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Loser
From experiencing loss to finding gain. For those who have experienced loss -- loss of career, loss of a family member, loss of a friend, loss of faith, loss of church, loss of calling, loss of purpose, loss of value, loss of how you thought life was supposed to be -- this is your story. This is a story for outcasts and losers to find a different story to tell. This is a story of hope found in a dying, small-town church with its spiky-haired pastor.
"There's a scene in the movie Dead Poets Society, where professor John Keating asks his English lit students to stand up on their desks to give them a different perspective on life. Former pastor Russell Clark does that for the little Methodist church he led in tiny Reddick, Fla., starting a three-year revolution there that soon had his suddenly exploding congregation featured on the United Methodist webpage for having "the secret to church growth." Clark gets it. He understands, unlike so many ministers mired in the same old ritualistic rut, that sometimes following Jesus means getting down into the mess, even if it comes with a heavy price. God bless him for reminding us of that in Loser."
- Jim Reeves, retired award-winning sports columnist and author of Dallas Legends of America's Team.
“Loser by Russell Clark is nothing short of a present-day update of John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress. It is a post-modern romp with God, our companion on the way to discovering the messy, wonderful, OWESOME* truth about ourselves, our relationships, our failures and successes, and grace powerful enough to see us through all the day long and all the night through. When the Prophet Isaiah invented "Immanuel" to name the God of his hopes and dreams, someone like Russell Clark discovered in the shambles of his early ministry is what Isaiah had in mind. So, settle back, prepare to laugh. Prepare to find hope breaking out in your version of a small-town Florida Church. And prepare to get messy with the people "Immanuel," "God With Us" is sending your way.
Loser is a pilgrimage of wonder and hope. So, put on your traveling shoes, and go with Rev. Clark. Go through the mud until you find out that the glorious, muddy journey is really what God With Us had in mind for you and me all along. OWESOME*!
*See the definition given in the book. Then dare to get excited about it.”
- Dr. Stephen V. Sprinkle, professor at Brite Divinity School and author of Unfinished Reviving the Memories of LGBTQ Hate Crimes Victims.
"Russell Clark reminds us that our story is intertwined with God's story. His writing lifts up "ordinary moments where God has turned (our lives) into something extraordinary." His honest and forthright ability to share the unconditional love of God, while also affirming the need for perseverance in the messiness of life allows Clark to do two things at the same draw on his narrative in creative and substantive ways while also illuminating God's grace at the most profound level. This is ultimately the good news of Clark's work and the manner in which he engages the reader. Through his life and stories the reader sees the power of love as Clark affirms that there are "moments . . . set apart as something meaningful," and that makes all the difference."
- Dr. Joretta L. Marshall, dean at Brite Divinity School and author of How Can I Forgive?: A Study of Forgiveness
"He came to us much like Elijah to the Hebrew a flash of lightning and a clap of thunder right out of the darkness. We needed him and he needed us. Russell writes from the heart -- and what a big heart it is. A heart he wears right out where everyone can see it. There were moments for me in the book where tissues weren't enough for the emotion I felt. There is no doubt Russell loves you and you -- just like us in Reddick -- will love him too."
- Jim Stroup, Mayor of Reddick, Florida and Lay Leader of the First United Methodist Church in Reddick, Florida
"There's a scene in the movie Dead Poets Society, where professor John Keating asks his English lit students to stand up on their desks to give them a different perspective on life. Former pastor Russell Clark does that for the little Methodist church he led in tiny Reddick, Fla., starting a three-year revolution there that soon had his suddenly exploding congregation featured on the United Methodist webpage for having "the secret to church growth." Clark gets it. He understands, unlike so many ministers mired in the same old ritualistic rut, that sometimes following Jesus means getting down into the mess, even if it comes with a heavy price. God bless him for reminding us of that in Loser."
- Jim Reeves, retired award-winning sports columnist and author of Dallas Legends of America's Team.
“Loser by Russell Clark is nothing short of a present-day update of John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress. It is a post-modern romp with God, our companion on the way to discovering the messy, wonderful, OWESOME* truth about ourselves, our relationships, our failures and successes, and grace powerful enough to see us through all the day long and all the night through. When the Prophet Isaiah invented "Immanuel" to name the God of his hopes and dreams, someone like Russell Clark discovered in the shambles of his early ministry is what Isaiah had in mind. So, settle back, prepare to laugh. Prepare to find hope breaking out in your version of a small-town Florida Church. And prepare to get messy with the people "Immanuel," "God With Us" is sending your way.
Loser is a pilgrimage of wonder and hope. So, put on your traveling shoes, and go with Rev. Clark. Go through the mud until you find out that the glorious, muddy journey is really what God With Us had in mind for you and me all along. OWESOME*!
*See the definition given in the book. Then dare to get excited about it.”
- Dr. Stephen V. Sprinkle, professor at Brite Divinity School and author of Unfinished Reviving the Memories of LGBTQ Hate Crimes Victims.
