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Debut author Moore combines his certitude regarding God’s merciful attention with four fictional, credible stories of how despair may seem to control dire situations. First is Rick, the son of a Pennsylvania coal miner father who was nearly killed in a horrific explosion. Joining the military, Rick must face trauma, disability, and bitterness. Johnny is arrested more than once in his teens but makes a name for himself playing high school football until he resolves to avenge the murder of his best friend. Maria, growing up in extreme poverty, marries a man who seems to offer her every worldly comfort. But when she figures out how he pays the bills, she is driven to addiction. Meanwhile, Pastor Brown finds himself caught between the church and the mob, seemingly with no way out of the dilemma.
Moore, a pastor and professor of religious studies, is also a retired military veteran whose wide, varied experience has brought his four fascinating characters to engagingly readable life. Each protagonist is apparently mired in hopelessness. Moore examines them in the light of Christian conviction, quoting scripture and offering his own wisdom, illustrating how God confers hope and rescue. He presents their separate stories along with his own spiritual perspective to demonstrate that even desperate situations can evolve for the better, with God’s oversight. He advises his readers that faith can overcome any adversity, and to prove his point, he completes each of the four tales with an ending that demonstrates the way that conditions can shift. He deftly shows that the greatest challenges can provide a new way to view one’s life, asking readers to consider how their own “final chapter” might read. His book will promote lively group discussion and offer comfort and insight to many individuals seeking spiritually creative paths forward.