Hope Alive: Going and Growing through Pain (Revised Edition)

Hope Alive: Going and Growing through Pain is a compilation of personal narratives built around Matthew Todds life as a husband a father a pastor and a professional. He uses these narratives to reflect on the problem of evil in human life. This volume does not purport to be a comprehensive academic and philosophical tome on the problem of human pain suffering and evil. Instead the approach is of one person sharing some personal experiences and theological reflections with family and friends around a coffee table. The difficult experiences include serious accidents major illnesses job losses unexpected deaths addictions and criminal attacks. In the midst of these events Todd offers no simple answers--apart from the comforting thought that God is always with us no matter what we face and the affirmation that God is good and negative circumstances dont change that. The stories in this book reveal Gods grace in the midst of hard times. They argue for a Christian faith that says Though he slay me yet I will hope in him (Job 13:15 NIV) and If you throw us in the fire the God we serve can rescue us...But even if he doesnt it wouldnt make a bit of difference...We still wouldnt serve [the] gods [of this world] (Daniel 3:16-18 The Message). The revised edition includes an additional chapter on addiction and recovery. It also includes discussion questions which make the book suitable for group study.