Champagne for the Soul: Celebrating God's Gift of Joy [Hardcover]

Mike Mason (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 20, 2003

You Can Be as Happy as You Make Up Your Mind to Be. If you were given the chance to be happy for the rest of your life, wouldn’t you jump at it? In Champagne for the Soul, best-selling author Mike Mason explains that the Bible does make this offer. Yet most of us hang back, reluctant and skeptical.

Theologically most Christians will agree that the Bible teaches and offers a life of joy, yet deep down we’re not convinced that such a life is practical—for us, or for any ordinary person. But, says Mason, such joy truly is ours to claim and embrace. What you now hold in your hands is a call to throw off all worries and complaints and to “come and share your master’s happiness” (Matthew 25:21).

These pages, drawn from the author’s own 90-day experiment in actively pursuing joy, will lead you on a journey that will help you—no matter what your circumstances—to escape the traps of worry, fear, and dullness and grab hold of the joy of the Lord.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

By his own admission, Mason (The Mystery of Children) isn't a happy person by nature. A recovering alcoholic who had lived most of his life in a state of anxious, borderline depression, Mason realized that a lingering, low-grade melancholy was his last line of defense against the love of God. In this 90-day experiment, he sets out to see if he can "break my addiction to the cheap wine of melancholy... [and] seek champagne for the soul." His 90 short essays, each prefaced by a verse from Scripture about joy, chronicle his quest to find the happiness buried in the ordinary world of laundry to be done, errands to be run, meetings to attend and the general muck and mire of the human condition. Over the course of his experiment Mason discovers simple truths about joy: to find it you must discover a solid sense of identity, face crippling fears, offer thanks when you don't feel like it and try something new. Metaphors abound, and his passion is infectious as he helps demystify joy for the reader. At the end of his experiment, Mason finds that the deepest joys come out of the blue for no discernible reason, because "God Himself is all goodness and all rightness and because the depths of His joy surpass all understanding." Christians of all denominations will be inspired to sample this foamy elixir, sipping from its wisdom slowly and finding fresh ways to discover joy in everyday circumstances.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Mike Mason is the best-selling author of several books including The Mystery of Marriage, The Mystery of Children, The Gospel According to Job, and Practicing the Presence of People. He and his wife, Karen, an M.D. in general practice, live in Langley, British Columbia, Canada, with their teenage daughter, Heather. A full-time author for twenty years, Mike is currently working on a children’s novel.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: WaterBrook Press; 1 edition (May 20, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1578566924
• ISBN-13: 978-1578566921
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #631,035 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

If you go to my website at mikemasonbooks.com, you'll see my tag line: "Purveyor of Fine Sentences." I write sentences, not books. Someone once said that a writer's job is to make good sentences and the rest will take care of itself. So I try to make every sentence true and beautiful. As the sentences accumulate and start heading in a direction, books happen. (Maybe my website should be mikemasonsentences.com?)
This is not just a philosophy of writing but of life. It's moments that count, more than the grand scheme. Live great moments and the rest will sort itself out.
My first great moment happened in 1952 when I came into the world in Peterborough, Canada. By age eleven I wanted to be a writer, and although I got many things wrong in life, one thing I got right was to hang onto the writing dream and pursue it single-mindedly. After earning an M.A. in English from the University of Manitoba, I spent my twenties doing odd jobs to support my writing, from garbage-collecting to journalism to library work.
In 1982 I married Karen, a family doctor. We spent our first year of marriage studying theology at Regent College in Vancouver, and we've lived in British Columbia ever since. We have one daughter, Heather, born in 1987, who is pursuing dance studies in Toronto.
In nearly three decades of writing, I've published five devotional books, two collections of short stories, and now a pair of fantasy novels, The Blue Umbrella and The Violet Flash. I'm currently working on a collection of my Christmas stories, and also on a book of a very different sort, an account of heavenly visions entitled Adventures in Heaven.
Turning to novel-writing at age fifty has meant a radical change. In many ways I had to learn my craft all over again and work through many fears and insecurities. The result, however, is deeply satisfying, and now with more novels on the way I have a renewed sense of challenge and joy in my work.
All in all I enjoy a simple life filled with family and friends, our dog Shelby, books, music, and prayer.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fabulous Reminder, February 23, 2004

By 

Jeff Hopper (Fresno, CA United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Champagne for the Soul: Celebrating God's Gift of Joy (Hardcover)

As a pastor in California, I have just completed a two-week series on joy, and much inspiration came from this book by Mike Mason, who continues to be a personal favorite. Now my congregation loves him, too! We are a group of people who have been greatly touched by the Father's relentless love for us. Champagne for the Soul was a superb reminder that there is more still--and one of the next great things God has for us is joy. We have doubled our blessing, then, by pressing in for love and for joy. Thank you, Habakkuk, and thank you, Mike Mason, for reminding us of Habakkuk, who, when surrounded by trouble, chose joy.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Second time's a charm., August 13, 2008

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T. J. Perkins (Tucson, AZ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Champagne for the Soul: Celebrating God's Gift of Joy (Hardcover)

First time through it was sort of like reading Greek. I just had great difficulty grasping the concepts. I put it down for six months and picked it up again at the beginning. For some reason, it resonated with me and has since. Sadly, I am sure there is more than one evangelical that won't touch it because "champagne" is in the title. Their loss.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Get your glass ready...., April 7, 2010

By 

Gabriel's mom (Madison, WI) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Champagne for the Soul: Celebrating God's Gift of Joy (Hardcover)

The title for this book is completely appropriate. Picking it up and reading a chapter is like taking a refreshing drink of the JOY God wants us to partake in. I heard about the book on a talk-radio show that I frequent, but I was not expecting the book to be THIS GOOD! I was somewhat expecting it to be....cheesy? And maybe also unrealistic? I originally borrowed a copy from the library, but the pure meaty content of it was impossible to rush through. I decided to buy a copy for my home library--an honor that is bestowed upon very FEW titles, as I rarely pick up the same book twice--and I only buy books that I will pick up again and again!

The author brings up a very valid point: joy can be ours DAILY. HOURLY! minute by minute. it is not affected by circumstance. It is not the same as happiness--a word that our culture often makes into a god. Joy is far better than happiness! The chapters of the the book are short (2 pages), a perfect length to shed some reflective thought on joy and devour a bible verse. Each chapter goes deeply into joy--nothing superficial. I take one chapter every two days, and reflect on it. I find that each chapter is so full of content (not length) that it takes me two days to really internalize it. I can honestly say that reading this book has helped me keep joy front and center--even though at the time of writing this review I am grieving the loss of a family member. A big thanks to the author for this REFRESHING, thought-provoking book!