That’s not the title of Joe Rigney‘s next book, but it could be:

Joe Rigney. The Things of Earth: Treasuring God by Enjoying His Gifts. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2015.

Update: It’s now in a second edition and in an abridged version:

Rigney, Joe. The Things of Earth: Treasuring God by Enjoying His Gifts. 2nd ed. Moscow, ID: Canon, 2024.

Rigney, Joe. Strangely Bright: Can You Love God and Enjoy This World? 2nd ed. Moscow, ID: Canon, 2024.

The four men who have most influenced Joe’s thinking on this subject are Jonathan Edwards, John Piper, C. S. Lewis, and Doug Wilson. Wilson has quipped that Piper’s Christian hedonism could use a little more “beer and bacon.” Joe has fleshed that out, and this book is the result.

Check out the contents in this 48-page sample PDF, including a foreword by John Piper. I’m not sure I’ve read a more glowing foreword.

I’ve heard Joe teach the contents of this book, and I recently read it myself. Time well spent.

In 2012, Joe Rigney interviewed John Piper and Doug Wilson on “Desiring God and Bacon”:

Update: Matt Reagan interviews Joe Rigney about the book:

Related: I’ve mentioned Joe Rigney in four previous posts:

1. Joe Rigney Explains How Envy Works and How to Fight It
2. Should Christians Drink Alcohol?
3. Live Like a Narnian
4. The Best Book on Sexual Purity (see the end of the post)

Joe Rigney recently preached two insightful sermons on envy to my church:

1. Winning the War Against Envy and Rivalry
2. Learning to Love the Dance of Grace

(Video, audio, and manuscripts are available at those links.)

I’ve often witnessed well-intentioned people warn others against pride, but I don’t recall similar warnings against envy. This excerpt from the first sermon was an aha-moment for me: [Read more…] about Joe Rigney Explains How Envy Works and How to Fight It