All That's Good: Recovering the Lost Art of Discernment

by Hannah Anderson

Publisher:

Moody Publishers

, 2018

Overview

Winner of the 2018 TGC Book Award for Christian Living

“And God saw that it was good…”

Look out over the world today, it seems a far cry from God’s original declaration. Pain, conflict, and uncertainty dominate the headlines. Our daily lives are noisy and chaotic—filled with too much information and too little wisdom. No wonder we often find it easier to retreat into safe spaces, hunker down in likeminded tribes, and just do our best to survive life.

But what if God wants you to do more than simply survive? What if he wants you to thrive in this world, and be part of its redemption? What if you could rediscover the beauty and goodness God established in the beginning?

By learning the lost art of discernment, you can. Discernment is more than simply avoiding bad things; discernment actually frees you to navigate the world with confidence and joy by teaching you how to recognize and choose good things. When you learn discernment and develop a taste for all that’s good, you will encounter God in remarkable new ways. Come, discover the God who not only made all things, but who will also make all things good once again.

From the Back Cover

ARE YOU PURSUING WHAT’S SAFE…

OR WHAT’S GOOD?

One glance at the headlines will tell you that the world is a dangerous, confusing place. Forget the headlines—just look at your social media feed. From global tragedies to interpersonal conflict, it can feel like the only choice you have left is to hunker down and do your best to survive.

But what if God wants more for you in this life than survival? Better yet, what if He has a plan to restore the goodness of the world? What if you’re part of that plan?

In All That’s Good, Hannah Anderson invites you to embrace discernment as part of God’s larger work of redemption. By learning to see the world as He sees it—in all its brokenness and beauty—you’ll learn how to navigate it with hope and confidence. And when you learn to pursue whatever is true and lovely and pure and just, you’ll find yourself changed.

So come, join in this journey to wisdom. Come, find the freedom of discernment. Come, discover all that’s good.

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Contents

Top Highlights

“Because here is the crux of the matter: the goal of discernment is not to simply avoid the evil in this life; it is to learn what is good so that we might embrace and enjoy it.” (source)

“Discernment does not overlook the brokenness of the world. It does not deny its need of redemption. It does not excuse sinfulness, live in a false reality, or pretend that a damaged statue is just as good as a carefully preserved one. What discernment does is equip us to see the true nature of the world and of ourselves—both the good and the bad. Discernment helps us see the world for what it was made to be and believe that God is powerful enough to restore it to its intended purpose. That somehow we are part of that process. That somehow we will be restored ourselves.” (source)

“Because here is the difficult truth: there are no shortcuts to skill and expertise. The ability to produce” (source)

“‘When we do not know, or when we do not know enough, we tend always to substitute emotions for thoughts.’^{7” (source)}

“While He’s busy in the world around us, He’s also busy in the world within us. As certainly as He has a plan to restore the beauty and goodness of His creation, He has a plan to restore our ability to see and to know it. As the apostle Paul writes in Romans 12:2, He is busy transforming you, renewing your mind ‘so that you may discern what is [His] good, pleasing, and perfect will.’” (source)

Praise for All That's Good

When the topic of discernment arises, I get nervous. Maybe you do, too. Many of us have been on the receiving end of the well-intended comments of others, offered in the name of godly discernment. With the Bible as her steady guide, Hannah Anderson points us toward good definitions and good practices to help us obey the command to be people who know how to discern rightly. I’m so grateful for this clarifying book.

——JEN WILKIN

Few authors capture the nuances of Christian wisdom and avoid reducing it to the “do’s and don’ts of life

——BENJAMIN T. QUINN

All That’s Good has arrived at just the right moment. In an age of tribalism and “fake news,

——EMILY JENSEN AND LAURA WIFLER

Once again, Hannah Anderson has written a book that not only points readers toward the good, the true, and the beautiful, but is all of these things as well. This book recovers life-giving, joy-generating applications of the Christian faith that have been lost for generations to the spirits of fear and enmity that have come to define the relationship of many believers to God’s good world. Anderson’s reminder to “taste and see

——KATHRYN FREEMAN

Hannah Anderson has long been a source of wisdom and insight into the spiritual nature of the public and the public nature of the spiritual. She captures the truth about things we all see, but can hardly explain. In All That’s Good, Hannah does it again, refusing the false public/private dichotomy that starves our public life and splits our souls in half. Reading this book will help you bring your whole self to the public, discerning what is good and what is not, and partnering with God to see His goodness become even more realized in the world. What a soul-nourishing read Hannah has provided for us in these pages.

