The Hope Quotient

What’s at the heart of every thriving person, every thriving marriage, kid, and business? Hope! The Hope Quotient is a revolutionary new method for measuring—and dramatically increasing—your level of hope. Hope is more than a feeling; it’s the by-product of seven key factors. When these are present in your life, they cause hope to thrive. Factor 1: Recharge Your Batteries Nobody does well running on empty. Factor 2: Raise Your Expectations You don’t get what you deserve; you get what you expect. Factor 3: Refocus on the Future It’s time to throw away your rearview mirror. No one goes forward well when they are looking back. Factor 4: Play to Your Strengths Be yourself; everyone else is taken. Factor 5: Refuse to Go It Alone Never underestimate the power of support. Even the Lone Ranger had Tonto. Factor 6: Replace Burnout with Balance Burning the candle at both ends isn’t as bright as you think. Factor 7: Play Great Defense Avoid these five toxic hope killers that can threaten your future. Using seven years of research, powerful biblical illustrations, and compelling human-interest stories, Ray Johnston explains how these seven essential factors will support, sustain, and strengthen your hope. And when consciously built into your life, how they will unleash hope in your marriage, your kids, your career, your church, your community, and the world. Discover your HQ level, the most important contributor to your overall success, and then learn how to improve it. Because when hope rises—everything changes. FLAP COPY: Hope: It’s the one thing that can change everything! When you have hope, eleven things are unleashed in your life: You have more satisfying relationships. You’re more productive. You’re less affected by stress. You’re more successful. You’re more satisfied. You’re more compassionate. You’re more willing to help people in need. You’re physically healthier. You hold yourself to higher moral and ethical standards. You’re more likely to assume leadership. You’re more likely to see God as loving, caring, and forgiving. This book will help you discover your HQ level and learn the seven key factors that, when built into your life, unleash hope. When you have genuine hope—not trite, pious platitudes but authentic hope that produces inner strength and confidence—anything is possible.

From the author of The Bride Test comes a romance novel hailed as one of The Washington Post’s 50 Notable Works of Fiction in 2018 and one of Amazon’s Top 100 Books of 2018! “This is such a fun read and it's also quite original and sexy and sensitive.”—Roxane Gay, New York Times bestselling author “Hoang's writing bursts from the page.”—Buzzfeed A heartwarming and refreshing debut novel that proves one thing: there's not enough data in the world to predict what will make your heart tick. Stella Lane thinks math is the only thing that unites the universe. She comes up with algorithms to predict customer purchases—a job that has given her more money than she knows what to do with, and way less experience in the dating department than the average thirty-year-old. It doesn't help that Stella has Asperger's and French kissing reminds her of a shark getting its teeth cleaned by pilot fish. Her conclusion: she needs lots of practice—with a professional. Which is why she hires escort Michael Phan. The Vietnamese and Swedish stunner can't afford to turn down Stella's offer, and agrees to help her check off all the boxes on her lesson plan—from foreplay to more-than-missionary position... Before long, Stella not only learns to appreciate his kisses, but crave all of the other things he's making her feel. Their no-nonsense partnership starts making a strange kind of sense. And the pattern that emerges will convince Stella that love is the best kind of logic...

The keys to understanding and developing courage This groundbreaking book reveals that courage is more about managing fear than not feeling it, and that courage can be learned. The author explains that most courageous people are unaware of their own bravery, and all of us have some form of courage in our lives now, to start with. The book is filled with illustrative examples, studies, and interviews from Greenland to Kenya, and defines the types of individuals who demonstrate general, personal, and civil courage. The author includes clear guidelines and suggestions for increasing our ability to be courageous. Includes guidelines that show how anyone can ramp-up their courage quotient and develop the qualities that strengthen personal courage Contains a wealth of examples and anecdotes of real-world courage from a variety of cultures A prolific writer, the author has a popular blog Psychology Today The author extols the virtues of personal courage and shows how to overcome fear and stand up for what is right.

He is risen! Now what? How does the resurrection of Jesus impact my everyday life, and why should I care? Ray Johnston has written a key resource that every church and Christian can give their friends and family to help them grow in faith. This book explores thirty practical ways the Resurrection changed the lives of early believers and can transform us today. This resource has been given to thousands of new Christians at Bayside Church where the author is the founding pastor. Now you and your church can equip yourself and those you love. While not primarily an apologetics text, This Changes Everything provides helpful apologetics resources while speaking practically about the impact of the resurrection of Jesus in ordinary life.

"Surviving Cancer: A Formula for Hope" offers a poignant and inspiring journey through the battle with cancer, providing a formula for hope that extends beyond the medical realm. Filled with resilience and optimism, this book intertwines the emotional challenges of facing cancer with practical insights and strategies for maintaining hope, fostering a sense of empowerment, and embracing life beyond the diagnosis. It serves as a guiding light for those navigating the complexities of cancer, offering a heartfelt narrative that resonates with anyone seeking strength and courage in the face of adversity.

A Christianity Today 2015 Book Award Winner Is your organization in danger of Mission Drift? Without careful attention, faith-based organizations drift from their founding mission. It's that simple. It will happen. Slowly, silently, and with little fanfare, organizations routinely drift from their purpose, and many never return to their original intent. Harvard and the YMCA are among those that no longer embrace the Christian principles on which they were founded. But they didn't drift off course overnight. Drift often happens in small and subtle ways. Left unchecked, it eventually becomes significant. Yet Mission Drift is not inevitable. Organizations such as Compassion International and InterVarsity have exhibited intentional, long-term commitment to Christ. Why do so many organizations--including churches--wander from their mission, while others remain Mission True? Can drift be prevented? In Mission Drift, HOPE International executives Peter Greer and Chris Horst tackle these questions. They show how to determine whether your organization is in danger of drift, and they share the results of their research into Mission True and Mission Untrue organizations. Even if your organization is Mission True now, it's wise to look for ways to inoculate yourself against drift. You'll discover what you can do to prevent drift or get back on track and how to protect what matters most. "No organization is exempt from the danger of drifting away from its original mission. In Mission Drift, Peter and Chris provide solid guidance for remaining laser-focused on core values--from the board level to daily organizational culture. This book is a timely message for any organization working hard to remain Mission True." --Wess Stafford, president-emeritus, Compassion International "Peter Greer and Chris Horst have identified one of the deepest challenges any leader faces: how to ensure that an organization stays true to its mission, especially when that mission becomes countercultural." --Andy Crouch, executive editor, Christianity Today "Essential reading for twenty-first-century believers if we are to gain new vision, unity, and strength. Mission Drift is spine straightening, mind clearing, and courage inspiring. This book is true-north wisdom for leaders--and a gift of hope for the world God loves." --Kelly Monroe Kullberg, founder, The Veritas Forum and author, Finding God Beyond Harvard "Many of us in leadership have learned--often painfully--that our mission needs to be built into every aspect of our organization, from leadership to receptionist, from hiring to implementation. We can't afford not to follow the lessons in this valuable book." --Richard Stearns, president, World Vision U.S. and author, The Hole in Our Gospel "Keeping an eternal perspective is essential in our work. Mission Drift gives a clear message inspiring and challenging us to intentionally keep Christ at the center of all efforts." --David Green, founder and CEO, Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. "Written with clarity, boldness, and urgency, the authors provide insight into and examples of the causes and solutions to drift using the stories of real organizations...A must-read! Recommend this book to every business and church leader."--CBA Retailers+Resources "This book is a must-read for leaders, easy to read, practical, engaging and inspirational. The principals outlined not only apply to major corporations, but also to any organization, church and even to one's own personal life. Mission Drift . . . will be well worth the effort and time, and you will find yourself wanting to begin implementing what you've learned to safeguard your organization from drifting away from its mission."--Foursquare.org

"This book gives practical steps to take action with personal examples and helpful resources. Reading it inspired me to be a better friend, gave me new energy for new habits, and grew my desire for a stronger prayer life." —Jill Renken, MPH, CHES, Aging Professional "How's a person to thrive late in life, given gravitational pull, increasing fatigue and culture's age biases? 'With intentionality!' says author Margie Hackbarth. With personally crafted affirmations the results are simply Amaging!" —Phillip L. Ransom, Writer, Communicator “This was a really good book for someone like me, who at 59, is retiring soon. I often fear old age and health/mental issues, such as dementia. This book shed a positive light on these issues, and the affirmations helped alleviate some of my anxiety over aging. I will continue to refer to this book as my I start this exciting new chapter in my life.” – 5 Stars, NetGalley Reviews "This is a great roadmap to healthy aging and living life to the fullest. It's brilliantly written, a joy to read and loaded with valuable information." —Tony Omernik, Advocate for Healthy Aging and Retirement Coach We all want the best of growing older: •Keeping consistent healthy lifestyle & good habits •Maintaining muscle tone & stamina •Sustaining meaningful connections & friendships •Nurturing a strong faith •Staying positive about aging There’s just one problem: the older we get, the harder it gets! Sound familiar? In Amaging™, author Margie Hackbarth reveals the ways affirmations help us set and achieve meaningful goals during this phase of life’s journey. This includes how to recognize and tackle unconscious and deep-rooted age bias. She teaches how to pause to reflect. Then guides readers to shift from reluctantly aging to intentionally aging.

Dr. Sophie Knowles loves using puzzles to make math fun for students. But when winter seizes Henley College, she must thaw out a cold case to track down a killer—her most difficult puzzle yet . . . Winter Intersession is in full swing, and campus is buzzing over the concert celebrating the bell tower’s reopening. The building has been shuttered for twenty-five years, and Sophie’s shocked to learn why—a student leapt from it to her death. But she’s even more troubled by the secrecy surrounding the case. After Sophie performs some quick calculations, she’s left with a nagging question: Was it really suicide? When one of Sophie’s favorite students, a performer in the concert, is brutally beaten and left in a coma, Sophie’s mind kicks into overdrive. The horrific incidents seem too coincidental to be unrelated, but can Sophie put together the pieces from a twenty-five-year-old murder before any other students get hurt?