Blog Archives
Capturing the Experience
In Encounter, you share with readers your incredible experiences coping with culture shock, natural disaster, and classroom struggles while teaching at Leulumoega Fou College in Samoa in 1990. What did you most want to preserve about your time in Samoa?
I most wanted to capture the experience, what it taught me, and how it impacted my life following the experience. In capturing the experience, I sought to make the story as immersive as possible for the reader. I want them to feel what I felt when they step on a cockroach in bare feet first thing in the morning, the sweat on their face, tears in their eyes, and how the constant confusion and uncertainty of cultural collision drags us down emotionally. I want my readers to be as confused and uncertain as I was. I want them to face the hard moral choices I faced, and leave them to make their own decisions – what would they do in that time and place? What would they do now? Most of all, I want to preserve the search for wisdom, understanding, meaning and purpose to all the hardship and suffering. The reflective passages are there to help the reader reflect on the bigger picture, but with humility, acknowledging just how limited our knowledge and experience actually are or can be. To make the book immersive, I re-read and studied authors who I thought had done that well – like Steinbeck, Dickens, Hemingway, Frank McCourt, and contemporary thriller writers John Le Carre, John Grisham, and Lee Child. To help make scenes vivid, I returned to poets Shakespeare, TS Eliot, Keats, Shelley, Wordsworth, and Tolkien. For reflection, I turned to the way CS Lewis and Jennifer Worth (Call the Midwife) wrote their reflective pieces.
How did you decide what to include versus what to leave out, especially in more vulnerable or unflattering moments?
My guiding principle was to be honest with whatever I put in, but the need to keep the word count to under 100,000 meant I had to cut a lot out. I approached judgment of others by honestly sharing what they said and what they did so the reader could make their own judgment. Unflattering moments and vulnerability are a necessary part of learning, but also necessary to show contrast. The climb out of the valley of “badness” is only meaningful if we first know how bad that valley was for us.
In the case where I did provide judgement (characters Helen, Tammy, and some others) I did so because it was necessary to show my changing understanding of them – how my initial judgement changed from unflattering to gaining wisdom. This is most important, and most difficult for me to write about, in the case of my relationship with Helen, where my initial assessment slowly changes from someone I’m wary of, to someone I loved and cared for deeply. (The “real” Helen passed away from breast cancer in 2007 as a young mother with two young boys; Tammy passed away in 2021 after a life of overseas service as a teacher and nurse.) However, for many people working overseas as volunteers, aid workers or missionaries, it’s often our fellow workers and those we live with that are the most difficult, not those we go to serve. I wanted to share that experience in the hope that it would help others going through a similar struggle when thrown together with colleagues and co-workers they may not like. I want them to know that even if your negative assessments of difficult people turn out to be true, in true community, you still need to care for them, love them, and recognize you will need to depend on them.
How did your Christian faith shape the way you interpreted your experiences at the time?
We would not have gone to Samoa if we did not at least hold a Christian worldview. And we would probably not have persevered without having the challenge of Jesus words, and the example of both his life, and the lives of many Christians since that time. I mention St Francis and Mother Teresa, but there are many others. This is why each chapter starts with a quote from the words of Jesus, because it was those actual words that challenged me personally each step of the way.
In going to Samoa in 1990, the risk of death was very real since the previous year a field worker had died of Dengue fever, and there were other threats to safety and security we could not control. We believed then, as we do now, that if we died our death would not be an accident – that God would work this for good, for His purpose, and God’s purpose is what gave us purpose in whatever we did. I don’t think we would have willingly engaged in suffering and risked our security, peace, happiness, or life for something that we do not believe to be true. I have looked at atheism, and it is a selfish, meaningless, and purposeless wasteland.
What is one thing you hope readers take away from Encounter?
I hope they gain a window into what a life lived with purpose can look like, that such a life can be found following Jesus on the narrow road, that such a life may be hard, and involve suffering, but it will at least be very rich and will lead to an abundant life.
Author links: GoodReads | X | Facebook | Website
When Ian and Heather leave Australia to teach in Samoa they expect hardship. They don’t expect a devastating cyclone followed by the slow dismantling of everything they thought they understood about the world.
