Believe it or not, God does not want you to win them all. At times, you will swing and miss, you will submit and be rejected, you will try and you won’t succeed. You may miss your mark on a single attempt or for an entire season. And no, it won’t be due to some specific sin.

Today we will discuss the wonderful calamity of failure.

Occasionally a book from which you expected little is a wonderful surprise. Full disclosure: Your Average Joe, Unplugged is published by my own current publisher, and I got a review copy for free. But I’ve passed over other books by that publisher. This book impressed me very much, and was a blessing to me.

Joseph Schneller lost his business, a restaurant franchise, in 2008, about the same time the economy took a nosedive. As he struggled with the challenge of job-hunting, paying the bills, and being a husband and father to his family, he wrote a blog chronicling his spiritual battles. Those blog posts became the book, Your Average Joe, Unplugged.

It’s a one-month devotional, but more than a devotional. Schneller walks us through his own experience, as he applies the Bible and its promises to the day-to-day challenges and fears of an unemployed “average Joe.” There is much insight here, and courage I can only admire. Also humor, very well done.

I can hardly think of a more timely book. Your Average Joe, Unplugged is highly recommended, especially for those seeking jobs, underemployed, or worried about their jobs.

And who isn’t right now?