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Hope When Your Heart Is Breaking: Finding God's Presence in Your Pain
Losing means grieving.
Grieving means choices.
Choices mean hurt or healing.
You’ve lost someone you love. Or you’re on the brink of losing your marriage. Your dreams. Your health. Or perhaps the trauma of your past pursues you into the present.
Your life’s going to change. Which way it goes won’t be decided by your loss, but by the choices you make.
At the crossroads of grief, one road will lead to hope and healing. The other, to more hurt.
Hope When Your Heart Is Breaking is an honest look at both roads, and how your greatest loss can lead to your greatest gain. Author Ron Hutchcraft writes from the deep well of his own devastating loss and grief, and points you to the practical steps that lead to peace and wholeness.
This book is a pathway to hope—a roadmap through the pain of grief and loss. Discover new strength through a new closeness to others and to God. And make the decisions that lead to comfort, growth, and life.
Grieving means choices.
Choices mean hurt or healing.
You’ve lost someone you love. Or you’re on the brink of losing your marriage. Your dreams. Your health. Or perhaps the trauma of your past pursues you into the present.
Your life’s going to change. Which way it goes won’t be decided by your loss, but by the choices you make.
At the crossroads of grief, one road will lead to hope and healing. The other, to more hurt.
Hope When Your Heart Is Breaking is an honest look at both roads, and how your greatest loss can lead to your greatest gain. Author Ron Hutchcraft writes from the deep well of his own devastating loss and grief, and points you to the practical steps that lead to peace and wholeness.
This book is a pathway to hope—a roadmap through the pain of grief and loss. Discover new strength through a new closeness to others and to God. And make the decisions that lead to comfort, growth, and life.
- GenresChristian
192 pages, Paperback
Published January 5, 2021
16 people are currently reading
62 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
December 30, 2020
Just finished reading my friend, Ron Hutchcratf’s book, “HOPE When Your Heart Is Breaking – Finding God’s Presence in your Pain.” Ron tells what happened and what he experienced when his dear wife, Karen, died of a heart attack. Very practical, helpful, encouraging, with easy-to-understand illustrations, and certainly, hopeful. As it says on the back cover, it’s “a pathway to hope – a roadmap through the pain of grief and loss.” If you are grieving over any major loss, this book is for you.
March 6, 2021
Review Title: Hope When You Need It Most (review of Hope When Your Heart Is Breaking by Ron Hutchcraft)
Reviewer: Janice S. Garey
***** 5 Stars
Ron Hutchcraft has written from his heart while in the trenches of grief. Other than his faith in Jesus, nothing was more important in his life than his wife, Karen. He has allowed the reader an up close and personal view of grief and how God carries people through what seems an impossible journey.
The subtitle of the book, Finding God's Presence in Your Pain, tells upfront what readers can expect. Through his years in Christian ministry, Ron Hutchcraft has been witness to countless people's times of loss and grief. The book addresses other sources of grief besides the death of a spouse. Especially during these pandemic days people are suffering from multiple unexpected losses. This book is so relevant for this time.
The chapter titles clearly state other areas of pain and hurt which are dealt with. Readers with limited time could find quick help by turning to the chapter dealing with the area of individual stuggle such as:
Chapter 6: Hope When Your Heart Is Broken
Chapter7: Hope When Your Love Is Broken
Chapter 8: Hope When Your Dream Is Broken
Chapter 9: Hope When Your Health Is Broken
Chapter 10: Hope When Your Past Is Broken
Chapter 11: Making Things Worse
In chapter twelve, the final chapter entitled One Safe Place, he writes about Jesus as the Shepherd who carries us like rescued lost lambs. Jesus is indeed the One Safe Place for desperately hurting people.
For readers and their loved ones who need a big dose of hope in times of tragedy and despair, the remedy awaits in the pages of this book. Although I received a complimentary copy as a member of the launch team for this book, I have purchased several more copies for friends who have had losses this season. Hope For When Your Heart Is Breaking is perfect for any who appreciate Christian books to inform, sustain, encourage, and revitalize. Reading it feels like receiving a hug from God.
Reviewer: Janice S. Garey
***** 5 Stars
Ron Hutchcraft has written from his heart while in the trenches of grief. Other than his faith in Jesus, nothing was more important in his life than his wife, Karen. He has allowed the reader an up close and personal view of grief and how God carries people through what seems an impossible journey.
