Good Monday morning, everyone.

Well, we are Christian hedonists, and that's something we have dedicated several episodes

to explaining on the podcast.

You can look back, for example, on APJ's 958, 1201 and 1281, for example.

And for those of you who want to teach this glorious truth, how do we take Christian hedonism

and make it our own?

Or even more broadly asked, how do any of us take the key teachings of others and

incorporate them into our ministry so that we're not simply mimicking our teachers?

That's an important question faced by any budding Christian communicator, writer, teacher

or preacher.

And it's a question today in the inbox.

Dear Tony and Pastor John, hello to you both.

My name is Gabriel, an international student studying in Australia.

I pray, God, for your ministry and for the realities you have pointed to in the Bible,

especially in opening my eyes to the connection between our joy and God's sovereign glory.

My question is this, how do I make Christian hedonism my own, especially when it comes

to teaching.

I'm young, but I hope to teach one day, maybe even preach the word, but I often find

that I'm checking myself to see if I'm simply copying what you Pastor John say.

I see that the realities are there in the text and in the Bible, but your ministry is

so thorough and wholesome, I almost feel I can't say anything without echoing you.

Perhaps I think incorrectly.

...