When life feels its most overwhelming, sometimes we just need to borrow a little hope.
Hope can come in many formsâa borrowed prayer, a parking lot sunset, a song on the radio at just the right time, a nuzzle from your pup at the end of the long day, $5 tulips from the grocery store, a late-winter day thatâs just warm enough to pop open a windowâŚthe list goes on.
The best writers I know are noticersâpros at finding the sacred in all seasons, experts at seeing the beauty in the ashes.
And in that noticing, they offer hope.
My friend Tanner Olson is a noticer. (ICYMI: He wrote us this amazing guest post last year about his journey in waiting with hope.) Tannerâs poems, prayers, and reflections point us to hope, day after day, right here in the middle of all of this.
I donât know anyone who couldnât use a little hope these days.
Lucky for us, Tanner has written us a brand-new book!
I had a chance to read an early copy of Getting Through What Youâre Going Through, and itâs good.
My Endorsement
With honest humor, hard-won hope, and a whole lot of heart, these stories and poems meet us in the mess and remind us weâre not alone. Tannerâs relatable, reassuring words offer glimmers of goodness right when we need them most.
This book is for everyoneâthe faithful, the doubting, the wonderingâand yes, even those who donât consider themselves poem people. Turn to any page and finally let go of that breath youâve been holding.
Giveaway!
Tanner would love to give one of you a copy of Getting Through What Youâre Going Through! Just comment about something small (or big!) that is giving you a little bit of hope to hold onto right now.
Winners must be able to receive mail in the U.S. These giveaways are a small token of appreciation for being a paid supporter of this newsletter. Winners will be selected at random within a week.
Last weekâs winner: Maura Wertin! Congrats!
Toy Trucks at Church
an excerpt from Getting Through What Youâre Going Through: Notes and Poems for Hoping and Becoming by Tanner Olson
He was maybe four years old. He had short blond hair and big brown eyes and was happy the way children are happy. He kneeled for most of the Sunday worship service as he pushed around his trucks on the seat of the pew, making soft sounds with his mouth. Some boys choose dinosaurs. Some choose animals. He chose trucks.
His older sisters were next to him, sandwiched between him and his mom and dad. My wife and I sat behind him, and every now and again he would look at me and smile before returning to his matchbox-sized trucks.
I imagine his mother said to him before they walked into church, âYou can only bring three trucks this morning.â Three is a holy number, after all. One was a yellow pickup truck. The other two were rigs without the trailers.
As we sang the opening hymn, he moved the trucks left and right, forward and backward. He was content, listening as he played. He bounced his head along to the tune as the wheels on the trucks went round and round. When it was time to pray, he parked his trucks and folded his hands and bowed his head and closed his eyes. As soon as we said âAmen,â he went back to work.
When it was time for the childrenâs message, he popped up from his knees and scooted past his sisters and parents before sitting next to our pastor. He listened and smiled and heard that we are Godâs treasure. We are precious and unique and worthy. We are found and cared for and loved.
On the way back to the pew, he stopped and hugged his mom. He sat in her lap for a few minutes before crawling behind his sisters, returning to the end of the pew to play with his trucks. He continued to make soft noises with his mouth, powering the trucks gently across the red cushioned pew.
And that was the morning I learned worship is more than singing and praying.
February Reading Guide
Save or print this one-page guide for where to turn for timely prayers and reflections this month!
Your Soul Care Package for the Week
Borrowed hope is still hope. Thanks be to God.
Keep reading for daily breath prayers for this week, a grounding breath prayer practice for when everything feels like too much, Scripture to reflect on, a brand-new curated weekly playlist, guided reflection questions, a breath prayer phone lockscreen, and a benediction to help you move into the week.
Breath Prayers for the Week
Monday
INHALE I hold to the promise
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