A weary Episcopal priest loads up an aging Ford Bronco and slips out of town with nowhere particular to go and a quiet young man riding in the back seat he can't quite explain. A chance encounter at a roadside diner in rural Arkansas puts an unexpected woman in his path, one who's been waiting her whole life for something she couldn't have named. And on a cabin porch somewhere in the West, two unhurried figures are rocking slowly, sharing a bottle of wine, expecting company.
What if the life you ran away from was exactly what was preparing you for what comes next? And what if the road west was never really yours to choose?
Reviews
There are 100 million religiously unaffiliated adults in the US, (atheists, agnostics and those describing their religion as nothing in particular) making them the single largest belief group in the country. No wonder, because faith these days, seems more about dividing people rather than uniting them. And in today’s supercharged political environment it’s used to promote political divisions; good guys vs. bad, us vs. them. It seems to generate more hatred than love, and that’s frustrating! Where’s the good news, Jesus preached, in that? Along comes Kee Sloan with a gift for weaving theology with story and whimsy; comfort food for weary souls. He’s a great storyteller, who believes that faith ought to be adventurous and loving, uniting both ordinary folks with kooks and misfits, sinners and saints, and offering purpose to the lost. No dry bones here. And so the adventure begins for Father Goose as he goes west with no plans, no maps. He takes a leap of faith that brings him the adventure he was looking for, and much more; accumulating an interesting menagerie of friends along the way. I hope you enjoy the journey as much as I did.
— Rev. Dr. Mark LaGory
St. Luke's Episcopal Church (Mountain Brook, Alabama)
Professor Emeritus at University of Alabama at Birmingham
In Father Goose Goes West, Kee Sloan invites us to ride along on a genial journey of discovery. Hugh, a burnt-out Episcopal priest smack in the throes of late-midlife angst, sets out driving through the South to find some sense of purpose in his loss-filled life. What does he find? Coffee and conversation and travelling companions, of course, in the best tradition of a good Southern travelogue. But then the journey gets peculiar, because God has something rather more significant in store. Engagingly written, warmly conversational, and thoughtfully faithful, Father Goose Goes West explores the strange places God's grace often takes us.
— Rev. Dr. David Williams
author of When the English Fall and The Prayer of Unwanting
As a young child, I remember the Catholic priests and nuns reminding us to follow the rules to get to heaven. But, as I have grown in my own faith on my spiritual journey, I have grown to know it is much more. Being a Christian is more than just following the rules, it’s about love and forgiveness. Sloan’s Father Goose Goes West provides readers with a view of faith, taking a leap of faith, forgiveness, and exploring our own spiritual journeys. Sloan, the compassionate storyteller, uses modern characters to weave the story of love and forgiveness. It is a wonderful book to explore your own journeys in life.
—Anne Turner-Henson
University of Alabama at Birmingham (Ret.)
Sometimes you need to have faith and take a leap with uncertainty to fully realize all that God has planned for you. The biblical stories discussed in Father Goose Goes West as well as the journeys of the main characters are important to understand these themes. The lessons that the author illustrates have immense relevance to the world we are living in today and provide guidance to us who were brought up in different denominations and faiths. The lessons were timely for me, thus my gratefulness.
—Wendy M. Nehring
East Tennessee State University (Ret.)
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