ebook
|
Why are some people full of hope, while many of us struggle to get past the snooze alarm?
Hope often seems elusive—both to explain and to experience. So we find ourselves instead clinging to lesser substitutes. From self-medication to lazy clichés, we apply these balms to our pain and experience little to no comfort. But we know, in our guts, that these replacements aren?t the hope-filled lives we long for, the lives we were made for.
Mark Oestreicher gets it. Through hard-wrought experience and robust-bordering-on-desperate theological reflection, he offers here a fresh perspective on Hope, that virtue that God carries to us even as God carries us. Read Hopecasting and discover a good God casting hope your way.
"I'm a fan of happiness, and looking for the silver lining seems healthy. But I don't think most people—myself included—find "be happy" or "look for the positive" admonitions to be all that helpful when struggling with pain, sorrow, injustice or stuckness. Oestreicher redefines hope, or better yet, pulls us back to a workable set of postures for receiving hope. This book reminds us that hope is a beautiful gift, an influx of Jesus into our dark and dry souls."
"Mark Oestreicher offers deep encouragement for those of us who have ever struggled to cultivate transformative hope in hard places. Drawing on personal experience, he offers a practical path for pushing through fear and cynicism toward refreshing hope. I am grateful for the invitation Mark offers us here—an invitation into active, faithful confidence in the goodness of God."
"What I love about this book is that it is not just a theory or a short-term fix for uplifting emotional feelings to try and gain hope. Mark writes from real gut-wrenching stories, not just happy or cliche ones, and does not avoid the reality of struggling to gain hope or admitting it is often difficult even as a Christian. It brings me joy thinking of all those who will read this and how uplifted they will be when they understand that real hope is possible."
"What an honor to read this book—this honest, personal, universal, gob-smackingly buoyant book. Part memoir, part mentor, part prayer for the journey, Oestriecher stares down the cheap and cheesy 'hopes' that Christians fall prey to, in favor of the hard hope of death and resurrection—and channels his signature storytelling for anyone who has ever felt stuck. This book went straight to my heart.
"Using profound illustrations, engaging personal stories and a deep biblical framework, Oestreicher takes us on an exciting journey—a journey to rediscover hope and the life that it brings. Hopecasting's thesis is simple, but the implications for our lives are profound. Read this book; your life may never be the same again."
"Hope, real hope, is not just an idea. It's a life force, a world-changing way of making an impact and living a better story. And in this book, my friend Mark Oestreicher teaches you how to invite such a force into your own life. May you read these words with a willingness to say yes to hope."
"This book showcases an author in full flight and at the height of his powers, extending our range of perception of the future and finding hope on every place of landing."
"The church world is full of agonizingly trite 'answers' to gut-wrenching internal questions. But in Hopecasting, Mark Oestreicher gives us a straightforward, no-garbage look at the virtue that is proclaimed by the New Testament as the 'anchor of our souls.' How do you grasp onto hope when your world is eroding beneath your feet? How do you cling to hope when your mind is bombarded with signals of hopelessness? Hopecasting is a no-nonsense primer for the virtue that will put oxygen in your spiritual lungs. Read it and expect to find life."
"Having spent thirty-plus years working and speaking in churches, I am so excited for Hopecasting to find its way into sermons and congregations—an important message that will make all the difference in the vitality of the local church. I would love to see church leaders use this wonderful book to stir up conversations, prayer and action toward becoming beacons of 'hopecasting' in their communities. I'm grateful for Mark's challenge to see and live life differently."
"Mark Oestreicher brings his incredibly brilliant and very personal writing style to the subject of hope in a unique and beautiful way. His approach is a fresh and insightful perspective on finding hope."
"Hopecasting takes us through the joy of holy week, into the exile of darkness and hopelessness, and to the empty tomb of hope. In this book Marko teaches each of us how he has learned to practice a life of hope through the resurrection. What a gift of God this book is. May you discover the reality of a biblical hope that reshapes life today."
"Hopecasting builds anticipation with each page while avoiding any hint of becoming a self-help, knowledge-based, or a principle-packed read. It is truly in its own class and incredibly easy to read. With Christians and ministry leaders as his main audience, Oestreicher draws out the contemplative traits in all of us to address something so simple and yet so profound as hope. . . . Hopecasting is a breath of fresh air and bursts with the things of God. I think it should be a featured and highlighted read for many months to come."
"If you're out of optimism, regularly frustrated, and at risk of falling into cynicism, you definitely need to read and re-read this book."
"Why are some people full of hope, while many of us struggle to get past the snooze alarm? Hope often seems elusive—both to explain and to experience. So we find ourselves instead clinging to lesser substitutes. From self-medication to lazy cliches, we apply these balms to our pain and experience little to no comfort. But we know, in our guts, that these replacements aren't the hope-filled lives we long for, the lives we were made for. Mark Oestreicher gets it. Through hard-wrought experience and robust-bordering-on-desperate theological reflection, he offers here a fresh perspective on Hope, that virtue that God carries to us even as God carries us."
"Best of all is Oestreicher's premise that the hope of God's promise is for our lives now. If you desire to partner with God, Hopecasting provides a roadmap."
"Deeply personal with a simple practicality, Mark Oestreicher's Hopecasting is simply a must-read."
Foreword
Introduction: On the Service Road
1. I Want Hope
2. Exile: Life Without Hope
3. Identifying Hope?s Enemies
4. Positioning for Hope: Honesty with Ourselves
5. Positioning for Hope: Honest Cries to God
6. The Pushback: Fear
7. Jesus, the Hope-Bringer
8. Hope?s Arrival
9. Hope?s Dance Partner: Transformed Longings
10. Hopecasting
Acknowledgments
Further Reading
Notes