Why are they being laughed at? Why is introducing someone offensive? What does respect look like? Navigating traditional Polynesian culture amid disaster, poverty and political tension, exposes their own cultural blind spots, assumptions and questions their deeply held beliefs. Good intentions are not enough. Join with them as they seek purpose and explore what justice, identity, faith and community mean in a radically different culture.
Raw, honest and unexpectedly funny, Encounter immerses you in the lived reality of being an outsider — the exhaustion, the mistakes, the fear, the beauty and resilience of Pacific Island life and community. Moving with the pace of a thriller, Encounter’s true story also wrestles with uncomfortable questions immigrants, travellers, and truth seekers know well: Where do I belong? Why am I here? Who am I when everything familiar is stripped away?
Perfect for readers who love biographies and memoirs that transport you into another world, want to be challenged or need a page turner they can’t put down.
After the Storms: From Red Dirt to Redemption
After the Storms is a memoir of survival shaped by faith: an Oklahoma childhood marked by tornadoes, poverty, alcoholism, and a crowded, fiercely loving family gives way to military service, war, policing, grief, near-fatal injury, and, finally, a hard-won return to grace. What stayed with me most is the book’s sense that a life can be battered nearly beyond recognition and still remain, somehow, redeemable. The early pages are especially vivid. The green tornado sky over Lawton, the humiliating “free lunch” moment at school, the father’s ruinous drinking after Ronnie’s death, the family’s desperate drives to Fort Supply, all of it builds a world that feels raw, wind-burned, and painfully lived in. Later chapters widen the scope into Desert Storm, law enforcement, devastating personal loss, a spiritual collapse, and the eventual reorientation of the narrator’s life around faith rather than sheer endurance.
I admired the book’s emotional directness. Again and again, the memoir finds its deepest strength not in spectacle but in particularity: a teacher returning fifteen cents and, in a different scene, another teacher speaking a sentence of life into a shamed child; a nameless family in an RV turning up on a blistering Sunday like mercy made practical; a father walking into church once, dressed in his best, only to be crushed by the cruelty of people who should’ve known better. Those moments have real sting because they’re told with a survivor’s memory for texture and humiliation. I also found the family portraits unexpectedly moving. The siblings are drawn not as a blur of relatives but as distinct presences, half guardian angels and half co-authors of the narrator’s endurance. Even the memoir’s humor, the yellow spray-paint disaster, the BB gun revenge, the little absurdities of childhood, matters because it keeps the suffering from flattening the book into a single note.
At its best, the prose has a bruised lyricism that suits the material beautifully. The recurring language of storms, scouts, foundations, shields, and watchfulness gives the memoir a strong internal music, and there are passages where that rhetoric genuinely lands. I sometimes wanted fewer lines that explain the meaning of an event when the event itself has already done the work. The ideas in the book are also clear: faith is the throughline, Christ the unshakable foundation, redemption the final grammar of suffering. Readers who share that worldview will likely feel nourished by its certainty. I was moved by it because the conviction is plainly earned. The later turn, where military discipline, police work, grief, and fatherhood all get folded back into a Gospel-centered identity, isn’t subtle, but it is sincere, and sincerity counts for a lot in a memoir like this.
After the Storms is an undeniably heartfelt memoir. It reads like the testimony of someone who has spent a lifetime learning how pain gets handed down, how love interrupts that inheritance, and how faith, for him, became not an ornament but a structure strong enough to live inside. I’d recommend it especially to readers who are drawn to faith-based memoirs, stories of family endurance, military and law-enforcement life, and narratives of recovery that refuse cynicism without denying damage.
Grow in Faith
Philomena: The Brave Daughter of Light is the story of a young woman’s trials on Earth, her loyalty to God, and the miracles that resulted from her prayers. Why was this an important book for you to write?
I was first introduced to St. Philomena during a time of deep personal loss in my life. A parishioner, who was a friend of my Eucharistic adoration partner, gifted me a book about her, and her story left a lasting impression on my heart.
