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

“Even the most discouraged, troubled and hopeless of us can find a sweet consolation that is as credible as a sunrise and as steady as the hand of God…. Guides us through the land of troubling thoughts and parched emotions, brings us safely out into the meadow of a hopeful spirit.” —Phyllis Tickle, compiler, The Divine Hours

“Marcia Ford is one of those rare writers who can make you laugh about a subject that can make you cry. After reading this book you may never view hope---and even its troubling antithesis, despair---the same way again.” —A. J. Kiesling, author, Jaded: Hope for Believers Who Have Given Up on Church But Not on God

“A lovely book that reaches deep into the well of hope, longing for life’s beauty.” —Karyn D. Kedar, author, The Bridge to Forgiveness: Stories and Prayers for Finding God and Restoring Wholeness

“Outlines the practical steps for getting us back in tune with this extraordinarily powerful force in our lives. In the end, Ford finds in hope a kind of ‘unified theory’ for our entire relationship to God and our fellow human beings.” —John Tintera, book editor, Explorefaith.org

“Reminds us of why nothing can take away the one sure hope we have: our faith in God, and [God’s] unfailing love for us. In a seemingly hopeless world---full of violence, war and unmitigated suffering---we desperately need this book.” —Cindy Crosby, author, By Willoway Brook: Exploring the Landscape of Prayer; editor, Ancient Christian Devotional

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