Today I’m happy to share with you about Destination Hope: A Travel Companion When Life Falls Apart by Marilyn Nutter and April White.
If you follow me on social media (and if you don’t, just click any of the links at the top of the page to connect) or subscribe to my newsletter, you might have seen some of my posts about Destination Hope. It releases on Sept. 28 (which is coming soon!), so I wanted to be sure you knew about it, too.
Why am I promoting Destination Hope?
I’ve been part of what’s called a launch team — a group of people who read a book before it’s published so they can help get out the word about it through social media, blogs, online book reviews, etc. This is the first time I’ve been part of a launch team. I’m giving it a try with Destination Hope because:
Marilyn and I have known each other for almost 20 years! We met when our first devotional books were being published by Extreme Diva Media. There were about 10 of us authors in that group and the publisher made a point to help us connect with each other through online chats (because there was no such thing as Zoom back then!) and even held a mini conference for us focused on marketing and other things. Marilyn and I have been on Facebook (and now Instagram) together ever since, and when a friend publishes a book, you want to help it do well.
Who doesn’t want (or need) a little more hope in their lives? We all have times when something completely unexpected crops up and knocks us for a loop. The question is, how do we regroup and move on rather than get stuck in that place of hurt? The answer is hope, but that raises another question: How do we dig deep enough to find that hope? Destination Hope helps give some of those answers through the lessons Marilyn and April learned when they found themselves in that spot, and through the stories of others. Grief over the loss of a loved one, a medical diagnosis that changes everything, a prodigal child, a jail sentence, a divorce — those are just a few of the stories people share in Destination Hope, along with things they learned and how they managed to regroup and move forward.
And, woven into the stories, are truths that these people — real people, like you and me — discovered during their struggles. A few of the gems I highlighted are:
- This life change will not destroy me. I can have hope. I will live in hope. I am hopeful.
- Surrendering total control to God was the simplest and scariest decision I’ve ever made.
- God stepped into my world of chronic illness with His chronic presence.
- Sometimes a detour is a pause, and there is benefit in the waiting. Waiting well is an important something, not a nothing. We grow and assess as we wait.
- Satan is a master at turning our thoughts inward rather than upward.
- Trusting God and clinging to hope is a daily choice, especially when that choice doesn’t come natural to a lot of us.
- We can trust [God] every step of the way, even in the unfamiliar, rough, uneven places, and when we feel lost.
What a collection of wisdom, all tucked into a single book. If you’d like to learn more, here’s deeper dive into Destination Hope from Marilyn and April.
The hit that knocked you down is the one you didn’t see coming, but it doesn’t have to keep you there.
Hope — we all want hope!
Destination Hope is a beacon of light to those who stumble along the tearful trail of uncertainty and unexpected change.
Marilyn Nutter and April White, from two different states and representing two generations, have been knocked off course by challenging life changes. A dormant gene surfaced in mid-life and took April into the journey of chronic illness. Marilyn was blindsided by sudden widowhood two days before Christmas while visiting family 2,000 miles from home.
Although April retired her pharmacist’s lab coat to the back of the closet, and Marilyn’s wedding ring was placed in a jewelry box, each found purpose and hope in new path marked with significant changes. Together they offer readers encouragement in unwelcome life interruptions. April and Marilyn weave their personal stories along with narratives of other women knocked off course by events you may relate to — a prodigal, incarceration, death of a child, illness, widowhood, bankruptcy, special needs children, and other life challenges.
Destination Hope is arranged into six chapters called “Milepost Markers” that address losses, disappointments, or obstacles. Each entry concludes with a “Rest Area” for personal reflection, response to action, and/or opportunity to journal. A “Postcard” with a quote related to the topic sends readers off with encouragement, as they travel toward their destination of hope. An Appendix includes resources unique to various losses to guide readers in their travel plans.
It’s a tough topic many live out in real time, and Destination Hope offers camaraderie, reality, and insight for women who say, “I didn’t see this coming.” Destination Hope invites readers to link arms in friendship with April and Marilyn who have traveled a road they didn’t see ahead. Readers will discover in practical and personal ways, they can thrive, not merely survive. Hope can be their destination.
Destination Hope is available in print and Kindle format on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Christianbook.com.
Learn more about Marilyn and April on their websites (click their photos to visit):
Thanks for sharing about this awesome book, Leigh!