Corby Shuey, senior pastor of Mount Zion Road Church, will release his third book, For Valor: Defending the Faith for Those of Worth, with Defender Publishing on Aug. 25. His book will be released in conjunction with a book written by one of his seminary professors.
The story behind the 332-page book had its genesis long before Shuey put pen to paper.
Shuey was raised in Lebanon County and graduated from Northern Lebanon High School in 1994. He went on to serve as a public school teacher for 16 years. For the last seven of those years, he was an elementary art teacher at multiple schools in Lebanon School District.
“When I felt God kind of calling me into the ministry, I entered into a seminary program,” Shuey said. He earned a master of divinity degree in 2022 and is currently pursuing a doctorate in theology.
“As I was going through some of my studies [in seminary], many of my professors kind of encouraged me in my writing. I’ve always liked to write, but I’ve never really pursued it intentionally. But, many of them encouraged me to write, and they were encouraged by the things that I was writing,” Shuey said. “So, that’s kind of what sparked my interest or my drive … to write this book and to write the other books that I have put together in the past.”
Through life and career changes, Shuey has found himself continuing to return to the area and its people.
“I’ve always been part of the community, part of Lebanon County. I count it as my home, and I don’t want to leave,” Shuey said. “I want to be an encouragement and a way to kind of help build up people in this area.”
Shuey started intentionally working on the manuscript for his third book in the spring of 2021. It took him about a year to complete.
“The book is really about trying to encourage people to be a people of integrity. I think I count it a blessing to be living in this community, to be born in this community, because we are surrounded by many people who are people of integrity. My church family at Mount Zion Road is very, very down-to-earth, grounded, honest people who try to walk with integrity. And it’s a blessing to be … surrounded by people who have that mindset,” Shuey said.
“So, my book is really an encouragement to those people who try to be a people of integrity to press on, to press forward, and then to pass on their faith, to pass on this idea of being a people of integrity, onto the next generation.”
Shuey identified the book’s target audience as a general audience with an interest in the Christian faith and current events in Western culture.
Most of the time, Shuey said he writes from his home office. Although he dedicates a schedule and space for writing, he said the writing process continues anytime, anywhere.
“Really, it’s any time that I feel inspired,” Shuey said. “I try to carry a notebook and a pen and paper. And if something strikes me, I’ll jot it down. It could be while I’m driving. And I’ll pull over, and I’ll jot some notes down. Or going for a walk in the park. I’ll jot some notes down. And sometimes, even when I’m laying down at night, things will wake me up. And I’ll make sure that I get up and kind of jot some things down so I don’t forget.”
He said the writing process involved reading about current events in articles, books, and other sources online, and reflecting on the reading through the lens of Christianity. He also said the writing process was nonchronological.
“I didn’t write from page one to the last page in order. I would write a chapter that maybe was in the middle of the book. I think I actually did start with the middle of the book to begin with. And then, I worked backwards to the beginning. And then, I kind of worked through the middle again. And then, I worked toward the end,” Shuey said. “So, it wasn’t like it was going from cover to cover in one thought. It really was kind of pieced together as inspiration came to me.”
Shuey credited himself, his wife Kelly, and Dave Laughery for much of the editing work on the manuscript.
Shuey initially self-published the manuscript. A few months later, around February of this year, Defender Publishing expressed interest in publishing it. Since then, the two parties have been communicating via phone and email, completing the final edits.
“They liked it from the very beginning, so they didn’t take anything out of it,” Shuey said when asked if Defender Publishing edited anything out of the manuscript.
According to Shuey, Defender Publishing is a Christian book publisher with international reach in the realm of publishing. SkyWatchTV is Defender Publishing’s umbrella media company that promotes their publications online and through TV networks, with the closest network serving Pittsburgh.
For Valor: Defending the Faith for Those of Worth is currently available on Amazon for preorder. After Aug. 25, Shuey said his book will also be available to purchase on SkyWatchTV’s website under the bookstore section. All three of his books are linked to his website, where he has also been posting blogs about once a month.
“It’s a humbling thought to think that I was able to put this book together. It’s not for me. It’s not about me. It’s about exalting God, and it’s about declaring his glory and giving him thanks,” Shuey said in closing.
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