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102 ratings | 30 reviews | avg rating:4.19

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Rick Hocker

Goodreads Author

Born

Oakland, CA, The United States

Website

http://www.rickhocker.com

Twitter

HockerRick

Genre

Christian, Fiction, Spirituality

Influences

Frank E. Peretti, C.S. Lewis, George MacDonald, Dan Brown ...more

Member Since

July 2014

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/rick_hocker

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In 2004, Rick Hocker sustained a back injury that left him bed-ridden in excruciating pain for six months, followed by a long recovery. He faced the challenges of disability, loss of income, and mounting debt. Believing this experience had some unrevealed purpose, he saw this trial as an opportunity to seek God with renewed earnestness. After emerging from this dark time, he discovered that profound growth had occurred. He no longer views life's events as good or bad, but as reminders to entrust everything to God.

Three years later, Rick had a vivid dream in which he sat in a college religion class. The class was discussing a book that presented a world where God had created only one person instead of two. The book described the deepening re In 2004, Rick Hocker sustained a back injury that left him bed-ridden in excruciating pain for six months, followed by a long recovery. He faced the challenges of disability, loss of income, and mounting debt. Believing this experience had some unrevealed purpose, he saw this trial as an opportunity to seek God with renewed earnestness. After emerging from this dark time, he discovered that profound growth had occurred. He no longer views life's events as good or bad, but as reminders to entrust everything to God.

Three years later, Rick had a vivid dream in which he sat in a college religion class. The class was discussing a book that presented a world where God had created only one person instead of two. The book described the deepening relationship between this person and God. When Rick awoke, he believed God wanted him to write this story about one’s relationship with God. In 2007, he started writing his award-winning book, Four in the Garden, which allowed him to share the insights he gained from the personal transformation that resulted from his back injury. After struggling to write, Rick joined a writers' workshop in 2009 for support and instruction. From his teacher, Sue Clark, he learned how to write and edit fiction, and from his classmates he found encouragement and superb feedback over his 15-year involvement with the group.

Rick is a retired game programmer and graphic artist. He grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and now lives in Martinez, California. Rick gets his best ideas while running or in the middle of the night. He also loves to eat, which fuels his interest in cooking and sustains his need to keep running. Rick has recently completed his second book, a cryptic puzzle mystery that takes place in modern Missouri.

From 2015 to 2017, Rick's inspirational articles were published monthly in the Faith section of the Martinez Review alongside Billy Graham. These same articles have been posted on his website. He also writes inspirational articles on his blog.

Rick can be reached at rick@rickhocker.com ...more

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Rick Hocker’s books

Average rating: 4.81 · 78 ratings · 65 reviews · 1 distinct work • Similar authors

Four in the Garden: A Spiritual Allegory about Trust

4.81 avg rating — 78 ratings — published 2014 — 6 editions

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69 posts
Rick Hocker's Blog

Trusting God One Step at a Time

Can you trust God with the worst that can happen? It’s easy to trust God when things are going well, but what about when things are not? Those are the times when your trust is tested, and it will be tested because God wants to know if your trust is durable. Not only that, but He wants you to know the durability of your trust.

To provide a definition: trusting God means to choose to rely on God as o

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Rick Hocker rated a book did not like it The Housemaid (The Housemaid, #1) by Freida McFadden (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I couldn't finish the book because the toxicity of the situation was too much for me. ...more
Jul 22, 2026 11:53AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Housemaid by Freida McFadden. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Housemaid by Freida McFadden <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Rick Hocker rated a book it was amazing The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 22, 2026 11:50AM · like
Rick Hocker liked David's review of Four in the Garden: A Spiritual Allegory about Trust: "East Side Bookclub introduced me to Four in the Garden, and I'm so grateful they did. This isn't just another Christian novel. it's a powerful spiritual allegory that gently challenges readers to examine their faith and dependence on God. The symboli" Read more of this review »
Jul 16, 2026 11:48AM · see review
Rick Hocker liked Ruzy Booklive's review of Four in the Garden: A Spiritual Allegory about Trust: "I first heard about Four in the Garden through an East Side Bookclub discussion, and the description immediately resonated with me. After reading it, I can honestly say it's one of the most meaningful Christian books I've read in years. Rick Hocker u" Read more of this review »
Jul 15, 2026 07:09PM · see review
Rick Hocker rated a book it was amazing The Last Days of Night by Graham Moore (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Superb writing and storytelling. Very engaging and enjoyable.
Nov 02, 2025 06:19PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Last Days of Night by Graham Moore. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Last Days of Night by Graham Moore <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Rick Hocker rated a book liked it Capital Crimes by Jonathan Kellerman	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Rick Hocker rated a book really liked it Here We Go Again: My Life in Television by Betty White	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 02, 2025 06:16PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Here We Go Again by Betty White. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Here We Go Again by Betty White <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Rick Hocker rated a book liked it Compulsion (Alex Delaware, #22) by Jonathan Kellerman	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 02, 2025 06:16PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Compulsion by Jonathan Kellerman. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Compulsion by Jonathan Kellerman <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Rick Hocker has read Compulsion (Alex Delaware, #22) by Jonathan Kellerman	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 02, 2025 06:15PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Compulsion by Jonathan Kellerman. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Compulsion by Jonathan Kellerman <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Rick Hocker rated a book liked it Killing Jesus: A History by Bill O'Reilly (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
There was some interesting Roman history provided, but much of the material was taken from the Bible (so was not new) and the miracles of Jesus were not mentioned.
Nov 02, 2025 06:14PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Killing Jesus by Bill O'Reilly. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Killing Jesus by Bill O'Reilly <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">