Four frames from Newfoundland - Summer, 2026

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Psalm 88:1–3

O LORD, God of my salvation,

I cry out day and night before you.

Let my prayer come before you;

incline your ear to my cry!

For my soul is full of troubles,

and my life draws near to Sheol.

Psalm 88 is the only psalm in the Bible that does not conclude with a note of hope or faith. It seems to end in darkness. But it begins with the words, “O Lord, God of my salvation.” It is a prayer of faith from the deepest, most sorrowful place, and it serves as an invitation for us when we are in the lowest places.

It is an invitation to lament. Lament is more than an expression of sorrow; it is to bring our complaints and sorrows to God as an act of faith and worship. Worship is not merely measured in praise and thankfulness. It is also measured in acting toward God as if he is the kind of God he says he is: sovereign, wise, loving, slow to anger, just, merciful, caring for the widow and fatherless, with a heart for the poor and needy. And this means part of our worship is bringing sorrows and needs and pain and confusion and questions to him. And he welcomes them. To do so is not exhibiting a lack of faith. It is an act of faith.

The Psalmist knows who he is addressing. So he comes in faith, even if it is just the dregs of his faith, and cries out to God. And he does so with doggedness–day and night (v.1), every day (v. 9). So the invitation is this: bring your worst, your most painful, your most difficult, your most exhausting, your most discouraging to God–the god of your salvation–any time, all the time. Hold nothing back, but take nothing anywhere else. And he will receive you and care for you.

I originally wrote this post for my church, Immanuel Nashville, in our Daily Pulse email. If you want encouragement from God’s word delivered Monday thru Friday to your inbox, I encourage you to subscribe.

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Each week (give or take one or two here and there) I share three things I like – It could be a book, a movie, a podcast, an album, a photo, an article, a restaurant, a food item, a beverage, or anything else I simply enjoy and think you might too.

1) SpotHero

You’ll hear from many Nashville locals that “we never go downtown” and that’s all fine and good. But frankly, they are missing out. I go downtown Nashville with some frequency because it’s an awesome city--restaurants, music, and a photographers playground. It is, however, also a tourist haven and a city that hosts a ton of events in a relatively small footprint which can make parking a real (expensive) challenge. Enter SpotHero, a website (and app) where you can reserve a parking spot in various lots/garages and lock in a price so you can avoid the stress of searching and the sticker shock of peak parking rates. It’s available all over the country, and a massive stress reliever for attending any sort of event or dinner reservation or whatever.

2) Big Boy Baseball Players

As a child of the 80s and 90s, it was more rare to see a physical specimen playing baseball than it was a guy who looked like an employee of the pipe fitters union and a regular at the neighborhood bar. Then the PED era happened and all of a sudden the American Gladiators were playing baseball. Then things settled down and now it’s just a bunch of cross fitters. And frankly, I miss John Kruk and Cecil Fielder. There are always a few tubby relief pitchers and portly catchers, but the big boy stars of the game are a thing of the past. And then I looked at the National league RBI leader board, and who should I see but Alec Burleson, a bearded and thick-bodied first baseman who probably keeps a 6-pack of Busch in his locker. (Actually, he probably keeps Creatine there, but grant me my happy delusions.) He looks like a lumberjack, a plumber, a mechanic--basically a 2.0 version of the stars of the 90s. Here’s hoping we find more like him and the game regains its dad bod charm.

3) “Stolen Moments” by Oliver Nelson

A jazz classic featuring solos by trumpet, flute, and saxophone and with a wonderful bluesy vibe. It’ll bring your blood pressure down.

Four frames from Florida - Summer, 2026

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Luke 2:11

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

Isaiah 9:6-7

For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given;

and the government shall be upon his shoulder,

and his name shall be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and of peace

there will be no end,

on the throne of David and over his kingdom,

to establish it and to uphold it

with justice and with righteousness

from this time forth and forevermore.

The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

When the angel came to the shepherds to announce the birth of Jesus, he made it a point to say that Jesus was born in the city of David. This was not a mere honorific or marketing term, the way we might say that Nashville is “Music City.” The angel is making sure that we do not miss that this baby is the “shoot from the stump of Jesse” (Isaiah 11:1), and especially that we see the connection with Isaiah 9:7.

Did you see it? Unto you is born this day, in the city of David; that sounds an awful lot like to us a child is born who will rule on the throne of David. So with one little loaded phrase, God is telling us that we can rest in the rule of His Son, who has authority over all things. He is sovereign over our circumstances. He rules over nations. He governs the future. Our anxiety, our stress, our frustration, and anger at our circumstances and the world around us can be put in his hands. And his rule will not only be eternal, but it will only bring more peace. This was not a cherubic birth announcement in soft colors and gentle tones–it was the declaration of victory by a heavenly warrior, victory wrapped up in a baby boy. He, friends, is the answer to our fearful, anxious weariness. He is the resolution to those problems that overwhelm us.

I originally wrote this post for my church, Immanuel Nashville, in our Daily Pulse email. If you want encouragement from God’s word delivered Monday thru Friday to your inbox, I encourage you to subscribe.

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Each week (give or take one or two here and there) I share three things I like – It could be a book, a movie, a podcast, an album, a photo, an article, a restaurant, a food item, a beverage, or anything else I simply enjoy and think you might too.

1) The Brothers K by David James Duncan

Let me begin by saying I have never read the other Brothers K, the one by Dostoevsky. I understand it to be a classic, but that and its sheer magnitude intimidate me. However, this novel is brilliant--one of the most subtly powerful tellings of family I have ever read. It weaves together three things I value deeply: family, faith, and baseball, though not in equal proportion. It is not a sports book, and it is certainly not a Christian book. Rather baseball and faith are contexts, setting, ingredients, metaphors, and backdrops throughout the story. The Brothers K is set in the middle of the 20th century and tells the story of the Chance family, two parents and six children, each of whom are indispensable to the tale. It is difficult to say more about the story itself because it is truly one of human development, devolvement, compromise, understanding, and restoration. It does not lack a plot, but neither is it plot-driven. Rather, it seems to be a plot discovered by the author as the characters developed, each in their own unique way. And it is the characters that make this novel great--love them or hate them, you will be compelled by them. Simply put, this is one of the best novels I have ever read, in my own personal pantheon of favorites.

