such a nice comforting voice. Didn’t all ministers yell at the top of their voices? That’s all I’d ever seen from evangelists on television. He was talking about peace and hope and grace. What were those? I thought preachers only talked about hell and how we’re all bad people and that’s where we’re all going. And then he said it. He said the name Jesus. Who was Jesus? I had heard of God and heard the name Jesus Christ used as a curse word when people got angry, but I had never heard who Jesus was. The minister talked about being in a relationship with Jesus and Jesus being the bridge that allows us to have a relationship with God.I still felt uncomfortable and awkward when I left, but when my friends invited me to go with them again about three weeks later, I agreed.
3. When did you know that you wanted to become a writer?
While I’ve always enjoyed writing and my teachers and professors always said I was a good writer, I never really seriously considered becoming an author. Then my husband of 12 years died in 2008 at age 49. He threw a blood clot approximately 15 hours post-surgery for a hip replacement. We held his funeral on what should have been his 50th birthday. I started writing as a way to express my thoughts and my grief.
4. What are your strong points in your writing style or methods?
Because From Zero to Christian in Just 35 Years deals with a journey from being a non-believer to a believer, it's written in first person and provides personal examples of incidents in my life. Missing Andy is the same thing. I write about what I know because I’ve lived it. I have a passion for adults who haven’t yet experienced a relationship with Christ because everything they’ve heard is kind of formal and scary, so I try to write with humor and on a down-to-earth level that people can relate to and understand.
5. Are you a reader ?
Absolutely. Growing up, I was a voracious reader. I always won the contests for who had read the most books over the summer. Growing up, I didn’t realize that my childhood wasn’t like that of most people, so I guess that reading was my escape and opportunity to explore new things and new places.
6. What are you reading right now?
The Left Behind Series. I’m on #9. A few years ago a friend told me that I would like them, calling them the Christian version of Stephen King books, but I never bothered to pick them up. Then in January of this year, another friend was cleaning out her closets in anticipation of moving and offered the whole set for free to the first person to respond to her Facebook message. I won! I read the first 8 in a week and a half, then got busy and haven’t settled back down into devouring the rest of them yet. Even though the series is fictional, it really helps me to better understand the Book of Revelation.
7. Do you have another book that you are working on and hasn't been submitted for publication? Tell about it.
I’ve often joked that I’m “allergic to children” because I don’t have any of my own, hadn’t had any nieces or nephews until recently, and have never babysat. But I have the most wonderful little kitty in the world, named Grady, so I wrote a children’s book about him, called Grady the Gray Cat. It should be released in Fall 2010 and they are currently working on the illustration of the book. Here’s a snippet: Grady is a little gray cat.Grady’s fur is gray; that’s why his mommy named him that.He isn’t too skinny and he isn’t too fat.And he lives in a home with two other cats.
8. Please put a description of each of your books here. (back matter is ok)
From Zero to Christian in Just 35 Years Do you think church isn’t the place for you or that it’s too late for you to give your life to Christ? In her book From Zero to Christian in just 35 Years new author Lori A. Moore shows us how nothing in the past will keep God from loving us. Trusting God can be scary, especially when confronted with complex and formal language. Through this simple and easy going guide to finding God, inexperienced Christians will learn to emerge from doubt and fear into the peace and comfort that can only be found through Christ. Follow Lori as she goes From Zero to Christian in Just 35 Years. Missing Andy: The Journey From Grief to Joy We did everything we could. I’m sorry. With just those seven words, Andy was gone. Then everything was silent. He didn’t have to say the D word––dead. He was talking in past tense. It was obvious that Andy had passed away. In her latest book, Missing Andy: The Journey from Grief to Joy, author Lori A. Moore explains how to view the loss of a loved one as a celebration instead of a final event. After unexpectedly losing her ex-husband, who was also her best friend, due to a fatal blood clot, Lori found herself lost and numb, but working her way through the five stages of grief helped her rediscover true happiness. Now, Lori writes about her experiences to help those dealing with grief come to a place of understanding and acceptance. Take this journey with Lori and find out how Missing Andy furthered her relationship with God and showed her how to truly live again. Come out of a place of inconsolable sadness and discover the joy that can only be found through Christ Jesus.
10. How can readers contact you or purchase your books? Please put your website or blog here. They are available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, Lifeway, Tate Publishing and more. http://loriamoore.tatepublishing.net Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lori-A-Moore/54377903045?ref=ts#!/pages/Lori-A-Moore/54377903045?ref=ts Twitter: @Lori_A_Moore
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