Finding Hope: Cultivating God's Gift of a Hopeful Spirit (Paperback)

~ (Author), Andrea Jaeger (Foreword) "You've known them..." (more)
Key Phrases: finding hope, Brother Lawrence

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. In a time when cynicism seems to reign, a book about finding hope is refreshing. Ford, a religion writer (The Sacred Art of Forgiveness), PW freelancer, and hospice worker, has hope to spare. Writing in the midst of a chronic illness and the aftermath of an electrical fire that damaged her home, Ford manages to communicate the essence of hope with intelligence, humor and grace. Her premise is that "when your ultimate hope is in God, your underlying philosophy of hope is based on the unshakeable belief that no matter what happens, God will see you through it." She illustrates this with stories from her own life, popular culture, history and the Bible. At the end of each chapter, Ford offers short questions to ponder along with simple practices to restore hope. She suggests some typical things, like journaling, meditating and decluttering, but also ventures into unusual recommendations, like blogging. Ford's gift is not only her accessible writing style, but also her life experience as a Christian. She has obviously spent time with different facets of Christianity and possesses an understanding of other spiritual paths. What results is an inspiring, broad-based look at sound theological, spiritual and practical principles to cultivate hope. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Description

Discover the freedom and joy that come when you open your heart to Hope

This practical guide gives you the inspiration, encouragement and practices you need to cultivate a hopeful spirit and thus live a more fulfilling and joyful life.

Writing from personal experience and her broad knowledge of many faith traditions, Marcia Ford helps you recognize--or develop--your own personal images of hope and create a place where you can go to see the many evidences of hope in your life any time despair seeps in. She provides important learning tools that you can apply to everyday life experiences, inspiring personal stories of hope from the famous and not-so-famous and realistic exercises for creating the overall balance and peace you look to achieve in living your life connected to God. Drawing from Christian and Hebrew scripture and the wisdom of spiritual teachers from all traditions, Ford helps you realize that we all can receive a gift of hope and grace from the Divine--we just need to be open to accept it.

Topics include:
* Dealing with Disappointment
* It's Not Wishful Thinking
* Impossible Situations
* Recovering from Loss
* Hope amid Suffering
* Overcoming Hopelessness
* Real and Imagined Threats
* The Heart of Healing
* Cultivating a Hopeful Spirit
* Freedom's Fascinating Power
* And more ...

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 151 pages
• Publisher: Skylight Paths Publishing (December 11, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594732116
• ISBN-13: 978-1594732119
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 7.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,694,888 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A keen volume full of the sort of inspiration that sticks to your bones, June 5, 2007

By	FaithfulReader.com (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

It was Sunday evening and I had just gotten off the phone with a good friend. We had had a difficult conversation as he recently was jilted by his fiance (my best friend) and the pain was overwhelming. The good faith that he had extended finally had been broken irrevocably, and he seemed on the verge of despair, as complete as his love for his now-ex had been. What could I say in the face of this so-specific sorrow for which there seemed no hope of remedy?

Not much, let me tell you. But later on that night I picked up a new book and within the first 10 pages found exactly what to say.

"What kind of hope shall we have? Not hope in a certain outcome from a particular event taking place at one moment in time....that isn't really hope; that's more of a test. It's asking for proof that God is with us, rather than taking the risk of commitment to a better future God has in mind even though we can't see it now.... [Hope in a certain outcome] is probably closer to despair in some ways than it is to hope; it means you've almost given up already, and you're just waiting for the last straw.

But the hope God gives us is a hope in the larger unfolding of God's grace and goodness transcending the immediate present. The hope God gives us is a deep confidence that the whole world is held in loving and compassionate hands, and that even the things that go so terribly wrong are being transformed into instruments of healing and grace."

There is perhaps no higher praise for a book than to say it matters. Right
now, this book matters. And as I sat at my computer that Sunday night and awkwardly held the book open with one hand and typed those words with the other, eventually hitting "send," I knew that I had stumbled upon a special book.

That book is Finding Hope, by fellow FaithfulReader.com contributor Marcia Ford. One need only turn on the television to understand the global implications of a book on hope. In this fearful moment, we are beset by war and the spectre of more war against a foe as unwieldy as evil. Is there any hope that this violence will result in peace?

But while these concerns are writ large on the nightly news, they remain largely abstract because most of us do not have a loved one in the military. Instead, we suffer through strained friendships, broken vows and wayward children. In view of these things we ask, "Is there any hope for me?" On both scores, the global and the personal, Ford offers stirring reflections on the accessiblity of hope even in the darkest of situations. Notably for Ford, faith and hope are inextricably linked.

She writes, "Like God, hope changes everything. When we come to know God, our lives are transformed; our eyes see the unseen, our ears hear the unspoken, our spirits sense the inexpressible. When we come to know hope, our lives are also transformed. We see the impossible made possible, we hear silent words of encouragement, we imagine the unimaginable."

In 24 brief chapers Ford offers such wisdom about hope and then provides opportunities for the reader to both reflect on and practice what it would be like to live in light of such hope. A keen volume full of the sort of inspiration that sticks to your bones, Finding Hope is itself a wonderful find.

--- Reviewed by Lisa Ann Cockrel

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A welcome addition to personal and community library Self Help reference collections and reading lists., February 3, 2007

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

The daily drum beat of corporate scandals, malefactors in the government, domestic violence, foreign wars, famines, poverty, and crime all too often result in chronic depression and a feeling of hopelessness. One antidote is Marcia Ford's "Finding Hope: Cultivating God's Gift Of A Hopeful Spirit" which encourages the reader to draw strength from the Divine and overcome the challenges, fears, and distresses assaulting our every day lives. Drawing from Hebrew and Christian scripture, and the contributions of spiritual teachers of all traditions, "Finding Hope" addresses such key issues as dealing with disappointment, recovering from loss, overcoming hopelessness, real and imagined threats, putting things into perspective, and utilizing prayers and meditations (a part of each individual chapters along with real-life examples of coping) to transforming our attitudes and enhancing our appreciation of the joys of life - even during dire times at home or abroad. "Finding Hope" is strongly recommended reading and a welcome addition to personal and community library Self Help reference collections and reading lists.