Dare to Hope by Melissa Spoelstra Writers Read Post #7
Last week I challenged you to read in front of your kids to prove reading doesn’t stop in adulthood. May I suggest a title? If you have a stack of books on your nightstand, push them aside and get a copy of Dare to Hope. The others can wait. Released on March 5, this beauty is hot off the press. I had the pleasure of reading an advanced copy, so I’ve been waiting to gush about it.
Melissa Spoelstra is a speaker for Aspire Women’s Events and has written five bible studies and two books. And these Bible studies aren’t fluff. She’s tackled books of the Bible like: Elijah, Numbers, First Corinthians, Joseph and Jeremiah. You read that right. Numbers. She has a BA in Bible Theology, but this book feels like having coffee with a good friend who just happens to know a lot about Jeremiah and how to encourage people.
First, for all you book “cover judgers”, feel free to do so. The cover is beautiful and the pages between are even more beautiful because it’s God’s message of hope.
Dare to Hope is based on Melissa’s DVD Bible series and companion book published in 2014, Jeremiah; Daring to Hope in an Unstable World. My first thought was, “That’s really helpful to be able to read a book and not have to organize a group of women for a video series bible study.” After reading the book, I thought, “I should organize a group of women for a video series bible study.”
Like most of the Bible, it’s amazing how timely the message of Jeremiah is. When I think about the things women tend to talk about, it’s a lot of worry and doubt. In fact, I had multiple conversations just this week about worry and doubt. We worry about our kids. Finances. The world we live in. Our relationships. We worry about our careers. We worry that we’re not worried enough. In all this worrying, we forget that we can’t be joyful in a constant state of worry. And God can’t use us for His kingdom when we’re paralyzed by fear.
Spoelstra outlines six guidelines for living intentionally in our uncertain world. I won’t tell you what they are, because I want you to read the book. (nice try) But, I’ll say, with God’s help, they are doable. And they will allow us to dare to dream of the things our powerful Father can and will do through us.
I can’t wait to see what you think about this book.
Happy Reading!
Shannon