Osheta Moore - Shalom Sistas: Living Wholeheartedly in a Brokenhearted World

What a timely read! Its so rare to find a book that is this theologically rich and carefully crafted yet rooted in the messy, churned-up earth of everyday life. A clarion call to justice, peace, and good old-fashioned laughter, Shalom Sistas will leave you changed. Its a book I can recommend to friends across the political and cultural spectrumnot because it is safe but because it is profoundly, prophetically true.

R ACHEL H ELD E VANS, AUTHOR OF S EARCHING FOR S UNDAY AND A Y EAR OF B IBLICAL W OMANHOOD

You are going to love Osheta Moore. She is the best sort of friend for this journey of shalom: funny, warm, welcoming, challenging, wise, strong, and real. Osheta gives us the tools and practices to begin to live out our deepest longings for the kingdom of God in the midst of our messy, imperfect lives.

S ARAH B ESSEY, AUTHOR OF O UT OF S ORTS : M AKING P EACE WITH AN E VOLVING F AITH

Over the years, I have continually learned from Osheta Moores writing and witness, and Shalom Sistas is no different! Osheta has a gift for blazing a path toward liberation, hope, and purpose in any circumstancein times of leisure or stress, abundance or scarcity, clarity or confusion. All peoplenot just womenwill benefit from Oshetas careful and wise guidance through the complex intersection of faith, family, and community.

C HRISTENA C LEVELAND, AUTHOR OF D ISUNITY IN C HRIST

Shalom Sistas made me want to stand up and cheer! Only Osheta Moore could land these powerful soul truths with such humor and grace. This hopeful manifesto is guaranteed to move youto action, to peace, and ultimately toward the weird way of Jesus, where the gospel upsets our tired ideas and compels us to greater love.

S HANNAN M ARTIN, AUTHOR OF F ALLING F REE

All the jazz hands for this book! Shalom Sistas is the book we all need right now. Osheta Moore will make you laugh, challenge you, and offer you a practical path to peacemaking. You will want to be her friend and show up at her house for red beans and rice. I used to think peacemakers were supposed to be super nice and compliant, but no more. Oshetas shalom is strong and opinionated; theres nothing passive or saccharine about it. Shalom Sistas shows us the way.

M ELANIE D ALE, AUTHOR OF I TS N OT F AIR AND W OMEN A RE S CARY

Thank you, Osheta Moore, for capturing the joyful challenge of being a peacemaker in such a tangible way! By painting a beautiful, raw picture of living in the kingdom, Shalom Sistas will shake up your conceptions of what it means to follow Jesus.

B RUXY C AVEY, AUTHOR OF R EUNION AND TEACHING PASTOR AT T HE M EETING H OUSE

God calls us beyond the surface kinds of friendships weve gotten used to and invites us into the richness of deeply meaningful relationshipseven (especially?) with people wed rather not get to know. Shalom Sistas extends the invitation once again, because clearly, God is not giving up on us.

D EIDRA R IGGS, AUTHOR OF O NE AND E VERY L ITTLE T HING

I am so grateful for Osheta Moores sassy voice, calling forth the Shalom Sistas of our generation. She invites us to practice ordinary acts of peace and to join her on this most crucial journey of peacemaking, rather than peacekeeping. And to think it all started with a dangerous prayer. Shes my kind of woman, and I love her book.

I DELETTE M CVICKER, FOUNDER OF S HELOVES MAGAZINE

In a world often wrought with unrest, Shalom Sistas offers a compelling way forward, calling the reader to consider what it means to live as peacemakers and not merely peacekeepers. Osheta Moore does this by giving us an intimate glimpse into her own storyweaving together personal narrative, humor, and just plain down-to-earth girl talk. A must-read for all who are determined to find and create life-giving spaces in the midst of chaos!

