Work and Rest God’s Way

I signed with the Blythe Daniel Agency who’s pitching Work and Rest God’s Way to publishers. I covet your prayers for for the process, and most importantly that the book is used to exalt Christ!

Two Things You Can Do…

1. Download your ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of Work and Rest God’s Way on Booksprout. Doing so obligates you to provide an honest review on Amazon when the book is published.
2. Join the launch team for Work and Rest God’s Way on Facebook. If you’d like to join the launch team, but you’re not on Facebook, please contact me and I’ll add you to the team and keep you updated.

Introduction for Work and Rest God’s Way

Katie has asked me many times: “Why do you always have to be working?” I blame my dad. He’s one of the hardest working people I know. We grew up on a few acres in the mountains of northern California, and he always found plenty for us to do. School was more restful for me than being home. While most kids looked forward to weekends and summers, I didn’t. I knew it meant one thing: work. I played sports throughout the year because it got me out of working, but there were no sports during the summer. Since I knew I’d be working if I was home, I got a job as quickly as possible because at least then I’d get paid. During one summer I worked two jobs: bagging groceries at Safeway during the day, followed by waiting tables at a restaurant in the evening. Once, on the way to my second job, I was so exhausted I fell asleep behind the wheel and crashed into the truck in front of me. I remember waking up on a stretcher in the middle of the road with paramedics leaning over me. By God’s grace I didn’t kill anyone, but I totaled my parents’ new Isuzu Rodeo. I didn’t enjoy growing up this way. I used to wish I had a “normal” dad who let me spend my weekends and summers playing. Now I couldn’t be more thankful. Laziness is a temptation all of us face, but, because of my upbringing, I have difficulty sitting around. Even when I’m tired, I still feel the need to be productive. At this moment, I’m sitting in my living room typing on my laptop. The rest of the family is sleeping. Katie is going to get up and say, “Why did you get up so early?” I’ll respond that I thought of what I wanted to write for the Introduction of my book.

Working Myself to Death

After college, I served as an Army Officer, an elementary school teacher, and then I went into ministry. When I became the senior pastor of Woodland Christian Church in 2010, I had no idea how much work was involved in shepherding a church of a few hundred people. By 2013 the church had grown and my days (and nights) were packed with activities such as studying, teaching, counseling, phone calls, e-mails, administrative responsibilities, visitations, and benevolence issues. I rarely had a day off. Sunday would conclude and then Monday morning I’d begin another exhausting week of trying to get everything finished before the following Sunday rolled around. The stress took a toll on me. I’d wake up in the middle of the night, unable to fall back asleep because of the work that needed to be done. I lost thirty pounds and started having anxiety attacks. There was constant pain and tightness in my chest. I’d go to bed and wonder if I’d wake up in the morning. No one has ever wanted me to be a pastor more than my wife, Katie, but she started encouraging me to go back to teaching. She was afraid she was going to lose her husband, and our kids were going to lose their father.

Trusting God’s Word

Why mention all of the above? Is it supposed to make you think the following chapters are going to push you to work as hard as you can as often as you can? No. Much of the book is committed to the importance of physical and spiritual rest. I hope to have some credibility with you while discussing work and rest. I have experienced firsthand the blessings of obedience and consequences of disobedience in these areas. For transparency’s sake, let me acknowledge that I’m also more than familiar with laziness. There are many times I don’t feel like working, helping my wife, getting out of bed, or serving people in the church. I need the same encouragement from God’s word as everyone else. This brings me to my last point. I’m asking you to trust God’s word, versus trusting me. Work and Rest God’s Way is not a collection of my personal thoughts and opinions. Instead, it is filled with Scripture—truth I’ve labored over for my flock and for myself, and truth that has led me to conclude that God knows what is best for us. I look forward to sharing that with you in the following chapters.

Prayers Appreciated

I have the same two-fold desire with all of my books: that they exalt Christ and draw people to Him. It’s the same with Work and Rest God’s Way. The end of the book discusses the greatest rest, which is spiritual, and that it’s only found in Jesus.

Will you join me in praying God uses this book (as well as my other books) to give Him glory and draw people to His Son?