Our featured book of the month is Mere Hope by Jason Duesing. Inspired by C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity and his love of J.R.R. Tolkien, author Jason Duesing provides a compelling narrative reminding Christians what our hope is.
Mere Hope offers the core, Christ-centered perspective that all Christians share, and that Christians alone have to offer a world filled with frustration, pain, and disappointment. For those in darkness, despair, and discouragement, for those in the midst of trials, suffering, and injustice, mere hope lives.
Leading quotes:
“God’s love for the world and desire to provide salvation is why God became man.”
“Mere hope flourishes when it is employed in the service of others.”
“The God who gives power to endure is first the God who saves and calls.”
“God’s ways are not ours. He purposes as he pleases, but he is good and so are his purposes.”
“Looking up at the hope of salvation refocuses the believer on the gospel.”
“To live a life of mere hope is to live knowing that our story ends in joy.”
“Mere hope must express itself to God in prayer.”
“Mere hope, as the core hope that all believers in Jesus Christ share, is meant to be shared.”
“Singing to the Lord is a regular command given to God’s people throughout the Bible and, when heeded, it serves to ground us in hope, and also stir up hope.”
“The Bible makes clear that there are only two types of people in the world, those with this living hope and those without hope and without God (Eph 2:12).”
What Others Are Saying:
“This book is outstanding. It’s a summary of conversations I’ve had in my own ministry with developing church leaders, just to remind us that with all that’s going on in the world and in the chaos of our lives, we are quick to lose our eternal perspective. But in Christ our hope cannot be moved or shaken. We should remind ourselves as Christians that our hope doesn’t depend on us: it depends on the eternal, sovereign, and trustworthy hand of God himself. This is a message we desperately need to overwhelm our people with, and it’s something we need to remind ourselves of daily. What a breath of fresh air. Highly recommend.” – Jordan W. from Goodreads
“Mere Hopc is straight forward, solid truth about what the Christian’s hope is and how we can live according to that hope. A quick read and a much-needed reminder for me.” – Christine H. from Goodreads
“A great book on how to live with hope amidst a cynical culture and suffering. It is accessible to both deep thinkers and those wanting encouragement on hope and how to have it in life. Just the part on propitiation (explained and why it is amazing) is worth the read itself.” – Kyle H. from Goodreads