I can’t believe I’m writing this: My new book is done!
I just put the finishing touches on the manuscript. My max word count was 65,000 and I came in at just below that. It’s both a relief and sad, in a way. This book has been my constant companion for the last seven months. I wrote the first words on February 28, 2024 — and I’ve worked on it nearly every day since then.
Over the last two weeks, it’s been almost 10-12 hours a day of writing, editing, cutting, and citing. And this morning, I fixed the last issues.
If you don’t know, it’s called “Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic,” and it’s about how I—as a bestselling Christian author—developed a misordered/disordered relationship with alcohol. It’s radically vulnerable, with details I never thought I’d share before. In that sense, it’s a memoir.
But it doesn’t end there.
The second half of the book details the steps I took to change my relationship with alcohol. To admit I had a problem and then break free. There are four of them. They’re not meant to replace rehab or other programs—instead, they’re meant to form a foundation for all sorts of recovery pathways.
And they can’t not work. I explain that more in the book. The steps can also be used to overcome a host of other issues, not just drinking. So in that sense, it’s a practical guide.
So what happens now? Well we pray, for starters. I say “we” because I need you to pray. The next part is always the hardest, because now I get feedback on something that is so deeply personal. I’ve sent it off to a few close friends to review, I’ll get their feedback, make any changes, and then send it to the publisher. From there it goes through several rounds of official edits.
And that’s always difficult. Anytime I write I leave a part of me on the page. OK, a huge part of me. It’s both the blessing and the curse of being radically vulnerable. When you get good feedback, it’s nice. But when you get constructive feedback, it’s hard.
But it’s necessary. Maybe that’s the lesson for today. Be OK with constructive feedback. Don’t be surprised if that turns into a full post sometime soon!
From there, there’s a lot that needs to be done, including redoing my website to reflect the new book and the new message God has given me. So it’s only going to continue to get busier.
But today, I’m taking a moment to be thankful. To reflect. To marvel at where God has brought me over the last 14 months. Because it’s somewhere I could have never imagined.
Thank you for being on this journey with me as well. I don’t take that lightly. You are “my people,” and I think God for you every day.
That’s the bulk of the update. However, below I’m going to include a special message just for paid supporters. They/you are my “inner circle,” so to speak, and I want to reveal a little something more. It’s something kind of crazy that I wasn’t going to say out loud, but I need to.
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