The Publishing Story: Holy Grit

Author Chad Ragsdale of Ozark Christian College wanted to publish his book Holy Grit. He contacted us for help launching the pilot book of OCC Press.

Specific Services We Provided

We helped with:

• Project management
• Copyediting and proofreading
• Cover design
• Interior design and typesetting
• eBook formatting

Holy Grit was published May 17, 2023.

We enjoyed helping Ozark Christian College experiment with book publishing.

It was fun to watch Chad get excited about the process and, as a professor, still find a lot of value in a good copyedit and proofread. It was also enjoyable to watch the cover design come together.

Chad wanted something “gritty,” to go with the title and the theme of the book, so our design team came up with the idea of sandpaper. Then at the last minute, we realized that the words of the title needed to be huge on the cover, and Chad Ragsdale loved it.

We appreciate Chad’s kind endorsement: “They understood and supported my goals and worked expertly to help me produce a book that I was proud of.”

More About the Book

From the back cover.

A CHAPTER-BY-CHAPTER STUDY OF HEBREWS FOR DEVELOPING SPIRITUAL PERSEVERANCE

Each one of us could list the names of people we love who have tragically walked away from the faith. We could also share our own stories of spiritual weariness as we attempt to follow Jesus faithfully in this world. The need for faithful resilience has always been imperative for disciples of Jesus, and that is true as ever in our post-Christian culture.

Author Chad Ragsdale writes this book to help you develop this faithful resilience—what he calls holy grit. Scripture is our best guide for developing holy grit, particularly through the Book of Hebrews. The development of perseverance, or grit, is the book’s primary concern.

Holy Grit goes chapter by chapter through Hebrews highlighting what we can learn about faithfulness from its pages. The goal is that weary Christians would read this and be encouraged to develop the mindset and the habits that are conducive to perseverance.

“If you want to live a life of resilience, hope, and faith in the God who is making all things new, read this book.”
Kyle Idleman, best-selling author and preacher, Southeast Christian Church

“In Holy Grit, Chad Ragsdale has worked a wonder. He has taken the Book of Hebrews, which many find remote and inaccessible, and found in it welcome encouragement for faith under stress, strength for the long journey of living the Christian life, and an oasis in the desert for weary disciples.”
Thomas G. Long, author, Hebrews: Interpretation Commentary Series

CHAD RAGSDALE is the academic dean at Ozark Christian College, where he also teaches classes on apologetics and the New Testament. He holds a Master of Divinity from Lincoln Christian Seminary and a Doctor of Ministry from Talbot School of Theology. Chad and his family live in Webb City, Missouri.