Faith and You Volume 1: Essays on Faith in Everyday Life

"Sometimes I wish my minister would read his column instead of the sermon!"

That's the kind of response Plain Dealer columnist Terry Pluto draws from devoted readers of his faith column. Although best known as an award-winning sportswriter, Pluto has also earned a reputation--and a sizeable audience--for his down-to-earth musings on more spiritual subjects.

These 28 thoughtful essays talk about faith in everyday life--practical topics such as choosing a church, lending money to friends, dealing with jerks, sharing your faith, visiting the sick, even planning a funeral.

Perhaps it's because Pluto doesn't claim to have the answers that so many readers are drawn to his writing.

Terry writes for people who aren't always confident in their beliefs but know faith is still important to them ... For people who sometimes get mad at their church or disagree with their pastor yet don't want to lose the spiritual side of their lives ... For people of different faiths or backgrounds or who aren't even sure they're religious. These essays don't claim to have all the answers. But the questions they raise give readers something to think about all week.

"Pluto takes what is preached on Sundays and moves it into the family room, where friends are gathered around talking and sipping coffee ... He succeeds in bringing faith into the every day act of living." -- Maple Heights Press

"Pluto writes like a friend, making the book as accessible as it is powerful ... for friends and family of any denomination." -- Akron Life Magazine