This is an excerpt from the third chapter of By Water and the Word: God’s Gift of Baptism for You by Brian Thomas (1517 Publishing, 2026), pgs 52-60.
Even when the bitter places sink down deep into our bones, the Restorer never relinquishes his grip on you.
To Live Well is therefore not a general advice book, but a message suffused with the gospel.

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To know the cure is not to become immune to sorrow.
Thanksgiving, then, is not just about plenty. It is about redemption.
Forgiveness is not ours to manufacture. It is ours to proclaim.
Resurrection does not start in sunlight. It begins in the dark.
Just like Peter, you don’t need to do anything to earn God’s forgiveness for your soul wounds.
The world takes notice when Christians forgive because such forgiveness seems impossible.
God leads us to green pastures. He comforts us with his grace in our darkest valleys.
Christian spirituality is not a flight from the world, but a deep dive into its brokenness.
Children are not meant to carry crowns. They are not meant to rule. The burden crushes them in slow, invisible ways.
‘Peace’ means “I have forgiven all those sins against me.”
We don’t flinch at sin. We speak Christ into it.
How many times in our lifetime must we sigh, floundering through this world with our sins, sorrows, struggles, frustrations, fears, and foes?