Enter His Rest

Enter His Rest grew out of my own struggle with discontentment and a desire to write down the truths I knew I would need to return to when life did not unfold as I hoped. Rather than offering a formula for escaping hardship, the book explores a biblical understanding of contentment—not as stoic indifference or the absence of grief, but as a settled confidence in the sovereign goodness of God.

Drawing from the teaching and examples of Scripture, these devotional reflections examine the restlessness of the human heart, the temptations that draw us toward anxiety and discontentment, and the truths God uses to cultivate steadfast reliance on Him. They are written not for one particular kind of trial, but for the many circumstances in which believers may find their contentment tested.

On this side of eternity, we cannot escape suffering, uncertainty, disappointment, or grief. But by God’s grace, we can learn to turn our hearts again and again toward His character, trust His providence, and rest in Him with thankful hearts through every season.

The Testimony of Calvin Lewis

August Williams, a World War III veteran, is chosen to participate in a groundbreaking therapy using the Uberman Device to confront his painful memories. But when his therapist urges him to destroy a mysterious object in his dreamlike memoryscape, August is forced to question the government’s motives and risk everything to uncover a dark conspiracy.

Told through the eyes of a U.S. senator, The Testimony of Calvin Lewis is a gripping tale of morality, truth, and the struggle to overcome trauma. With nods to C.S. Lewis’ Abolition of Man and Augustine’s Confessions, this thought-provoking novel challenges readers to consider the existence of objective morality and the consequences of rejecting it. Follow August on a journey to uncover the truth and rediscover his humanity in this thrilling adventure that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.

A Compass for Deep Heaven: Navigating the C.S. Lewis Ransom Trilogy

Unlike more popular works like the Chronicles of Narnia and Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis’s Ransom Trilogy is lesser-known and often perplexing. Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra take readers on adventures through the heavens; That Hideous Strength delves deep into topics much closer to home. In the process, these books allude to everything from H. G. Wells and the World Wars to Medieval cosmology and Arthurian Legend; therefore, there is much to be gained from an introduction to Lewis’s broad and eclectic interests.

Written to be accessible and useful to fans and scholars alike, A Compass for Deep Heaven provides the background information, historical context, and literary insight readers need to navigate the cosmos of Lewis’s science fiction. It does not merely inform; it shows how these contexts clarify key messages and reveal the real-world warnings hidden there.

“The Cosmic Way” — Chapter 9 written by Daniel J. Friend — looks particularly at how the idea of natural law played an influence in the three books of Lewis’s Ransom Trilogy.

The Texan

From June 2019 through June 2022, Daniel worked as a state politics reporter for The Texan, publishing over 600 articles on a wide range of political, cultural, and historical issues related to the Lone Star State.

Some major issues he covered included elections, COVID-19 case numbers and government lockdown measures, major election law reform, the passage of Constitutional Carry, and redistricting in 2022. Daniel also developed the Texas Partisan Index, a metric of partisan leanings of congressional and state legislative districts.

Featured articles:

• Gov. Abbott Issues Order Limiting Social Gatherings, Ending Dine-In at Restaurants, Closing Schools
• Firearm Sales Surge, Background Checks Reach an All-Time High as Gun Stores Keep their Doors Open
• Texas Population Increases in the Last Decade Slowed, but Still Led Nation
• Pat Fallon to Replace John Ratcliffe as GOP Nominee in Texas’ 4th Congressional District
• The Santa Who Tried to Steal Christmas: A Story of A Failed Texas Bank Robbery
• Attorney General Ken Paxton Says He Won’t Resign Amidst Criminal Allegations
• A Timeline of the Criminal Allegations Against Attorney General Ken Paxton
• Texas Lawmakers Have High Hopes for Marijuana Legislation
• Redistricting Delays in Texas Could Lead to Special Session and Lawsuits
• A Timeline of Texas’ COVID-19 Policies One Year After ‘15 Days to Slow the Spread’
• How Constitutional Carry Made Its Way Through the Texas Legislature
• Texas Democrats to Flee the State to Break Quorum, Prevent Passage of GOP Special Session Items
• New Redistricting Lawsuits Target South Texas House Districts
• South Texas Congressional Districts Broke Leftward Partisan Trend of Suburban Seats
• State Agrees Redistricting Must Be Considered Again by Texas Lawmakers in 2023
• South Texas House Boundary Debate Previewed at State Supreme Court Hearing