Morning Glory's Long Lost Order of Worship

Book excerpt: Reverend Steer McAlilly accepts the pastorate of Morning Glory Presbyterian, a sizeable country church, in hopes that he and his wife, Tanya, might escape the bondage of their old selves. He is a recovering alcoholic and benny popper who fantasizes about driving a racecar. She is a stripper whom Steer rescues from the nightlife with promises of middle-class contentment and Christian bliss. Their new start, born out of their love of Christ and each other, is a true miracle-until Steer falls into the first great sin he's committed in a long while: a sexual indiscretion with a beautiful nineteen-year-old member of his congregation. The boundaries of love, forgiveness, and spiritual certainty are tested, torn, and put back together in unexpected ways as Steer rediscovers the holy revelations of Morning Glory's Long Lost Order of Worship. It has been said that Brian Agincourt Massey is a literary artist who "has gifts other writers do not." His prose has been called "versatile," "hard-bitten, yet fluid and poetic," and "superb," with dialogue that is "top-notch energetic." That the purveyors of these accolades range from New York editors and agents to fellow novelists to L.A. screenwriters attests to Massey's broad appeal.