Image: Hope for a Hopeless Day by Len Lantz (CC BY-NC-ND)
Synopsis: Len's Star Rating: 2 out of 10. A book that addresses the temporary emotion of hopelessness through the events of Christ on the cross.
BY LEN LANTZ, MD, author of unJoy / 1.28.2022; No. 71
Disclaimer: Yes, I am a physician, but I’m not your doctor and this article does not create a doctor-patient relationship. This article is for educational purposes and should not be seen as medical advice. You should consult with your physician before you rely on this information. This post also contains affiliate links. Please click this LINK for the full disclaimer.
Star Rating – 2 out of 10
Rating guide: 1 = horrible, 5 = average and 10 = wow
Author
Jack Hayford
About the author
Jack Hayford is a Christian Pentecostal pastor, author of over 50 books, and founder of The King's College and Seminary (now called The King’s University). He is a former senior pastor of The Church on the Way in Van Nuys, California, which is part of the Foursquare denomination. He started at the church when it had only 18 members and grew the church to over 10,000 members. He also is reported to be a highly productive songwriter and to have created over 500 choruses and hymns, the most famous of which is “Majesty” (1978).
General description
Hope for a Hopeless Day is a short book that addresses hopelessness by encouraging the reader through the life of Jesus. The author shares his experiences as a pastor and his personal tragedies and spiritual revelations as he seeks to uplift people who feel demoralized.
Unique and most important aspects
Hope for a Hopeless Day is a quick book to read and focuses on Christ on the cross as the main example of what to do when you feel hopeless. One concern that I had about this book is that the author addresses hopelessness solely as an emotion, however, hopelessness also is frequently a symptom of major depression. The author does not address this aspect of hopelessness in this book. Because of this omission and some homophobic content, I gave this book a lower rating. Of note, I felt it was irresponsible of the author to include a story in Chapter 9 about a woman who took unnecessary risks in exposing herself to sexually transmitted diseases in her marriage.
Best quote
“Forgive everyone – anyone – whom you think has failed you, hurt you, offended you. If you think they’ve done anything to ruin your day, ruin your life, ruin your opportunities, ruin your dreams, or block your goals – forgive them. Forgiving others is the key to living in the liberty of the freeing forgiveness Jesus has given us, and it’s the first step toward finding hope for a hopeless day, not to mention opening the door to new days unimagined.”
Who would enjoy this book?
Readers who are interested in a book that looks at Jesus’ experiences on the cross in addressing the temporary emotion of hopelessness would likely enjoy Hope for a Hopeless Day.
Who would not enjoy this book?
Readers who are looking for a Christian book that addresses the condition of depression are unlikely to enjoy Hope for a Hopeless Day. Note: this book contains homophobic content.
Conclusion
Hope for a Hopeless Day is a book that addresses the temporary emotion of hopelessness through the events of Christ on the cross.