Shalom Sistas By Osheta Moore

SH ·l m' / sis ta: A woman who loves people, follows the Prince of Peace, and never gives up her sass. Shalom, the Hebrew word often translated as "peace," was a far cry from blogger and podcaster Osheta Moore's crazy life. Like a lot of women, she loved God's dream for a world that is whole, vibrant, and flourishing. But honestly: who's got the time? So one night she whispered a dangerous prayer: God, show me the things that make for peace. In Shalom Sistas, Moore shares what she learned when she challenged herself to study peace in the Bible for forty days. Taking readers through the twelve points of the Shalom Sistas' Manifesto, Moore experiments with practices of everyday peacemaking and invites readers to do the same. From dropping "love bombs" on a family vacation, to talking to the coach who called her son the n-word, to spreading shalom with a Swiffer, Moore offers bold steps for crossing lines between black and white, suburban and urban, rich and poor. What if a bunch of Jesus-following women catch a vision of a vibrant, whole, flourishing world? What happens when Shalom Sistas unite?

Pick up your copy here...

https://www.amazon.com/Shalom-Sistas-Living-Wholeheartedly-Brokenhearted/dp/151380149X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1506824769&sr=1-1

My name is Osheta. It’s pronounced, “O-she-da” and even though it’s unique as all get-out—I have a love/hate relationship with my name. Other than, “girl with a really imaginative dad”—it doesn’t mean anything. My name reminds me of his twenty years in the Marines and his tour in Okinawa where he feel in love with the Japanese language. But get this: while my name sounds Japanese….I’m not Japanese.

I’m a black suburban Texan from the Bible Belt living in a diverse L.A. neighborhood. I’m an Assembly-of-God-Methodist-Southern-Baptist-a-teryn turned Anabaptist. A stay at home mom whose ten-year plan had me comfortably settled in a law firm on the partner track, not settled at a messy kitchen table keeping track of a tight urban minister’s budget. And until I married my white husband, I didn’t listen to rap music, know the difference between Tupac and Snoop Dogg, or watch BET.

But you know what? Living at the intersections of so many seemingly contrary ideas and identities has helped me confidently embrace the “middle”. The gray space where most of us reside and feel constantly tugged to be either/or. But life and people are messy and I’ve learned to love being in the middle.

Neither white nor black. Neither secular nor sacred. Neither conservative nor liberal.

Only me and Jesus.

Only Kingdom and the community of believers. Only peacemaking and barrier breaking.

You know, all that stuff Jesus talked about in all four Gospels.

And this space… “Shalom in the City” is where I’ll write my journey as a woman in the middle. Starting with my favorite word:

Shalom:

Shalom is the Hebrew word for peace. A common greeting and farewell—it book-ended interactions with a hope for wholeness and harmony. I love it. I wanna live in it and let it surround every relationship and blog post I write. In a world so sin-stained and broken, I’m encouraged to think about Jesus’ ministry of setting the captives free, bringing sight to the blind, and proclaiming the Good News that everyone, regardless of sex, age, race, orientation, background, ability or intelligence is loved. That’s the power of Shalom: through love, the broken-hearted are made whole. That’s why I chose Shalom in the City for this blog’s name. I’m a Shalom Sistah (a woman devoted to peacemaking, wholeness, and harmony) called to plant a church and live in the City.

Other than a Shalom Sista….

I’m a talker. A writer. A dancer. A Pacifist Mama Bear. A Target-a holic. And a hopeless romantic.

I’m a hot mess of a woman, attempting to practice the beautiful mess of Kingdom living. I am a Jesus-girl. A Third Way Woman. A church planting Wifey. And a peacemaker who struggles with letting her gentleness be evident to all.

So, thanks for stopping by! I’m excited to know you better. Please follow this blog and get ready for it to get really real in your inbox. Shalom only happens when we’re willing to share and deal with our brokenness.

And this is my really real, y’all:

I am broken.

Broken but continually being made whole.

My Thoughts...

Looking for insight on how to be a better person and a faith filled friend and confidant? I think this may be the book for you.

I found Moore's advice to be on point and her humor refreshing. 

This is a book with purpose and one that we all will benefit from. In our hurry up and busy lives this book is a help to slow down and reach out to others and show Gods love. Let's come together and support each other.

This is a must read and I am excited to reread it again and again.

I gave this book 4 stars.

The Mary Reader received this book from Wynn Wynn Media for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.