The Love That Matters

A blond-haired, blue-eyed Lutheran man is approached on the streets of Chicago by members of the Latin Kings so he may teach them how to pray, and he does so with grace--this man's story, one suspects, isn't going to be a typical one.Life has not been easy for Charles Featherstone. From being bullied by peers and teachers in school, to his refusing to become a bully himself by leaving the armed services, to wandering the world in search of work and finding unexpected hospitality as an outsider nearly everywhere, to witnessing the 9/11 attacks from his nearby office, Featherstone's story is a tale of survival akin to Jacob's wrestling the angel at the River Jabbok. It may well leave the reader limping a bit, too, for the encounter with God found in these pages is stark and startling. Truly God's love knows no bounds and cannot be captured by labels--but as Featherstone's life attests, that love just might capture you.Charles Featherstone could have turned to blowing things up. Instead we get this little eruption of grace. I find his voice hauntingly beautiful. Maybe it takes a modern-day 'holy fool' to profess to hear the voice of God. Others will too through this wise work of testimony.--Jason Byassee, author of Discerning the BodyI read the unedited galley on the flight to Boston this morning. It started out good, and it kept getting better, and finally I couldn't believe how good this thing was. I'm not kidding when I say this: Charles Featherstone has written an American spiritual classic. I have never read a book like this--one that's so ragged, raw, and real. I couldn't put it down, except that one time, when the shock of recognition was so great that I had to set the book aside and think deeply about what I had just read.--Rod Dreher, author of The Little Way of Ruthie LemingCharles H. Featherstone is a former newspaper and wire service reporter, a singer and songwriter, and a graduate of the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. He is currently seeking a call to pastor a church.