The subtitle of the book, Finding God's Presence in Your Pain, tells upfront what readers can expect. Through his years in Christian ministry, Ron Hutchcraft has been witness to countless people's times of loss and grief. The book addresses other sources of grief besides the death of a spouse. Especially during these pandemic days people are suffering from multiple unexpected losses. This book is so relevant for this time.
The chapter titles clearly state other areas of pain and hurt which are dealt with. Readers with limited time could find quick help by turning to the chapter dealing with the area of individual stuggle such as:
Chapter 6: Hope When Your Heart Is Broken
Chapter7: Hope When Your Love Is Broken
Chapter 8: Hope When Your Dream Is Broken
Chapter 9: Hope When Your Health Is Broken
Chapter 10: Hope When Your Past Is Broken
Chapter 11: Making Things Worse
In chapter twelve, the final chapter entitled One Safe Place, he writes about Jesus as the Shepherd who carries us like rescued lost lambs. Jesus is indeed the One Safe Place for desperately hurting people.
For readers and their loved ones who need a big dose of hope in times of tragedy and despair, the remedy awaits in the pages of this book. Although I received a complimentary copy as a member of the launch team for this book, I have purchased several more copies for friends who have had losses this season. Hope For When Your Heart Is Breaking is perfect for any who appreciate Christian books to inform, sustain, encourage, and revitalize. Reading it feels like receiving a hug from God.
August 7, 2020
The author draws lessons learnt from his life. He shares his loss, grief and how he worked his way into living what he shares in this book and honestly, it was so refreshing to find my pain understood by another simply in him sharing his own hurt.
He expresses this connection better;
People may not want to hear your message. But they will listen to your scars.
He explores grief, faith and what it means to hope against all odds. And now, with what’s happening in the world- reading this felt like someone lighting a flashlight in the dark. What still baffles me about his writing and theme- is the power of choice. He constantly shares that there is a thin line between hurt and healing and that’s the power of choice.
Truth is, it draws from various texts, stories and instances in the Bible and makes for a comforting read. So, if you’ve lost someone you love, a dream, a part of you, or sometimes you find yourself traveling with a bag of past trauma then, this would be something worth reading.
Loss leads to grief and in grieving we have choices and you too have a choice just like the author says
He expresses this connection better;
People may not want to hear your message. But they will listen to your scars.
He explores grief, faith and what it means to hope against all odds. And now, with what’s happening in the world- reading this felt like someone lighting a flashlight in the dark. What still baffles me about his writing and theme- is the power of choice. He constantly shares that there is a thin line between hurt and healing and that’s the power of choice.
Truth is, it draws from various texts, stories and instances in the Bible and makes for a comforting read. So, if you’ve lost someone you love, a dream, a part of you, or sometimes you find yourself traveling with a bag of past trauma then, this would be something worth reading.
Loss leads to grief and in grieving we have choices and you too have a choice just like the author says
January 5, 2021
I first heard Ron speak in-person a few years ago at our summer Bible conference vacation spot shortly after his wife, Karen passed away. I was so inspired by his immense love for her and Christ through his grief journey that he continues to share with so many. Ron’s testimony helps others deal with their grief and struggles as well in such a heart-felt, touching way. He is so real and down-to-earth. I love his sense of humor in all his daily-devotionals on RHM that I begin my day with and I love his passion in this book to help so many others. God bless you in your ministry Ron!
March 1, 2023
When you feel like the world is getting to you, this is a great book to read. A reminder of our daily Hope.
September 18, 2020
Hope When Your Heart is Breaking: Finding God's Presence in Your Pain by Ronald P. Hutchcraft is a well-thought-out book that explores aspects of grief through the loss of a loved one, the loss of a dream, the loss of your health, etc. Right from the beginning, I felt this author understood the complexities of grief and put into words the various emotions that accompany a loss.
The author provides his own stories about loss and grief and uses scripture as examples as well. The author provides anecdotes and hope through the Bible quotes and through his own journey.
A very good book to read, re-read, and refer back to many times when you feel you are losing hope or feel stuck in your pain and grief.
#HopeWhenYourHeartIsBreaking #NetGalley
The author provides his own stories about loss and grief and uses scripture as examples as well. The author provides anecdotes and hope through the Bible quotes and through his own journey.
