Hope is to the human spirit what breath is to the physical body—the very fuel that animates our being. So says best-selling author John Claypool. But with hopefulness comes the possibility of disappointment. How can we hope and yet be realistic about what we hope for? What is a hope that doesn’t disappoint? In his inimitable pastoral and gentle way, Claypool explores biblically based avenues to hopefulness. Beginning with what we can and cannot know of God's promises, he discusses the value of humility in the face of the Great Mystery that is God. Claypool then examines what we can expect by letting God be God, and he looks at the place of forgiveness and second chances in seeking hope. His conclusion addresses the greatest hope, that of the life to come beyond the grave. This very personal book, written without theological jargon, will be a welcome companion to anyone who is struggling with disappointment, fear, or loss.
John R. Claypool was a pastor, preacher, author, and theologian. He was initially ordained as a Southern Baptist and pastored for thirty years in that denomination. He became an Episcopal priest in 1986 and served as rector of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Birmingham, Alabama, until his retirement in 2000. Though he died in 2005, his words continue to provide hope and comfort.
"The Hopeful Heart is a personal testimony, by one of the church's most inspirational story tellers, to his experiences with hope. It is an insightful meditative resource."—John Westerhoff, author of Will Our Children Have Faith?
"John Claypool has been one of the great preaching voices of the past thirty years. A new book from him is always a welcomed event, and his wide and ever-growing audience will be deepened by what he now has to say. Claypool on hope could not be a better antidote to these dark days." —Peter J. Gomes, author of The Good Book
"When you get a chance to hear John Claypool preach, you go. And when you get a chance to sit with him, you sit. Decades of pastoral and personal experience have combined to teach this renowned pastor a lot about what hope is and what it isn't, and have given him the wisdom to share it with us in simplicity and grace." —Barbara Crafton
"For fifty years now, John Claypool has devoted himself to the care of souls. In this small but focused book he offers the cumulative wisdom of those years to all whose hearts hunger for hope in a world that is running short on this ancient Christian virtue." —Barbara Taylor, author of When God Is Silent
"The Hopeful Heart is a sensitive and important book. John Claypool, world class preacher, steps out of the pulpit and leads us personally into the subterranean world of doubt and despair--where authentic hope is born. He points out that our expectations of what kind of help God will give us when we cry out to him often keep us from realizing when and how God is already helping us. God may send the miracle we pray for, but he may instead collaborate with us as we use our own creativity and strength, another miracle. But sometimes, when there is no miracle, no sense of solution or collaboration, God may give us the endurance to live in the problem, and experience real growth in the process (e.g. Paul's thorn in the flesh). But whatever God may "send" us, John helps us to recognize and receive the hope we long for." —Keith Miller
"In his pastoral and gentle way, Claypool draws on insights from the fields of theology, psychology, and biblical studies - as well as on his own experience - to describe the reality of hope in all its complexity. This very personal book will be a welcome companion to anyone struggling with disappointment, fear, or loss." —Resources Hotline, 2004
"For those of us who seem to experience some degree or another of hopelessness in these uncertain times, this book offers a light to steady our passages. With his calm manner and 'comfortable words,' John Claypool manages to fill our hearts with hope. A marvelous gift for anyone in grief or fear or just normal daily stress. You will probably buy several before the year is out." —Dialog, September/October 2003
"In his inimitable pastoral and gentle way, Claypool explores biblically based avenues to hopefulness. Beginning with what we can and cannot know of God's promises, he discusses the value of humility in the face of the Great Mystery that is God. Claypool then examines what we can expect by letting God be God, and he looks at the place of forgiveness and second chances in seeking hope. This conclusion addresses the great hope, that of life to come beyond the grave." —The Presbyterian Outlook, April 19-26, 2004
"This book makes easy but profound reading. One can read it quickly, but the reassuring message is worth pondering and returning to - especially in times of uncertainty and trouble, when hope seems distant." —Sharon Sheridan for Episcopal Life, May 2004
"It is a resource used 'to break the deadly spell of pessimism and despair,' and it is a promise of everlasting love. The most positive contribution here is the author's reminder that we 'see the future as a friend, not as a foe'." —Spirituality and Health
