I know I’ve introduced you guys to a lot of new books but I’ve just stumbled on a lot of good ones lately. Today I want to tell you about a good friend of mine and his book that just released.

Ken Moody has been a friend of mine and Cross Point since we started. He’s currently serving his second term as an elder and he’s truly helped shape parts of our culture over the years. He’s written a great novel entitled Ordained Irreverence.

One of my favorite people ever, Tom Tyndall, who retired from Cross Point a while back had this to say about the book:

Yes, Moody tells a delightful laugh-out-loud read that draws you in if only to see what happens next to the characters! Moody’s sobering yet very wryly written upbeat look at pastoral ministry should be required reading for pastors. Knowing Moody personally, he’s not mean-spirited nor hokey, yet he reveals personal stories, helpful insights, even tough questions that every pastor or church worker faces sooner or later. Moody also cleverly weaves romance, church stunts, staff dynamics and dysfunctional meetings in a hopeful way that features a compelling cast of true church “characters.” While, like this pastor-reviewer, you may still wonder at what “ordination” means, you’ll appreciate those who genuinely want to make a difference in lives through finding their usefulness to God in “church work.”

I asked Ken to share a few more thoughts about his new book and the process by which he wrote it.

1. What made you want to write this book?

Having spent a large portion of my adult life as a church staff member I wanted to canonize some of the more humorous episodes from my “days of the cloth.” I chose to make it a novel so I could, using artistic license, vamp off the real stories making them a bit more colorful. I also reasoned that by taking the fiction route I could greatly decrease the chance of a disgruntled church member waiting for me at my car with hatchet in hand.

2. I know you’ve spent a lot of time on church staff. Is the book in any way based on real life characters or experiences from your past?

I like saying that my book was “inspired” by my own personal experiences, those of my friends in ministry, and all of the wonderful and oft-time quirky people we ministered to. Real life is always funnier than anything we can contrive, and life is funniest when it catches us off guard, surprises us, or breaks us out of our ordinary routines. This seems to happen a lot in church work.

3. There are a lot of aspiring authors who read the blog. Tell us a little bit about your writing process. Any tips for those of us wanting to improve our art of writing?

Even though I walk, talk, and eat at a rapid pace, when it comes to writing I slow it way down. I like to savor the words and phrases, letting them wash around in my mind, patiently waiting for the nuances and the subtleties to emerge

Writing for me always starts with a great idea. Not just the idea for your whole book, but the idea for each scene, each interchange between characters. Once you have a firm grasp of the idea, then it’s easier to let the narrative and the dialogue write themselves. Then go back to each word and sentence and ask:

How can I make this stronger?

Is there a better word or phrase I could use?

Oh yeah, it’s a pain, but it’s also a lot of fun.

Writing, for me is like jogging, it’s always hard work and I have to push myself to do it. Yet when the run is over I’m glad I did it.

So thanks for joining us Ken and thanks for writing such a fun book. And I want add that you guys should do yourself a huge favor, forget about the 99 cent fries and order Ordained Irreverence by CLICKING  HERE if you want to start reading the book right now.

And just for fun. What’s one other thing you could purchase for 99¢ today?