G AIL S ONG B ANTUM, EXECUTIVE PASTOR OF Q UEST C HURCH

As the divisions in our world get wider and deeper, the need for peacemakersnot mere peacekeepersis stronger than ever. In Shalom Sistas , Osheta Moore offers honest, practical, and vulnerable wisdom and experience on how we can actively create shalom in our circles. Filled with real stories and tangible practices, this book will challenge, encourage, and strengthen readers to respond to Gods call and bravely engage in the beautiful kingdom work of peacemaking.

K ATHY E SCOBAR, AUTHOR OF F AITH S HIFT AND COPASTOR OF T HE R EFUGE

Osheta Moore is the leader I want to follow. She loves God and is passionate about building Gods kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. Her good heart and sharp mind are matched by her willingness to do the hard things as she seeks shalom right where she is planted. If you are committed to seeking shalom right where you are, Shalom Sistas can show you how.

M ARGOT S TARBUCK, AUTHOR OF S MALL T HINGS WITH G REAT L OVE AND COAUTHOR OF O VERPLAYED

Shalom is one of my favorite concepts in the Bible. It means complete reconciliation, the fullness of human flourishing, the state where humans express our humanness as it was meant to be. Sound heady? It is. Yet Osheta Moore writes about it in the same voice she uses when she calls up a girlfriend from the carpool line. I want to put my phone on speaker and chat with her all day. This is an important yet approachable read.

J ESSICA H ONEGGER, FOUNDER OF N OONDAY C OLLECTIONS

Shalom Sistas is a practical, engaging, theologically informed, poignant, and witty presentation of what peacemaking can look like in our time. Anyone who reads Shalom Sistas no matter their level of theological understandingwill be challenged and encouraged to make peacemaking more than just an idea but rather an integral part of everyday life.

D ENNIS R. E DWARDS, SENIOR PASTOR OF S ANCTUARY C OVENANT C HURCH

Dont even think about using a highlighter as you read Shalom Sistas . Youll end up with entire pages colored in neon yellow! Instead, sit down with a cup of coffee, an open heart, and a box of tissues. Osheta Moore writes with conviction and humor about Gods invitation to be a peacemaker.

K ATHY K HANG, COAUTHOR OF M ORE T HAN S ERVING T EA

Strolling through the pages of Osheta Moores Shalom Sistas is like taking a long walk with a dear friend. Relatable, brave, witty, and inspiring, this intimate work educates and empowers women to seek shalom in every aspect of their lives.

J ESSICA K ELLEY, AUTHOR OF L ORD W ILLING ?

Osheta Moore is the Sista everyone wishes they had, and this book is packed with the Sista advice all of us need. Gloriously filled to the brim with Oshetas wit, wisdom, courage, and beautiful honesty, Shalom Sistas challenges and propels me toward a joy-infused life of peacemaking for years to come.

J ERUSALEM G REER, AUTHOR OF A T H OME IN T HIS L IFE

Osheta Moore reminds us all that peacemaking happens in the ordinary spaces of life. Readers will be brought to tearssometimes due to uncontrollable laughter, and other times due to ugly criesbut always with an empowered sense that peace starts here, now, with me! Read this book, if you dare, but beware: you might just become convinced that shalom seeking is for regular folks in regular places.

K URT W ILLEMS, PASTOR OF P ANGEA C HURCH AND PODCASTER AT T HEOLOGY C URATOR

Osheta Moore breathes hope into the daily lives of women by exposing the hidden revolution at the heart of the ordinary. With a perfect blend of sass and grace, Osheta casts a vision for a world-rocking peace that takes shape one laundry load at a time.

M EGHAN G OOD, TEACHING PASTOR AT T RINITY M ENNONITE C HURCH

Shalom Sistas reorients our daily Christian practice toward Gods dream of shalom. Osheta Moore is thoughtful and down-to-earth, and thankfully, the God she speaks about looks and sounds like Jesus. Her life-giving words are inspiring, and her transparent stories are striking and exquisitely written. In an age of despair and violence such as ours, this storied manifesto is a necessary encouragement for women (and men).