In this episode, Derek reflects on habits, formation, and why returning to the practice of reading fiction has renewed his imagination, faith, and understanding of the gospel.

Two weeks into the new year, Derek offers a word of grace for those who may already feel discouraged by abandoned New Year’s resolutions. God’s mercy is deeper than our resolve—and lasting change is formed through habits, not willpower. Drawing on the difference between resolutions and habits, Derek reminds us that habits shape who we are becoming, not just what we do.

From there, the episode turns to a personal shift: after years of reading almost exclusively non-fiction including theology, Scripture, and church history, Derek has returned to reading novels. Inspired by Eugene Peterson’s encouragement that pastors and Christians would be well-served to read fiction, Derek shares six reasons why it matters for people of faith including:

1. Scripture Is a Story

The Bible is not merely a collection of ideas but a unified narrative of creation, fall, redemption, and new creation. Fiction trains us to read Scripture as living story rather than disconnected facts.

2. The Gospel Is a Story

Good news is always narrated. Fiction helps us grasp narrative logic with beginnings, middles, and endings, so we can hear the gospel as something that has happened, not merely instructions to follow.

3. Stories Are Three-Dimensional

Fiction immerses us in character, motivation, struggle, and emotion, cultivating empathy and helping us understand the complexity of real human lives.

4. Stories Shape Discipleship

Like Jesus’ parables, stories invite transformation rather than mere information. Fiction allows us to see grace, forgiveness, courage, and repentance embodied in lived experience.

5. Everyone Has a Story

Human lives are narratives, not bullet points. Reading fiction trains us to listen well—to attend to nuance, pain, joy, and transformation in others.

6. The Gospel Is Best Shared Through Our Story

We proclaim the good news not only through explanation but through witness—by telling what God has done in our lives. Fiction helps us inhabit and tell stories that resonate with truth.

Derek concludes by reflecting on how reading fiction, most recently The Lord of the Rings, has rekindled his imagination and deepened his engagement with Scripture. Fiction doesn’t replace Bible reading; it enriches it, helping us see more clearly the living story God is telling in the world and in our lives.

The episode closes with a reading from The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien, reminding us that some of the deepest truths are carried not by arguments, but by stories.

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Preorder Derek’s new books releasing February 17, 2026:

Crucifixion: 8 Lesson on How God Saves Us

Resurrection: 8 Lessons on how God Restores Us

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Learn more about Derek’s work as a pastor and author: https://derekvreeland.com

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