2) The War for Middle-Earth by Joseph Laconte

Look, a book that combines WW2 history with the work of J.RR. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis is basically catnip for a middle aged white man like me. I was destined to appreciate this book. But it’s not as if this book is some sort of fan-driven mashup. Rather Laconte does a wonderful job showing how the historical context leading up to and during WW2 shaped and influenced the beliefs and work of Tolkien and Lewis. Both men fought in WW1, Tolkien as a man of deep faith and Lewis as a man of deep unbelief, and both were deeply scarred and formed by that experience. (Laconte wrote separately about that in A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War.) This book moves from that experience and both men’s formative university years into their days as professors and prominent voices pushing back against the darkness in the days leading up to and during WW2. It is especially wonderful to read of their friendship, despite differences, and how each man was uniquely moved (and gifted) by God to write profound truths in different voices and genres in a time of mass confusion and fear. Even for those who know the works of Tolkien and Lewis well, this book will be an eye-opener as you see how particular essays or passages from their fiction are directly shaped by world events and prominent philosophies of their day. It is the kind of book that deepens an already significant appreciation for two of the greatest Christian thinkers and writers of all time.

3) “Angel Eyes” by Gene Harris

Gene Harris was a brilliant jazz pianist, and this is one of his most magnificent, powerful performances. It is a solo performance, so whereas other Jazz standards have a a band join in to add layers and flavors, this remains minimal and more (in my estimation) powerful because of it.

One of the primary responsibilities and emphases of a good pastor is to ensure that his soul is being fed and nourished. There are stretches and seasons of ministry where this is particularly challenging because of the kinds or quantity of demands placed on him. Recent weeks have felt like this for me, and I reached a point where I needed encouragement and refreshment. On somewhat of a whim I grabbed this little book. You might not think it screams “encouragement” with a title like that, but the foreword by Sinclair Ferguson states, “While there is much practical wisdom to be found in these pages, The Work of the Pastor is not a book to turn to primarily to learn the nuts and bolts of ‘how to be a minister. Other fine books perform that service admirably. Rather this is an inspirational, not an instructional book. It throbs with a passion to keep the central things central. It takes us to the heartbeat rather than the hand actions of pastoral life. It belongs to that smaller category of books on the work of the ministry that stir the affections, challenge the motivations, and produce a change in the affections.” I found this to be entirely and wonderfully accurate, and I am very thankful for this book and for the timing in which I found it. Here are 25 of the best quotes from The Work of the Pastor by William Still.

1. The pastor by definition is a shepherd, the under-shepherd of the flock of God. His primary task is to feed the flock by leading them to green pastures. - p. 17

2. This end of all pastoral work must never be forgotten - that its ultimate aim is to lead God’s people to offer themselves up to Him in total devotion of worship and service. - p. 17

3. If you think that you are called to keep a largely worldly organisation, miscalled a church, going, with infinitesimal doses of innocuous sub-Christian drugs or stimulants, then the only help I can give you is to advise you to give up the hope of the ministry and go and be a street scavenger; a far healthier and more godly job, keeping the streets tidy, than cluttering the church with a lot of worldly claptrap in the delusion that you are doing a job for God. The pastor is called to feed the sheep, even if the sheep do not want to be fed. He is certainly not to become an entertainer of goats. Let goats entertain goats, and let them do it out in goatland. You will certainly not turn goats into sheep by pandering to their goatishness. - p. 23

4. . . . the Word of God, the law of God, ‘the royal law according to the scriptures, the perfect law of liberty, is a sort of rational, verbal, imprint, transcript expression, or descriptive mould of the character of God, which character became incarnate and human in Jesus Christ. - p. 24

5. To be true pastors, your whole life must be spent in knowing the truth of this Word, not only verbally, propositionally, theologically, but religiously, that is, devotionally, morally, in worshipping Him whom it reveals, and in personal obedience to Him whose commands it contains, in all the promised grace and threat of those commands. To be pastors you must be fed men, not only in knowledge, but in wisdom, grace, humility, courage, fear of God, and fearlessness of men. - p.25

6. Eat it, eat it whole. All or nothing. For it is only ‘all or nothing’ devourers of the Word of God who will ever be or do anything for God. - p. 25

7. Unless the Word of God works for you, and solves the problems of your own life (I do not mean perfectly, but in the sense that you know where you are in relation to them, how can you expect that you will be able to make it work for others? - p. 27

8. But, remember, it is not syntheses of the Word of God, not doctrinal presentations of the Word, but the very Word of God itself, read, commented upon, expounded, and its parts vitally and intelligently related, that does the work in men’s hearts. - p. 30

9. . . . the greatest failures are those who, having tried to run Christ’s church as a moneymaking racket, a clockwork train, or a social free-for-all, depart and leave a spiritual wilderness behind them, in which the one thing that is not known at all is the Word of God. - p. 36

10. My greatest heartbreaks have been with people who, failing to see that it is the Word that brings out the true flavour of personality, wanted to absorb the preacher’s personality but not the Word - wanted the fruit but not the root, like people want the ethic without the Cross. - p. 41

11. The hardest thing ministers, who are great talkers, find to do is to listen. Don’t be making up your next speech while the other is talking. Listen! - p. 47

12. Christ is a world of being, not a set of rules. You live your life in Him, you are naughty in him, alas, as well as good in Him. You have fun there as well as seriousness. You must learn that Christ is no mere censor, but a Saviour who saves us by gaining our trust and confidence more and more, and letting us live our total life in Him. He is much more concerned about where we are going, than about how far on we have got. - p.49

13. Next to the ministry of the Word, the most fruitful pastoral duty is to help all sorts of odd sheep to live together, and show them how to live in the world amongst goats without becoming goats. - p. 51

14. Prayer, example and precept, in that order, are the means of bringing up children and young folk in the faith. Nor will high-pressure tactics and brainwashing techniques avail when young folk have gone off on their own. . . Nothing takes the place of the realism of holy living and secret wrestling before God in prayer for our youngsters. We must commit them to God so utterly that we dare not interfere or tamper with their precious souls. - p.57

15. In evangelical circles the danger that the Gospel may be equated with the mere rudiments of the Word of God has become almost a disaster, for these rudiments are only the beginning of the Good News. There are profounder things by far in the Bible than what is called ‘the simple Gospel, although they issue from it. Indeed, in a sense, those who proclaim almost exclusively forgiveness of sins and justification, only make known the preliminaries to the best Good News, which is not that our sins are put away and that we are justified in God’s sight, wonderful though that is, but that God wants us for Himself and to that end brings us to the birth in Christ. After all, the death of Jesus, for all its wonder, is a means to an end, which is not merely that we may be right and clean but that we may be His, which involves personal relationship in love. - p. 62

16. A great many of us are far busier propping up our particular brand of democracy and social service than building. the church of Jesus Christ against which even the gates of hell shall not prevail, whether our democracy collapses or not. The church is not called to subsidise the state any more than she is called to work against it; she has to be as neutral to it as loyal citizens can be. She is called to gather and build the church of Jesus Christ under any system whatsoever. - p. 67

17. Froth and rigidity; taking things out of the Bible and making of them little verbal godlets to worship, when all the time there is the deep-sounding truth of the whole Word of God waiting for someone to unlock its mighty treasures by the Spirit-truth offering the mighty experience of death and resurrection with Jesus Christ, to change not only men’s superficial ways, but their whole lives. - p. 77

