5 MINUTE READ

From Luke’s Journal May 2025 | Vol. 30 No. 1 | MIMBY

We hope you enjoy these insightful reviews by Andrew and Joanna, along with the compelling story behind the creation of John O’Callaghan’s powerful and thought-provoking work.

John O’Callaghan has a deep understanding of grief, suffering, and faith – and their complex entanglements. This wisdom and compassion, born of experience, is beautifully reflected in this book.

His poetry and prose, and the luminous black and white photos that accompany them, provide both insight and comfort to those who wrestle with the brokenness of the world and the way it wounds us.

No doubt, readers will connect with some pieces more than others. That’s to be expected with such a profoundly personal book. But it’s worth reading – and re-reading – for the gentle grace you’ll find there.

Rev Dr Andrew Sloane,
Lecturer in Old Testament and Christian Thought at Morling College

John’s work ‘The Doors of the Ocean’ is appropriately subtitled ‘Hope for the Hurting’. Indeed, this is what I believe it will bring. He writes as one who has himself suffered deeply, to those who are suffering and those who are seeking to care for them.

He acknowledges the depths of despair to which suffering can bring us, and the fact that it is often devastating, mysterious and sometimes unjust.

John does not offer formulaic or trite explanations or solutions, but seeks to explore a deeper understanding of the significance of suffering. He presents the real and only hope which the Christian worldview brings, and considers the ways that faith can undergird us in the midst of deeply troubling times.

The book contains thoughtful meditations on the nature of suffering, some of which include personal notes, and poetry that is engaging and accessible.

Stuart Scott’s evocative black and white photos taken at Redhead Beach NSW perfectly complement John’s words. As a psychiatrist who deals with many souls who are experiencing a variety of griefs, I can heartily recommend this book.

Dr Joanna Barlow,
Psychiatrist, Hunter Region, NSW

The Doors Of The Ocean

The Story Behind The Book

 This was a three year project in the making, the process of producing the book involved many changes until it evolved into its final form. Originally, it was going to follow the pattern of the first book After Darkness, Light which was published in 2008. As time unfolded, it became clear that the vision of the book called for something different. The project stalled for over a year, because we didn’t have the right designer. Stuart and I were stuck in a bit of a limbo, as I said we couldn’t proceed until we had the designer who understands the project. It was a great day when Emily joined our team to become the designer, as she understood what the project was all about. 

At some point in the making I realised I was in the middle of doing something I’d promised myself I’d never do, which was to write a book on the issue of suffering from a Christian perspective. Having read much in this area didn’t qualify me to be writing on the subject; however, I had the audience in mind the whole time – the audience being those who have suffered seriously and are open to looking at their suffering, as well as the place of God in their affliction. Having worked in pastoral care and having gone through my own grief, I knew this was going to be challenging to do, for we were marrying Art, Suffering & Theology all together. 

As a team we spoke about the need to make something meaningful, atmospheric, as timeless as possible and hopefully beautiful. Stuart took a total of over stunning 200 shots of Redhead beach and I chose from an original list of over 200 poems for the project. Emily did a brilliant job of pulling the material together and pouring it into the structure I had decided on, which was then transformed into her brilliant design for the book. She saw many things I didn’t see, because of her visual gift and her creative gift and brought together the various elements. 

The book has three main kinds of writing ~ the poems, three short stories and other prose pieces which offer differing perspectives on the nature of suffering and spirituality. In writing the prose pieces, I was attempting to respect the huge variety of human suffering on one hand and on the other hand, be true to what the Bible is actually saying about the issue of suffering. This was a bit of a burden to carry, as I felt a responsibility towards the intended audience. I also held some doubts about my ability to effectively and deeply communicate what I was hoping to communicate, so there was a risk involved, as I was in unknown, uncharted waters.

I’m very grateful to Stuart ‘the light master’ & Emily ‘the grand designer’ for all the incredible work they did. We worked together harmoniously in realising the vision of ‘The Doors’. My name is not on the cover of the book, because it’s not about my story, even though ‘1979’ did really happen. I’m also grateful for Kathryn and her support. It was Kathryn who came up with the subtitle ‘hope for the hurting’ for which she was uncredited! I chose to make the book at the high end of production, regarding the special papers chosen and so forth, in order to make it a beautiful thing to both behold and hold; for many people who suffer terribly, do so alone. It is our prayer and hope that many out there will be touched by the book in their hour of need. 

John O’Callaghan 
doorsoftheocean.com.au 

The Doors of the Ocean – Hope for the Hurting.
by John O’Callaghan
ISBN: ‎  9780646898384
Reformation Heritage Books October 2024

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