From Blindness to the Light: Outskirts Author’s New Book Shows How Disability Brought God Into the Picture
Bozeman, MT, February 22, 2009 --(PR.com)-- When their first son received a head injury at birth, resulting in blindness, John and Sylvia McCulloch didn’t know what to do. But as they learned to raise a child with a disability, this strong-willed couple also found a stronger relationship with God. Now, John McCulloch is sharing his family’s story in “Refined in the Furnace of Affliction,” the new book from Outskirts Press (www.outskirtspress.com).
A true story of faith overcoming tragedy, this inspiring book examines how one working-class Montana family met their unexpected challenges head-on. The story begins when John McCulloch, stationed in the Philippines in the late-1950s, gets a message that his wife back home has had a problem during labor. “You are the father of a baby boy,” he’s told in a devastating message, “but he is not expected to live.”
After a frantic effort to reach the United States, McCulloch eventually learns that his son John Jr. is in fact alive - but was born with a brain injury. The brain trauma, which resulted in the baby contracting hydrocephalus, ultimately resulted in John Jr. losing his eyesight at age seven months. The incident spurs a major reevaluation of John's life’s goals and objectives. After he leaves the military to continue his education and to be closer to his family, John and Sylvia embark on raising a blind child before an era of government disability laws. After obtaining a degree in Forestry, John begins a career with the U.S. Forest Service and continues raising his family. It isn’t always a smooth ride. When told their local school wouldn’t accept John Jr. into kindergarten because of his blindness, the couple takes their fight all the way to Montana governor’s office, and eventually prevails.
Then, a seeming miracle reminds John of the awesome power of the Lord. What follows is a spiritual awakening that will see the growing family develop a powerful relationship with God and a local religious community. That faith in God will serve them well later, as they face even more tragedy: a bizarre accident that will leave John Jr. needing round-the-clock care -- and test every ounce of courage they’ve all got.
More than a chronicle of one family’s tragedies, “Refined in the Furnace of Affliction” encourages those who are experiencing trouble to put their faith in the Lord and to trust Him in seeing them through the trials.
“Refined in the Furnace of Affliction” is now available through Ingram, Baker & Taylor, Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and the online bookstore of Outskirts Press, at outskirtspress.com/store.php.
Book Statistics
ISBN:
978-1-4327-3785-6
Suggested Retail Price:
US$14.95, CAN$18.95
Size and Format: 6.14 x 9.21 Paperback
Page Count: 148
Genre: Biography – Religious
About the Author: John McCulloch was born and raised in Bozeman, Montana. A former Navy pilot, he attended both Montana State University and the University of Montana, graduating with a degree in forestry in 1962. With his late wife Sylvia, the couple had four children. Remarried to Janet Hasbrouck, John remains active in the Bozeman Evangelical Free Church. They currently live in Bozeman.
Author Contact: Visit him on the Web at www.outskirtspress.com/ RefinedInTheFurnaceOfAffliction
About Outskirts Press, Inc.: Outskirts Press, Inc. offers full-service, custom self-publishing services for authors seeking a cost-effective, fast, and flexible way to publish and distribute their books worldwide while retaining all their rights and full creative control. Available for authors globally at www.outskirtspress.com and located on the outskirts of Denver, Colorado, Outskirts Press represents the future of book publishing, today.
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Outskirts Press, Inc., 10940 S. Parker Rd - 515, Parker, Colorado 80134
http://outskirtspress.com — 1-888-OP-BOOKS
A true story of faith overcoming tragedy, this inspiring book examines how one working-class Montana family met their unexpected challenges head-on. The story begins when John McCulloch, stationed in the Philippines in the late-1950s, gets a message that his wife back home has had a problem during labor. “You are the father of a baby boy,” he’s told in a devastating message, “but he is not expected to live.”
After a frantic effort to reach the United States, McCulloch eventually learns that his son John Jr. is in fact alive - but was born with a brain injury. The brain trauma, which resulted in the baby contracting hydrocephalus, ultimately resulted in John Jr. losing his eyesight at age seven months. The incident spurs a major reevaluation of John's life’s goals and objectives. After he leaves the military to continue his education and to be closer to his family, John and Sylvia embark on raising a blind child before an era of government disability laws. After obtaining a degree in Forestry, John begins a career with the U.S. Forest Service and continues raising his family. It isn’t always a smooth ride. When told their local school wouldn’t accept John Jr. into kindergarten because of his blindness, the couple takes their fight all the way to Montana governor’s office, and eventually prevails.
Then, a seeming miracle reminds John of the awesome power of the Lord. What follows is a spiritual awakening that will see the growing family develop a powerful relationship with God and a local religious community. That faith in God will serve them well later, as they face even more tragedy: a bizarre accident that will leave John Jr. needing round-the-clock care -- and test every ounce of courage they’ve all got.
More than a chronicle of one family’s tragedies, “Refined in the Furnace of Affliction” encourages those who are experiencing trouble to put their faith in the Lord and to trust Him in seeing them through the trials.
“Refined in the Furnace of Affliction” is now available through Ingram, Baker & Taylor, Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and the online bookstore of Outskirts Press, at outskirtspress.com/store.php.
Book Statistics
ISBN:
978-1-4327-3785-6
Suggested Retail Price:
US$14.95, CAN$18.95
Size and Format: 6.14 x 9.21 Paperback
Page Count: 148
Genre: Biography – Religious
About the Author: John McCulloch was born and raised in Bozeman, Montana. A former Navy pilot, he attended both Montana State University and the University of Montana, graduating with a degree in forestry in 1962. With his late wife Sylvia, the couple had four children. Remarried to Janet Hasbrouck, John remains active in the Bozeman Evangelical Free Church. They currently live in Bozeman.
Author Contact: Visit him on the Web at www.outskirtspress.com/ RefinedInTheFurnaceOfAffliction
About Outskirts Press, Inc.: Outskirts Press, Inc. offers full-service, custom self-publishing services for authors seeking a cost-effective, fast, and flexible way to publish and distribute their books worldwide while retaining all their rights and full creative control. Available for authors globally at www.outskirtspress.com and located on the outskirts of Denver, Colorado, Outskirts Press represents the future of book publishing, today.
###
Outskirts Press, Inc., 10940 S. Parker Rd - 515, Parker, Colorado 80134
http://outskirtspress.com — 1-888-OP-BOOKS
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Outskirts Press
Kelly Schuknecht
888.672.6657
www.outskirtspress.com
Kelly Schuknecht
888.672.6657
www.outskirtspress.com
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