‘A North Lawndale Journey of Faith: Testimony of an Ex-Offender’ [Review]

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“A North Lawndale Journey of Faith: Testimony of an Ex-Offender” takes a passionate look into Stanley T. Rattliff’s life. His is a story of faith and redemption everyone should read. Not only is the narrative enjoyable and heartwarming, but it is educational. Stanley shares his faith journey from childhood, through incarceration, to the present.

The author talks about the importance education and music played during his journey. After leaving prison, he co-founded Hope House, a Christian recovery home for ex-offenders, and earned a Christian Ministries master’s degree.

He and his wife founded The Celestial Ministries School of Fine Arts. “We teach music, dance, and computer programming.” Youth in North Lawndale can attend a 6-week summer music camp. In addition, they can learn piano, brass, and woodwind instruments. “We have a violin instructor in Boston who reaches the kids online, and another from a local college who teaches computer programming,” explains Stanley in a recent interview about the classes offered.

In 2008, he wrote and published “A Dream, A Goal, Never a Reality,” an in-depth tale about Superior Movement, the musical group he writes about in his second book, “A North Lawndale Journey of Faith: Testimony of an Ex-Offender.”

Stanley lives to tell his extraordinary story of God’s redemption and restoration.

Review by Cathy Milne-Ware

Sources:

Celestial Ministries Press: A North Lawndale Journey of Faith: Testimony of an Ex-Offender by Stanley T. Ratliff; 2021
Interview: Stanley Ratliff; Jan. 25, 2022