Holding On To Hope: A pathway through suffering to the heart of God.

Shunning platitudes and easy answers, Nancy Guthrie deals head-on with the issues experienced by those who are going through suffering and loss. Through lessons drawn from the story of Job in the Bible, and the experience of losing her infant daughter, Hope, Nancy gently challenges readers to embrace suffering as a means of discovering a more meaningful relationship with God.

Holding On To Hope offers an uplifting perspective, not only for those experiencing monumental loss, but for anyone going through difficulty and failure. Ms. Guthrie's story of losing her daughter Hope is woven beautifully throughout, adding a richness and credibility lacking in most books on suffering. After finishing the manuscript, the author added an epilogue that deals with an additional devastating loss--the death of her infant son Gabriel who died of the same disease that took her daughter Hope.

From Publishers Weekly:
In late 1998, doctors diagnosed Guthrie's newborn daughter, Hope, with Zellweger syndrome, a rare congenital disorder, and gave Hope less than six months to live. Guthrie, a media relations specialist who has a 10-year-old son without the disease, tells of Hope's brief life with raw emotion, but never resorts to cloying sentimentality. After Hope's death, Guthrie's husband had a vasectomy to prevent future pregnancies. Thus they were shocked to learn, a year and a half later, that Nancy was pregnant again. Although there was only a 25% chance that the baby would carry the disease, they soon discovered that this child, a son, would also be a Zellweger baby. Gabriel lived just one day shy of six months, dying in January of this year. In trying to extract meaning behind such suffering, Guthrie turns to the Book of Job, teasing out themes of restoration and redemption amidst Job's many trials.

She is honest about her own terrible sorrow; after outlining God's possible purpose for the fleeting lives of these two children, Guthrie admits, "That is what I believe. It is not necessarily how I feel." She says that her decision to trust in God is a daily choice, not a onetime sacrifice, and that some days such submission is easier to embody than others. The book closes with a time-honored evangelical altar call. And here, it works. Readers who have immersed themselves in Guthrie's honest story of redemptive suffering will examine their own faith in a new light. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Another reviewer says:

FIVE STARS! When I first got started in this book, I was leaning towards three or four stars. I am not sure exactly why. I allowed that some of it may be my own personal experiences. Although I have had rough and tough times, I have never lost a child or spouse. That may have lead to me "missing something" in the text.

However, about half-way through, I really started getting something from the book. It felt like the author was really opening up to what was really going on. Perhaps it was just my perceptions that were changing, but it felt like the author was leading on a journey to a more enlightening relationship with God. Her reliance on God had been clear, but it seemed to be more real in that she could really mentor the readers now.

I imagine that if you are in a similar situation, the book would be even more helpful while not being preachy or an intensive theological research into the topic -- friendly and open.

Tyndale House, paperback, 166 pages

Endorsed by Joni Eareckson Tada, Anne Graham Lotz, Max Lucado, Sheila Walsh... the list goes on and on.

"AMAZING! This book is packed full of hope! One of my new favorites books that will remain a favorite for a long time!" Lisa Copen, Rest Ministries director.

This book is for anyone who has been hurt in life and would benefit from a hopefilled daily companion. Critically acclaimed author Nancy Guthrie offers insightful daily reflections based on the Word of God to comfort, encourage, and uplift those who are feeling the aches of life, whether it's because of everyday disappointments or deep losses. Through a year's worth of thoughtful entries, the reader will learn how much God longs to lift us up, carry us through in times of difficulty and uncertainty, and give us true, lasting joy. Each daily step draws you closer to a God who truly cares and the hopeful life he wants you to enjoy.
In short:

• Daily Scripture readings.
• Daily reflections for those who are experiencing any pain, disappointment, or grief.
• Daily opportunity to 'dig deeper' into God's Word.
• Weekly questions for reflection, opportunities for further meditation, and directed prayer.

Two of her three children were born with a deadly rare disease called Zellweger Syndrome, and lived only about six months each. Processing pain, she explains, is an ongoing daily endeavor, so she created 52 weeks' worth of daily devotions, organized around themes like brokenheartedness, faith, and questioning God. Guthrie never runs from hard questions, from the section on heaven (what are our loved ones doing up there? What will our bodies be like?) to a week on finding purpose in pain. (Here, Guthrie discusses how she has used her own experiences to minister to hurting people, and encourages others to do the same as they feel ready.) Where other devotionals offer tiny and undemanding snippets from Scripture, Guthrie's approach is meatier, and we see her genuinely wrestling with some of the more difficult passages of the Bible.

Throughout, Guthrie's soul-searching honesty and personal anecdotes make her a perfect companion in times of deep sorrow. -Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc.

Another review

The layout is great. It is written so that it can be read daily on schedule or it can be read at your own pace. The topics are relevent to the grieving processes and offer verses that correspond. Often the verses are ones that I have read before but I had never thought of them in the way that she offers them. I recommend this... its truly is a book of hope.