18. Some of the hardest nuts to crack in the Christian world are those who have been so busy evangelising that they have never allowed the Word to be turned upon them, and who therefore regard the Bible as a mere book of Gospel texts to hurl at others, or at least to bait them with. - p. 82

19. The devil always does a deadlier work through hardened Christians than through the unconverted, and gets far more diabolical pleasure from it, too. - p. 85

20. The minister’s job is to produce people to do all these other things. We must not do them, but produce others to do them. We must not leave the Word of God to serve tables. There are deacons, that is, other servants of God, to do these, with as great a need of the fullness of the Holy Spirit (certainly of subtle, discerning grace) as ministers of the Word. - p. 91

21. When the superficially evangelistic community exhausts the solid biblical capital it has inherited from its forefathers, what is there to fall back upon? There is more likelihood that it will become increasingly worldly in ostensible attempts to maintain communication with the lost world than that it will be willing to be led back to a solid biblical diet by ministers called of God to give it what it needs and not what it wants. - p. 99

22. People who are too easily intimidated by the wickedness of any one generation and who panic over things which go wrong, are living so near their own day that they have lost the message of the ages which is full of such seeming disasters. - p. 111

23. There is an application of the Word of God for even the most urgent contemporary situations, but if we get all hot and bothered about it, and myopically concentrate all our ministry on that, forever moaning from our pulpits about the evils of the day, what are the hungry sheep going to feed upon the while? The devil is a master of sidetrack. - p. 112

24. Preachers will never be sidetracked by evil. They will never let the devil out of their sight; yet they will not take their mind off what the Spirit is saying and doing through them. It is because they are bent upon doing the Spirit’s behest that they must keep shooing the devil away. - p. 115

25. There are two dangers, and we are attacked from two points of view. One, that of being so preoccupied with soundness in the truth, with doctrines, formulations, propositions and principles, that we go all academic and dead . . . The other danger is that we go all activist, constantly running round in fruitless circles, constantly stirring the pot of emotionalism to boiling point, equating the presence and the working of the Spirit with noise, clatter, chatter, laughter and tears, clapping of hands and wringing of hands, etc. - p. 118

Luke 2:10-11

And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

Nehemiah 8:10

Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

For a weary soul, often the gospel doesn’t sound joyful. It just sounds like news, or information, or maybe even like an obligation. And even if it is good news, it doesn’t engender joy. To a weary person, joy sounds unattainable. Joy is something that other people have but not us.

But joy in the Bible is not circumstantial. It is something we pursue and attain, and we are commanded and called to do so throughout scripture–because it has a substance, a reality we can hold on to. It isn’t a feeling (although it shapes our feelings). It’s a conviction! So when the angel says “I bring you good news of great joy” he isn’t hoping we like it. He is promising access to joy. He is saying “This good news, this gospel, is how you gain joy.” And not just joy–great joy. The good news of Jesus the Savior and Messiah is the source of our joy and where joy is located. This means trusting in Jesus, believing in Jesus, drawing close to Jesus is where the remedy to weariness is found.

Because, yes, joy is the remedy to weariness. We don’t find a way out of our soul’s weariness so we can find joy. Clinging to Christ, pursuing Christ, believing Christ, looking to Christ is how our weariness lifts. Why? Because “the joy of the Lord is our strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10) It is our spiritual power to persevere, to lift our heads, to walk by faith despite our weariness. It is not a high or a shot or a boost. It is the state of a soul that rests fully in the good news of a real, ruling, rescuing Jesus.

I originally wrote this post for my church, Immanuel Nashville, in our Daily Pulse email. If you want encouragement from God’s word delivered Monday thru Friday to your inbox, I encourage you to subscribe.

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Increasingly, I see posts of consternation about AI writing–how it is undermining creativity, how it will damage the publishing industry, and so forth. As an author, I have a vested interest in these concerns. And I suspect most of them are justified to a degree. AI, if given permission to “create” (which really just means aggregate thoroughly), is ultimately dehumanizing.

But here’s the thing: freaking out about it, raging online, frothing at the metaphorical mouth, and losing sleep doesn’t resolve anything. It doesn’t stop AI companies, it doesn’t help authors or publishers, and it certainly doesn’t do any good for us. Our angst will only grow in proportion to the growth of AI, to our detriment and its obliviousness.

Here are three simple encouragements for readers in this age of AI.

1. Buy books from authors you respect.

This is a human interaction, not just commerce. You are supporting real people doing real work. You are signaling to publishers what kinds of work are valuable. If real authors are holding up a light in the increasing darkness of an AI-driven world by crafting sentences, telling stories, and proclaiming truth you are holding up a mirror to multiply that light.

2. Read those books.

Every time you are mad or anxious about AI, open a book and begin reading. This isn’t a performative act. It’s not even an act of resistance. It’s an act of human flourishing. Your mind and heart need to read words from a fellow person. You need to escape the digital dimension for a while and step into the analog universe of typeset pages wherein you find truth and beauty. That author gave something of herself in those pages–maybe blood, likely a tear or two, and definitely sweat. The effort isn’t what makes that book matter, though. The uniqueness of one person’s God-reflecting creative use of language to tell stories and truths is what makes it matter. AI, by ontology, cannot give you that..

3. Share those books.

Yes, hand them to friends. But even more, spread the word. Rave about them. Be a little bit obnoxious about them. Share specifics–characters that resonated with you, sentences that moved you, ideas you’d never considered, truths that changed you. Don’t share books to broadcast your position, your intellect, or as an act of resistance. Share them because you love them and because you love those with whom you share. After all, love is a much stronger and more lasting motivation than anger or activism.

AI is going to do what it does. It is going to expand to its limit. It is going to have its day. But it will never take away the value of the authored (not aggregated) word. It will never undo the innate creative desire or humanity’s essentially linguistic nature. We are people of words, given and received, spoken and written. AI cannot take that away. All it can do is borrow and imitate. Today, we cannot stop it. So instead we will go where it cannot–into the uniquely human dimension of authored truth and beauty where we have a haven of rest, an infirmary for healing, a kitchen for nourishment, and an arsenal of resistance.

Luke 2:10-11

10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

Many of us are so accustomed to titles like “Christ” and “Lord” we just blow past them. We read them as if they are akin to a southerner calling a grown man, “sir”–a polite term of pseudo-respect out of obligation. But let’s not miss the power of these titles. As we’ve seen, these angels did not waste words or throw out idle syllables. The title “Christ” means the “anointed one,” the Messiah, God’s king over all the earth. He was the one promised throughout the Old Testament, the one whom Israel anticipated and yearned for to restore them.

