"Harold Bales is like the Paula Deen of the pulpit. His prose is battered and deep fried, then smothered in rich, folksy humor. Reading him is like comfort food for the soul."

—Andy Warfield

Editor, The Lake Norman Citizen

The Southern-Fried Preacher is written in a friendly, chatty, down-home style by a seasoned minister and writer who treats serious subjects with a light touch. Full of advice for navigating through the potholes of ordinary life, this book is unashamedly sentimental, surprisingly earthy and spiritually challenging. It will make you laugh out loud on one page; turn the page and it will touch your heart and bring a tear to your eye.

Many of the stories are selections from Harold’s weekly newspaper column of 20 years; others are about some of the author’s favorite people he has met on his forty-five year journey as a beloved pastor of several of United Methodist’s largest congregations.

Readers don’t need to be Christian or Southern to fully enjoy The Southern-Fried Preacher. “Besides,” the author points out, “everyone lives south of somewhere.

It's all a matter of the heart.”

Sample of Chapter Titles: