A Whisper Of Hope

Best-selling author Beth Moore guides readers through the process of offering Scripture-saturated prayer to God in response to a daily Bible reading; includes 70 devotionals.

As a British teenager, I meet a beautiful Burmese girl on the school bus. Her family self-exiled in 1964, soon after the military coup, to start a new life in England. My fascination is fired for this far-off land. How did Burma, with such a regal past, swathed in natural beauty and populated by a people of unmistakable poise and serenity slide into repression and obscurity? How can the up-beat memories of April's parents be reconciled with Myanmar's current malaise? Over 16 years I recorded the oral history, anecdotes and reminiscences of her family who were eye witnesses to momentous events in mid-century Burma. These together with more recent conversations - with Aung San Suu Kyi and a range of Burmese millennials - provide a unique portrait of Myanmar stretching back to April's great, great grandfather in 1852. For all the woes of this country, whispers of hope can be heard.

Hope is a door that God places in front of each of us. He wants us to walk through it because He knows that on the other side is everything that we have ever truly wanted; there is LIFE, LOVE, PEACE, JOY, FAITH and HAPPINESS. It has been said that to truly see the beauty of a diamond one must set it against the darkest of backgrounds. This is why jewelers display their most valuable pieces against a background of black velvet. In the same way God often uses the most difficult of human experiences to showcase the wonders of His greatness. In this true story the beauty of God's gift of hope is revealed against the backdrop of a life in crisis. This book demonstrates the love of God, the power of the Gospel and the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of a lost and suicidal teenager. A fast read that won't soon be forgotten. You'll want to share it with family and friends. Bob Ray is a business consultant, author and speaker. His major purpose in life is to inspire people of faith to become all that they were created to be. He is the President of The Institute for Personal & Professional Achievement and Results (IPAR) as well as Managing Partner of PIES LLC, a business building consulting firm. He is the author of the upcoming, The Four Directions of Love: How to Transform your Love Relationships by learning and applying God's Divine pattern for Relationships. Bob, his wife Kathleen and their six children live in Southern California. Visit him at www.BobRaySpeaks.com.

This story offers the reader what it so states, a whisper of hope, a measure of faith. For ordinary people, caught in a darkness they did or did not bring on themselves, what is first needed, is a whisper of hope. They are so convinced that the darkness will never go away. It may be the darkness of grief, the darkness that comes from abuse and neglect, the darkness that fighting disease brings, the darkness of addiction, the darkness of depression. They need to know they are not alone. The stories of hope are told through the eyes of John Krayle, a retired Methodist Bishop, who is writing his memoirs in tribute to his beloved wife, Marti. These are fictional people whom I have met time and time again in my little span of time called my life. In this story, set in their early years of their ministry while John was still a Baptist Preacher, John and Marti strive to bring hope into the lives of the people of this community. They want to make a difference. And they do. There is humor sprinkled here and there, and a little romance, but generous on the seeking of hope and the clinging to a measure of faith. In no way do I mean to reflect negatively on my Baptist friends or the Baptist church and hope it is understood by my readers. The setting of the story is rural southern Indiana in the late 1930s and 40s, a time in which the shadow of war became a reality, and the peoples of this small community as well as the rest of the nation needed more than ever the flicker of light of the whisper of hope.

Whispers of Hope, The Story of My Life, is a compelling narrative detailing the life of a young girl born in the deep south during the Jim Crow era. Her tale includes her realization that to make a better life for herself and others, she must run away from the struggles of her young life and go headlong into a world about which she knows nothing. Bertie Simmons eventually finds her way to Houston where she serves successfully for 58 years in many leadership positions within a large urban school district. Her career included experiences as a teacher, elementary school principal, assistant superintendent, district superintendent, and high school principal. Whispers of Hope allows the reader to witness the painfully slow process of integration and introduces the heroes who demonstrated the courage to fight for equity in education. Bertie Simmons' journey includes numerous awards and recognitions such as being named HEB's Best High School Principal in Texas award in 2011 and KHOU's Spirit of Texas award. In addition, Furr was one of only three schools in the nation identified for the College Board Inspiration Award in 2011. The story culminates with her adventures and challenges as the principal in a "throwaway" high school labeled "a pipeline to prison" and a "drop-out factory." The reader learns of her seventeen-year tenure at Furr High School and her innovative approach to building a culture of community and student success that leads to the school receiving the XQ ten-million-dollar grant from Laurene Powell Jobs in 2016 to rethink high schools. Known as a visionary and a change agent who brought out the best in her students, the high-energy educator arrived at Furr High School at 6:30 a.m. each school day. Bertie Simmons guides us through the painful experience of having her dreams dashed, and yet, she emerges with a strong commitment to spreading hope across the landscape. Bertie Simmons emerges strong and valiant. Whispers of Hope is a hero's journey.

Despite being only 33 years old, Zoleka Mandela has endured enough to fill several lifetimes. While she may be a member of South Africa's own royal family, Zoleka has not led a sheltered life. She has traveled down paths which most would not dare; from the horror of losing two children within two years, to the shadowy journey through cocaine addiction and rehab, and being diagnosed with cancer. Though she was robbed of her children, stripped of her sobriety, and subject to a disease that necessitated a double mastectomy, Zoleka Mandela is not a victim. She is a survivor, and her story serves as testimony to the strength of the human spirit in fighting against life's challenges. Zoleka is a living example of success in spite of overwhelming challenges. She is now clean and cancer-free; she had her last session of chemotherapy in April 2013, and has been sober for 36 months. Through her story, it is impossible not to have faith in the good things in life, and possible to believe that anything is achievable.

The act every woman is supposed to be capable of, to do so easily they spend most of their lives trying to prevent, Tracey Sampson is failing at, over and over again. Will she overcomethe diagnosis that threatens to tear her hopes apart? Or realize all she truly needs toconquerare her own personal demons?"

New York Times bestseller How do you hold on to hope when you don’t get the ending you asked for? When Katie Davis Majors moved to Uganda, accidentally founded a booming organization, and later became the mother of thirteen girls through the miracle of adoption, she determined to weave her life together with the people she desired to serve. But joy often gave way to sorrow as she invested her heart fully in walking alongside people in the grip of poverty, addiction, desperation, and disease. After unexpected tragedy shook her family, for the first time Katie began to wonder, Is God really good? Does He really love us? When she turned to Him with her questions, God spoke truth to her heart and drew her even deeper into relationship with Him. Daring to Hope is an invitation to cling to the God of the impossible—the God who whispers His love to us in the quiet, in the mundane, when our prayers are not answered the way we want or the miracle doesn’t come. It’s about a mother discovering the extraordinary strength it takes to be ordinary. It’s about choosing faith no matter the circumstance and about encountering God’s goodness in the least expected places. Though your heartaches and dreams may take a different shape, you will find your own questions echoed in these pages. You’ll be reminded of the gifts of joy in the midst of sorrow. And you’ll hear God’s whisper: Hold on to hope. I will meet you here.