Ray Moore

Dining With John the Baptist: Poems

Arts & Literature

“English poet A. E. Housman wrote, ‘The essential business of poetry . . . is to harmonise the sadness of the Universe, and it is somehow more sustaining and healing than prose.’ In his latest collection, composed largely in a time of COVID, Thomas Ronald Vaughan offers reflections on life which, while facing its struggles and challenges, yet offers the reader the strength and the resolve to discover its beauties and consolations. Highly recommended!”

God and The Twelve Problems of Evil

Theology

“Experiencing a crisis of physical and emotional pain, Jesus on the cross calls out, ‘My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?’ All Christians can identify with the essential paradox that Christ confronts: How can our daily experience of overwhelming, senseless, irrational evil be compatible with faith in an all-powerful and all-loving God? How can the God of agape love allow disasters, epidemics, wars, etc. when by divine fiat she could prevent them? In this meditation, Ronald Vaughan refuses to shy away from questions which challenge the heart of faith. Instead, basing his conviction firmly in Scripture, he lovingly indicates the grounds for his conviction that ‘we are loved and treasured by our heavenly Parent.’”

Mary Pondered, Sarah Laughed

Arts & Literature

“‘You will learn you were always alone, / And that all joy resides in deep sorrow.’ Gerard Manley Hopkins knew this and so does Thomas Ronald Vaughan: it is the truth at the heart of his poetry. Vaughan can touch the reader’s heart over life’s pain, whether it be the loss of a lover to dementia or a missed conversion in football, but he does so in a voice that exudes love and compassion. We are more human for encountering his poetry.”

Swimming in the Lake of Fire

Arts & Literature

“In this latest collection of poems, Ronald Vaughan draws his life-pictures from Bible stories, biography, and history; from his professional experience in the fields of health care and Christian ministry; and from his own long, productive life. What comes across in poem after poem is the author’s tremendous empathy with those who face the inevitable challenges and sorrows of life. Vaughan writes of the defeated and the scared survivors with equal compassion and ultimately with a message of hope.”

The Earth beneath Lynching Trees

Arts & Literature

“In this collection, Vaughan proves that to be profound, poetry need not be obscure. His poems focus on the ‘quite ordinary but tragic intersections’ that can occur ‘on any given day,’ with which all readers will readily identify. Throughout, the author’s faith is evident—faith in God, no doubt, but also faith that humanity, formed in God’s image, can learn, adapt, and endure. Enlightening and inspiring!”