Blessed Living

by C Don Jones

Overview

The Beatitudes are gifts to the church to share with the world. Yet, some Christians either do not know them or hesitate to practice them. This book asks, are such teachings relevant today? Would they work if we tried them? Can they make any real difference in the world? We must try to keep these goals for living in the world. Do we live in a world of righteousness, justice, and peace? Has seeking secular authority helped the church remake the world? Blessed Living is a book that compares the way of Jesus to how Christians tend to present ourselves to the world. It attempts to draw conclusions about how we should live out the faith in the world. This book demonstrates how the New Testament reflects the Beatitudes and makes comparisons to familiar stories from the Old Testament for mourners, those seeking justice, and mercy. Blessed Living is designed for individual seekers, believers, and small discussion groups. It is recommended for people who look for a better way.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798385246007
Publisher:	Wipf & Stock Publishers
Publication date:	07/11/2025
Pages:	122
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.31(d)

About the Author

C. Don Jones is a United Methodist pastor serving in East Tennessee. He writes the blog “Glorious Life” for Patheos. He is the author of The Sun Still Shines: The Legend of a Drunken Pastor. Don is an activist working in the areas of labor organizing, addiction recovery, and pastoral ministry.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Retelling ancient stories is no easy task, but Jones does so with insight and grace, grounded in common sense, weaving together concern for others, the world, and for God.”

—Joerg Rieger, Distinguished Professor of Theology, Vanderbilt University



“In this powerfully written book, each of Jesus’s beatitudes is unfolded in a sparklingly fresh essay by C. Don Jones. Each essay kindles the imagination for how the beatitude at hand connects to this moment and to our lives. Taken together, these essays portray a way of living that can truly be called ‘blessed.’ This book is a treasure, a source of insight and nourishment for all Christians and a stimulation for preachers of the beatitudes.”

—Thomas G. Long, Professor Emeritus of Preaching, Candler School of Theology



“In the beatitudes, Jesus shares eternal spiritual truths to help the Jewish people of his day, and later Christian followers, see how God is at work in the story of their lives. Through Blessed Living, Don Jones will help you consider the implications of the beatitudes and find God in your story!”

Wil Cantrell, Senior Pastor, Concord United Methodist Church



“In Blessed Living, Rev. C. Don Jones discusses how the Beatitudes in Matthew 5 and Luke 6 frame Jesus’s unique approach to life. Jones’s thought-provoking applications of Jesus’s Beatitudes to the twenty-first-century world is both challenging and inspiring.”

—Debra Wallace-Padgett, Resident Bishop, Holston and West Virginia Conferences of the United Methodist Church

Editorial Reviews

Retelling ancient stories is no easy task, but Jones does so with insight and grace, grounded in common sense, weaving together concern for others, the world, and for God.”

—Joerg Rieger, Distinguished Professor of Theology, Vanderbilt University



“In this powerfully written book, each of Jesus’s beatitudes is unfolded in a sparklingly fresh essay by C. Don Jones. Each essay kindles the imagination for how the beatitude at hand connects to this moment and to our lives. Taken together, these essays portray a way of living that can truly be called ‘blessed.’ This book is a treasure, a source of insight and nourishment for all Christians and a stimulation for preachers of the beatitudes.”

—Thomas G. Long, Professor Emeritus of Preaching, Candler School of Theology



“In the beatitudes, Jesus shares eternal spiritual truths to help the Jewish people of his day, and later Christian followers, see how God is at work in the story of their lives. Through Blessed Living, Don Jones will help you consider the implications of the beatitudes and find God in your story!”

Wil Cantrell, Senior Pastor, Concord United Methodist Church



“In Blessed Living, Rev. C. Don Jones discusses how the Beatitudes in Matthew 5 and Luke 6 frame Jesus’s unique approach to life. Jones’s thought-provoking applications of Jesus’s Beatitudes to the twenty-first-century world is both challenging and inspiring.”

—Debra Wallace-Padgett, Resident Bishop, Holston and West Virginia Conferences of the United Methodist Church

From the Publisher