Book Review: Daring to Hope Finding God's Goodness in the Broken and the Beautiful

Releasing October 3, 2017



Daring to Hope: Finding God's Goodness in the Broken and the Beautiful is a wonderful book that testifies to wrestling with God in a season that no one would hope for, a time of wonder, grief, death, and struggle, and yet a time where God is present, near, seeing and providing all that is needed, so much that this season could be viewed as a gift and a blessing. 

I love the 'feeble words' and stories of Katie Major's daily life parenting 13 girls, helping those who stay with her for a season with medical needs, or resources, and how she learns that hungering for God in her weakness is a blessing and provision to claim in the joy and the grief. Her life as a single parent missionary in Uganda to a group of girls, creating a ministry to serve the under resourced, and living with an open door policy in a world of poverty and need is pretty unique to us. But the struggles are the same as I have in the comfort of a first world country, with food, medical insurance and resources, and living as one who seeks to serve the Lord where He has me today. 

Katie Majors has become more of a stay at home mom, one who turns away a suitor, as she feels with all her girls, it would be too much to ask, thankfully the Lord had other plans, and way into the book you hear how she met and courted her husband Benji Majors. She wrestles with what the Lord is calling her to do from her home, how to serve Him and her family. But she learns and shares how to find gratitude in the struggle, how the Lord provides and guides someone's life in the hard and grief stricken seasons, as well as in the happy joyous ones, and how all seasons with His strength can be grateful joyous times. 

Katie Majors shares how her heart wonders about God's goodness, and how she claims scriptures & gratitude on post it notes, all over the kitchen to remind herself that God is near. The Lord will provide, that God loves us, that we can be Prisoners of Hope, experiencing the love, grace, kindness, and strength of a God who is here rescuing us. She shares the passages and verses that she finds in the struggle and in her deep relationship with God- of discovering every bitter thing is sweet, that a shoot can grow out of a dead stump and that she should choose to be captive to a King who gives us His promises to focus on, instead of focusing on our sin, our worry, our pain, there is beauty and His splendor in all things. 

Her perspective, her wonders, her questions could be things that I'm asking in my head, but her learning, responses, and integration of the Word of God in her heart and her very being, are inspiring, are testimony of the true influence of the Holy Spirit, and those too I may claim, and learn to live as she has a prisoner of Hope, seeking a coming King, and trusting that His way, even if it breaks me, empties me, and makes me weak is one that will lead me to depend on Him, and live in His strength each day. 

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It fits well with Sara Hagerty's Unseen book released in August 2017, it pairs with Ann Voskamp's book The Broken Way, and these authors mentor my heart and help me grasp the Words of scripture lived out in all the moments of life. It's my pleasure to launch this book, and I was surprised at the full message and depth in this book, but it's my opinion that this book would be useful to anyone whose hands it falls into, and I will work to help it be in many people's hands. Thank you Multnomah for the joy of launching this book!