I was deeply inspired by St. Philomena’s unwavering faith and remarkable courage at such a young age. Her witness invites me to reflect on my own faith and to ask whether I would have the same strength and trust in God that she demonstrated at just thirteen years old.
This book was important for me to write because I wanted to share her light with others, especially young readers, so they may grow in faith, deepen their love for God, and find hope in her example. My hope is that her story reaches hearts everywhere and inspires many to live with courage, trust in God’s providence, and to embrace a life of devotion to God and purity of heart.
When you began writing, did you already know you wanted it to focus on her courage and faith rather than historical details?
Yes, from the beginning, I felt called to focus on her courage and faith, while still offering a brief glimpse into the historical context. My goal was not to present a detailed historical account, but to highlight the spiritual strength that defined her life.
St. Philomena’s courage reflects the same hope and trust in God that sustained many early Christians during the persecutions under Emperor Diocletian. By centering on these virtues, I hoped to present her story in a way that is accessible, inspiring, and rooted in faith for readers of all ages.
Why did you choose to write Philomena’s story in verse?
I chose to write Philomena’s story in verse to create a poetic and memorable journey for young readers. The rhythm and rhyme help present a serious story in a gentle and approachable way, allowing the reality of her martyrdom to be understood without overwhelming the reader.
I also wanted the text to flow beautifully when read aloud, whether in a classroom or at bedtime. In this way, the story can be both engaging and prayerful, inviting families and educators to reflect on her courage, faith, and hope together.
What is one thing you hope young readers take away from your book?
I hope young readers come away with a deep sense of hope and the understanding that they are never alone in their struggles. Through St. Philomena’s example, I want them to see that even in difficult moments, they can trust in God’s presence and remain steadfast in faith.
I also hope they discover the comfort of the communion of saints, knowing that the saints walk with us and intercede for us when we turn to them in prayer. Ultimately, my desire is that her story helps young hearts grow in courage, trust, and love for God.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Amazon
Are you looking to inspire courageous faith in your children?
Step into a story that has inspired generations.
Philomena: The Brave Daughter of Light tells the inspiring true story of St. Philomena, a 13-year-old virgin martyr whose unwavering trust in God shone brighter than fear. Rooted in the rich tradition of the Church and the lives of the saints, her witness of courage, purity, and devotion continues to inspire young hearts to remain faithful to Christ, even in the face of trials.
Born to a Greek king and queen after their conversion to Christianity, Philomena grows in kindness, joy, and devotion to God. When faced with an impossible choice, she remains faithful, trusting fully in God’s providence. Strengthened by divine help, she endures great trials with radiant hope, leaving behind a legacy of courage and light that continues to inspire readers of all ages.
Through eloquent storytelling and vivid illustrations, young readers are drawn into Philomena’s fearless stand against the Roman Emperor Diocletian, choosing faithfulness to Christ over worldly power. Her story imparts timeless lessons on bravery, faithfulness, and love for Christ.
Highlights Include:Introduces children to the life of a beloved Catholic saint
Encourages virtue, holiness, and faithfulness to Christ
Supports spiritual formation in young hearts
Beautiful, reverent illustrations that bring the story to life
Gentle, poetic storytelling ideal for bedtime or prayerful reading
A message of hope rooted in faith and perseverance
A Treasured Catholic Book for Kids and Teens
Designed for heart-to-heart reading, this beautifully crafted Catholic picture book is a keepsake families will cherish for years to come. A standout among Catholic books for kids and teens, it offers a faith-filled story that gently forms young hearts through the witness of a beloved saint.
Set aside a screen-free moment and share Philomena’s journey during bedtime, family prayer, homeschooling, or classroom enrichment.
Perfect for:First Communion gifts
Confirmation gifts
Birthdays
Feast Day celebrations
Easter baskets
Christmas stockings
Give your family a story that endures. This reverent Catholic saints book for children belongs on every faith-filled bookshelf, offering a timeless example of holiness, strength, and steadfast devotion to God.
