Why I wrote my book

It has been about 4 months since I published my book, The In-Between. I have enjoyed the journey of watching people buy it and some of them telling me what they think about it. Yet the reality is interest is waning and that is okay. I am not the guy who will relentlessly self-promote their stuff. I appreciate the people who do and quite frankly, self-promotion is the only way to build an audience. But again, that is just not me. 

That being said, I wanted to share (probably for the last time) why I wrote this book and explain why I emphasized certain themes throughout. 

The death of my father-in-law

The main character of my book is Jim. Jim Galbraith died August 20, 2010. He was a great man. I am not embellishing, nor propping up an individual, knowing that my wife and other family members will read this. I am not that type of guy. I speak truth and rarely mince my words. When I claim he was an exceptional man, he was. I came from a broken home. I entered into my twenties without a clue what it meant to be a godly man, husband, father and someday a pastor. After I married his daughter, Jim taught me, directly and indirectly, what it meant to be a man. 

Of course, Jim was not a perfect man. His idiosyncrasies could drive me crazy, but man, he loved his family, his friends and the churches he pastored well. I will always remember his laugh. He was playful. He was kind. He could be demanding when he wanted something, but for some reason you always wanted to do what he asked. 

Jim died well. He died faithful to Jesus. That is his greatest legacy to me. As cancer whittled him away, he never lost hope. This is not to say that the dark existential moments didn’t haunt him. They undoubtedly did. He knew God would care for his family after his departure, but he fought to stay as long as he could. 

The idea for my book was birthed after his passing. I tried to start it in the months following his death. But I couldn’t do it. The idea went dormant, waiting to arise on the dawn of a future day. 

The death of Jared

Jared Gardner died May 18, 2018. Jared was a high student in my student ministry. The phone call I received began one of the most painful stretches of my life. To be clear, my journey of grief paled in comparison to the heartache of his family, but my grief was significant. His love for Jesus was obvious, which brought comfort at times, but the sting of death still stings. As I stood outside the tent, looking at the casket housing his empty body, the image of a weeping mother gripping that metallic tube will forever stain my psyche. Even now, as I write, my tears are within reach. Did he go home too soon? Some would say that. But nothing sneaks up on the Creator. Jared’s days were numbered in eternity past by an infinitely good God. 

In my book, Jarediel is Jim’s guide, his guardian angel. I will unpack my musings on angels in a moment, but obviously Jared is represented in this literary character. The personality of Jarediel mirrors my old student. His flamboyance, his attitude and even his attire originates from Jared. His death awoke my dormant idea. I was compelled to write this book and this time, nothing would stop me. It took five years to complete. I poured everything I had into it. I doubt I will write another book. 

The ambiguity of the Intermediate State

The Bible doesn’t say a lot about Heaven. Heaven, properly defined, is the dwelling place of God. The Christian worldview conveys that someday there will be a washing of this universe, that sin and evil will be removed and righteousness will reign. The final chapters of the Bible speak about a new Heavens and a new Earth. This is clear. But what isn’t clear is what happens after we die, in this present dispensation. Oh, the Bible says we are in paradise. It is a place of rest. It is a place where Jesus is found and worshipped. It is a place where pain is no more. It is a holding tank for the souls who placed their faith in Jesus. But beyond that, details are sparse. 

The In-Between is a fictional account of Jim’s journey—starting the moment after his final breath. Is it a story about Heaven? Kind of. The reader gets to follow Jim, written from his perspective, narrating a world beyond our earthly eyes. 

It was my curiosity about the Intermediate State that fueled my zeal to write. What do we do in this place? Will we retain our memories? If so, how? Many of our memories are laced with pain and suffering. How would we recognize each other, if we are in a soulish state? Reunions are promises in the sacred scriptures, but again, how? How sweet can these reunions be if I am not allowed to travel with my memories? 