But he was not the kind of Christ they anticipated. He was born in an animal shed to an unwed mother from a backwater town. His entourage at birth consisted of shepherds and farm animals. He did not overthrow the Romans (though he is sovereign over emperors). He did not come with military might (though He is the Lord of hosts). He did not establish a mighty nation or people (though his kingdom shall last forever and every knee shall bow to him).

No, Jesus was Christ, the Messiah, the Lord and ruler of all who would set his people free and rescue us from the curse that has brought us low since Genesis 3, the bondage to sin and its rampant effects on the world. He came to undo it, to redeem and renew and finally to make all things new.

I originally wrote this post for my church, Immanuel Nashville, in our Daily Pulse email. If you want encouragement from God’s word delivered Monday thru Friday to your inbox, I encourage you to subscribe.

Subscribe now

Each week (give or take one or two here and there) I share three things I like – It could be a book, a movie, a podcast, an album, a photo, an article, a restaurant, a food item, a beverage, or anything else I simply enjoy and think you might too.

1) Fantasy Football

Once upon a time in an America that hardly exists any more, except maybe in Texas, football players were the kings of their social sphere until High School graduation. No sport so dominates television ratings like football does. For these reasons, fantasy football is generally considered “normal,” to the degree people talk about it casually. But make no mistake, it is deeply nerdy. It is a fantasy game in which players live out our dreams of managing a professional football team. It is as fantastical as a game that might involve, say dungeons or dragons. It is as nerdy as any world building game involving settling Catan or taking over Irkutsk. And I write all this with deep affection and a 20+ year history of playing this nerdy game. Draft season is upon us, so bring on the podcasts, the group texts, and the friendly wagers. Give me a reason to care about the second WR on a non-playoff team. Keep me glued to my news feed to see which player was just lost for the season and who miht win that QB battle. I am here for all of its nerdy, addicted, not-actually-normal behavior.

2) Tamron Camera Lenses

I took (or re-took up) Photography about a year and half ago and have absolutely loved it. (If you’re interested in following my photographic sharings, you can do so at Instagram or Threads or the Foto App). It is overwhelming getting into a hobby with countless gear and brand options and even more strong (pretentious) opinions by its participants about said gear. Where to start? My friend Tony, who is a world class photographer, pointed me to Tamron lenses. They primarily do zoom lenses, rather than prime (lenses with a fixed focal length) and are engineered with equivalent quality to much more expensive lenses. Tamron lenses aren’t cheap, but they are good value and they offer the flexibility for all different sorts of shooting. I am still new enough to photography to be a true brand loyalist, but I am very close because of how quality and enjoyable these lenses are.

3) Lunch Lady Land

A video from the days when comedy was at its peak, featuring two legends. RIP Chris Farley, and RIP Adam Sandler’s funny era.

Luke 2:10-11

10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

It’s easy to tune out the familiar words of Luke 2, to hear the sweet voice of Linus from The Charlie Brown Christmas movie or recall recitations from church programs when we were kids. But let’s not miss what is being announced and promised.

The angel announces the birth of a savior from our sins, the one who rescues, ransoms, and redeems us. Jesus came to earth with the express intention of saving, of going to the cross. He bore our sins. He satisfied God’s judgment. He embodies God’s love. He sent His holy Spirit. He called us his own. And he now sits at the right of the father to intercede on our behalf until he returns. Yes, all this is wrapped up in the birth announcement, about a baby boy, to those shepherds. All this is what Isaiah promised and what the Angels are announcing. This is why it is good news of great joy for all the people–it is the declaration of salvation

So we can be free from the guilt and shame that so burden our souls. Our sin has been paid for. Your weariness over carrying sin and failure and shame can be put on Christ. He bore it to the cross, as your savior, and you bear it no more. Not only that, he bore those sins committed against you. Every sin is fully addressed in Christ, either at the cross or in final judgement because, after all, he is the Mighty God and ruler. So you can forgive as you have been forgiven. And you can entrust that pain to Christ. You need not be wearied by bitterness and anger and pain. This savior who is Christ the Lord is your prince of peace.

I originally wrote this post for my church, Immanuel Nashville, in our Daily Pulse email. If you want encouragement from God’s word delivered Monday thru Friday to your inbox, I encourage you to subscribe.

Subscribe now

Each month Amazon runs deals on a TON of ebooks from a variety of genres. You can see the full selection here. The titles below are ones I particularly thought worth highlighting. Full disclosure: I haven’t read them all, but they are all ones I would like to read if I haven’t.

Fiction

Paradise Lost by John Milton - $.99

Mythology by Edith Hamilton - $1.99

Dragon Seed: A Novel of China at War by Pearl S. Buck - $2.99

Kinfolk: A Novel of China by Pearl S. Buck - $2.99

The Bookseller’s Tale: A totally gripping historical crime thriller by Ann Swinfen - $.99

Farewell, Four Waters: One Aid Workers Sudden Escape from Afghanistan. A Novel Based on True Events by Kate McCord - $2.99

Underworld: A Novel by Don Delillo - $3.99

The Charm School by Nelson DeMille - $1.99

By the Rivers of Babylon by Nelson DeMille - $1.99

Spencerville by Nelson DeMille - $1.99

The Talbot Odyssey by Nelson DeMille - $1.99

Cathedral by Nelson DeMille - $1.99

Word of Honor by Nelson DeMille - $1.99

The Quest: A Novel by Nelson DeMille - $1.99

Dolores Claiborne by Stephen King - $2.99

The Caine Mutiny: A Novel of World War II by Herman Wouk - $1.99

The Island by Adrian McKinty - $1.99

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte - $1.99

The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller - $1.99

Terms of Endearment: A Novel by Larry McMurtry - $2.99

Long Range Patrol: A Novel of Vietnam (The Jim Hollister Trilogy Book 1) by Dennis Foley - $1.99

Night Work: A Novel of Vietnam (The Jim Hollister Trilogy Book 2) by Dennis Foley - $2.99

Take Back the Night: A Novel of Vietnam (The Jim Hollister Trilogy Book 3) by Dennis Foley - $2.99

The Shepherd by Frederick Forsyth - $2.99

In the Region of the Summer Stars: Eirlandia, Book One by Stephen Lawhead - $2.99

In the Land of the Everliving: Eirlandia, Book Two by Stephen Lawhead -$2.99

In the Kingdom of All Tomorrows: Eirlandia, Book Three by Stephen Lawhead - $2.99

Church Leadership

Deep Discipleship: How the Church Can Make Whole Disciples of Jesus by J.T. English - $4.99

Designed to Lead: The Church and Leadership Development by Eric Geiger & Kevin Peck - $4.99

Brothers, We Are Not Professionals: A Plea to Pastors for Radical Ministry by John Piper - $4.99

Doctrine That Dances: Bringing Doctrinal Preaching and Teaching to Life by Robert Smith - $4.99

