Inspired by the Gospel of John (16:33) Scanlan opens with an examination of the relationship between peace and trouble. The passage looks at the two conditions not as cause and effect or sequentially ordered, he writes. Instead, Jesus said we have both peace and trouble together. "Peace is not the absence of trouble; peace is the relationship we have with Jesus Christ, which deepens while we are going through trouble." That single statement from the first chapter is rich enough to support lengthy reflection, with application to situations from the personal to the global. But Scanlan is just getting started.

The chapter on the connection between trouble and deeper intimacy with Jesus reminds us that following Christ will lead to inner or spiritual trouble and outer trouble in the form of conflict with the forces around us. The illustration he uses to bring that point home deals with his experience in the army. Additional personal examples bring to life such reflections as "We don't fear Satan and sin enough; we fear men and what they can do too much," and "The basic lie from the evil one is the same lie that the serpent whispered into the ear of Eve: God's warning doesn't really apply to you."