Parents, grandparents, and educators will appreciate how this story reflects the virtues at the heart of the Catholic faith, helping young readers grow in courage, moral clarity, and trust in God’s providence.
Get your copy today and share with your children a radiant example of bravery rooted in faith and wholehearted love for Christ.
Encounter – A Journey into Chaos, Culture and Compassion
Encounter is a memoir about an Australian Christian couple who go to Samoa in 1990 to teach at Leulumoega Fou College, then find themselves plunged into culture shock, institutional confusion, cyclone damage, scarcity, village life, classroom struggle, and morally wrenching encounters with the people around them. But that description is almost too tidy for the book Ian Reilly actually writes. What unfolds is less a neat missionary narrative than a long, bruising education in how little he knows, how quickly comfort evaporates, and how culture becomes legible only after it has first humiliated you. The early passport fiasco, the absurd misery of the Seaside Inn, the cyclone and its aftermath, the daily negotiations over water, food, heat, discipline, hospitality, and shame all accumulate into something larger than travel writing. It becomes a record of bewilderment, slowly turning into attention, and attention slowly turning into love.
Reilly has a real eye, and not just for beauty. He sees the gleam of lagoon water and mountain light, but also mildew, diesel fumes, mirror shards, cockroaches, centipedes, shabby classrooms, and the comic indignities of bodies trying and failing to cope with heat and fear. That balance matters. The prose is vivid without becoming ornamental, and funny in exactly the right places. I laughed at the Germans trying to open a coconut in the middle of the night, and I winced at the fan-forced oven of the Seaside Inn, but the humor never breaks the sincerity of the book. If anything, it deepens it. Reilly’s best passages have a kind of patient moral clarity. He doesn’t rush to make himself look wise, and that gives the narrative its credibility. He lets his confusion stay on the page. He lets other people remain difficult to interpret. I found that restraint appealing, because it makes the book feel lived rather than processed.
I was even more taken by the book’s ideas, precisely because they’re unsettled ideas rather than packaged lessons. Reilly keeps returning to the gap between judging and understanding, between romanticizing a culture and actually living inside its demands. The book is sharp about the limits of outsider perception, but it’s not coy about hard moral questions either. The sections on classroom discipline, communal obligation, and especially Pelopia’s story are painful because Reilly refuses easy moral vanity. He is trying to think seriously, as a Christian and as a guest, about what compassion means when you don’t control the social world you’re in, and when intervention itself can be clumsy, partial, or damaging. I appreciated that the book doesn’t confuse humility with moral passivity. Its compassion has weight to it. By the time Reilly writes about suffering, shared scarcity, and the way disaster forces him into a more intimate understanding of dependence, community, and providence, the ideas feel earned rather than declared. I didn’t agree with every theological or cultural framing, but I trusted the earnestness of the inquiry, and that trust carried me a long way.
I found Encounter moving, unsettling, and unusually mature in its self-scrutiny. It’s a book that understands that beauty and damage often occupy the same frame, and that cross-cultural love is rarely graceful at first. What stayed with me wasn’t a single grand insight so much as the cumulative moral weather of the book: the embarrassment, the tenderness, the stamina, the slow relinquishing of certainty. I’d recommend it especially to readers interested in memoir, faith, teaching, development work, and the messy reality of cultural encounter, but also to anyone who values nonfiction that is thoughtful enough to let complexity remain complex. It’s a thoughtful book, and I closed it feeling that Reilly had not only remembered Samoa vividly, but had remembered his own unfinishedness with unusual honesty.
Pages: 380 | ASIN : B0GRPXC3SD
Philomena: The Brave Daughter of Light
Philomena: The Brave Daughter of Light tells the story of a Greek king and queen who turn to Jesus when they cannot have a child, then receive a daughter whose whole life burns with faith and courage. As Philomena grows, she loves the poor, refuses the Roman emperor’s offer of marriage, suffers prison and brutal trials, and finally dies as a young martyr while staying loyal to God. The book ends with her in heaven, close to Jesus, and with hints of the miracles that later come through her prayers.
