- Story of Hope by Ellen White
- Teach Us to Pray by Tamyra Horst
Sharing books make the most sense in the context of conversation. They might be seemingly random conversations or, perhaps more significantly, they can be part of an ongoing friendship you have with family, work colleagues, neighbours or others in your community. And when these conversations turn to questions of faith, meaning or the world around us, it is good to be reminded that what we believe has something to add.
Our Adventist understanding of faith is encapsulated in these two small books: a story and destiny as big as—or even bigger than—the headlines that dominate our world; and a relationship that is as personal as a life lived with an ongoing conversation with our Creator.
Story of Hope is composed of selections from Ellen White’s larger work The Story of Redemption, particularly focused on questions such as why there is so much suffering in the world, what are the origins of evil, and where is our world heading. As such, this is a brief introduction to the Bible’s big story, centred in Jesus and the hope of His return. Connected as it is with White’s larger work, Story of Hope also acts as an invitation to explore these issues further.
Teach Us to Pray by Tamyra Horst presents a picture of a God who is deeply and intimately interested in each of our lives. Horst surveys the different kinds of prayer, but more than asking for things, places all prayer into the context of an ongoing relationship with a loving God. Ultimately, Teach Us to Pray shares the author’s deep conviction that prayer makes a difference in the world, as well as in the life of the pray-er.
Of course, sharing books are only useful resources when we know what’s in them and have them available for actually sharing with friends when the conversations get to those questions. As such, reading them for ourselves not only adds to or reminds us of core elements of our faith, it equips us so that, “if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way” (1 Peter 3:15, 16, NLT).
Story of Hope and Teach Us to Pray are available from Adventist Book Centres.