Bible Study

The Message of the Sermon on the Mount by John Stott - $4.99

Exalting Jesus in Matthew by David Platt - $4.99

Exalting Jesus in John by Matt Carter & Josh Wredberg - $4.99

Exalting Jesus in Romans by Tony Merida - $4.99

Exalting Jesus in 2 Corinthians by Eric Mason - $4.99

Exalting Jesus in Ephesians by Tony Merida - $4.99

Exalting Jesus in Philippians by Tony Merida & Francis Chan - $4.99

Exalting Jesus in Hebrews by R. Albert Mohler Jr. - $4.99

Ultimate Bible Atlas: Hundreds of Full-Color Photos, Maps, Charts, and Reconstructions of the Bible Lands - $4.99

General Christianity

Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God by Henry Blackaby - $4.99

The Titus Ten: Foundations for Godly Manhood by J.Josh Smith - $4.99

Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges - $3.99

You Are a Theologian: An Invitation to Know and Love God Well by Jen Wilkin & J.T. English - $4.99

The Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis - $2.99

Upon Waking: 60 Daily Reflections to Discover Ourselves and the God We Were Made For by Jackie Hill Perry

The God-Shaped Brain: How Changing Your View of God Transforms Your Life by Timothy Jennings M.D. - $4.99

When the Church Was a Family: Recapturing Jesus’ Vision for Authentic Christian Community by Joseph Hellerman - $4.99

On Getting Out of Bed: The Burden and Gift of Living by Alan Noble - $4.99

The Wounded Heart: Hope for Adult Victims of Childhood Sexual Abuse by Dr. Dan Allender - $3.99

Fighting Words Devotional: 100 Days of Speaking Truth into the Darkness by Ellie Holcomb - $4.99

The Unquenchable Flame: Discovering the Heart of the Reformation by Michael Reeves & Mark Dever - $4.99

Spiritual Warfare in the Storyline of Scripture: A Biblical, Theological, and Practical Approach by William Cook & Chuck Lawless - $4.99

Sharing Jesus Without Freaking Out: Evangelism the Way You Were Born to Do It by D. Scott Hildreth & Steven McKinnon - $4.99

Turning Everyday Conversations into Gospel Conversations by Jimmy Scroggins & Steve Wright - $4.99

Logic and the Way of Jesus: Thinking Critically and Christianly by Travis Dickinson - $4.99

Live Your Truth and Other Lies: Exposing Popular Deceptions That Make Us Anxious, Exhausted, and Self-Obsessed by Alisa Childers - $3.99

Holier Than Thou: How God’s Holiness Helps Us Trust Him by Jackie Hill Perry - $4.99

Love Walked among Us: Learning to Love Like Jesus by Paul Miller - $3.99

Orthodoxy: With Annotations and Guided Reading by Trevin Wax by G.K. Chesterton - $4.99

Counter Culture: Following Christ in an Anti-Christian Age by David Platt - $3.99

Formed For Fellowship: Becoming What You Behold by Kylie Worley - $4.99

The Radical Disciple: Some Neglected Aspects of Our Calling by John Stott - $3.99

Authentic Masculinity: Leaving Behind the Counterfeits for God’s Design by Seth Troutt - $4.99

When the Journey Hurts: Finding Meaning in Suffering for Heart, Mind, and Soul by M. Elizabeth Lewis Hall, Kelly M. Kapic, & Jason McMartin

Bio/Memoir

Saint Francis by Robert West - $2.99

Jimmy Buffett: A Good Life All the Way by Ryan White - $1.99

Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela by Nelson Mandela - $1.99

What I Ate in One Year: (and related thoughts) by Stanley Tucci - $2.99

Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard by Tom Felton - $1.99

Raised by a Serial Killer: Discovering the Truth About My Father by April Balascio - $1.99

The Devil’s Highway: A True Story by Luis Alberto Urrea - $1.99

With Malice Toward None: A Biography of Abraham Lincoln by Stephen Oates - $1.99

Down and Out in Paradise: The Life of Anthony Bourdain by Charles Leerhsen - $2.99

The Big House: A Century in the Life of an American Summer Home by George Colt - $1.99

Home Work: A Memoir of My Hollywood Years by Julie Andrews - $1.99

Larry McMurtry: A Life by Tracy Daugherty - $2.99

Every Little Step: My Story by Bobby Brown - $3.99

Diary of a Madman: The Geto Boys, Life, Death, and the Roots of Southern Rap by Brad “Scarface” Jordan - $2.99

The Child Who Never Grew: A Memoir by Pearl S. Buck - $2.99

Kindness and Wonder: Why Mister Rogers Matters Now More Than Ever by Gavin Edwards - $3.99

Jimmy Stewart: Bomber Pilot by Starr Smith - $4.99

History

Fatal Discord: Erasmus, Luther, and the Fight for the Western Mind by Michael Massing - $3.99

The Triumph of Christianity: How the Jesus Movement Became the World’s Largest Religion by Rodney Stark - $2.99

Bourbon: A History of the American Spirit by Dane Huckelbridge - $2.99

The Great American Railroad War: How Ambrose Bierce and Frank Norris Took On the Notorious Central Pacific Railroad by Dennis Drabelle - $2.99

The Wild Blue: The Men and Boys Who Flew the B-24s Over Germany 1944-1945 by Stephen Ambrose - $2.99

Alone at Dawn: Medal of Honor Recipient John Chapman and the Untold Story of the World’s Deadliest Special Operations Force by Dan Schilling & Lori Longfritz - $1.99

The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust Of World War II by Iris Chang - $1.99

The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston & Mario Spezi - $1.99

Dead Reckoning: The Story of How Johnny Mitchell and His Fighter Pilots Took on Admiral Yamamoto and Avenged Pearl Harbor by Dick Lehr - $3.99

Hunting Whitey: The Inside Story of the Capture & Killing of America’s Most Wanted Crime Boss by Casey Sherman & Dave Wedge - $2.99

December 1941: 31 Days that Changed America and Saved the World by Craig Shirley - $3.99

Eichmann in My Hands: A First-Person Account by the Israeli Agent Who Captured Hitler’s Chief Executioner by Peter Malkin - $2.99

Hiding in Plain Sight: Eluding the Nazis in Occupied France by Sarah Lew Miller & Joyce Lazarus - $2.99

Printer’s Error: Irreverent Stories of Books History by J.P. & Rebecca Romney - $2.99

General Non-Fiction

Marketing Made Simple: A Step-by-Step StoryBrand Guide for Any Business by Donald Miller - $2.99

High-Impact Teams: Where Healthy Meets High Performance by Vance Witt - $2.99

Live From New York: The Complete, Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live as Told by Its Stars, Writers, and Guests by James Andrew Miller & Tom Shales - $1.99

Love Your Enemies: How Decent People Can Save America from the Culture of Contempt by Arthur Brooks - $2.99

