To everyone who follows my writing here on Substack, I wanted to touch base quickly before the new year with a brief update.
A Thank You
Before getting to the update, though, I want to say a big “Thank you!” to all of you who have supported my writing throughout the last year.
I started Substack back in February and, by the grace of God, was able to publish 274 posts throughout the year.
I’ve gained 170 subscribers from 30 states and 13 countries. I’ve had thousands of views in total on my posts. Many people have engaged with my material regularly, shared it, restacked it, told others about it, and more.
It’s humbling.
I praise God today that He lets me be a little part of what He is doing in the earth, and that my writing ministry online has touched so many lives. I pray that it glorifies Him and serves you all well.
An Update
My writing here on Substack essentially is an evolution of what began as short comments on Bible passages. These were originally written exclusively for my church family in a devotional group that we have on Facebook Messenger.
That said, we are beginning our next plan on January 5, 2026, to allow for a short breather. As such, if you’ve grown accustomed to seeing my weekday emails for any length of time, you won’t be receiving any this week.
This will be especially good for me, because, believe it or not, it’s a lot of work to keep this running.
I spend a lot of time in a given week writing and preparing these thoughts for my church family and then even more time organizing them here on Substack. I am ready for a few days of rest from writing.
That said, while resting from writing, this time slot is now devoted to editing. I am nearing the final stages of finishing my very first book!
I am super excited that in 2026, Lord willing, From Vanity to Joy: How Ecclesiastes Changed my Life and Could Change Yours Too will be available via Amazon.
I finished the original manuscript draft back in July and have largely let it sit until recently. I finally have a little extra time and the necessary motivation to pick it back up. My goal was originally to finish it by my birthday on February 11; however, at this point, my primary goal is to finish it before we welcome our next child into the world in March.
Currently, I have 8/12 chapters pretty well good to go, minus a final read through or two. I’m pushing to get the editing finished in the next week or two. Then I’m onto finishing the formatting, cover design, and the extra fun stuff that I’m learning along the way needs to be done.
I will keep you all updated when it comes out. I truly believe that it could be life-changing for the right person, and I’m eager to see how God uses it in the lives of others.
For now, I wanted to offer this short update so that you would know why emails are missing this week.
If you have yet to plan your personal Bible reading plan for the next year and would be interested in following along with my writing, you can find the plan that we will be doing here and download the PDF. We will be going through the Kings and Prophets of the Old Testament in roughly chronological order, and I would love to have you follow along.
Lastly, I pray that my writing ministry here is a continued blessing to you all and your faith, and I thank you for your continued support.
“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen” (1 Pet. 4:10-11).
Happy New Year!
I’ll see you on the fifth of January. God bless.
—Josiah
Was wondering where you were going next. Looking forward to the book and your future work on here.