My Reason For Hope



My Reason For Hope

Summary

This book tells the stories of different people's reasons for hope including Andy Frost, Joel Edwards, Andy Flannagan, Sir Cliff Richard, Baroness Cox and Fiona Castle.
In what often appear to be dark days, this book serves as a timely reminder of the hope we have. A hope that is more than just human hope; a hope that will last and that cannot be defeated.
Each contributor to this book has their own reason for hope and each is personal and unique. As we read these stories, we begin to share in their hope and something mystical happens: change within ourselves.

From the Author

"Hope springs eternal in the human breast." These words, penned by the English poet Alexander Pope, remind us of the remarkable ability of humankind to find hope in the midst of even the most hopeless of situations.
But where does this hope actually "spring" from? And for those of us who follow Jesus, what exactly is this hope we claim to have? What does it mean, in the words of Peter, to "give the reason for the hope" we have?
These were some of the questions I wrestled with back in April 2007, when God began speaking to me about a book called My Reason for Hope. For three nights in a row, God spoke to me in a dream (if you're anything like me, it takes hearing something three times before it actually sinks in!).
In this recurring dream, God told me to gather together short stories by Christians from different walks of life. Unfortunately, by the third night my heart was pounding so much I actually checked myself into hospital, thinking I might have some sort of heart condition!
Despite misguided fears for my health and my own nagging doubts ("This is crazy; I can't write a book; This can't be what God is asking me to do"), I decided to lay down a 'fleece' to confirm whether this was God or just a bad bit of cheese from earlier in the week.
I really believe in laying down fleeces because, when we do, God can help us overcome our doubts and show us that He really is in our plans. The first fleece I put down was this: if my friend Andy Frost (son of the late Rob Frost) would get behind me and agree to write a forward for the book, I would go ahead.
He did, of course.
So I decided to put down a second fleece. If I could find a publisher who would agree to the project, then I would go ahead. Within a couple of days, Authentic Media had given me the green light. So, I really had little choice but to do it!
The next stage involved a frantic use of my Blackberry as I called and emailed anyone I thought might be able to help me get in touch with high-profile Christians in the public eye, well-known church leaders and everyday heroes who had a powerful story of hope to share.
I was amazed at how God moved through my existing network of contacts to put me in touch with the right people...and in remarkably quick time! Within just a couple of months, I already had enough stories or promises of stories to fill the pages of the book.
Some of the highlights of pulling these stories together included visiting Lord Alton in the Houses of Parliament, getting a late-night phone call from Big Brother’s Cameron Stout and having Anne Widdercombe call me and me not realising its her!
The result of all this work is now available at pretty much any Christian bookstore. My Reason for Hope simply a collection of testimonies from politicians, actors, musicians, sports persons, showbiz types and a number of "grass-roots people" about how they found hope in Jesus and the difference this has made to their lives.
You will recognise many of the names in the book, such as Sir Cliff Richard, Bobby Ball, Baroness Cox, Anne Widdercombe, Gerald Coates, Tom Lister, Joel Edwards and others from within the Pioneer Movement.
When I first mentioned the idea of the book, some were concerned that all the testimonies would be either bland or pretty much the same. But, far from it! Each and every person has a unique testimony, whether finding hope in the midst of extraordinary battles with drugs or alcohol or discovering the hope of Jesus through more ordinary, everyday circumstances. Much of the joy of this project has been reading and gaining inspiration from these stories for myself.
Now that the book is out for sale, my prayer is that those who already know Jesus will be inspired by these stories to carry on "running the race" and that those who don’t yet know Jesus will discover what they have been missing out on – the best and only true source of hope, for this life and the next.

Buy Online

Click here to buy My Reason For Hope.