I was lucky enough to receive an advanced copy of this book and it was truly a joy to read. Osheta shares her story with honesty and grace and her shalom sistas manifesto points, borne out of love and faith, are a much-needed challenge to the default (and less grace-filled) ways we see ourselves and move through the works. This book is a gem that will be a wonderful read for both individuals and book clubs.

Practical, wise, encouraging, and challenging advice for everyday peacemakers. I love Osheta’s approachable examples and language as she encourages and tells stories about the ways she has become a seeker shalom in her normal right-here life. Such a good read I will be rereading it again and again.

This book is for you. Yes you. It doesn't matter where you find yourself in this life.

We live in a world desperate for peace. It feels big and weighty and probably like it's something you can't do anything about. But you can. Osheta breaks things down into manifesto points that lead us to everyday peacemaking. It is phenomenal in every way.

Don't dismiss the ordinary of your life. It holds the key to peace...for yourself, your circle, and the world.

Plus, Osheta Moore will make you laugh and she likes pie. Bonus points for sure.

Pick it up and you won't be disappointed.

I am a Shalom Sista
SEPTEMBER 21, 2017 / RENEE MEYER
I’ve been thinking about the concept of peace for a long time.

In my family, peace was the absence of conflict, something you kept by not arguing, not rocking the boat.

In the Christian environment I was born into in college, peace was this magical quality that helped you make decisions. “I had a peace about it.”

Lovely, except that “not rocking the boat” can lead to enabling unhealthiness, and create more relational strain than an honest approach.

And for me, decision making is inherently un-peaceful. I literally have NEVER “had a peace” about a decision before it is made, because I fear making wrong decisions.

Thankfully, at some point in my twenties, I heard one of my favorite Bible teachers explain peace as the product of trust in God and submission to the Prince of Peace. “AHA!” I thought, “Finally, a peace that seems healthy and attainable for me.” And I still think true peace in my spirit comes first and foremost when I am trusting God and surrendered to His goodness, regardless of my circumstances.

But that definition of peace is limited to my own experience – I can trust and surrender to God’s goodness myself, but I can’t force it on others. And as I continued to study my Bible, particularly the Psalms and New Testament Kingdom theology, I increasingly felt the need for a broader definition. A peace we can live out of, but also into.

I found it when I learned the concept of Shalom. The word translated peace in our English Old Testaments means wellness, completeness, safety, flourishing.

This is what God is doing in our hearts and in the world, bringing Shalom. And this is what God is inviting us to join Him in: experiencing His shalom and carrying shalom into the world.

Over the last five years, I’ve been on a journey of seeking shalom, learning how we can participate in God’s Kingdom work here on earth. That journey has brought many new voices into my life, for which I’m profoundly grateful.

One of those voices in Osheta Moore.

I found Osheta originally through mutual friends and her podcast, Shalom in the City (Where Osheta and her guests and co-hosts explore how to practice Shalom in various areas of our lives.)

I love Osheta’s vision for whole-hearted living, and her willingness to lean into actual peace making rather than just peace keeping. She’s funny, sassy, she loves Jesus, and she has led me to practical ways to actually practice Shalom (rather than just learning about it.)

I was thrilled to learn that Osheta was writing a book about Shalom, because I knew it would be a fun read but also practical. Osheta always has Shalom Steps. And our world NEEDS some Shalom steps, right??

Shalom Sistas is even more practical than I expected, encouraging women to pursue Shalom beginning with ourselves, in our relationships and out in the wider world. The book is structured around Osheta’s Shalom Sistas manifesto, which I LOVE.

Osheta Moore and her husband were deeply involved in urban ministry in their New Orleans community. She taught ballet at the community center and invited teens into their home, while her husband taught literacy skills and trained people to start new jobs. When Hurricane Katrina hit, their home and the community center where they worked were both destroyed. The family decided to move to Boston, but Osheta found herself without a purpose. She believed that she was called to help people and to practice shalom, or peace-making, in her community, but didn't know how to do it with three small children in tow and no title or funding. As Lent approached, she decided to take those 40 days to study what the Scriptures say about bringing peace to our worlds and then put those things into practice.