The Six Disciplines of Strategic Thinking: Leading Your Organization into the Future by Michael Watkins - $2.99

The Spider Network: How a Math Genius and a Gang of Scheming Bankers Pulled Off One of the Greatest Scams in History by David Enrich - $2.99

War Doctor: Surgery on the Front Line by David Nott - $2.99

Digital Gold: Bitcoin and the Inside Story of the Misfits and Millionaires Trying to Reinvent Money by Nathaniel Popper - $2.99

The Affluent Society by John Kenneth Galbraith - $1.99

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey - $2.99

Consider the Lobster: And Other Essays by David Foster Wallace - $1.99

The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O’Neil’s America by Joe Posnanski - $4.99

A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life by Brian Grazer & Charles Fishman - $1.99

Each week (give or take one or two here and there) I share three things I like – It could be a book, a movie, a podcast, an album, a photo, an article, a restaurant, a food item, a beverage, or anything else I simply enjoy and think you might too. You can find a whole pile of things, especially books, I like and recommend HERE.

1) Start of Training Camp

As July goes softly into that good night, we can see that the end of summer is nigh (especially for those southern states which insist on starting school a mere week into August). For baseball fans this means the trade deadline looms and for even fewer baseball fans it portends a potential playoff run. But despite that baseball is America’s sport, we all know that football is America’s SPORT. And for this reason, the end of July is particularly thrilling as it brings with it the beginning of NFL training camp. It is the time of year when wonks and amnesiacs are filled with hope and anticipation about the possibilities of a sixth round pick bursting into the starting lineup and last year’s bust becoming this year-s pro-bowler. If your team was good last year they will be better this year. If last year left you saying, “well, there’s always next year” now is next year. Video highlights will go viral of players making spectacular catches against air or leaving a blocking dummy grasping for air. In all, this late summer air is indeed rarified as we begin the countown to the football season.

2) Screened in Porch

We moved into our house just over four years ago. At the time, it simply had a concrete slab patio which was entirely useful as a place to put a grill and a blackstone. But it was largely useless as a place to enjoy being outside. Between bugs, heat, and precipitation there were about 5 days per year we could actually enjoy sitting out there. But last year we were able to have a screened in porch built over that same concrete patio. It is neither large nor luxurious, but it has been a game changer for our enjoyment of outside. The screen keeps the bugs away, the roof keeps the rain off, and the ceiling fan mitigates all but the most extreme heat. It is basically like we added another living room to our house, a whole area to relax and read and converse and hang out. I knew I would appreciate it before we built it, but I never could have guessed how much it actually expanded and increased our enjoyment of home.

3) Seeing the Lord

This video of acclaimed mathematician and apologist John Lennox is profoundly moving to me. It is the realest hop of us all, but to see the anticipation and eagerness in the face of man who is finishing his race well is powerful and encouraging.

Isaiah 33:2
O LORD, be gracious to us; we wait for you.
Be our arm every morning,
our salvation in the time of trouble.

We often need a helping hand, some assistance to boost our efforts. A helping hand is supplemental; it enhances what we are able to do. Maybe it pushes from falling just short to success. And that is often how we ask God for help–to supplement our efforts, push us over the top.

But that is not what the Bible depicts. “Be our arm every morning” is a request for the whole power of God to work on our behalf. It is a tacit admission that I have nothing to offer and need his might to accomplish anything. And this is the best place to pray from–total admission of complete need. Dependence is our place of strength because it is when God acts most obviously.

We don’t need God’s helping hand. We need His strong right arm, his whole power. He invites us to ask for it and promises to deliver.

I originally wrote this post for my church, Immanuel Nashville, in our Daily Pulse email. If you want encouragement from God’s word delivered Monday thru Friday to your inbox, I encourage you to subscribe.

Subscribe now

Each week (give or take one or two here and there) I share three things I like – It could be a book, a movie, a podcast, an album, a photo, an article, a restaurant, a food item, a beverage, or anything else I simply enjoy and think you might too.

1) The Psalms: A Christ-Centered Commentary by Christopher Ash

We’ve been preaching through the Psalms this summer at our church, and I have used several commentaries. And frankly, I find many of them remarkably unhelpful in preparing to preach. It’s not that the scholarship is poor but that the emphases are more on matters that matter relatively little from the pulpit. To preach a Psalm one needs to connect the message to the hearer through fulfillment in Christ whether it is a Psalm of lament, of wisdom, of praise, of ascent, or a royal Psalm. The commentary I found that combined more technical and linguisitic scholarship with interpretation and explanation of the message was this set by Christopher Ash. It is clear and instructive in its interpretations. It guide the reader to Christ in appropriate, biblically consistent ways from each Psalm. And it offers clear instruction on the broader scholarly understanding of the book of Psalms as a whole too. It is so good that ict could be valuable as a devotional resource or a preaching aid.

2) Bill Bryson’s Books

Bill Bryson is the best sort of funny--smart observations communicated wittily. He is one of those writers who sees life keenly, but from unusual angles. He notices the oddities of normal interactions and seemingly boring people. He pinpoints quirky differences in cultures and expressions. And then he relays all this to the reader with a narrative clarity and humorous edge that is often laugh-out-loud funny. It’s hard to make readers laugh with the written word, but Bryson does it regularly. And in the process the reader finds himself learning things about places and people and cultures. My favorite book of his is A Walk in the Woods, a memoir of hiking the Appalachian Trail. He has also written memoirs about moving to England, moving back from England, traveling to Australia, and growing up in the 1950s and 1960s in Iowa. Any of them is worth a read, and all of them are a delight.

3) Garden Fresh Tomatoes

I’ve shared here before about our wonderful neighbor who is a masterful gardener and among the most hospitable people I’ve known. One of the many blessings she has shared with our family is the overflow of her fecund garden, most especially fresh tomatoes. When one buys tomatoes from the grocery store one is purchasing a mere shadow, a suggestion of what God intended tomatoes to be. When one eats tomatoes fresh off the plant, as my toddler makes a point of doing with or without permission, they are practically decadent. They are enough to make me actually excited about salads, or just to eat straight with a dash of salt.

The questions that follow are ones with which I wrestled in the writing of Hoping for Happiness, and which I continue to think about regularly. I hope these thoughts will help you to find real happiness and rest in it.

1) What is the difference between joy and happiness?

Many Christians think of joy as deeply spiritual and virtuous, and think of happiness as experiential, untrustworthy, and fleeting. Joy is rooted and unshakeable while happiness lives on the whim of a mood and the serendipity of circumstance. As we saw in chapter 10, these definitions are unhelpful and cause people unnecessary turmoil.

