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Desperate for Faith
Desperate for Faith is a must-read for any true seeker of wisdom. History’s greatest thinkers share their beliefs about an all-knowing God and the secrets to happiness. Explore their personal thoughts and quotes on faith, hope, courage and love. From Socrates to Jesus, Einstein to Lincoln, Roman Emperors to the Founding Fathers of America, this amazing collection exposes the reader to greatness.
194 pages, Paperback
Published August 18, 2016
30 people are currently reading
50 people want to read
About the author
Kenneth Tingle
8 books31 followersAuthor of the local bestseller The Girl in the Italian Bakery. Now available on Kindle and Nook.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 19, 2016
I don’t know about you, but, when I lose – “misplace” if you please – my car keys, and don’t find them after retracing my steps, I pull out my secret weapon: The Prayer to St. Anthony. I stop, focus, and recite aloud: “St. Anthony. St. Anthony. Please come around. Something is lost and must be found.” Within seconds – I swear to God! – I either have a crystal-clear image of where I dropped the keys, or there’s a voice calling out “I found them!” from somewhere else in the house.
Full disclosure: the Prayer to St. Anthony is not mine. I learned it as a child in Catholic school. Whether it was my mother, my grandmother, or one of the nuns, it was the automatic response when something went missing. After a lifetime of supplicating then finding, I’m an unabashed believer, my family and a good many friends with me. And it’s not just St. Anthony. I am here to bear witness that a prayer to St. Christopher at the start of a trip has always brought us safely home, and that St. Joseph, through the intercession of prayer, was instrumental in selling our house. Lately, with what could be tumultuous elections getting closer, I find myself praying more frequently to St. Jude, the patron of lost causes, to keep our country on the right path.
Pollsters tell us that an ever-increasing number of Americans identify as “secular,” having no formal religion; and yet, I’m inclined to believe that most of us do, at our core, still pray, particularly when the going gets tough. Faith might play out differently for each of us, but, as a rule, we still have Faith – or want to have it – and seek it out daily.
In his new book, Desperate For Faith, Kenneth Tingle writes about what his own search has been like. If you’ve read his earlier works, then you know his story: “abandonment, a tough housing project, bouncing from one slum to another,” the kidnapping and, to this day, unsolved disappearance, of his next-door neighbor and best friend, “and, eventually, my family being ripped to pieces.” No one could blame Ken Tingle for turning his back on Faith – and, for a while, he did – but, over time, and with the healing and reparations that accompany it, Tingle began rethinking, revisiting, and asking questions. The result is a unique and noteworthy volume that reveals his Faith as a work in progress, influenced by a wide-ranging compilation of thoughts from some of civilization’s most influential thinkers and doers, many of them shared here: Socrates; Jesus of Nazareth; Thomas Aquinas; even Willa Cather!
A quick read, and yet a powerfully straightforward one, Desperate For Faith nonetheless challenges us to assess – or reassess – our own beliefs and doubts. By the time we get to the end, we realize, as did the author, that there’s a choice each of us must make, a “bet,” if you will, accompanied by a hunger for more information. While the book doesn’t have the answers, like any book on the subject of Faith, it provides tools to help each reader make up his own mind. And, like any book on Faith, it’s not one to get stuck on the shelf collecting dust. The array of thoughts and quotes Ken Tingle has collected here make for great inspirational reading over and over again, whether one is secure in Faith or desperate for it.
Full disclosure: the Prayer to St. Anthony is not mine. I learned it as a child in Catholic school. Whether it was my mother, my grandmother, or one of the nuns, it was the automatic response when something went missing. After a lifetime of supplicating then finding, I’m an unabashed believer, my family and a good many friends with me. And it’s not just St. Anthony. I am here to bear witness that a prayer to St. Christopher at the start of a trip has always brought us safely home, and that St. Joseph, through the intercession of prayer, was instrumental in selling our house. Lately, with what could be tumultuous elections getting closer, I find myself praying more frequently to St. Jude, the patron of lost causes, to keep our country on the right path.
Pollsters tell us that an ever-increasing number of Americans identify as “secular,” having no formal religion; and yet, I’m inclined to believe that most of us do, at our core, still pray, particularly when the going gets tough. Faith might play out differently for each of us, but, as a rule, we still have Faith – or want to have it – and seek it out daily.
In his new book, Desperate For Faith, Kenneth Tingle writes about what his own search has been like. If you’ve read his earlier works, then you know his story: “abandonment, a tough housing project, bouncing from one slum to another,” the kidnapping and, to this day, unsolved disappearance, of his next-door neighbor and best friend, “and, eventually, my family being ripped to pieces.” No one could blame Ken Tingle for turning his back on Faith – and, for a while, he did – but, over time, and with the healing and reparations that accompany it, Tingle began rethinking, revisiting, and asking questions. The result is a unique and noteworthy volume that reveals his Faith as a work in progress, influenced by a wide-ranging compilation of thoughts from some of civilization’s most influential thinkers and doers, many of them shared here: Socrates; Jesus of Nazareth; Thomas Aquinas; even Willa Cather!
A quick read, and yet a powerfully straightforward one, Desperate For Faith nonetheless challenges us to assess – or reassess – our own beliefs and doubts. By the time we get to the end, we realize, as did the author, that there’s a choice each of us must make, a “bet,” if you will, accompanied by a hunger for more information. While the book doesn’t have the answers, like any book on the subject of Faith, it provides tools to help each reader make up his own mind. And, like any book on Faith, it’s not one to get stuck on the shelf collecting dust. The array of thoughts and quotes Ken Tingle has collected here make for great inspirational reading over and over again, whether one is secure in Faith or desperate for it.
December 6, 2017
Tripe
This was poorly written, pretentious tripe. The author tries to argue logical reasons why faith in the Christian God is the only right and correct path. He criticizes politicians and celebrities while quoting himself alongside Gandhi, Plato, and Emily Dickinson! Oh the irony.
This was poorly written, pretentious tripe. The author tries to argue logical reasons why faith in the Christian God is the only right and correct path. He criticizes politicians and celebrities while quoting himself alongside Gandhi, Plato, and Emily Dickinson! Oh the irony.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews