Recently I shared with you about my new fictional book Passage to the House of Power that will be published this fall.
It is the first book in the “The Scroll of Remembrance” series, a reference to Malachi 3:16. The series is subtitled “A Prophetic Parable.” That language comes out of Hosea 12 where God says, “I spoke to the prophets, gave them many visions and told parables through them” (Hosea 12:10).
As a pastor, I am fascinated by the idea of parables. For a long time (probably given my engineering background and the structure of my seminary education), I considered the apostle Paul to be the great teacher in the Bible. If you had asked me whether Jesus was a better teacher than Paul, my theological answer was “yes” but I am not sure that in practice I actually believed it. I loved Paul’s teaching style in his epistles, the tight theological arguments, the use of examples and analogies from everyday life, and the practical pastoral directives flowing out of the rigorous theological argumentation.
But somewhere on my journey, I began to realize that Jesus is the greatest Teacher of all time. Not just in theory, but in practice. And in my mind, there is no greater example of Jesus’ teaching ability than the parables. To be able to take complex truths and put them in such simple, memorable, and powerfully crafted stories is the pinnacle of great teaching. Even non-Christians with no background in the Bible know the phrases “good Samaritan” and “prodigal son.”
In the “Scroll of Remembrance” books, I am attempting to follow Jesus’ example and teach spiritual truths in an entertaining, engaging and hopefully memorable way. I have tried to craft a world where spiritual truths are real and tangible in the way that a person might experience them in a parable. Salvation, living water, spiritual gifts, the armor of God, pride, demonic oppression, the Bible, and even the Holy Spirit are represented in the fictional world for the purpose of teaching truth.
The following is the description of Passage to the House of Power from the back cover:
In the world of Sebi, the spiritual world is rendered visible. As Rom awakens in this new world, he begins his long journey home, ignorant of the role for which he has been chosen and unaware of the powers aligned to stop him. A bird, a scroll, and weapons of great power are entrusted to him along the way as he discovers unexpected parallels between his journey and those who came before him in the land of Sebi.
As Rom discovers how the spiritual world of Sebi works, he will also discover his own shortcomings and potential. Battles against external foes are matched by Rom’s internal struggle to overcome pride, insecurity, selfishness, people-pleasing, and his own cravings. Guides, gifts and friends emerge along the way as he is led toward an all-important decision.
My hope is that this book is entertaining; my prayer is that it teaches truth well.
Blessings,
Jim