What about the people that don’t make it there? Will I know it? And if I do, how will I process this reality, without the ability to feel pain or sadness? Furthermore, I cannot fathom a reality that I will view each reunion the same. Will I have the same joy when my earthly wife arrives than I will for my college professor, who I didn’t like much during my earthly existence? 

And again, what will I do in this place? I reject the concept of soul sleep, so I must be doing something, right? I am not playing a harp. That is ridiculous. I don’t like listening to a harp in this life, why would a good God force me to do it for all eternity? 

The journey of Jim attempts to engage these inquiries. Am I right about the Intermediate State? Maybe. Maybe not. But I say this without an ounce of arrogance—my book forces you to think. It begs you to dream. If you want to. I have not seen a book like mine and I read a lot. It is original. It is ethereal. It allows you to look beyond this world, unashamedly from a Christian worldview. The gnostic, the Buddhist, the animist will find no value here. It argues against their religion. 

The angelic realm 

I had no idea when I began this book that angels would hold an exalted position. Again, my book is not a theological treatise. It is fiction. Maybe you could call it theological fiction. C.S. Lewis might have labeled it as such. But angels are involved, from the first page to the very end. The personality of angels was an area I had not thought of much. The concept that each human has their own guardian angel is not taught in the Bible, but is it not rejected either. Jarediel is a guide into the In-Between. I even claim that Jim forges a friendship with his guardian angel. Can you imagine that? How fascinating! The being who has watched you, protected you, guiding you in your earthly shell is one of the many reunions in Heaven. Is it true? Who knows. It is possible. 

Many of you said you were surprised that demons were in my book. A few were honest enough to say that it bothered them. The interaction between Satan and Jesus at the end of the book was both victorious and haunting. There is no question that the invisible realm mingles with our current world. Some see these specters often. Most of us do not. But their story, though secondary to ours, is nevertheless part of our own. This book makes the invisible become visible. 

The personal relationships with the Godhead

This by far was the most ambitious aspect of the book. I cannot believe in a future reality where there is not sweet communion with each member of the Trinity. There must be. Sure, interactions with Jesus make sense. But with God the Father? God the Holy Spirit? How does that work? I attempt to paint a portrait so beautiful that you lust for more of Him, but never bringing God down to such a level where He is one of us. He is not one of us. He is infinite. We are finite. Yet the truth is that because He is infinite we can never get bored in Heaven. It is impossible. God is an endless ocean. An eternal fountain. We never tire of His presence. Every interaction must be greater than the previous one. Each person of the Godhead is different and therefore, each personal moment must also be different. Mind boggling? Absolutely. But I attempt (with much trepidation) to nudge you towards a greater glory. 

Rewards and the unborn

One of my many questions about Heaven was the concept of rewards. The Scriptures say that there will be rewards or spiritual riches to enjoy in Heaven. What are they? How would I enjoy them? What about someone who had a foxhole conversion and never had an opportunity to build their rewards portfolio? I can’t be jealous of other citizens, because sin cannot enter into the pearly gates, so how will I view those who are given more rewards than myself? Not to sound like a broken record, but I try to give an answer there also. 

What about the unborn? Are they in the In-Between? If so, how will they recognize their parents? So many questions. Please remember this is fiction. But do I wade into these deep waters? I do. Eliciting some tears from readers who miscarried or whose tombstones have the same date as their birth and death. 

Conclusion

There is so much more I could write, but I would rather you read my book for yourself. Ultimately, I wrote this book for my wife, so on the days when the memory of her father seems to fade, she can hear his voice again. I wrote this book for my children, who miss their Papa, fusing their hope of a future reunion. He won’t be there for their weddings or the birth of their children, but his memory will be just a short walk to their bookshelf. 

Please hear me. Heaven is infinitely more sweeter than what I wrote. God is infinitely greater. Unknowable. The Holy Other. But if this book excited your affections for the Divine, increased your hope of a world to come, I am happy. 

Click the link if you would like to purchase my book.