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The Hope Habit: Finding God's Goodness When Life is Hard
Whatever happened to hope? If you feel trapped by your circumstances and can’t see a way out, Terry Law wants to show you a new paradigm--the paradigm of hope, which he defines as the confident expectation of the goodness of God. This is not cheap optimism, a pep talk sprinkled with Bible references. This is real hope, the kind that knows “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”
This book is all about hope as a mindset, a habitual choice, the course of first resort when despair tries an ambush. In other words, whether you are hopeful or hopeless is up to you. Perhaps you think it’s too late for you to make such a shift in your thinking, that “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” But you’re wrong! No matter how many years may have slipped through your fingers, thanks to God’s grace and mercy, every minute of your future is still on your side.
This book is all about hope as a mindset, a habitual choice, the course of first resort when despair tries an ambush. In other words, whether you are hopeful or hopeless is up to you. Perhaps you think it’s too late for you to make such a shift in your thinking, that “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” But you’re wrong! No matter how many years may have slipped through your fingers, thanks to God’s grace and mercy, every minute of your future is still on your side.
- GenresChristianNonfiction
226 pages, Paperback
First published May 4, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 29, 2010
I won this book in Goodreads First Reads with these odds: 7 copies available, 543 people requesting. I think I need this book, because I've struggled with despair and I don't have a good idea how to handle it. I hope this book isn't based on the "prosperity gospel", which it sort of sounded like from the description in the giveaway.
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I like the cover of the book - pretty.
The unusual thing about this book is that it has quotations from itself set out in boxes, kinda like in magazines, but it's sort of distracting in a book form. I'll probably get used to it.
The negativity about Islam in this book is putting me off. Is this all the authors know about Islam (and I quote from page 7) "Is it anything less than fatalism that a Muslim's only guarantee of heaven is to commit suicide in the act of killing infidels"? WTF. I mean, yeah, there is a part of fundamentalist Islam that believe something like that, but that's not the mainstream Islam belief.
Then later the authors make a point about God being a loving father, and take the opportunity at this time to make a comment about Muslims again (kinda non sequitur):
I don't see why it was important to point that out about Muslims' beliefs.
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In Chapter 2, personal pronouns are used "I", "my", etc. and since there are two authors, I wonder who is speaking? Whose story is being told in the first person? Who is sharing his experiences?
The book is just okay, so far. There are some interesting ideas about relationship between hope and faith. Chapter 3 starts with a story from Latvia, which is neat, since that's where I'm from originally. So far I don't see a kind of practical advice on what to do to have hope, and not despair, but I'm not very far into it.
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In some of the auto-biographical stories told I don't see the connection to the topic of hope. Overall the book seems to be more about what hope is or its effects, rather than about how to have hope. And the book is filled with these lofty phrases about hope that I just don't find helpful.
The following from page 166 stopped me: "I was insecure two years later, when a priest invited the team to sing at his Roman Catholic Church in Tampa, Florida. After all, we were Protestants, just like God Himself! What would we sing or say to a crowd I didn't even think knew Jesus?" Wow, presumptuous much? "Protestants, just like God Himself" ... God isn't of any particular denomination; denominations came much later. That sounds a bit like calling Jesus a Christian, if you get my meaning. And the last part of it that he didn't think Catholics knew Jesus is just sad. So the authors seemingly don't know much about Muslim religion, nor do they know about Catholic beliefs. Yes, we know Jesus, and He's pretty central to our beliefs.
Oh oops, I turned a page and it seems I'm finally coming to the things I'm interested in. Page 168 and following. From here on I happen to agree. I just didn't think about hope in this way before... The author says that basically hope develops from troubles we experience, "because we are encouraged by His track record in our lives." And that is true. He never let me down. Such as whenever I was running low on the finances, I've rebounded back; and looking back, and seeing how things worked out in the past, well it does give me confidence that God will provide again in some way.
So it's not gospel of prosperity as I was worried at first, for example: "Rather than causing all of life's troubles to stop when we give our lives to Jesus, God allows some of them to continue, using them to strengthen our hope." (p. 169)
I finally figured out who "I" is. It's Terry Law. From page 182: "I'll let my coauthor Jim Gilbert answer that. As I write, he has just returned from a world missions conference on the West Coast." (and then Jim's part is set out like a blockquote.)
On page 188, listed are some of the thoughts of resignation people have when they are in trouble:
* You think God is trying to teach you something.
* It's all in His plans.
* Nothing can be done about it until Jesus comes.
Those aren't recommended, but I immediately was thinking, so what is recommended. What's the counter?
And I find some suggestions on page 203-204, some Bible quotations that are personalized, for instance: "The Lord's mercies are new every morning, and His faithfulness is great. Therefore I will hope in Him." All in all 15 "declarations of hope".
If this wasn't a copy I received for reviewing purposes, I probably wouldn't have finished it.
----
I like the cover of the book - pretty.
