Know Hope Chronicles

Set against the backdrop of a fictional Lawrenceburg, Tennessee rural church and Pastor, the stories blend comedy, nostalgia, faith, and human nature. Readers will encounter unforgettable situations involving church renovations, awkward funerals, traveling adventures, baptistry mishaps, and colorful church characters - all told with warmth, wit, and affection for the people and traditions that inspired them. While filled with humor, the book also contains touching moments of friendship, faith, and community. Readers describe Bro. Jacob T. Rastus as "someone who genuinely means well and is willing to try new ideas, even if those ideas don't always unfold as planned."
Rastus and his wife Hannah, who had served as Pastor and First Lady at Know Hope Baptist Church for over fifty years, have decided to take a sabbatical to see how they might like traveling and even retirement. They have driven to Palm Leaf RV Resort in south Texas for their trial run. they find lots to do, but one of the special things is to just sit in the shade and reminisce about their years serving the parishioners of Know Hope.
Jacob tells Hannah about his German heritage and about the Rastus name-and a name change along the way. He talks about his boyhood and some of the escapades he and his Amish twin brothers got into, especially the day they slipped into the Crockett Theater to see a Marilyn Monroe movie. Hannah recalls several funny events, some potentially disastrous, but with semi-happy endings. They had a good laugh about the "Dogs that love the Lord" program and the Gospel Parakeets that went amuck. Bro. Rastus recalls the renovation of the baptistry, with a panoramic view-and the view the parishioners got when a buxom young lady forgot her proper baptismal clothes during the grand opening of the baptistry. Forgetting the panoramic view, Bro. Rastus thought it would be okay. He also recalled a particularly awkward funeral home visit to make arrangements for a biker who was unchurched. Quite a lesson in that one, Bro. Rastus concluded.
A memory that brought the most chuckles was when Bro. Rastus and Bro. Bennie from the Pentecostal Church decided to check out a Hooter's since it was rumored that a Hooter's might be locating in Lawrenceburg. Bro. Rastus remembered their encounter with their waitress-a former youth member of Know Hope. Bro. Rastus couldn't help ribbing Hannah just a little about the butterbean "sacrilege," as Hannah called it. They had a lot more remembrances during this time of relaxation.
As the story concludes, Bro. Rastus is faced with the decision-to retire or not to retire. The short answer is no, not really, but for the long answer, the reader will just have to read the book to find out what his twilight years will look like-once a pastor, always a pastor, so we're told.