The Good Life: What Jesus Teaches about Finding True Happiness

by Derwin Gray

Overview

What is true happiness, and how can we find it?

Everyone wants to be happy. We spend our money, time, and energy chasing after “the good life,” and we run ourselves into physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion on the way. But what if the happiness we’re all striving for isn’t the happiness we were created for?

Pastor and author Dr. Derwin L. Gray believes there is a path to true happiness. It is a life lived with Jesus by embracing the Beatitudes found in Matthew 5:1-12. As you walk through these words, Jesus invites you into a new life-giving rhythm that cultivates a flourishing, happy, transformative life. 

Discover the good life you were meant for. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781535995719
Publisher:	B&H Publishing Group
Publication date:	06/02/2020
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	189,051
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	3 Months to 18 Years

About the Author

Dr. Derwin L. Gray is the founding and lead pastor of Transformation Church, a multiethnic, multigenerational, mission-shaped community in Indian Land, South Carolina, just south of Charlotte, North Carolina. Gray met his wife, Vicki, at Brigham Young University (BYU). They have been married since 1992 and have two adult children.
After graduating from BYU, he played professional football in the NFL for five years with the Indianapolis Colts and Carolina Panthers. In 2008, Gray graduated from Southern Evangelical Seminary magna cum laude with a Master of Divinity, with a concentration in Apologetics. While there, he was mentored by renowned theologian and philosopher Dr. Norman Geisler. In 2018, Gray received his Doctor of Ministry in the New Testament in Context at Northern Seminary under Dr. Scot McKnight. In 2015, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Southern Evangelical Seminary.
Gray is the author of Hero: Unleashing God’s Power in a Man’s Heart (2009), Limitless Life: You Are More Than Your Past When God Holds Your Future (2013), Crazy Grace for Crazy Times Bible Study (2015), and The High-Definition Leader (2015).
 

Table of Contents

Foreword xvii

Chapter 1 Chasing Shadows 1

Chapter 2 Happy Are the Beggars 25

Chapter 3 Happy Are the Sad 49

Chapter 4 Happy Are the Humble 75

Chapter 5 Happy Are the Hungry and Thirsty 97

Chapter 6 Happy Are the Merciful 117

Chapter 7 Happy Are the Pure 137

Chapter 8 Happy Are the Peacemakers 161

Chapter 9 Happy Are the Persecuted 189

Conclusion: The Happiness Manifesto 215

Notes 221

About the Author 227

Editorial Reviews

04/20/2020

Pastor and former professional football player Gray (The High Definition Leader) lays out in this uplifting work examples of those who depended on God instead of themselves for happiness, and explains how doing so can bring happiness to readers. “Happiness is not the absence of bad circumstances,” he writes, “it is the presence of Godfidence—certainty and hope in God despite circumstances.” Gray cites many biblical stories that provide lessons and examples of the faith of those who lived a happy life, including moments of God comforting people in times of sorrow, the concept of lamentation allowing people to love even those they disagree with, and humility breaking down racial barriers. A particularly wise chapter depicts the apostle Peter’s wavering but ultimately firm faith in God. Gray closes with a “Happiness Manifesto” that he encourages readers to sign, as well as a 30-day happiness challenge, while the “Things to Remember” sections at the end of each chapter instruct readers to incorporate lessons of mercy and grace from biblical times. Gray’s powerful study provides a wealth of useful advice for Christians interested in close scriptural readings. (June)

Publishers Weekly