Three Sentence Summary
Champagne for the Soul is a 90-day devotional based on Pastor Mike Mason’s 90-day experiment in choosing joy. Having a life filled with joy is not easy, but it is simple and it’s what we’re intended (and commanded) to experience. Through humility, trust, and the Holy Spirit, joy can be chosen in any circumstance, and in it we can more fully experience the Christian life and more genuinely invite others into it.
Overall Impression
Champagne for the Soul was a timely read for me in a season of trials in marriage, work, and in other relationships. The book’s impact lies not in any individual chapter. Rather, it is in the overarching principles addressed throughout the book that the book successfully challenged my perspective on joy.
Favorite Quotes
Joy is like manna, it can’t be kept overnight.
Mason (p. 95)
Manna was a gift from God that had to be collected one day at a time throughout the week except for Sabbath. I like this picture of manna for how it relates to my daily choice for joy. It did not matter for the Israelites if they had manna yesterday, it was their job to walk outside and collect God’s provision for them each day.
More joy comes from trust than from a sense of self-mastery.
Mason (p. 72)
I find myself seeking happiness through self-mastery often. Whether it’s with work or marriage or church, I want to plan, organize, execute, and excel in each area. The paradox: it is never enough. Working from my own strength I will always get stuck in discontentment. And not many things in this world are as incongruent as joy and discontentment.
Joy longs to share itself, to spill its banks and flood the whole world.
Mason (p. 77)
It is unfortunate that most of us feel pressure to invite others into the Christian life that we ourselves find so…well, boring or sometimes burdensome. Somewhere along the way in caring about doctrine, worship, and Bible study, we forgot that the Christian life is supposed to be marked by a fullness of joy (Ps. 16:11). God’s salvation for us is more than a free pass out of hell. It is an invitation to partake in His grand plan as image bearers to cover this world in a thick coat of His holy love, joy, and righteousness.
Top Takeaways
- I want to remember that joy is always available to me and to pray for the ability to choose it.
- Let the Holy Spirit guide you in growing in emotional awareness; to be able to recognize what emotions you feel, even sadness and anger, and discover how every emotion can be compatible with an undercurrent of joy.
Disclaimer
Please note: If you liked this review or my linked summary, I encourage you to purchase the book. This review is meant to be a supplement to the book and certainly not a substitute.
