Nelson - A Life Well Lived

Tommy offered me the privilege of reading the manuscript of this book shortly after I was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. In my sorrow and pain, I was struggling to accept what was happening in my life. Tommy's insight of Ecclesiastes and the wisdom of Solomon is clearly, thoroughly, and perfectly explained. His ability to teach the truth of God's Word displays a deep understanding of God's attributes and the need in man's heart. The book has given me peace and comfort. God's sovereign plan is always for our ultimate good.

Sondra McMinn

The first person to read this book because of

her circumstances fighting cancer. Again.

I think this book should be required reading for everyone, especially young adults at the beginning of their lives! All of us, even as Christians, sometimes find ourselves feeling disappointed and disillusioned with life and wondering why things happen the way they do. We strive to find meaning and purpose to our lives, especially in the midst of adversity. This is a book that brings the truth of God's Word alive in a way that helps us discover the true purpose in life, to live as we ought to live, to draw us closer to God, and to rest in His sovereignty over all things. Thanks, Tom, for bringing this message in a way we can all understand!

Eunice Fisher

A woman who, all by the age of fifty, lost her first

husband to divorce and her second husband to unexpected

death, and whose third husband now battles Alzheimer's.

____________________

____________________

To God the Father Almighty,

in whose light we see light, who through His saving mercy

made life make sense and yield its delights.

To Teresa,

the wife of my youth, whose love and constant fidelity

has been my joy from the day I met her.

To my father and mother,

who made my growing years the absolute

magic that youth was meant to be.

To the late Howard and Jeanne Tomlinson,

who showed me how to live this book long before I wrote it.

May they rest in peace.

To the saints of Denton Bible Church.

No pastor has borne a sweeter yoke.

AND

To every nook and cranny and cross-street, vacant lot,

baseball field, schoolyard, and buddy in walking distance of

3116 Wenz Street in Waco, Texasthe blessed briar patch of

this brer rabbit that filled my memory with the joy of boyhood.

____________________

____________________

Why are we here? Does the Bible answer our most pressing, personal, and painful questions? I believe the answer is yes, and so does Tommy Nelson. A Life Well Lived is a straightforward and insightful look into the Book of Ecclesiastes.

Everyone of us has struggled with the deep questions of lifean untimely death, illness, loss of a job, financial problems, marital problemsall of the questions that cause us to be anxious and many times discouraged in life. This book tells the story of perhaps the only man ever to have everything the world can offermoney, wisdom, and pleasureand he came to the conclusion that those things cannot satisfy. In this book, Tommy Nelson helps us understand the Bible and how it answers these most personal and pressing questions. It also shows us God's design for our lives.

Perhaps the greatest of all acquisitions is a godly perspective of livingto understand the purpose, meaning, and joy of our existence. This book has done that for me, and I know it can do that for you.

Dr. Anthony Evans

President, The Urban Alternative

Senior Pastor, Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship

____________________

____________________

Much thanks goes to David Delk, whose skills in writing made this book possible. Also, to Gary Terashita and his confidence and energies in bringing it to light. Thanks to Doug Hudson, who has teamed with me since 1993 to bring God's Word to many hearts through many means. Most of all, to a man I have never met, but whose skill at Bible exposition opened the key to the Book of Ecclesiastes. Thank you, Walt Kaiser.

____________________

____________________

The Book of Ecclesiastes is amazing. It answers some of the most troubling questions we face as men and women.

• Where is God when bad things happen?
• How can I keep from becoming bitter toward God?
• How do I deal with the uncertainty of life?
• What do I do when I'm not sure of God's will?
• When bad things happen, is it because I don't have enough faith?
• Are Christians supposed to have fun?

If you're like me, these questions make you lie awake at night.

As a pastor, most of the heartfelt questions I get asked have to do with what is called the problem of evil: If God is sovereign, He is powerful enough to eliminate evil. If He is good, He would. Since evil clearly exists, God must not be sovereign or He must not be good.

At no point in the history of our country has this question become more real. I finished this book in the aftermath of the events of September 11, 2001. On that day a predator emerged from the jungle like we have never seen before.

Germany in the 1940s industrialized genocide and practiced it on a huge scale. The world responded and defeated this evil. On September 11, 2001, we saw terrorism emerge as an industry. This was the organized and purposeful killing of civilians to create terror. And it was on a scale that dwarfs anything that has come before. Now the world must rise up to stop this evil.

Even so, the specter of September 11 rises like a dark cloud over a God who purports to be both sovereign and good. Where was God on that Tuesday morning? Once again, like when Jesus walked on the water, men are crying out that He is a ghost.

How do we deal with an event as horrendous as the loss of more than three thousand lives and the destruction of those magnificent buildings? Is there any way there could be a purposeful or wise God who would allow such a thing?

Solomon understood that people have questions about God's existence. That's why he devoted two chapters of Ecclesiastes to atheism. But he also understood that those who believe in God will eventually have struggles as well. That's why he devoted ten chapters to the problems we have with God.

Solomon answered a basic question about life: How can we live by faith in a world that simply won't behave?

The answers that you will find in this book are the best you are ever going to get. The reason I am so confident is not because I wrote this book, but because this book is simply an explanation of God's wisdom from Ecclesiastes.

Throughout human history, men and women have struggled with the same basic questions. If God made us, it makes sense that He would not leave us in the dark about things that are so important to us. That's why He called Solomon to write the Book of Ecclesiastes.

In Ecclesiastes, Solomon not only dealt with the problem of evil but also with other tough questions in life. These questions have puzzled philosophers and logicians for thousands of years and have probably been troubling you as well. These questions go to the very core of who we are.