Back in 2007 Pastor Jeff Ell received a gift of sorts from his congregation at Grace Covenant Church Roanoke — a 90 day sabbatical, 60 of which were spent in Costa Rica. The time was given to the beloved Pastor so he and his wife Deneen could get away from their regular duties, minister in a different place, and enjoy a period of rest and respite from the life of full time ministry they had devoted themselves to for the preceding 21 years. Ell says he had grown a bit weary and is grateful to his congregation for being so “gracious with this gift of time; it was wonderful.”
It turns out in addition to providing rest, the time in Costa Rica sparked a new passion which eventually resulted in Ell becoming a published author. The finished product, “Ruth Uncensored” came out in October 2009 and is currently being promoted locally with hopes of it circulating even further in the future.
“Ruth Uncensored” focuses on the Book of Ruth in the Bible; Ell’s approach is contemporary with a style that is at once humble and yet insistent on conveying the real, raw story of the pain that Ruth faced, and that people living today often face. Ell’s desire is that both individuals and “the body of Christ will enter into the place of harvest,” or a better way of life, which he believes is best achieved by making ourselves vulnerable like Ruth did.
There was no one incident that sparked the idea for a book, according to Ell; rather he had felt that the Book of Ruth has always spoken to him and he had been “preaching messages out of it since 2002.” He had no idea that going to Costa Rica would prompt him to begin writing. While there, he says, “phrases started popping into my brain concerning Christ being our Redeemer – [just] as Ruth was a foreign born bride” who became cherished by her new husband and he began writing some of it down.
Spending time in Costa Rica was perhaps not a coincidence; it provided the idea for one of the chapters in the book, entitled “Antivenin” in which Ell weaves a metaphor for the way antivenin is produced with the way God provides for the sin of humanity. Once he returned to the US, the project dwindled and lost momentum as he resumed the “normal pace of life and re-engaged with his congregation.”
It wasn’t until a friend inquired about the sabbatical that Ell shared about the unplanned book project that he had begun. He then sent the chapter entitled “IRAs and 401(k)’s” to that friend who “really loved it.” While Ell has a lot of passion for his book project, he commented that he was also “filled with tons of self-doubt.” In tune with his penchant for being “real,” he likens his perspective on the fledgling book to the “song a college kid writes after some beer on a Saturday night; does it sound as good in the light of morning – not so much.”
Still, Ell persevered with the project. Regardless of whether it would be published, “I felt I needed to finish it either way.” He took the step of finding an editor, Edie Mourey, who “absolutely” felt it was new and different and had potential. After that, Ell claims, “there was a grace on my life; I wrote every morning for about three months.”
The congregation at his church has been “incredibly gracious and very proud of me,” admits a grateful Ell. “They say they can ‘hear’ me, [in the narrative and that] I write the way I talk.” He claims the book is a little “edgy, which is reflective of who I am.” Ell believes there is way too much spin in the church about what it means to serve God. He hopes his is a “truthful book, a reality-based” work which will help people to “be prepared – life is a struggle every day.”
Book publishing may not be a thing in the past for Pastor, and now Author Jeff Ell. When asked whether this is something he may attempt again, he admits that “yes, I do have another book in me.” He is already pursuing an idea concerning how people can serve God best. He will be heading to Williamsburg Virginia to research oxen; there is obviously another interesting metaphor in the making.
Pastor Ell’s book “Ruth Uncensored” can be found online at amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com, and in stores locally at Barnes & Noble, Family Christian Bookstore and Ram’s Head.
Contact Pastor Ell at [email protected]
By Cheryl Hodges [email protected]