Hold on to Hope

A riveting, comforting, and much-needed book, especially in this day when so many are struggling.

This book is just like its author – compelling, profound and timely. Though church leadership can indeed often feel like death by a thousand cuts, with great vulnerability and insight, my friend Howard weaves together the genuine pain of personal testimony with the very real promises of God’s Word to offer renewed hope and conviction to those serving within the trenches of Christian ministry. Thoroughly recommended!

I recently heard a presentation about trust and leadership. The formula given was transparency + consistency + empathy = trust. Howard displays all three of these qualities within the pages of this book. He consistently returns to the Scriptures;, his transparency, which includes his own battles, is commendable;, and his empathy towards fellow wounded Christ-followers comes through time and again. There are some books you wish you’d read before you went through “‘stuff”’. This is one of them. Highly recommended for leaders and followers alike.

The book very sensitively handles the significant area of discouragement and disappointment that every Christian will meet on their faith journey at some time or another. In a clearly thought -out and practical way, the book illustrates how it is possible to turn to God and find comfort in those times of deep doubt and suffering. Having the freedom to pour out all our negative experiences and deepest emotions, and to experience God in a new way coming alongside us, enables and encourages us to hold on to hope and faith in a good God who loves us and is for us. This is such an important message for the times we live in, and it is embodied in this gem of a book.

Hold on to Hope is a profound and compassionate guide for those facing discouragement. Drawing from candid personal experiences and rich biblical insights, Howard, alongside contributions from inspirational leaders like Katia Adams, Andy Kind and R T Kendall, provides practical wisdom and timely encouragement to learn how to process and walk through discouragement from multiple angles and in varying ways. Because of that, this book offers a lifeline of hope, making it an essential read for anyone seeking comfort and strength in challenging times. Highly recommended.

Howard has a very natural writing style that draws the reader into the heart of the message. Hold on to Hope is full of truths that make you pause and ask honest questions. It is written with humility and faith that gives the reader hope even when things seem difficult. I recommend it highly, knowing it will bless your soul.

With honesty and profound Bible insights, Howard and his friends help us to see that there are good reasons to feel battle -weary, that we have permission to feel and to weep and to bring our pain and discouragement to God. This book is relevant for every believer, and I am certain I will come back to it again.

As an author, book coach and publisher, I deeply appreciate this book and its author who, like me, has the gift of dyslexia. If you want encouragement, I recommend reading this book.

Howard has written a well-researched and timely book for those who feel discouraged. Hold on to Hope balances hard-hitting facts with compassion and depth with humour; a great companion to those who need a dose of hope.

Howard’s book Hold on to Hope is well -researched, thoroughly biblical and easy to read. It is written from his heart and is an honest account of his personal experience of the debilitating pain of discouragement and the way the Lord led him into freedom, which is the rightful inheritance of every child of God. Read it and be encouraged!

Hold on to Hope is a remarkable, insight-laden, question-asking, reflection-generating book from a man who honestly voices something of his own journey and travail to help others. From the introductory poem to the helpful and provocative chapter questions, this is a book for everyone. It is for everyone at some stage in their lives to find affinity with the challenge of discouragement described. I highly recommend this book for personal reflection and for better equipping us to walk with and encourage each other in ways that exhibit more understanding, compassion and empathy, yet also help us journey through discouragement to the beauty and strength beyond. Discouragement need not be the last word.

This book is so good! I know it will be a huge blessing and encouragement to many other leaders who think they are the only ones struggling.

This book authentically captures our human frailty and the power of finding even small strands of hope to hold on to. Disappointment, loss, anxiety and being let down by others can all lead to a debilitating sense of hopelessness. With honest reflections from a variety of contributors and drawing on the profound wisdom of the Bible, this book will not only encourage you, but also make space for you to ponder where you’re at and lead you to an understanding of how you can re-engage with a sense of hope.

Having known Howard for some time now, and enjoying his anointed ministry, particularly at Westminster Chapel, I was initially surprised to discover that discouragement could touch him. As someone who has poured his life into others and preached the good news of God to many people, I always saw Howard as one of those set apart for a special purpose in the kingdom of God and, therefore, in some way, immune from discouragement. This book on hope and the honesty with which he writes about suffering and, at times, crippling discouragement is not only refreshingly brave but also incredibly liberating. Brilliantly paced, with heartfelt illustrations, interviews and real-life glimpses of grace, this book is thoroughly biblical, encouraging, real and filled with hope throughout. I have no doubt that this work from Howard will be a source of help for many people to become strong in the broken places.

I intend to hold on to this book. Spoiler alert: Let me pick out a few gems. Written in a disarmingly winsome and vulnerable way, you will explore the disappointment of delay, how to talk to yourself rather than listen to yourself, and how to turn irritation into invitation by growing your knowledge of who you are in Christ. Encouragement is a gift of the Spirit, and this book is the gift that just keeps on giving, silencing the echo chambers of discouragement and screaming hope! I encourage you to read and hold on to it.

This is a refreshingly honest, thoughtful, and captivating book. Howard has delightfully captured what it means to have the unconditional loving arms of the Father surround us, even in the darkest times.