——KAREN SWALLOW PRIOR

I’ve always seen discernment as a basically negative thing: make sure you don’t embrace something bad. Hannah Anderson has convinced me that it is a positive thing: make sure you do embrace what is good. This book, like the biblical text it centers on, is good, true, honorable, excellent, and praiseworthy. Buy it, read it, and think about such things!

——MICHAEL WEAR

Hannah Anderson presents a beautiful and needed guide for finding the good that’s often hidden within the world’s brokenness. In All That’s Good, Hannah’s signature storytelling revives the lost art of discernment and inspires us to hunt for His goodness in all the nooks and crannies of life. From family relations to community involvement to political discourse, All That’s Good trains us to sort through the constant barrage of information and opinion, so we can assess what’s good from what’s not. Rather than telling us WHAT to think, Hannah teaches us HOW to think—and with that skill, we are able to fully embrace the goodness of this life.

——ANDREW WILSON

Few authors capture the nuances of Christian wisdom and avoid reducing it to the “do’s and don’ts of life

——JEN WILKIN

All That’s Good urges us to grow in true discernment by developing a taste for God’s goodness. Weaving nostalgic storytelling with wisdom and soul, Hannah beckons us to deep, biblical thinking. Readers will walk away looking for God’s pure, lovely, redemptive, restoring character in the world around them. This is a timely book on an always relevant topic.

——EMILY JENSEN AND LAURA WIFLER

All That’s Good has arrived at just the right moment. In an age of tribalism and “fake news,

——KATHRYN FREEMAN

Once again, Hannah Anderson has written a book that not only points readers toward the good, the true, and the beautiful, but is all of these things as well. This book recovers life-giving, joy-generating applications of the Christian faith that have been lost for generations to the spirits of fear and enmity that have come to define the relationship of many believers to God’s good world. Anderson’s reminder to “taste and see

——KAREN SWALLOW PRIOR

Hannah Anderson has long been a source of wisdom and insight into the spiritual nature of the public and the public nature of the spiritual. She captures the truth about things we all see, but can hardly explain. In All That’s Good, Hannah does it again, refusing the false public/private dichotomy that starves our public life and splits our souls in half. Reading this book will help you bring your whole self to the public, discerning what is good and what is not, and partnering with God to see His goodness become even more realized in the world. What a soul-nourishing read Hannah has provided for us in these pages.

——MICHAEL WEAR

I’ve always seen discernment as a basically negative thing: make sure you don’t embrace something bad. Hannah Anderson has convinced me that it is a positive thing: make sure you do embrace what is good. This book, like the biblical text it centers on, is good, true, honorable, excellent, and praiseworthy. Buy it, read it, and think about such things!

——ANDREW WILSON

Hannah Anderson presents a beautiful and needed guide for finding the good that’s often hidden within the world’s brokenness. In All That’s Good, Hannah’s signature storytelling revives the lost art of discernment and inspires us to hunt for His goodness in all the nooks and crannies of life. From family relations to community involvement to political discourse, All That’s Good trains us to sort through the constant barrage of information and opinion, so we can assess what’s good from what’s not. Rather than telling us WHAT to think, Hannah teaches us HOW to think—and with that skill, we are able to fully embrace the goodness of this life.

——ERIN STRAZA

Product Details

• Title : All That's Good: Recovering the Lost Art of Discernment
• Author: Anderson, Hannah
• Publisher: Moody Publishers
• Publication Date: 2018
• ISBN: 9780802497369

About Hannah Anderson

Hannah Anderson lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia where she spends her days working with her husband in rural ministry, writing, and caring for their family. Her books, Made for More and Humble Roots, unpack questions of identity and purpose while crafting a vision for the abundant, flourishing life that God promises us through Christ.