Ross’ book starts with a story about him and his brother and how, when they were children, they stole corn from a neighbor, Mr. Tryon. Later on, their father, a pastor, found out and told them they would have to work off what they stole. The boys and their father soon forget about the incident until several months later, when Ross and his brother were at church kneeling at the altar, knowing that to have a “clean slate,” they would have to apologize to Mr. Tryon.

Ross blends both personal stories and readings from the Bible (mostly from the Old Testament) to explain what it means to be hospitable to strangers, to help the less unfortunate, to reconcile with family members like the brothers Jacob and Esau did, not to be taken in by greed, to teach one’s children about God, and so on. At the end of each reflection or teaching, Ross—an ordained minister in the Wesleyan Church—shares a different prayer.

Ross doesn’t overcomplicate what he’s trying to teach his readers. He seamlessly blends ancient teachings into today’s modern world. One passage that readers will find incredibly inspiring is how Ross grew up always wanting to be a missionary. Still, once he got into college, he decided he couldn’t do that because of his stammering and instead enrolled as a botany major. That same year, things quickly changed because of God’s help. He started studying the Old Testament and preaching at rural churches. Ross later would go to Africa, Asia, and the Pacific to teach at Bible colleges and seminaries. This relatively short work packs a lot into its pages. Spiritual readers will find themselves going back to it over and over again.

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