Find Joy in God in a World Full of Wonderful Things
The things of earth–they surround us on every side. They compete for our attention. They occupy our minds and delight our hearts. What are we to do with the things of earth? Embrace them? Reject them? Use them? Look at them with suspicious eyes? Enjoy them with a twinge of guilt? And what happens to the things of earth when Jesus shows up? Do they grow dim in the light of his glory and grace? In these ten sessions, Joe Rigney explores the often-perceived tension between enjoying God’s creation and enjoying God himself, with the aim of helping his audience find joy in God in a world full of wonderful things.
Joe Rigney serves as Assistant Professor of Theology and Literature at Bethlehem College & Seminary. He oversees the History of Ideas program, an undergraduate major that focuses on the Great Books and the Greatest Book. He is the author of two books: Live Like a Narnian: Christian Discipleship in Lewis’s Chronicles (Eyes & Pen, 2013) and The Things of Earth: Treasuring God by Enjoying His Gifts (Crossway, 2015). Joe is also a pastor at Cities Church in Minneapolis.
After completing a B.A. in Speech Communication from Texas A&M University, Joe and his wife Jenny moved to Minneapolis in 2005 to participate in Bethlehem’s vocational eldership training program. He has an M.A. in Biblical and Pastoral Studies from Bethlehem College & Seminary, and M.St. in Classical Christian Studies from New Saint Andrews College, and is currently seeking a Ph.D. from Union School of Theology. He joined the Bethlehem College & Seminary staff in 2007 as a cohort leader in the INSIGHT program, formerly taught as the college’s freshman year. When he’s not teaching or reading, Joe loves to play baseball with his two sons and spend time with his lovely wife Jenny.
Resources prepared by David Clifford and Amy Guibal from Bethlehem College & Seminary.
Read The Things of Earth chapter one.
Read The Things of Earth chapter three.
Read The Things of Earth chapter four.
Read The Things of Earth chapter five.
Read The Things of Earth chapter six.
Read The Things of Earth chapters seven and eight.
Read The Things of Earth chapter nine.
Read The Things of Earth chapter ten.
Read The Things of Earth chapters eleven and twelve.