The unusual thing about this book is that it has quotations from itself set out in boxes, kinda like in magazines, but it's sort of distracting in a book form. I'll probably get used to it.
The negativity about Islam in this book is putting me off. Is this all the authors know about Islam (and I quote from page 7) "Is it anything less than fatalism that a Muslim's only guarantee of heaven is to commit suicide in the act of killing infidels"? WTF. I mean, yeah, there is a part of fundamentalist Islam that believe something like that, but that's not the mainstream Islam belief.
Then later the authors make a point about God being a loving father, and take the opportunity at this time to make a comment about Muslims again (kinda non sequitur):
"Ask a Muslim, 'Who is God?'" says Brother Andrew, "and he'll answer by reciting a list of ninety-nine attributes of God--not one of which is Father." (page 9)
I don't see why it was important to point that out about Muslims' beliefs.
----
In Chapter 2, personal pronouns are used "I", "my", etc. and since there are two authors, I wonder who is speaking? Whose story is being told in the first person? Who is sharing his experiences?
The book is just okay, so far. There are some interesting ideas about relationship between hope and faith. Chapter 3 starts with a story from Latvia, which is neat, since that's where I'm from originally. So far I don't see a kind of practical advice on what to do to have hope, and not despair, but I'm not very far into it.
----
In some of the auto-biographical stories told I don't see the connection to the topic of hope. Overall the book seems to be more about what hope is or its effects, rather than about how to have hope. And the book is filled with these lofty phrases about hope that I just don't find helpful.
The following from page 166 stopped me: "I was insecure two years later, when a priest invited the team to sing at his Roman Catholic Church in Tampa, Florida. After all, we were Protestants, just like God Himself! What would we sing or say to a crowd I didn't even think knew Jesus?" Wow, presumptuous much? "Protestants, just like God Himself" ... God isn't of any particular denomination; denominations came much later. That sounds a bit like calling Jesus a Christian, if you get my meaning. And the last part of it that he didn't think Catholics knew Jesus is just sad. So the authors seemingly don't know much about Muslim religion, nor do they know about Catholic beliefs. Yes, we know Jesus, and He's pretty central to our beliefs.
Oh oops, I turned a page and it seems I'm finally coming to the things I'm interested in. Page 168 and following. From here on I happen to agree. I just didn't think about hope in this way before... The author says that basically hope develops from troubles we experience, "because we are encouraged by His track record in our lives." And that is true. He never let me down. Such as whenever I was running low on the finances, I've rebounded back; and looking back, and seeing how things worked out in the past, well it does give me confidence that God will provide again in some way.
So it's not gospel of prosperity as I was worried at first, for example: "Rather than causing all of life's troubles to stop when we give our lives to Jesus, God allows some of them to continue, using them to strengthen our hope." (p. 169)
I finally figured out who "I" is. It's Terry Law. From page 182: "I'll let my coauthor Jim Gilbert answer that. As I write, he has just returned from a world missions conference on the West Coast." (and then Jim's part is set out like a blockquote.)
On page 188, listed are some of the thoughts of resignation people have when they are in trouble:
* You think God is trying to teach you something.
* It's all in His plans.
* Nothing can be done about it until Jesus comes.
Those aren't recommended, but I immediately was thinking, so what is recommended. What's the counter?
And I find some suggestions on page 203-204, some Bible quotations that are personalized, for instance: "The Lord's mercies are new every morning, and His faithfulness is great. Therefore I will hope in Him." All in all 15 "declarations of hope".
If this wasn't a copy I received for reviewing purposes, I probably wouldn't have finished it.
May 27, 2010
This was a nice change of pace from what I normally read. I found the book inspirational. The writing was easy to follow, his journeys were intriguing, and he based the book on something that a lot of people I know have lost- hope. If I read correctly, the only part I did not agree with was that he made a statement Catholic's do not believe in Christ, when he visited a church in Poland, but I was raised as a Catholic and that is the basis of the faith. It is true that you do not hear many sermons regarding hope; love and faith are always in the forefront. People always blaming outside forces for things they can change in themselves and never accepting responsibility for their own actions. There were a lot of different things that just made sense. Wearing "hope as a helmet" is something I choose to hold onto.
May 22, 2010
I found The Hope Habit, by Terry Law and Jim Gilbert, very satisfying and helpful. Quotes like "Hope is the word which God has written on the brow of every man," (Victor Hugo) and "hope is like the architect that can see mere blue lines on paper and see a building" and "hope is a helmet, guarding the mind" (the authors) are very inspiring! I learned that Winston Churchill was sometimes clinically depressed (mind chemistry) and when his "black dogs" barked he was afraid to stand next to a train station platform lest he throw himself off, and yet look at what HE achieved! I also found out that "hope makes an actual biological contribution to recovery" and "hope is more a cause of change than a response to it." I received the Hope Habit by winning it in a contest on Goodreads, and thanks to Anna for bringing it up! Highly recommended to anyone who needs a boost (and who doesn't?).
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews