Roger Teel has the gift of relating spiritual truths in easy to understand stories. In his first book, “This Life is Joy – Discovering the Spiritual Laws to Live More Powerfully, Lovingly, and Happily” Teel draws upon his over 40 years of ministry to relay his insights into living a fulfilled life.
I have heard Roger Teel speak many times in person at his home church – Mile Hi Church in Denver. Teel always was able to captivate his congregation with thought provoking sermons, and now he is sharing his wisdom to a wider audience as a first time author. Teel shares stories from his experiences of being a pastor. “Several years ago I had a conversation with a man who felt that his life was really stuck,” he relates in a chapter on risk taking. “I asked him, ‘when in your past have you felt the most alive?'” “The summer I overcame my fear of heights and learned rock climbing,” was the reply. “We used that experience as a launchpad for getting unstuck … I’ve noticed (when I ask that question) nearly everyone describes a scenario in which they pushed themselves out of their comfort zone,” Teel concludes. Reading these words made me contemplate the areas in my life where I feel stuck, and encouraged me to take more risks.
I liked how Teel is very open with his own struggles and triumphs in the book. From a story of a nervous prom date where he accidentally knocks his steak to the ground in a high class restaurant, to meeting the Dalai Lama, the author gives his readers life lessons. As a leading voice in the New Thought movement, Teel’s teaching is very relatable, not esoteric as sometimes the writings of New Thought pioneers like Ernest Holmes and Ralph Waldo Emerson can be.
With chapters on Relationships, Surrender, Judgment, Conflict, Disease, Uncertainty, and more there is a treasure trove of wisdom in the book. Teel didn’t hold back in the book’s 336 pages. It is one of the longer self help, spiritual type books I have read. I recommend reading This Life is Joy for tips on enhancing your own life.
