Introduction
The author of Soaring Hope, Lynn Thrush, aims at visualizing and bringing into perspective the biblical scenarios of hope. The writer imagines how life is and tries to help people understand death. He brings into focus the negative perspectives that people have for the church in the modern age. Lynn helps the reader to re-imagine how good the gospel can be for himself and his loved ones. The book explores the values of optimism and hope given by God to the universe and the church (Thrush, 25).
Lynn Thrush says that Christians cannot live without hope and imagination. The two principles may not make a positive impact on the world due to the growing trend of immorality. The book leads the reader into a deep, rich, and concrete knowledge of the Bible. The holy book can free Christians from sin by guiding them on the appropriate way of life according to God’s counsel
Thrush’s message contains hope and understanding of the desire of God for mankind, as reflected in the scripture. Many people, including Christians, lack hope for the future life and hold rational thoughts about optimism. Thrush evaluates the events in the Bible that bring satisfaction to mankind.
The main message of the book comprises the values of hope, imagination, and optimism of Christians and the church in the world. Thrush draws inspiration from the teaching of Christ in his message of God’s will for the universe. He derives hope from the Lord’s Prayer that features in Chapter Six of the Gospel of Matthew. The writer inspires the reader to replace anarchy and ill motive with hopefulness. Thrush derives hope, restoration, and positive imagination from the Gospel of St. Mark.
In the second unit, “The Rule of God” (Thrush, 12), the author examines “the tragedy of the squelched imagination” (Thrush, 24). He ignores any misinterpretations that may arise from the Greek perspectives of the New Testament. He reminds the readers to display their faith and make choices that will lead to a transformation of their lives.
He challenges Christians to imagine nature as it ought to be. He presents positive information of hope, meditation, and transformation to the Christians (Thrush, 12).
Practical applications of faith that feature in the book
Hope and imagination may reduce in an individual when his faith is subjected to temptations, trials, and pain. Businessmen may tend to give up on life if they do not make expected sales. Clerics may lose hope if their congregations do not grow numerically. Students in colleges face challenges related to social, economic, and academic dimensions. Workers in various organizations and companies may lose their faith if their managers do not improve their pay. The book leads all the mentioned categories of people to develop their knowledge of the Bible to overcome worries related to their vocations (Thrush, 34).
The motive of God for humanity features in the Lord’s Prayer in which Christ teaches his people in the Gospel of St. Matthew to believe in the words, “Let thy will come true.”(Thrush, 29).
Impacts of the call to pray and believe in the words “father’s glory to come to the universe” on the anticipated career of a Christian
Mankind ought to accord special attention to vocations, as opposed to jobs. People work to earn a living through pay for their services. The concept of work does not solely entail the use of talents and gifts by employees.
This paper highlights the difference between a primary and secondary calling. A primary calling involves following Christ and being in a close relationship with him for an individual (Thrush, 23). A secondary calling denotes an individual’s role in life through work. Christians need to focus on the primary calling before embarking on the second one in order to transform the world and live hopeful lives, as elaborated in the book Soaring Hope by Lynn Thrush.
The book persuades Christians to identify their vocations and understand themselves and God’s will for their lives. It brings out the reality of temptation and confusion in people’s lives but maintains the view that the experience of God can be a remedy for hopelessness. Thrush underscores the importance of prayer in overcoming adversity. Prayer may be the best way of communicating with God for mankind. It helps Christians to identify their calling through meditation moments.
The value of hopefulness for individuals
Hope as a virtue helps Christians to anticipate positive outcomes for their endeavors. A hopeful Christian may be able to perform to his optimal capacity because of expectations of success. Thrush tries to justify the role that challenges, temptations, and adversity play in building a spirit of resilience in individuals. Problems help in building people of strong character. A Christian should not be discouraged by challenges in the course of the performance of his duties.
He should see temptations as challenges that he should overcome. This study agrees with Thrush on the need for hopefulness for Christians. A truck driver who transports food to refugees should be hopeful of a successful journey. His mission may involve the delivery of food that sustains the lives of people. The transporter should overcome the fear of experiencing mechanical problems in the course of his journey or accidents.
The need for hopefulness in the church
The church in contemporary times experiences competition from the secular or worldly domain. Thrush says that modern lifestyles may tend to lead people away from the church. The modern-day youth may not see clerical activities as lucrative as opposed to vocations like engineering, law, and medicine. In Europe and America, only a small percentage of people attend church services. Christianity must incorporate technology into its ministries in order to access a large audience globally. Many people may listen to sermons through televisions and the internet. Hope is, therefore, a virtue that the church must embrace in order to remain relevant. The church must also incorporate transformation and conduct research on ways in which it can outlive the secular world.
The worth of hopefulness for culture
The church must look for ways of integrating cultural elements of people into its framework. Certain social elements may be desirable, like the traditional attires and eating habits of people. The church can bring about hopefulness for culture by the use of the native languages of people during sermons. It can also use traditional instruments during praise and worship sessions. Thrush advocates for the translation of the Bible into local languages to enable people to relate to its message. Most cultures believe in life after death. The Bible also upholds a similar belief. The two perspectives may converge to form a strong foundation for hopefulness for culture as advanced by Thrush.
Conclusion
Thrush’s twelve chapters of the book, Soaring Hope, deliver a message of hope to Christians of all categories in the world. The author persuades Christians to accept God’s scripture in order to solve their problems. The writer describes hope as an inevitable value in the lives of Christians.
Works Cited
Thrush, Lynn. Soaring Hope. Imagining Life as it Ought to be, Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image, 2012. Print.