‘Into the Storyverse’ relates the story of us all. Its narration sensitively exposes our tendency to blindly act out of our life scripts, and it offers us the grace to be aware of what it means to be held in Mystery. George Johnston keenly identifies and sensitively describes the human condition in its beauty and its tragedy. He calls us to recognize and acknowledge our addiction to identifying with our life’s circumstances. Through the sisters of poetry and prose, George offers us the chance to fall into a deeper Life which can hold and embrace the paradoxes and ambiguities of what it means to be truly human.
Dr Patrick Oliver, Spiritual Director
George Johnston has crafted something unique within the pages of ‘Into the Storyverse’. Be prepared to be taken on your own inner journey via the gentle rhythm of interwoven stories that find expression through fiction narrative and poetic verse. I found many evocative reminders of my childhood in the northern bayside suburbs of Brisbane as well as a very significant journey I took with my father through the landscapes of western Victoria many years ago. This book has layers and beneath the surface are themes of love, inclusion, forgiveness, self-care and the understanding that we each have a special story to tell. Perhaps most importantly, for me at least, is the reminder to leave behind the dualistic notions of ‘us’ and ‘them’ in order to expand into the mystical realm of the eternal present.
Mark Darling, Psychologist
I pick up this book, I hear a mysterious and intriguing invitation, I visit familiar and strange places, doors open, at first slowly, but then more quickly. I travel to the other side of the world as I follow the path of a central character who in many ways resembles me. He, or is it me, is in a valley, on a mountain top. Poetry invites me to linger, reflect along the way, go deeper into my own pain, longing, questioning, and then into my very soul.
Bruce Warwick, Formation Pastor Churches of Christ