Our Father

When you are young, how do you reconcile so many contradictions in your surroundings? How do you explain being Christian in the face of racial segregation in the church? What do you do with an inquisitive mind in a culture that discourages questioning? These questions clashed for Mitchell Carnell in an unexpected experience in St. Paul's Cathedral in London. Episodes in his life that had remained separate suddenly came together. Everything changed from that point forward.

This is Carnell's story as seen through his eyes as he struggled to explore his journey of faith and to determine God's plan for the rest of his life after experiencing unimaginable loss and heartbreak. Mitchell's journey begins in a small provincial town in South Carolina and brings him to one of America's most beautiful cities and to a historic church that encourages an enlightened faith. His story is heavily influenced by family, friends, mentors, hardships, heartaches, great loves, great joy, and overwhelming sorrow. It explores the consequences of experiencing personal discrimination and the satisfaction of not being defeated by such injustice. Carnell's struggles shed light our own struggles and will help us come through them stronger and with an empowered faith.

""In this strikingly candid memoir of great loss and heartbreak, Carnell reveals a sensitive soul savaged by, though refusing to be defeated by, discrimination and injustice. He tells of his often tortured path toward an enlightened faith rewarded in the end by the joy of discovering anew . . . that God is love. Readers will see his struggles are ours too, as the author bids us join him on a journey of faith that is far from over.""
--Don Kirkland, Editor Emeritus, The (S.C.) Baptist Courier News Journal

""In Our Father, Carnell captures the essence of what it means to be a vital part of all God's creation--each person cared for and accepted equally by an impartial God. His struggles with identity and purpose for his life are vividly and compassionately shared. Life-changing experiences are portrayed so poignantly and with such assuredness as to evoke recollections in the reader's own life.""
--Ophelia DeGroot, Alumni Relations Resource Consultant, Mars Hill University, North Carolina


Mitch Carnell is the founder of the Say Something Nice Day and Say Something Nice Sunday movements. He served as the editor of Christian Civility in an Uncivil World. Recognized as an authority on organizational and interpersonal communication, his career is dedicated to helping people and organizations, including religious institutions, find better ways to communicate. Since early youth he has been involved in the work of the church as a lay volunteer.