Certainly, people can have a version of happiness without having joy in the Lord. Temporal happiness is all around us all the time. Happiness, in this sense, is not the purview of Christians alone. Matthew 5:45 tells us that God “makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust,” so it’s clear that the good gifts of God are enjoyed by all people to some degree. People eat and drink. People fall in love. People marvel at the beauty of the Matterhorn or an Edgar Degas oil painting. But this happiness—a tug toward the eternal—is incomplete. It is meant to lift people’s eyes to the things of God. Instead most people make their way through life moving from one temporal happiness to another.

This version of happiness is the beginning of something lasting and magnificent. But without an eye toward the eternal, it is happiness without joy—a fleeting pursuit of the next good feeling. However good it looks on the surface, at its root it is idolatrous and dangerous.

So you can have a version of happiness without joy, but you cannot have genuine joy without happiness. To be joyful is to be glad, to rejoice, to be grateful, to be at peace. Joy should be magnetic and compelling, not life in the doldrums. In short, to be joyful is to be happy in those things that are lasting and transformative. A professed joy that lacks happiness is nothing but an articulated belief system, and it is hypocrisy.

When we recognize the inextricable wovenness of genuine happiness and joy it relieves a burden of unnecessary guilt over enjoyment (evangeliguilt) in life’s pleasures. It gives us permission to—and even compels us to—find laughter and peace in the midst of life’s worst circumstances. The complex reality of human emotion is that we rarely experience just one feeling at a time. We find that we can be truly happy in the midst of suffering even though we are grieving and burdened because of the suffering. We don’t need to extricate our joy from our happiness or put one on a spiritual pedestal while the other plays in the yard. To do so is to falsify both.

2) Is unhappiness sin? How about unhappiness in the midst of suffering?

Well, that depends.

In chapter 4 we took a long look at how we live under a curse because of sin. Nothing is as it is supposed to be. And every human knows this at a visceral and often subconscious level. We feel the wrongness of injustice, unkindness, illness, brokenness, and death. They make us unhappy, and this unhappiness is a reflection of God’s image in us. We are designed to abhor what is evil, what is wrong, what shouldn’t be. This kind of unhappiness is right.

This means that when we suffer, we are free to lament—to grieve with faith that God is in control. We should abhor the pain that a cursed reality has brought about. We ought to yearn for resolution, for healing, for justice, and ultimately for the return of Jesus to set things right. The Gospels tell of Jesus weeping over the death of a friend, mourning over the plight of a city he loved, and pleading with God for a way out of the suffering of crucifixion. He was rightly unhappy with the devastation wrought by sin.

But he was never selfish. His unhappiness did not turn to complaint, to blaming, to bad moods, or to mistrust of his Father. Just the opposite. When Jesus asked, “Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me,” in the same breath He prayed “Yet not what I will, but what you will” (Mark 14:36). He was unhappy, but trusting. He was unhappy, but obedient. He was unhappy, but he did not let it direct him away from the course God called him to.

Our unhappiness becomes sinful when it focuses on the self. We instinctively do this all the time—and the effects can be devastating. We allow the brokenness in one area of life to splatter its acid all over other areas of life, so that we become blind to that for which we should be thankful. Or we experience a wrong of some kind and our reaction is disproportionate and causes even more wreckage. Or we wallow in unhappiness, as if that will somehow make us happier, rather than seeking the happiness Christ offers through his Spirit and through so many good gifts.

Unhappiness is part of life until we go to meet Jesus or he returns. We will never be completely happy, completely satisfied, or permanently at peace in this life. And this does not have to be sinful. In fact, it can be God-honoring as we respond to life’s unhappiness in the manner Jesus did—selflessly, joyfully, trusting God, pressing on.

3) Are my expectations right, realistic, and godly?

So much of happiness is tied to what we expect. But how do we know if what we expect is right? Here are some filters we can run expectations through to help determine if they are realistic and god-honoring.

Who are my expectations benefiting?

The easiest thing in the world is to think of ourselves first and only. It is our sinful nature to prioritize ourselves at the cost of anyone else, and it is contrary to everything Scripture teaches about serving others, considering their needs, bearing with one another, and taking up our crosses as followers of Jesus. If the primary, or only, beneficiary of your expectations is yourself, you need to consider how they align with what God says is right and true.

When you head into a relationship, are you thinking primarily of how it will be good for you, or how it will be good for the other person? When you join a church, are considering only what it offers you or what you can bring to it? In any decision, are you considering the cost to yourself or only the benefit? Are you willing to absorb that cost for the good of others, even if it is unpleasant? And have you considered how the benefit to you might actually be a cost to others?

Who do I depend on to meet my expectations?

This question goes hand-in-hand with the one above. It is impossible to have expectations that truly depend on God and are also self-centered in their outcome. To depend on God (to “fear God”, Ecclesiastes 12:13) is to put him first. When we do this, it rearranges or replaces our selfish motivations and orients us toward expectations that truly please God. When we have expectations that are selfish we can be sure that they are dependent on ourselves, or other people, to fulfill them.

That’s not to say we don’t need other people or that leaning on them is wrong. God has designed us for relationships in which we depend on one another. But there is a significant difference between the kind of depending on people that puts all our faith in them and the kind that recognizes their need for God to empower and enable them. The former places a burden of expectation on people that will inevitably lead to disappointment. The second acknowledges their God-given abilities and capacities with gratitude, while resting in God’s ongoing work through them. This is freeing and gracious.

When our expectations are God-dependent they become God-defined. We simply can’t expect God to do anything that God didn’t say he would do. Remembering this keeps us from hoping for things that dishonor God, while enabling us to expect remarkable, mind-blowing things from God by faith. We often will not know what to hope for or expect in particular situations, but when we depend on God, we know that he will do what is best—whether or not our expectations come to fruition. When we depend on ourselves, or on others, we risk becoming proud or embittered, depending on whether our expectations were met or not.

What do I know of the one I am depending on?

When we depend on God, we know that our expectations are in perfect hands—but they are also in mysterious ones. God will do things we never thought possible and that we never asked for. His wisdom is too great and wonderful for us, so we will never know the full picture of why and how he does what he does. However, if we know him well—his character, his word, his promises—we will find peace and happiness in the outcomes he gives. If we don’t have a firm grasp on God’s character, we’ll struggle to believe and find peace in outcomes we did not expect or want.

When we depend on people, even in a healthy way, we need to be equally aware of who they are—image-bearers of God with an incredible capacity for good and evil. We are fools if we don’t let this shape our expectations of people. They can bring us great joy and do us real good, but they will inevitably let us down too. There is only one person who works for our good in all things, all the time—and it’s not our spouse, or our friend, or our pastor (Romans 8:28). This is why we depend on God even as we depend on people. It is only through God’s work that people do good and can be trusted. Another way to put it would be: who does the one you depend on depend on?

4) How do I freely enjoy life without guilt? How do I keep enjoyment from becoming idolatry?

