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ISBN: 9781608442836
288 pages
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Preface

Dear Reader:

I know what you’re thinking, “Another Sci-fi about time-travel? Hasn’t that been done already?” Well, yes and no. When I started writing this book, I thought that was all it was going to be, and somewhere along the way, the writing changed gears. I began to think about some of the most chal­lenging questions that I have received over the years and to wonder whether this book could begin to answer some of them. The Project Reset series then, is less of a Sci-fi and more of a “cosmic do-over” for the principle characters.

For an example of the questions I wanted to answer; not long ago I was teaching a senior high Sunday school class, and when we got around to discussing sex, one of the guys asked me, “Mr. H, this abstinence thing sounds right, but how do you do that?” To me “just saying no” didn’t sound like an adequate answer, so the character in this book answers that question and others like it in ways that really answer the bigger question, “If I become a Christian now while I’m young, what does that look like? How do I act?”

The Project Reset series deals with a wide range of topics that, for better or worse, are part of everyday life in American middle school, high school, college and beyond, including: suicide, addic­tions, rape, teen pregnancy, abortion, and abuse, all told in the context of a very unique life in order to give a vision for how things might turn out for “those who overcome the world”. The purpose in pulling all of these elements in was not to create a story that would only titillate the curiosity, but to present a basis for discussion on how to effectively deal with these issues as a follower of Jesus Christ. I believe that Christ has the answers that each of us are looking for, and the characters in the book use those answers to make a difference.

This doesn’t mean that I’ve just gone for the easy answers, or that I’ve necessarily picked ones that everyone will agree with. Some of the “solutions” proposed in this book may be totally unwork­able, and may serve to make the problems they attempt to solve worse instead of better. Although, having said that, it is important to note that all of the elements in the book have worked for some peo­ple, and in some cases produced results that were even better than the results described in the book. A lot about making the “right” choices in life revolves around what God has created, prepared and gifted each of us to do, and the motives, character and faith of those who select the choices. What’s absolutely the right way for one person to handle a problem could easily be totally wrong for the next person, even though their circumstances appear to be identical.

What I have done, then, is propose some “life choices” that will challenge your imagination and give you a new perspective on a whole series of situations that may be new to you. At the same time, I’ve added in some experiences that only a few people have ever had, to challenge you to won­der whether or not you might somehow have the same experiences yourself, if only one or two key things were just a little bit different in your own life.

The secondary target audience for the book is the parents and Sunday school teachers who are looking for a discussion tool to “prime the pump” to facilitate communication of values between generations. Each chapter has been written to “stand on its own” while also being part of a much bigger story, so that most of the chapters in each book in the series will be use­ful in both general and targeted discussions.

Finally, as a subset of both the primary and secondary target audiences, this series is designed to be an evangelistic tool to tell a challenging story of one person’s life as a Christ­ian, with life events that include: becoming born again personally, leading a variety of others to Christ, and some somewhat unique looks at the predestination vs. free will discussion.

Among the test readers, there was solid proof that this book can achieve each of its objec­tives. Teenagers won’t normally read a book of this length unless they enjoy it. Yet most who were offered a chance to do so, read it cover to cover and gave interesting feedback. Among the adults who read it were a few who were not Christians before reading it. Interestingly enough, they were not offended by what I’ve written, and instead they asked some really chal­lenging questions of their own.

In this, the first book in the series, you get to take a look at life from the viewpoint of the time traveler, Alan Hayes. Alan takes a second trip through his youth armed with all the infor­mation that his future self can give him to make life better not just for himself, but also a num­ber of others. In this book, Alan has to make some tough choices, and do some things that his future self suggests he do, even when it makes no sense to him or anyone else around him. As you read his solutions to the problems he encounters, always ask yourself, “Could I do better?” For in doing so, you will gain the most from this book.

Proverbs 29:18a tells us “Where there is no vision, the people perish”. Hopefully, the readers in the primary target audience (preteen through young adult) will get a vision for how life can be excitingly different once Jesus is providing the direction and power to overcome sin. And those in the secondary audience will have a better answer than the (“Let me get back to you on that.”) one I gave my student.

(Note: I wanted to put a warning label on the cover to tell you that the contents of this book will challenge your preconceptions, but I was talked out of it. I was told that any really good book should do that anyway.)

-Dick