"It" is my lifelong dream of becoming a writer...a published writer. Check it out...
This is my biggest accomplishment to date, but more than that, it's also the most terrifying thing I'll ever do (for now). It's funny, because I started writing it two years ago not to eventually become a book, but because I was tired of not knowing how to answer the common question of "How exactly does a Jew end up becoming a Christian?" I ended up writing about 60 pages before actually getting to that part, because I realized this is a story that actually spans across my entire life. So what started as a personal essay ended up becoming a book.
I realize that I don't "have" to do this. But I feel like I need to, because I think my journey is important. I know that probably sounds arrogant, but I say this because the reality is, many churches do not include the rich history of the Old Testament in their sermons. Many churches are unaware of how to reach out to Jewish people without ostracizing them, making them feel "targeted" as they have been ever since the days of Moses. I have witnessed this in my own life from both sides of the spiritual fence now, and there is much work to be done to repair the relationship between Jews and Christians. My life has sort of become a testimony to that.
Aside from all the theological issues many people will disagree with, I'm prepared for the inevitable criticism about how I'm too young to write a memoir. By definition, a memoir is a self-indulgent work, but I didn't try to act like I was advanced enough in my faith to pretend to be another C.S. Lewis or Anne Lamott. This is a book to comfort others who might be in that "spiritual orphancy" state I was in for a while, not really feeling like they belong anywhere. It's a book for all the Jewish friends in my life who asked me "Why," and the Christian ones who asked me "How."
I don't think there's any "right" age where you're considered world-weary enough to write a book about your life, just like there's no "right" age to be married. If you have a story, then you should share it. Experience and age are two different things.
That being said, I didn't want to write a story from the perspective of someone who has everything figured out. Maybe I'll have a better idea of how this whole Christian thing works by the time I'm 60, but the journey probably won't be as relatable then. The age I am now is when I will make the decisions that determine the outcome of the rest of my life. If I waited until I was older to write this book, it probably wouldn't be as relevant to the young adult audience I am trying to reach. I don't want to be someone for others to look up to. I want to be someone who makes people say, "Thank goodness I'm not the only one who's been there/felt that way, I'm not weird after all!" Or something like that. That's all.
There's one passage I prize most in this book, about how Christians are called to be "pariahs" of this world. How can we not be? We don't conform to society's cultural norms. We stick out like sore thumbs with a "Puritanical" label for holding on to values that are as old as Adam and Eve. But me, well, I've always felt like a special kind of pariah. That's where the title comes from. One group thinks I've strayed...and the other says I've come home. It's an interesting, confusing place to be in.
Anyway, pre-ordering on Amazon will be available in 5-7 business days... If ten people end up reading it, that will still be worth it to me. The people who are meant to read it will find it. Or so I hope.
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