A Little Book on Joy: The Secret of Living a Good News Life in a Bad News World is a cumbersome title, however the book is not. It is written by Matthew Harrison, current president of the LCMS. I appreciate that the chapters aren’t very long. Most of the chapters can be read in 10-20 minutes. One of the best parts is that there are questions at the end of each chapter that help you examine what you’ve read and how it applies to your life.
The author has a lot of broad knowledge about a variety of events. He tells stories from his life to make the book relatable. The stories range from personal to historical. Some of them are funny and some of them are heart wrenching, but they each demonstrate how joy is found in different places.
Another bonus as we enter Lent is that there is a prayer guide to use from Ash Wednesday through Pentecost making this perfect for this time of year.
Joy isn’t mutually exclusive to happiness. Rev. Harrison points out that joy can be found in sadness, disaster, and general daily life. As my mother said, “This is a book that you don’t realize you need until you read it.” Good words to describe A Little Book on Joy: The Secret of Living a Good News Life in a Bad Situation.