Endorsements
Developing the habit of being continually aware of Gods presence in your life is vital to reducing pressure and increasing personal peace in your heart. This valuable new book by Vance Pitman will show you the path to replacing stress with serenity. You need to read this!
Rick Warren , pastor, founder of Saddleback Church, and bestselling author
When we feel crushed by stress, most of us wish we could find practical counsel from a wise, trusted, proven friend who has lived through stress and knows how to thrive in it. This book enables us to get that kind of counsel from one of the most respected Christian leaders of our time. Some books seem to increase stress by promising quick fixes from people who have never been where we are. This book is different. It helps us in seasons of stress to see that we are not alone and equips us to find our way to the other side.
Russell Moore , public theologian, Christianity Today
Vance Pitman is the master of applying biblical truths to the lives and routines of believers. This book, The Stressless Life: Experiencing the Unshakable Presence of Gods Indescribable Peace , meets a huge need at a critical time. So many of us Christians need to grasp how Christ wants us to have the abundant life and not the stressful life. Indeed, this book is one of the most timely tomes I have read in years.
Thom S. Rainer , founder and CEO of Church Answers
Books about escaping stress and finding peace may abound, but this book is one of a kind. As the book demonstrates, a stressless life comes not by mastering a few self-help techniques but by looking at God and the world in an entirely new way. By the time you get twenty pages in, youll never look at your life the same.
J. D. Greear, PhD , pastor at The Summit Church and author of Just Ask
Ive seen Vance Pitman manage overwhelming stress with grace and wisdom. He lives the message of The Stressless Life , and Im so thankful he has shared with us how we can live with less stress and more peace. This is a powerful book that can add remarkable value to your life.
Jud Wilhite , senior pastor of Central Church and author of Uncaged
We live in a culture that tells us we need more. More money, more house, more platform, more beauty, more influence, more power. Along with our frenetic pace to get more, we also have acquired more stress. My friend Pastor Vance Pitman holds your hand through the pages of this book, teaching you how to have a stressless life. But be warned, this life of less stress will disrupt and sever your attachment to the more so you can have more of Christ, his kingdom, and his peace.
Dr. Derwin L . Gray , lead pastor at Transformation Church and author of God, Do You Hear Me?
Worry and anxiety are no respecters of persons. Keep living and these twins will try to break into our hearts and minds, robbing us of our peace. At no point has this been truer than in recent times. A global pandemic has pushed most of us into quarantine and onto the brink. Because of these realities, I can think of no better time than now and no better person to provide us with a providential resource on how we can experience the abundant life than my friend Pastor Vance Pitman.
Dr. Bryan Loritts , author of The Dad Difference
Half Title Page
Title Page
Copyright Page
2022 by Vance Pitman
Published by Baker Books
a division of Baker Publishing Group
PO Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.bakerbooks.com
Ebook edition created 2022
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansfor example, electronic, photocopy, recordingwithout the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4934-3409-1
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are taken from the (NASB) New American Standard Bible, Copyright 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org
Scripture quotations labeled NASB1995 are from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations labeled AMP are from the Amplified Bible (AMP), copyright 2015 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org
Scripture quotations labeled NIV are from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quotations labeled NLT are from the Holy Bible , New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Some names and identifying details have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals.
Published in association with Yates & Yates, www.yates2.com.
Baker Publishing Group publications use paper produced from sustainable forestry practices and post-consumer waste whenever possible.
Dedication
To Travis and Darrell,
whose friendship and fellowship helped me put the pieces back together and experience the unshakable presence of Gods indescribable peace.
Contents
Endorsements
Half Title Page
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Introduction
1. Anxious Living: What Is Stress and Why Is It Bad?
2. Abundant Life: What Is Gods Peace and How Do I Find It?
3. Running Out of Time: How Do I Find Gods Peace in My Schedule?
4. Making Ends Meet: How Do I Find Gods Peace in My Budget?
5. Dealing with People: How Do I Find Gods Peace in My Relationships?
6. Choices, Choices: How Do I Find Gods Peace in My Decision-Making?
7. Guard Your Heart: How Do I Cling to Gods Peace in the Face of Spiritual Attack?
Acknowledgments
Notes
About the Author
Back Ads
Back Cover
Introduction
It was one of the strangest days of my life. I suppose it was one of the most frightening too, although I dont remember much of the scary stuff, given that I was basically unconscious. What I do remember was pretty routine: lots of work, lots of fires that needed to be put out, lots of meetings, and lots of pressure to get it all done as quickly as possible.
In other words, it was a pretty normal daywhich, I guess, was a big part of the problem.
Id been in the office for about ten hours when I decided to head home and spend some time with my family, but then planned to get back to work once everyone went to bed. I started to realize something was wrong at dinner. I didnt feel right. Didnt feel like myself. It seemed like I was moving in slow motion, both mentally and physically. I lost all motivation and energy, and I couldnt even bring myself to lift up my arm to bring food to my mouth. I had a hard time following the conversation between my wife and my kids.
I tried to push through it as usual, but by the end of the meal I was convinced something wasnt right. I dragged myself up to our bedroom and lay down. I fell asleep instantly.
I didnt wake up for eight days.
When my family finally got me out of the house and dragged me to my doctor, I was diagnosed with the physical version of a mental breakdown. Basically, my body just quit. It shut down. Ran out of juice with no extra batteries in the drawer. Looking back on that period of my life, Im surprised it didnt happen sooner.
Wemyself; my wife, Kristie; and our launch team and ministry partnersfounded Hope Church in Las Vegas, Nevada, back in 2001. From the very beginning, when eighteen people gathered in my living room, Gods activity was overwhelmingly present. So were the challenges of ministry.