One of the main reasons I wrote this book was because I was tired of wrestling with guilt over having fun and enjoying myself. It seemed strange that God would give so many wonderful gifts only for me to feel guilty for enjoying them. On the other hand, I could also recognize my propensity for turning good things into idols, and that wasn’t ok either. Thus began my efforts at wrangling these tensions into a (hopefully) coherent and biblically faithful book. In the spirit of Ecclesiastes, and hopefully a dash of Solomon’s wisdom, I’ll conclude with the following thoughts.

Be grateful in everything. If you acknowledge and thank the source of your blessings it is so much harder to turn them into idols of any kind.

Appreciate good gifts as God intended. Savor the delicious things. Laugh at the humorous things. Thrill at the exhilarating things. Enjoy the entertaining things. Cheer at the joyous things. Ponder the deep things. Rest in the peaceful things. Reflect on the somber things. Wonder at the beautiful things. Cherish the precious things. And share them all, for happiness is multiplied when gifts are experienced together.

Live the life God has given you to the fullest. Imagine taking a child to the playground. If she continually came back asking, “Am I swinging right?” or, “Am I sliding right?” you would eventually say, “Just go play! Enjoy yourself. Have fun.” We are like that child when we worry too much about how to enjoy life rather than simply being fully engaged and enjoying it.

Repent often and eagerly. We will get things wrong dozens of times every day for the rest of our lives. We will sin in our hearts, minds, and actions. We can either let our sins drive us from God, or we can remember the work of Christ and take our sins to God, our good Father, who stands ready to forgive and is generous with good gifts. When we repent the Holy Spirit changes us, by degrees, toward holiness, where perfect peace and happiness are found.

Fear God and keep his commandments. These words are the final instruction of the Preacher in Ecclesiastes, and they are the perfect summation of our pursuit of happiness. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning wisdom” (Proverbs 1:7). It is the grounds for all gratitude. It is the orientation of our hearts to truth and right expectations. It is dependence and honor and trust. From it flows a desire to keep God’s commandments because we see them as life-giving and good. In God’s words we have freedom to enjoy, strength to overcome, and a promise of true happiness.

This is an excerpt from my book Hoping for Happiness. A biblical framework for living a grounded, hopeful, and genuinely happy life, this book gets far beyond the topic of work and helps us to throw off both the unrealistic expectations that end in disappointment and the guilty sense that Christians are not meant to have fun.

It is fair to say we live in unstable times. As has every generation before us. Since the fall of mankind, there has never been stability; every empire, every nation, every era has been marked by varying levels of chaos brought about by sin. And yet we continue to yearn for stability, to fight for it, and often (sadly) to put our hopes in the wrong source of it.

Yet we have a source of stability. We have the source of stability–Christ himself. He is our internal stability, giving us every reason for hope and calm and gentleness in a bleak, angry world of upheaval. He is our communal source of stability as our means of loving one another and finding deep, meaningful relationships. And he will one day be our societal source of stability when he returns and makes all things new.

We don’t need to grasp about, hoping to find stability in some political party or societal trend. We don’t need to fear what will happen in the coming months or years. Christ is our stability and our salvation, so we can live with calm, kind hope.

I originally wrote this post for my church, Immanuel Nashville, in our Daily Pulse email. If you want encouragement from God’s word delivered Monday thru Friday to your inbox, I encourage you to subscribe.

Subscribe now

Each week (give or take one or two here and there) I share three things I like – It could be a book, a movie, a podcast, an album, a photo, an article, a restaurant, a food item, a beverage, or anything else I simply enjoy and think you might too. You can find a whole pile of things, especially books, I like and recommend HERE.

1) At Baker’s Keyboard Lounge by the Oscar Peterson Trio

There are no new recordings from Oscar Peterson, but there are new releases. This one dropped a little earlier this year, and it is wonderful, showing the full range of Peterson’s styles and talents. It is classic Jazz in the best way. And for those who are unfamiliar with jazz or would like to get into it a little bit more, Peterson;s music is a wonderful starting point. It is not avante garde or experimental. He communicates a melody in the midst of his improvisations so the songs are easier to latch on to. The trio (piano, bass, drums) provides a steady, clear groove to follow and enjoy. Their music is deceptive in its simplicity, and it is delightful.

2) Songwriter’s Nights at Rock Castle

This one is for the Nashville area residents and is one of those events you only find in the Nashville area. Once a month during the summer Rock Castle, an 18th century historic home on a peninsula in Old Hickory Lake, hosts a songwriter’s night. For four hours in the evening musicians ply their craft in 45 minute sets while attendees relax in lawn chairs or on blankets. The grounds are beautiful and there is a permanent stage set up to adequately feature the musicians. Food trucks are brought in, and many people bring in picnics. They often have an area set where kids can play without disturbing the listeners. It’s basically all the good stuff about a music festival without any of the obnoxious stuff. And it is only $10/person. My family has been attending a couple times per summer for the last several years and love it. If you are in Nashville or passing through, check it out.

3) The Boundary Waters

I have loved the Boundary Waters since I was a teenager and first experienced it. Today the area is on my mind especially because of the wildfires ravaging the area. (Of course, in the course of history, the Boundary Waters have experienced innumerable wild fires from lightning and camp fires and I suppose that is part of its ecological cycle and health. But right now it’s awful.) This 1.1 million acre natural area borders Minnesota and Canada. It is a web of lakes and forests and is reserved only for canoeing, kayaking, hiking, and camping. The North Woods are unlike anywhere else in the United States in their serenity, isolation, water features, wildlife, amazing fishing, and true wilderness feel. It is one of the few places you can disappear into and see no people for days on end. From mid June through early fall there isn’t a more beautiful place.

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Isaiah 30:15

For thus said the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel,

“In returning and rest you shall be saved;

in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.”

If the definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over again while expecting different results, then I am insane. And so are you.

Time and again we try to run our lives and save ourselves through our own efforts, our own plans, our own cleverness. We look within ourselves for strength and lean on man-made schemes and strategies to increase it. And it never works. We always end up more exhausted, more frustrated, more beaten down. Even if we succeed for a while, the best we get is a dose of prideful puffery before the inevitable slide into decline.

We need to see what God calls us to–return, rest, quietness, trust. Return means to turn from our self-reliance to God alone and put all our trust in him. Rest in him; find rest in him, the giver of peace. Quiet our hearts from the frantic striving and pushing and grasping we are so prone to but looking to Christ alone. Trust in God, putting all the weight of our lives down on him.

It may feel like a risk. It might feel like not doing enough. But in fact resting in God and trusting in him alone is the most sane, productive thing we can do.

I originally wrote this post for my church, Immanuel Nashville, in our Daily Pulse email. If you want encouragement from God’s word delivered Monday thru Friday to your inbox, I encourage you to subscribe.

Subscribe now