NEW BOOK - JULY 10, 2026
Jesus didn’t say “do better.”
He said, “Be complete.”
A new, practical, and relevant examination of the Beatitudes from Carlton L. Coon Sr. - built for every Christian who has ever felt the Sermon on the Mount was written for someone else.
The Greek word Jesus used is makarios. It’s translated “Blessed” in most Bibles - and that single word is an incomplete description.
Being called to have a pure heart, to be meek, and experience persecution does not describe “blessed.” It is not what most people aspire to.
When Jesus challenged his followers, “Be ye perfect,” He was pointing to the Beatitudes as the pathway. Not a checklist. A portrait. A picture of the person you were created to be.
Complete walks you through all eight Beatitudes - truth by truth, application by application - until you begin to see what God has always seen when He looks at you: a person in the process of becoming complete.
What You’ll Discover in Complete
✓ What Jesus actually meant by the word "blessed" — and why that understanding changes everything
✓ How each Beatitude builds on the one before it, forming a single unified portrait of the complete Christian
✓ Why poverty of spirit is not weakness — it's the starting point of everything
✓ What it means to mourn in a culture that anesthetizes pain — and why God blesses it
✓ How meekness became the most misunderstood virtue in the church
✓ Why hungering for righteousness describes someone already moving in the right direction
✓ How mercy, purity, and peacemaking are connected expressions of the same transformed heart
✓ What it means to be persecuted for righteousness' sake — and why Jesus called it a blessing
✓ How to read the Sermon on the Mount not as law but as an invitation
✓ What your life looks like when the Beatitudes stop being Scripture you read and start being a person you're becoming
Inside the Book: 11 Lessons on the Beatitudes
Complete moves through the Beatitudes with clarity and pastoral warmth. Each chapter is grounded in Scripture, accessible to any Christian, and built to move you.
1. Introduction: The Portrait
2. Poor in Spirit
3. Those Who Mourn
4. The Meek
5. Hunger and Thirst
6. The Merciful
7. Pure in Heart
8. The Peacemakers
9. Persecuted for Righteousness
10. The Blessed Life
11. Be Complete
What Readers are Saying
Paste ARC Review #1 here
— First Name, L., City, State for all
ARC Review #2 here
— Former CustomerPaste AR
— Former CustomerAbout Carlton Coon SR.
Carlton Coon Sr. has spent more than four decades in pastoral ministry, missions leadership, and writing practical, Scripture-grounded resources for the church. As the founding Director of UPCI Sages 55+ and former Director of North American Missions for the United Pentecostal Church International, he has carried a lifelong burden for helping believers move from information to transformation.
He is the author of more than 40 books and serves as co-pastor of Calvary Pentecostal Church in Springfield, Missouri.
Complete began as a series Carlton taught to his own congregation. What started as weekly lessons became something he couldn't stop thinking about — a conviction that the church deserves a clear, pastoral, accessible walk through one of Jesus' most powerful and most misunderstood teachings.
This book is the result.
Frequently Asked Questions
Still have questions? Take a look at the FAQ or reach out anytime.
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Both. The Beatitudes are the starting point of the Christian life, but they never stop speaking. Whether you have been born again for six months or sixty years, Complete will give you something to wrestle with and something to hold on to.
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Neither, exactly. It reads more like a conversation with the pastor. There is depth from the original language and Biblical context, but written to bring truth to the person in the pew. You don’t need a theology degree to benefit from it. Every chapter includes a call to action.
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Yes. The 11-chapter structure maps naturally to a quarter of study. Each chapter stands on its own while building toward a complete picture — making it ideal for a personal devotional, small group, Bible class, or individual study over several weeks.
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Most treatments of the Beatitudes treat each one in isolation. Complete is built around the conviction that the Beatitudes are a single portrait — one unified image of the person Jesus is forming in every believer. That idea changes how you read every chapter.
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Not at all. Complete is written for any person who wants to understand what Jesus meant when He described the fully formed life, regardless of background.
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Carlton L. Coon Sr., is a pastor, author of more than 40 books, a proven leader in international ministry and at the local church level. He has spent over five decades helping Chrisitnas move from information to transformation. Like much of his writing, Complete grew out of series taught to the local church.
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Yes, as is the case for much of the author’s work. Complete is available in a format specifically for pastors and Bible teachers - inlcluing teacher’s notes and students handours for each chapter. If you preach or teach, this companion resource makes it easy to bring this material to your congregation or small group.
The Beatitudes were never intended to make you feel as though you had fallen short.
You were meant to become them. Complete.
Available July 10, 2026 - Paperback, eBook, and audiobook