In Shalom Sistas, Osheta tells readers that making peace is for everyone. It's for the people who work full-time jobs, the moms and dads who are home all day with little ones, and those of us who feel a bit too snarky to be considered a saint. In fact, Osheta becomes convinced that peacemaking is an active and audacious process, and it needs people who are ready to speak with power and a bit of sass. She writes a manifesto to remember what people seeking peace should be doing every day, which includes things like believing we are enough, seeing the beauty around us, choosing subversive joy, and serving before speaking.

Some of the practices Osheta writes about in Shalom Sistas are ones we have heard before, like remembering to rest so we can do good, hard work. But in other chapters, she deeply challenges her readers. When she read about the Steubenville rape case, she was heartbroken as a fellow victim of sexual assault. But she also sees that, if we are truly committed to peacemaking, there has to be a road to redemption for the perpetrators too. When her daughter's school throws a daddy/daughter dance, the family decides to take the more difficult road and throw a free party instead of attending the event that not everyone could afford. Osheta writes in an extremely conversational and encouraging way. If you are looking for a book that will give you ideas to make peace in yourself, your home, and your community, Shalom Sistas is a great place to start.

Shalom Sistas
Living Wholeheartedly in a Broken World
By Osheta Moore
Herald Press October 2017
240 pages
Read via Netgalley

I am a Shalom Sista because I am a peacemaker, not a peacekeeper. Moore walks us through what that means in making room for Shalom in our everyday lives. As a WOC the world is throwing so many punches, and they are all landing. Shalom Sistas is a response that speaks directly to our hearts. We are moved to make room for Shalom. I can't recommend this book enough.

Review at my blog: http://cisneroscafe.org/book-review-shalom-sistas-by-osheta-moore/

In today’s world it takes being a true follower of Jesus to be a peacemaker and not a peacekeeper. Yet, that is exactly what Osheda writes about in Shalom Sistas. To be a Shalom Sista in the challenges, we face in our world today. Challenging us all to think across the lines, we automatically disengage from the run of the mill thinking. Digging deeper past our surface Christianity into the hard stuff, Jesus walked. Speaking words of peace in a fearful chaotic world. Advocating for nonviolence in a violent area. Going the distance, past our injuries and hate, to love as He loved.

Quick. Run, stat. Pick up a copy of the pending release and be changed by Moore's clear, sassy, inviting voice.

Good stuff. Lots to think about and ponder from a fresh perspective. Definitely worthy of a re-read.

Earlier this year, I was introduced to the Shalom in the City podcast with Osheta Moore. I began to hear stories of living as a person of peace. The idea of being a person of peace in the way Moore speaks of was new to me. Moore asks us to consider what it means to bring peace to our homes and cities by the ways we live and approach our lives. Being a Shalom Sista is not a sitting back and doing nothing kind of way of bringing peace. Instead, being a Shalom Sista means living life intentionally to bring joy and peace in the lives of those we interact with most. Yes, Moore agrees that we can be peacemakers globally, but it starts by bringing the kingdom of God to those closest to us.

The biggest concept I grasped from this book was the fact that bringing peace actually helps me bring peace into every area of my own life and bring a wholeness to who I am. "Shalom is what happens when the love of God meets our most tender places." Shalom is God bringing wholeness to us so that we can bring wholeness to others.

Shalom Sistas will allow you to explore some different areas of your life - places where Shalom can be found. Moore takes you on a journey to better understand God's interaction with you in these different areas of life. To recognize that wholeness is found in believing we are who God created us to be. And that we can believe the best of others around us even more.

This book is full of grace and truth. Of calling us out on the areas where we sit back thinking we don't have a voice, and encouraging us to find words where they seem few. Moore encourages us to step into the tough areas, recognizing that God sustains the efforts that we put forward. The words of this book are a driving force for hope, change and bringing peace into the world.

One of the best books I've ever read. Osheta has inspired me to seek Shalom daily. I absolutely recommend this book.