What's David French Thankful For? Finding Hope and Joy in Ordinary Things

Good Faith

Christianity, Religion & Spirituality

5 • 1.8K Ratings

🗓️ 18 December 2025

⏱️ 57 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

From C.S. Lewis to Luka Dončić: Celebrating Joy in Unexpected Places

On this Christmas-season Good Faith episode, host Curtis Chang welcomes back "founding friend" David French to showcase how he can give thanks in all circumstances even amid a depressing news cycle. Through five surprising "gratitudes" (from Dune and Luka Dončić to family healing and C.S. Lewis), the conversation offers a timely guide to cultivating Christian joy, resilience, and hope in anxious times. French shares why his hope isn't rooted in a "five-point plan," but in the character of God and the "light and high beauty" that can break through dark moments—even illustrated by a powerful story of forgiveness after a Michigan church shooting.

(00:02:22) - Living with Tension: Blessings and Challenges

(00:05:11) - Practicing Cheerfulness and Gratitude

(00:08:52) - #5: Anticipating Dune Part Three & the importance of joy and fun.

(00:18:22) - #4: Luka Doncic & appreciating greatness

(00:26:50) - Transcendence, and the Need for Beauty in dark times.

(00:27:55) - #3: Michigan Mormons' Response to Tragedy

(00:29:22) - The Power of Redemptive Acts

(00:33:35) - #2: Gratitude for his wife & granddaughter's health after medical challenges.

(00:40:32) - #1: The Enduring Comfort of C.S. Lewis

(00:49:44) - The necessity of hope and joy, especially for young people.

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Mentioned In This Episode:

Trailer: Dune Part Three
Trailer: Dune Part One
Trailer: Dune Part Two
Highlights: Luka Doncic
Read/Watch: Victims raise money for Michigan Church shooter's family

Books Mentioned by C.S. Lewis

Transcript

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0:00.0	Listeners, I have some exciting news for you. We have never given away good faith swag.
0:07.5	Until now, for the first time ever, you can get your own good faith camping mug in our brand new look.
0:15.1	Imagine sipping your coffee with us in the morning or using it around the campfire with friends.
0:19.6	And as you consider your
0:21.0	year-end giving any donation of $50 or more to good faith will receive this mug as a thank you
0:28.1	to support these conversations and grab this inaugural piece of good faith swag just click the link in the
0:35.1	show notes.
0:43.0	You know, people often ask me, why do I have hope?
0:47.8	Well, it's not because I know of some five-point plan that's percolating and is about to triumph.
0:54.0	It's because I know the nature of God, and I know the nature of people who follow God faithfully, the people who follow God
0:55.8	were not perfect, right? By any stretch, we can do a bunch of bad things. But when the Holy Spirit is
1:02.7	regenerating you, when you are attempting to follow and imitate Jesus, you will end up doing
1:09.4	remarkably good things sometimes in remarkably bad times.
1:13.6	No matter how grim you think the next year might be, there will be moments of light and high beauty,
1:19.6	and I don't know where they'll come, from what source they'll come, how they'll come, but they'll come.
1:43.3	Welcome to the Good Faith podcast. We're friends who follow Jesus help each other make sense of the world.
1:48.4	I'm your host, Curtis Chang.
1:50.2	This podcast is produced by a nonpartisan 501C3 organization.
1:56.6	Now, as we head into Christmas, it surely can feel like the news is one long doom scroll.
2:05.1	So how then do we make sense of the world in this season with that biblical admonition from
2:10.7	1st Thessalonians 518, give thanks in all circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
2:20.6	One friend who models for me this thankfulness in all circumstances is our podcast's founding friend, David French.
	...

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