I really liked the writing style. The whole thing moves in gentle rhyming lines that feel almost like a lullaby, even when the story gets tense. The language stays simple and clear, yet the author sneaks in big feelings. I could feel the parents’ ache at the start, then their joy when Philomena is born, then that cold knot of fear when Diocletian appears. The book keeps saying the same core idea in different ways. God is near, God is kind, God gives courage. That repetition worked for me, especially for kids who need to hear it more than once.
The ideas behind the story were emotional for me. This isn’t a soft little tale about being nice. It’s about a girl who chooses God over safety, comfort, even her own life, and that is heavy. The book shows real danger and pain, yet it keeps the focus on peace and light. The prison scenes, the arrows, the river, all of that could feel scary, but the art and words keep pulling the mood toward hope. I found myself feeling both sad and calm at the same time. Reading this with children will lead to some deep talks afterward. Why would someone die for their faith? What does courage look like today? Those questions hang in the air once you close the book, and I like that it doesn’t spell everything out.
I would recommend this picture book for families and classrooms that want strong Christian stories about saints, especially Catholic families and parish schools, and for kids who can handle a serious, martyr-style story, maybe around ages six and up, with an adult nearby to chat. It feels perfect for bedtime if you want quiet, thoughtful talks afterward, or for feast days when you want to highlight a particular saint. If you want a beautiful, faith-filled tale about bravery, purity, and trust in God, I think Philomena: The Brave Daughter of Light is a perfect choice.
Pages: 46 | ASIN : B0GDJ9VSDR
Moral Indignation
Moral Indignation: Embryonic Stem Cells, DNA, and Christians is a long, fiery walk through science, theology, and ethics from a very outspoken Christian point of view. Author Sherman P. Bastarache sets out to make a Christian case for supporting stem cell research and other modern biomedical tools. He moves from big questions about knowledge and faith, through DNA and evolution, into abortion, euthanasia, and the soul, then circles back to what it means to be truly “pro-life” in practice, not just in slogans. The book mixes Bible study, personal stories, popular science, and social commentary, and it ends with a push toward compromise and concrete ways to back research that aims to reduce human suffering.
I found the voice to be bold and charming. Bastarache writes like someone talking across a kitchen table, not like a distant academic. He leans on scripture, then jokes about Yoda, then swings into stem cell basics, and it holds together most of the time. I appreciated the very personal, unfiltered style of the writing. The chapters move freely, the arguments often circle back for emphasis, and some analogies linger in a way that lets the ideas sink in. The tone ranges from gentle and pastoral to strongly assertive, and even the occasional bit of coarse language highlights how deeply the author feels about the issues at stake.
His core line hits hard: ignorance is not holy, and refusing to use knowledge that could ease suffering is its own kind of moral failure. When he unpacks the old fear of “playing God” and reframes humans as responsible co-workers who need to grow up and act, I felt that was both theologically interesting and morally bracing. His use of real cases around high-risk pregnancies, late-term complications, and new reproductive technologies makes the debate feel grounded in actual lives. I appreciated that honesty. On the other hand, his strong feelings about certain pro-life arguments give the book a clear, unmistakable stance. He tends to focus on the human cost of inaction more than on every fine-grained worry about embryos and possible future abuses, which keeps the spotlight on real lives. I could feel the passion in those pages.
I would recommend Moral Indignation to Christians who feel torn between loyalty to their faith community and respect for modern science, and to believers who suspect that “do nothing” is not a morally neutral stance in medicine. It could also interest secular readers who want to see a serious Christian wrestle with stem cells, DNA, and bioethics without hiding behind easy platitudes. If you appreciate strong feelings and a very human voice that tries to drag faith and reason into the same room, you will find Bastarache’s thoughts inspiring.
Pages: 314 | ISBN : 978-0992159412
The Ancient Moon Goddess, Crushed by Patriarchy, Buried by Judaism, Hidden in Christianity
The Ancient Moon Goddess by Dale W O’Neal tells a bold story. The authors argue that early humans saw menstrual blood as “moon blood” and as the raw stuff of life, so the first religion centered on a powerful moon Goddess. From there, they follow a long “blood trail” through Stone Age animism, sacrificial rituals, castration and circumcision, and then into Hebrew scripture and finally Christianity, where the Goddess gets pushed underground but never quite disappears. The book mixes myth analysis, archeology, and close readings of biblical texts to claim that many familiar doctrines about sin, sacrifice, and salvation grew out of this older Goddess religion.
