On Living Well

In these never-before-published stories, sayings, and biblical teachings, the beloved author and translator of The Message Bible shows us how the wisdom of deep faith helps us live well.

“Jesus’ words bring us the news of an expanded world, a bright world, a full-dimensioned world, a world in which God rules, mercy is common experience, and love is the daily working agenda.”

Over the course of decades as a pastor, professor, and bestselling Christian author, Eugene H. Peterson drew life-changing spiritual insights from a rich well of his own down-to-earth life experience and his careful biblical study. While many of us are familiar with Peterson’s bestselling paraphrased bible translation, The Message, or his books for pastors, most of us have never had the chance to encounter his direct pastoral wisdom on many of the key topics of everyday life.

On Living Well collects gems of Peterson’s wisdom, focusing where faith meets the joy and rigor of daily life, including on the topics of generosity, community, relationships, worship, and inner peace:

– “We do not become more spiritual by becoming less material. The life of faith takes place in a place–where there are rocks and water. . . . The life of faith is mixed with the life of everything else: violence and sex and greed and commerce and government. It is powerful when we realize the unspeakable ordinariness of the life of faith.”

– “Giving is the style of the universe. Giving is woven into the fabric of existence. If we try to live by getting instead of giving, we go against the stream. It is like going against the law of gravity–the result is bruises and broken bones.”

Ideal as a daily spiritual touchpoint or simply to nourish a heart hungry for the warm wisdom of a true pastor, this book is a rich feast for the soul, encouraging the meaningful simplicity of human life well-lived for Jesus in a world of both beauty and difficulty.