Eight years ago, I wrestled with an idea to use the power of story to help open the eyes of people suffering from addictions. I imagined it to be a non-threatening way to initiate conversations that foster healing and hope for the people you care about. With the ultimate goal of loving them and walking with them during their suffering.

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Something like, “Hey I read this book that I thought would resonate with you,” and all of the late-night conversations over pancakes that would ensue.

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I know that the AA’s, NA’s, Celebrate Recovery’s, Living Waters, of the world exist to walk alongside the hurting, and they do a good job of it in so many ways. My desire was for those people who were not ready to darken the door of a program—they were stuck in shame or denial.

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Knowing that everyone struggles against the demons in their lives, I understood that the main character would have to be believable and likable. They would have to be an average Joe living a normal-ish life, complete with a complicated past and a ton of dysfunctional coping mechanisms that contributed to their situation. Not a soulless ghoul bent on destruction, but a guy with a tough life filled with hard choices.

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I thought and prayed long and hard on how to make the struggle come alive in readers’ minds when the section in Colossians 3 slapped me upside my thick head. It reads, “[5] Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. [6] On account of these the wrath of God is coming. (ESV) Colossians 3:5–6.

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With this verse came the idea that Scooter’s demons would be represented by friends from his past life who had been a drain on him. They led him down so many difficult paths where he felt completely turned around and discombobulated. Even though he didn’t hang out with them anymore, they kept showing up unannounced at the worst times.

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Putting something to death that lives inside of us is hard. Things that are alive tend to want to remain that way—this is especially true when we have attached pleasure to them.

My demons don’t die easy and neither do yours.

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The Stars in the Sidewalk was born with this in mind.

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Fight on!

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