"Russell Clark reminds us that our story is intertwined with God's story. His writing lifts up "ordinary moments where God has turned (our lives) into something extraordinary." His honest and forthright ability to share the unconditional love of God, while also affirming the need for perseverance in the messiness of life allows Clark to do two things at the same draw on his narrative in creative and substantive ways while also illuminating God's grace at the most profound level. This is ultimately the good news of Clark's work and the manner in which he engages the reader. Through his life and stories the reader sees the power of love as Clark affirms that there are "moments . . . set apart as something meaningful," and that makes all the difference."
- Dr. Joretta L. Marshall, dean at Brite Divinity School and author of How Can I Forgive?: A Study of Forgiveness
"He came to us much like Elijah to the Hebrew a flash of lightning and a clap of thunder right out of the darkness. We needed him and he needed us. Russell writes from the heart -- and what a big heart it is. A heart he wears right out where everyone can see it. There were moments for me in the book where tissues weren't enough for the emotion I felt. There is no doubt Russell loves you and you -- just like us in Reddick -- will love him too."
- Jim Stroup, Mayor of Reddick, Florida and Lay Leader of the First United Methodist Church in Reddick, Florida
155 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 9, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 27, 2017
I've been waiting FOREVER to read this, and I've finally had the time to while driving back back from Nebraska.
If you noticed, I started it today, and finished it today. I just couldn't put it down! And maybe that's because I personally know Russell and what he's been through, but I think it's more that his writing is HIS writing. I could read it in his voice and the way he writes is so... him.
Russell Clark was my very first youth director and, I think, one of the many reasons why I have such a strong relationship with God and why I believe what I believe. He was the foundation of my spiritual growth for me, and that's very apparent in this book. I have some of the same feelings and viewpoints on these topics, and I don't think that's by coincidence! He is able to articulate his (and my) outlook on God and life in such a logical manner.
But this is just who Russell is. Even when I was a youth member, he always showed unconditional love to EVERYONE and made sure EVERYONE felt included. Back then, I didn't know his backstory. I only knew he was OWESOME and I loved him for it. As a young teen, I wanted others to see me how I saw him, and made that a priority to me in the ruthless environment that is high school.
But that was just the beginning. I think I speak for a lot of people when I say it was extremely hard to see him go... And, as I grew older and began to understand what really went on "behind-the-scenes" in those days, it only solidified how I wanted to be: different, accepting of everyone, loving to all, and caring towards those who needed it the most not just because I'm a Christian, bit because that's who God MADE us to be. And Russell embodies this whole-heartedly not just as a pastor, but as a human being.
If you noticed, I started it today, and finished it today. I just couldn't put it down! And maybe that's because I personally know Russell and what he's been through, but I think it's more that his writing is HIS writing. I could read it in his voice and the way he writes is so... him.
Russell Clark was my very first youth director and, I think, one of the many reasons why I have such a strong relationship with God and why I believe what I believe. He was the foundation of my spiritual growth for me, and that's very apparent in this book. I have some of the same feelings and viewpoints on these topics, and I don't think that's by coincidence! He is able to articulate his (and my) outlook on God and life in such a logical manner.
But this is just who Russell is. Even when I was a youth member, he always showed unconditional love to EVERYONE and made sure EVERYONE felt included. Back then, I didn't know his backstory. I only knew he was OWESOME and I loved him for it. As a young teen, I wanted others to see me how I saw him, and made that a priority to me in the ruthless environment that is high school.
But that was just the beginning. I think I speak for a lot of people when I say it was extremely hard to see him go... And, as I grew older and began to understand what really went on "behind-the-scenes" in those days, it only solidified how I wanted to be: different, accepting of everyone, loving to all, and caring towards those who needed it the most not just because I'm a Christian, bit because that's who God MADE us to be. And Russell embodies this whole-heartedly not just as a pastor, but as a human being.
June 24, 2020
An easy read with a wonderful message about God and relationships.
Each chapter reads like an essay which is fine. However, I felt each chapter could be expounded further. I wanted to know more about the process the author went through in order to overcome his feelings of inadequacy due to the bullying he received as a child and as an adult. I also would have liked more details about the bullying incidents as an adult before being blackballed.
The chapters about the ways that the Florida church grew and developed are well written and heartwarming. The overall message that God meets us where we are in our messiness is the heart of this book and the author's testaments on his experiences with this message are inspirational.
Each chapter reads like an essay which is fine. However, I felt each chapter could be expounded further. I wanted to know more about the process the author went through in order to overcome his feelings of inadequacy due to the bullying he received as a child and as an adult. I also would have liked more details about the bullying incidents as an adult before being blackballed.
The chapters about the ways that the Florida church grew and developed are well written and heartwarming. The overall message that God meets us where we are in our messiness is the heart of this book and the author's testaments on his experiences with this message are inspirational.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews