The Happiness Secret: Finding True Contentment

by J. John

Written in a style that assumes no previous theological knowledge, this fresh look at the Beatitudes—the sayings of Jesus that begin "blessed are"—examines what it means to be blessed and how that relates to happiness today  In this thoughtful and uplifting exploration of happiness, inspirational speaker J. John takes a look at the most famous teachings of Jesus—the Beatitudes—to find clues to embracing a life of joy and fulfillment. He unpacks each of Jesus' sayings, placing them in their first-century context and also revealing how they are applicable today. Ultimately, he suggests that happiness is not found by seeking it directly. Rather, seeking a life of fulfillment will result in true and lasting happiness. Accessible and down to earth, this is a practical guide to attaining fulfillment and meaning in life and the perfect inspirational read.

Genres: Christian

230 pages, Paperback

First published June 25, 2009

About the author

J.John, a Greek-Cypriot by birth. He is married to Killy and they have 3 sons, Michael, Simeon and Benjamin. He became a Christian in 1975 and has been described as refreshing, humorous, passionate, earthy, accessible and dynamic.

Reviews

[Peter Warren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good and easy to read book on the 8 beautides in the Bible - interesting for anyone who wants to know a bit more about them, what they meant and how we can take them on in our own lives.

I am trying to just this as an opportunity to burn these Bible by verses into my own head as I am shockingly poor at that sort of thing!

[Derek Winterburn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a straight forward exploration of the Beatitudes. It's strength is that J John is very good at down to earth examples of the challenges of living according to Jesus's teaching, and knows where it can be difficult. The chapters, each one given over to a beatitude, are not the same length and reflect the author's interests. However one of the shortest (on being meek) was for me the best. In other places the thinking is more run of the mill, (or in the case of the 'Be Righteous' chapter heading off in the wrong direction.)