No prodigal is beyond the reach of God.
I felt my son slipping away, and had to do something. Where was the little boy I had been so close to, that boy who was so sweet and open? When a day would go without drama, Cari and I frequently found ourselves saying, “Today was a good day.” It became our own special phrase, something we’d repeat reassuringly to each other. It was packed with meaning, code for “Today was a day with no discoveries of drugs, no unpleasant surprises, no arrests, no emergency phone calls….” —James Banks
Hope Lies Ahead is one family’s story of God’s goodness and redemption in unexpected places. James Banks shares his perspective as a dad watching his child self-destruct through substance abuse, and Geoff Banks writes as the prodigal who finds his way home. This back-and-forth approach candidly shares their experiences and addresses the spiritual and practical challenges families face. The father and son duo will point you to God for comfort, healing, and restoration during your own difficult prodigal journey. In whatever way your loved one is turning from the values and faith you hold, you will relate to the raw emotions of fear, despair, and relief. You will nod, cry, call out to God, and—most importantly—you’ll find hope for tomorrow.
Hope Lies Ahead is a follow-up to James Banks’s popular book, Prayers for Prodigals, which he wrote during his son’s drug addiction.
From the Publisher
A son’s honesty and desperation…
I woke up cold, angry, and sick. It was about four in the morning and I was lying on a hard cement floor on a mat about an inch thick. Due to rampant addiction, the county jail was overpopulated and there were no bunks left to sleep on. Being an addict, I couldn’t go more than 6 hours without dosing or I would be horribly sick. It had been almost 24. Every inch of my body was in pain and my skin was crawling. I couldn’t think straight or even form coherent sentences, but the one thing that continually ran through my head was “How did I end up here? How did I end up like this?”
A father’s desperate cry to God…
I felt my son slipping away and had to do something. Where was the little boy I had been so close to, that boy who was so sweet and open? When a day would go without drama, Cari and I frequently found ourselves saying, “Today was a good day.” It became our own special phrase, something we’d repeat reassuringly to each other. It was packed with meaning, code for “Today was a day with no discoveries, no unpleasant surprises, no arrests, no emergency phone calls….”
No prodigal is beyond the reach of God
Hope Lies Ahead is one family’s story of God’s goodness and redemption in unexpected places. James Banks shares his perspective as a dad watching his child self-destruct through substance abuse; and Geoff Banks writes as the prodigal who finds his way home. This back-and-forth approach candidly shares their experiences and addresses the spiritual and practical challenges families face. The father and son duo will point you to God for comfort, healing, and restoration during your own difficult prodigal journey. In whatever way your loved one is turning from the values and faith you hold, you will relate to the raw emotions of fear, despair, and relief. You will nod, cry, call out to God, and—most importantly—you’ll find hope for tomorrow.
Prayers for prodigals
When you’re the parent of a prodigal, you know you can never pray enough. But how do you persevere when you’re tired and discouraged? Prayers for Prodigals offers encouragement for parents to “come boldly before the throne of grace” and intercede daily for their children through a series of inspirational prayers. The book also includes fourteen brief meditations, which are drawn from Scripture and the writer’s and others’ personal experiences with prodigal children, such as Ruth and Billy Graham and Monica, the mother of Augustine. This unique book inspires parents in a sustained, daily prayer effort for their prodigal children.
Editorial Reviews
Review
“What a story! A courageously transparent father and son boast of their weaknesses so that God is clearly the hero in this life-and-death struggle of addiction and religion versus relationship—on so many levels! Every parent should get this as a handbook because it clearly illustrates the long, hard journey of parenting any child. It helped me trade my shame and guilt for a thirst for fervent prayer and unconditional-love relationships with my kids and grandkids for the long, long haul. The title sums it up well, hope does lie ahead!” — Robby Dilmore, nationally syndicated radio show host, From the Publisher Published On: 2020-01-08
“Few things reveal our limitations in life and ministry like parenting children. And, as Pastor James shows us, parenting a rebellious child can be a heart-wrenching, soul-crushing experience, but God uses it for good—both to teach us as parents to wait on God and also to make us understand more about His love for us. James’s books have infused me with more gospel hope on this issue than anything else I’ve encountered. I am constantly recommending his writings on this to others, who inevitably thank me and pass it on to others. “God is right now writing the testimony of our children.” Pastor James (and his son Geoff) will show you, with inspiring transparency, how you can be a faithful partner in His gracious work in your kids. What a blessed thought: ultimate hope for our children is found not in our parenting abilities but our Father’s goodness.” — J.D. Greear, author and pastor of The Summit Church, From the Publisher Published On: 2020-03-09
“There is one particular line in the children’s fable The Velveteen Rabbit that always moves me to tears: ‘You are a terribly real thing in a terribly false world, and that, I believe, is why you are in so much pain.’ Reading James and Geoff’s story instantly re-minded me of that line. Hope Lies Ahead is a must-read for any family pulled at the seams by addiction, rebellion, or pain. It is a painfully beautiful tapestry of the heart of a father, the desperation of a prodigal, and the hope found in Jesus. More than anything, James and Geoff’s willingness to wrestle with vulnerability is a living corroboration that love really does never fail.” — Stuart Hall, director of Student Leadership and Leadership Networking for Orange (ReThink Group); leader of INFLUNSR; speaker, author, and coach, From the Publisher
“Triumph out of tragedy. It is not just a pie-in-the-sky slogan but a testament to the redeeming grace of God. Never is this truth more beautiful than in our families. In recent years, I’ve been blessed to pray with my friend James Banks as we have watched triumphant grace bring miracles in his son’s life. Now, through the pages of Hope Lies Ahead, we can all trace God’s redemption in this raw but real account of Geoff’s journey of transformation and subsequent call to fruitful ministry. If you have a prodigal or know anyone who does, make this your next book because God has tailor-made doses of hope and healing for all.” — Daniel Henderson, president and founder of Strategic Renewal International; author of Transforming Prayer: How Everything Changes When You Seek God’s Face, From the Publisher
From the Inside Flap
I woke up cold, angry, and sick. It was about four in the morning and I was laying on a hard cement floor on a mat about an inch thick. Due to rampant drug addiction, the county jail was overpopulated and there were no bunks left to sleep on. Being a heroin addict, I couldn’t go more than 6 hours without dosing or I would be horribly sick. It had been almost 24. Every inch of my body was in pain and my skin was crawling. I couldn’t think straight or even form coherent sentences, but the one thing that continually ran through my head was “How did I end up here? How did I end up like this?”
Geoff’s situation seemed hopeless. He had made a mess of his life. His parents struggled to understand the choices the son they loved so much made. And they prayed. Through the hurting, the questions, the frustrations. And through it all, God walked with them.
Hope Lies Ahead shares the story of Geoff’s prodigal journey and James’s perspective as his father. Each write from their own personal experience as they candidly address spiritual and practical challenges families with prodigals face. As someone who loves a prodigal, you’ll know you are not alone and that there is hope! Because no prodigal is beyond the reach of God.
HopeLiesAhead.org
