Dig Through the Darkness to Find the Light
Published
April 19th 2016
by Worthy Inspired
Synopsis:
Hope is not an accident. Sometimes it has to be hunted, and hunting it takes courage.
Hope hunters know how to excavate hope from hardship. There is dirt
underneath their fingernails and sweat on their shirts. They rake
through the rubble of an unwanted situation, digging into difficult
circumstances because they have come to expect that adversity will
produce good. They believe that light always triumphs over darkness.
They have learned to walk through winter with their eyes on spring.
Nika Maples became a hope hunter after suffering a massive brainstem
stroke that left her quadriplegic in her twenties. Doctors warned that
she had as little as 48 hours to live, and-if she lived at all-she would
never walk or talk again. There was no hope on the horizon. So Nika
started to hunt for it. Today, she not only walks, but she speaks to
audiences everywhere about the power of hunting hope when a situation
appears hopeless. She says hope remains camouflaged in the daily
mundane. If we are not looking for it, we will miss it, though it is
right before our eyes.
Whether you or someone you know is going through a situation that feels hopeless, you will find encouragement in Hunting Hope. Whether you are experiencing a medical trauma, a financial hardship, or a relational crisis, you will find empowerment in Hunting Hope.
As you read, you will cling to 20 truths about God’s character and
practice 5 daily disciplines that will develop your own character in
crisis.
You will become a hope hunter.
Maybe it doesn’t matter what causes suffering in our lives as much as it matters what suffering causes in our lives. Maybe we were all meant to be hope hunters.
Meet the Author:
When I was 20 years old, my plans for my life, career, family, and future fell apart. One day I was an active sophomore in college, the next I was quadriplegic in the Intensive Care Unit, having suffered a massive brainstem stroke. I could not speak, swallow, or blink. Because I could hear, I listened as doctors warned my family that I had as little as 48 hours to live. There was nothing for us to do but pray. My faith sustained me in ways I can hardly explain, and a year later I walked back onto my college campus on my own two feet.
Eventually, I earned a B.S. in mass communication from Texas Wesleyan University, along with a Texas teaching certificate in English in 2002. Then in 2010, I earned an M.A. in English education from Teachers College, Columbia University. Currently, I am pursuing an M.Div. at the King's University in Southlake, Texas.
I taught public high school and intermediate grade English for ten years. In 2007, the Texas Education Agency awarded me the distinguished honor of Texas Secondary Teacher of the Year. Currently, I write and speak full time, sharing messages of hope and endurance with education, business, and church groups across the country. Almost everyone walks away with a renewed sense of purpose.
I write and speak on hope and endurance because if there is one thing I know, it is how to keep going.
All of my communication -- books, posts, keynotes, and trainings -- centers on practicing hope and endurance. I have learned that even when a situation seems impossible, it is never too late. But in order for someone to keep going, they need a steady supply of encouragement.
When I was 20 years old, my plans for my life, career, family, and future fell apart. One day I was an active sophomore in college, the next I was quadriplegic in the Intensive Care Unit, having suffered a massive brainstem stroke. I could not speak, swallow, or blink. Because I could hear, I listened as doctors warned my family that I had as little as 48 hours to live. There was nothing for us to do but pray. My faith sustained me in ways I can hardly explain, and a year later I walked back onto my college campus on my own two feet.
Eventually, I earned a B.S. in mass communication from Texas Wesleyan University, along with a Texas teaching certificate in English in 2002. Then in 2010, I earned an M.A. in English education from Teachers College, Columbia University. Currently, I am pursuing an M.Div. at the King's University in Southlake, Texas.
I taught public high school and intermediate grade English for ten years. In 2007, the Texas Education Agency awarded me the distinguished honor of Texas Secondary Teacher of the Year. Currently, I write and speak full time, sharing messages of hope and endurance with education, business, and church groups across the country. Almost everyone walks away with a renewed sense of purpose.
I write and speak on hope and endurance because if there is one thing I know, it is how to keep going.
All of my communication -- books, posts, keynotes, and trainings -- centers on practicing hope and endurance. I have learned that even when a situation seems impossible, it is never too late. But in order for someone to keep going, they need a steady supply of encouragement.
Connect Online:
Nika Maples’ Hunting Hope Giveaway
Celebrate the release of Hunting Hope with a $200 Getaway Giveaway (details below) and a live webcast with Nika on May 26!
Celebrate the release of Hunting Hope with a $200 Getaway Giveaway (details below) and a live webcast with Nika on May 26!
One grand prize winner will receive:
- One copy of Hunting Hope
- A $200 Hilton gift card to give a hope hunter the chance to rest
My Thoughts:
Nika Maples, at a young age, suffered a stroke which left her unable to talk or walk and during these darkest days she struggled to find hope. It's very hard when we're experiencing a storm in our life to find the hope to go forward and face another day. Nika took the lessons she had learned and penned them in hopes that it would help someone else suffering a storm to find their hope. She uses both real life examples and biblical insight to bring her message.
But hope that is seen is no hope at all.
Who hopes for what they already have?
~Romans 8:24
This book is divided into 2 parts and consists of 20 chapaters and approximately 240 pages long. As I opened this beautiful book I found myself drawn to the journey this young woman endured and I'm not talking about the physical journey, but rather the spiritual journey. This book shows how she not only moved forward, but didn't let her storm define her. That says a lot right there. This is a book that will help you praise God during the storm. We all have hardships, whether they are physical, emotional, financial or spiritual, and we need to learn to trust God to guide our steps and direct our path. This is a book I would recommend to anyone and everyone.
**I received this book free from Litfuse Group as part of their blogger book tour. I was not required to write a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