The core idea was gripping and unsettling for me. The link between menstrual cycles and the moon seems obvious once they lay it out, and the way they build a whole religious worldview from that simple pattern has real power. I felt drawn in when they described ancient people living in a “spirit-filled” world, where every hill and river had a soul and where the moon’s waxing and waning set the rhythm for life, death, and rebirth. Their account of how sacrificial systems grow from imitation of the moon’s self-emptying cycle hits hard emotionally, because it turns grim stories of blood and death into a kind of tragic misunderstanding of nature rather than pure cruelty.
The writing is clear, direct, and often vivid, and the authors do a good job explaining ideas like sympathetic magic, animism, and “as above, so below” in plain language. The personal backstory of Dale O’Neal’s exit from evangelical Christianity gives the project emotional weight and makes the stakes of the argument feel very real, especially when he wrestles with doctrines of hell, female subordination, and blood atonement. The tone carries a clear, unapologetic conviction that readers may find energizing, and its strong critique of patriarchy keeps the argument sharp and focused. The authors write with such confidence in their perspective that the book often feels like a manifesto, which will especially appeal to readers who prefer bold, decisive interpretations over cautious academic debate.
I would recommend this book to readers who are curious about the deep roots of biblical religion, who enjoy mythic thinking, and who feel ready to question standard church teachings about sacrifice, sin, and gender. I think it will especially resonate with ex-believers, feminist readers, fans of Joseph Campbell or Marija Gimbutas, and anyone who likes bold “big picture” narratives about religion’s origin and evolution. For me, it was a provocative and emotionally charged read that I will keep turning over in my mind for a long time.
Pages: 322 | ASIN : B0FRN9PNXL
Gifts and Talents
Cutler’s Wonderful Creations follows a spoon, fork, and knife who are gifted to a young girl and struggle with understanding their purpose while waiting to be useful. I think this original idea is intriguing. How did you come up with this idea and develop it into a story?
I’ve actually been sharing this story with my kids for years lol! It was a simple way for me to get them to appreciate that they were intentionally designed with a special purpose and identity from God. I shared this story with a college friend a couple of years ago, and he suggested that I turn it into a children’s book. I never expected it to be so impactful, but it has been.
What were some educational aspects that were important for you to include in this children’s book?
First, it is my belief that we all have a God-given purpose that ultimately leads to our greatest source of joy and fulfillment. No one understands the purpose of the creation quite like the Creator. Just as Mr. Cutler was uniquely qualified to share the ultimate purpose of the utensils, our Heavenly Father is uniquely qualified to help us unravel our purpose as well, since he is our Creator. Secondly, none of us is “broken.” Finding out what you aren’t created for is almost as important as finding out what you were created for. Lastly is to celebrate the gifts and talents of others while recognizing the value that you have as well. Comparison is a very real struggle that many children (and adults) face in our society today. My hope is that they (as well as their parents) gain their identity from the one who designed it in the first place, to know that they are enough as they are.
What experience in your life has had the most significant impact on your writing?
It honestly stems from a desire to pass down my lessons learned to my kids and grandkids so that they can avoid some of my miscues from a poor self-identity. The earlier that they can realize and walk into their God-given identity, the sooner they will approach life with intention in all that they do. I know how frustrating it can be to feel as if you were meant for more while seemingly wandering about life searching for it. If I can help an adult or child recognize their value through connecting with their Creator sooner rather than later, then mission accomplished.
What story are you currently in the middle of writing?
I actually have two other books ready for publishing now lol! Both are children’s books. One is regarding service, and the other is about growth and the importance of good environments to grow in. All of my stories come from things that I experienced, so I have plenty of material!
Author Links: GoodReads | X (Twitter) | Facebook | Amazon
