Out of a Far Country: A Gay Son's Journey to God. A Broken Mother's Search for Hope.

by Christopher Yuan

Other authorsKay Warren (Foreword), Angela Yuan (Author)

Paperback, 2011

Status

Available

Genres

LGBTQ+

Biography & Memoir

Religion & Spirituality

Biography

Nonfiction

Collection

relationships/sexual purity/sexuality

Publication

WaterBrook (2011), Edition: Illustrated, 240 pages

Description

Christopher Yuan, the son of Chinese immigrants, discovered at an early age that he was different. He was attracted to other boys. As he grew into adulthood, his mother, Angela, hoped to control the situation. Instead, she found that her son and her life were spiraling out of control - and her own personal demons were determined to defeat her. Years of heartbreak, confusion, and prayer followed before the Yuans found a place of complete surrender, which is God's desire for all families. Their amazing story, told from the perspectives of both mother and son, offers hope for anyone affected by homosexuality.

User reviews

LibraryThing member hoosiers80

Out of a Far Country is a modern day version of the prodigal son with some new twists. Christopher Yuan is a young dental student, who someday is expected to join his fathers dental practice. However, he is secretly living another life exploring his homosexual desires. When Christopher is found out

by his parents, he is left with the choice of his family or his homosexual lifestyle. Christopher dives fully into his new lifestyle, a lifestyle characterized by parties, drugs and sex. Through it all, God is in control as He begins to draw members of this family one by one to Himself.

This book is well written with alternating chapters being written by Christopher and Angela ( Christopher's mother ). This story was very fascinating to me as it starts with the typical gay son being kicked out of the family. However, this story takes many dramatic turns as God changes hearts of stone to flesh. Just when it seemed like Christopher could go no lower, a new low would occur in his life. Yet through it all a devoted mother was always there for her son. This book really reminded me that Christians need to love those living with homosexual desires. To see how much God changes Christopher from the beginning of the book to the end is truly inspiring. It never gets old seeing the grace of God overcome the grip of sin on a life. And on the flip side God shows his sovereignty by using Christopher's choices to draw Angela, a former atheist.I would highly recommend this book to all. There were times that I had to stop reading due to the emotions that were stirred by this book. As Christians, freedom from sin should be something none of us take for granted.

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LibraryThing member tarenn

OUT OF A FAR COUNTRY by Christopher Yuan and Angela Yuan with foreword by Kay WARREN is an interesting christian liveing/sexuality.It is the story of one family's struggle with homesexuality and coming home to God's amazing grace. It is an inspirational story of one son's struggle with his

homesexaulity,his mother's search for hope,years of heartbreak,confusion, God's endless love,grace,a prodigal son returning home and surrender.This book is a great resource for anyone or any group who minister's to the gay community.With an eight- session guide and discussion at the end. This story shows how with prayer,redemption,forgiveness,God's loving grace,mercy, and his love we can overcome and return to him from "Out of a Far Country".What an enlightening story of homesexuality.This is a recommended story for any and all who has or knows someone in the homesexual community and wishes to minister to them.This book was received for the purpose of review from publisher and details can be found at Waterbrook Press and My Book Addiction Reviews

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LibraryThing member CalvinBomb

Started reading this book and couldn't put it down until it was done. I met Christopher in 2007 and have enjoyed his friendship since. The story of God's grace in rescuing him and his family from sin and death is nothing short of miraculous. This book should be required reading for every Christian.

LibraryThing member wbc3

This book is a particularly hard one to summarize in a paragraph. The simplest description is that it is the story of a mother and her homosexual son. It is, however, the successive layers of complexity and feeling that make the book compelling. The mother, Angela Yuan, starts out as a fairly

stereotypical Chinese immigrant, wife, and mother. Her son, Christopher Yuan is the complementary successful son of immigrants. His struggles with his sexuality, and his life in general, send the whole family into crisis. The book chronicles their intertwined roads to redemption. Part of what makes the book compelling is that each of them write alternating chapters. Neither of them pulls punches nor succumbs to pat answers. I think Out of a Far Country is worth reading for anyone seeking to better understand people in crisis and especially for Christians grappling with one of the most divisive issues of our times.

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LibraryThing member sparkleandchico

This Christian biography demonstrates in graphic detail how no one is out of God's reach. It is never too late to repent and start again. The story is told from the perspectives of both mother and son. The mother turns to God in desperation for her son who is living a lavish lifestyle with many

vices. It seems at many points in this story that there is no hope for Christopher who dices with death on many occasions and ends up in prison. In the end though it is a story of hope and forgiveness and the power of God to intervene in seemingly impossible situations. A modern day "prodigal son" story dealing with tough issues including drug addiction and homosexuality. Recommended for Christian adult readers who want to reach out to those struggling or for those who face these struggles themselves. Some of the content is shockingly graphic in places so I wouldn't recommend for younger readers.

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