My memoir, Praying on Empty, A Female Pastor’s Story is affecting readers and making an impact in their lives. What better result can there be?
I am also honored that it has received a Gold Medal from the Illumination Book Awards in Inspirational Memoir as well as has been listed as a finalist in both the International Book Awards in Best New Non-Fiction and the Foreword Indie Awards in Women’s Studies. (See links below.)
Here are some comments from readers:
- “This was an amazing book! I laughed and cried many times. I was shocked and saddened by the treatment from fellow colleagues, and members of her church.”
- “I ached for her. The micro aggressions of both men and women are served with a great deal of respect for circumstances of those times, and a great sense of humor.”
- “This book changed my life since her struggle with her teen daughter helped my husband and me change how we interacted with our live-in niece. After I finished the book, I also called my pastor to apologize for some things I had done.”
- “Marjorie is so brutally honest, brave and reflective in her struggles; being a pastor, family illnesses that stretches her to the edges and back. Her writing style invites you in and lets you understand without pity how to survive life’s biggest challenges. I could not put the book down.”
My book deals with the three-year period when I had no faith, yet I still needed to continue making my living as a parish pastor for a Lutheran congregation. I preached, taught Bible classes, officiated at funerals, visited the sick and prayed with them, all without a sense that God was real. The anguish and hypocrisy I experienced were profound.
What led me into ministry in 1980 at a time when female clergy were few? How did my childhood, specifically my position as a middle child in a family of four children, influence my personality so that I would even consider a male dominated profession? How did the unexpected betrayals and loneliness I experienced in parish ministry contribute to my loss of faith?
The reader will walk with me to find out, “Will she ever come back to God, or God to her?” You will find forthrightness, humor, dark forces, and healing light.
Illumination Book Award Gold medalist In Inspirational Memoir – https://www.illuminationawards.com/15/2020-medalists
International Book Awards Best New Nonfiction – http://www.internationalbookawards.com/aboutuscontactus/2019awardannouncement.html
Foreword Indies Awards Finalist in Women’s Studies – https://www.forewordreviews.com/awards/books/praying-on-empty/
Click on the link below to access it on Amazon as a print or ebook. It is also available at other online retailers.
Praying on Empty 