Are You Going to Dance, or Are You Going to Rest?
One man spent years performing for approval before he found the freedom of resting in a worth he never had to earn. This is the story of the choices that changed everything, and the family still living proof of it.
You know the feeling.
You did the thing, and it went well, and for about ten minutes you felt it: relief, pride, maybe even peace. Then it faded, and you were already looking for the next thing to prove yourself with.
Somewhere along the way, most of us learned an equation without ever writing it down: what I do, plus what people think of me, equals what I’m worth. It runs quietly under everything: the way we work, the way we parent, the way we show up at church, the way we scroll. It’s exhausting. And it never actually pays off the way we think it will.
There’s a different way to live. Not a better performance. A different foundation entirely.
He lived this. His family watched him break the cycle.
Rod Masteller spent decades chasing that same approval, first as a boy dancing a jig for quarters from his uncles, and later as a pastor whose life got busier and more public with every passing year. He knew what it was to build a life on applause. And he knew, eventually, what it cost him.
This isn’t a story about a man who had it all figured out from the pulpit. It’s the story of the night that broke him open, and the daily choices that put him back together, differently. We live in a time when it’s hard to trust that a pastor’s public life and private life actually match. Rod’s daughters can tell you, without flinching, that his did. Not because he was perfect. Because he was honest about not being perfect, and he kept choosing to change anyway.
Linda and their four daughters, Michelle, Kim, Crystal, and Heather, wrote this book together after losing Rod suddenly. It is his voice, in his own words from sermons and journals, paired with theirs: what they watched him live, and how they’re living it still.
Read Rod’s full story →
Here’s how simple this is.
Choose your bundle
Whether it’s one copy for yourself or a case for your whole church, there’s a straightforward option for you.
Reserve it today
Your copy ships when the book launches on November 24, 2026.
Get the pre-order extras
Bonus content, early access, and an invitation to celebrate the launch with us.
Thirteen daily choices.
Not big, dramatic moments. Ordinary decisions, made again and again, that quietly built something that outlasted him.
“Life is not made up of what you do in a day, but in what you do daily.”
Rod Masteller
This is the line Rod said so often that his daughters could finish it in their sleep. It’s the whole book in one sentence. Not one big decision that changes your life. Thirteen small ones, made daily, that do.
Reserve your copy before launch day.
Three ways to bring this book home, whether it’s just for you, for someone you love, or for a whole room of people who need to hear it.
The First Step
For the reader who’s ready to start
- 1 hardcover copy
- Digital reflection guide
Dance or Rest
One for you, one for someone who needs it
- 2 hardcover copies
- Digital reflection guide
- Bonus audio excerpt
The Circle
For small groups, book clubs, and families
- 5 hardcover copies
- Digital study guide
- Bonus audio excerpt
Not ready to order yet? Start with the first chapter.
Read the opening pages for free, and we’ll keep you posted as launch day gets closer.