A very good book to read, re-read, and refer back to many times when you feel you are losing hope or feel stuck in your pain and grief.
#HopeWhenYourHeartIsBreaking #NetGalley
January 8, 2021
If you’ve heard or read any of Ron Hutchcraft’s content before...you know that you know that you know - that you are hearing from someone who wants to spend his very life, and every single breath afforded him, helping others find hope….specifically hope anchored in the person of Jesus Christ. Some might say that’s a noble thing...others might call it inspirational. To those whom his messages reach with the clarion call of hope in the darkest of valleys - it’s downright life changing. That is what I found when reading the chapters of this very special offering.
This book is so incredibly helpful to those who have lost loved ones to death...but in my personal experience...what I found, is that it was an incredibly healing tool also for those who have lost loved ones to "life." In my journey, I have close family and friends that have dark struggles with depression, mental illness, and addictions that have gone on for years and years. They seem helpless to help themselves, which leaves those around that love them, feeling helpless too, as they watch them make destructive choices over and over again. We don’t feel the loss of losing them to death, but rather losing them to their own life, behaviors, and patterns.
I was in the middle of portions of my own grief journey with one such loved one when I picked up this book. Some pages helped me breathe again, others gently coaxed long-held-down emotions surface so that the liberation of tears could finally flow. Other pages helped anchor me in truth. And still other pages helped me feel not so alone as it is a clear universal truth each human experiences pain, loss, and brokenness in this life. Loss is common to us all - but hope comes to those who choose it, accept it, and let it wash over them. Ron helps those choices be known...and hope springs forth like a long-awaited promise after a cold, harsh winter.
There are many books available about grief. Many tools in the toolbox, so to speak. But some tools rise above others. This book is one such tool. Ron practically, simply, but absolutely genuinely - brings such a comprehensive healing help to the forefront as he addresses “hope-robbers” in many landscapes and crises of life: not only loss in terms of death of a loved one...but loss in terms of your own heart, love, dreams, health, and your past. Many books stop there - helping us language what we’ve lost - which is indeed a beginning help. But THIS book takes you to a higher and more thorough perspective - a climb up a holy mountain per se, to help you know, realize, and recognize the valuable CHOICES you have in your grief. I’ve been a long-time believer that God never, ever wastes our pain...but so many of us do. This book can help change all of that.
“Hope When Your Heart Is Breaking” is life-giving, which sounds ironic when it’s a book on grief. Can you have both exist in the same sacred space? You better believe it. Through candid transparency and courageous vulnerability, Ron takes us through his journey...to help speak life into yours. Read it and I have every confidence you will find hope on each page...and in some cases...every sentence.
This book will give you, as Ron writes: “The ability to see what you couldn’t see before” - how God can bring indescribable beauty from indescribable loss. It is a game changer when “defiant hope enters the picture.” Let Ron’s journey show you how.
This book is so incredibly helpful to those who have lost loved ones to death...but in my personal experience...what I found, is that it was an incredibly healing tool also for those who have lost loved ones to "life." In my journey, I have close family and friends that have dark struggles with depression, mental illness, and addictions that have gone on for years and years. They seem helpless to help themselves, which leaves those around that love them, feeling helpless too, as they watch them make destructive choices over and over again. We don’t feel the loss of losing them to death, but rather losing them to their own life, behaviors, and patterns.
I was in the middle of portions of my own grief journey with one such loved one when I picked up this book. Some pages helped me breathe again, others gently coaxed long-held-down emotions surface so that the liberation of tears could finally flow. Other pages helped anchor me in truth. And still other pages helped me feel not so alone as it is a clear universal truth each human experiences pain, loss, and brokenness in this life. Loss is common to us all - but hope comes to those who choose it, accept it, and let it wash over them. Ron helps those choices be known...and hope springs forth like a long-awaited promise after a cold, harsh winter.
There are many books available about grief. Many tools in the toolbox, so to speak. But some tools rise above others. This book is one such tool. Ron practically, simply, but absolutely genuinely - brings such a comprehensive healing help to the forefront as he addresses “hope-robbers” in many landscapes and crises of life: not only loss in terms of death of a loved one...but loss in terms of your own heart, love, dreams, health, and your past. Many books stop there - helping us language what we’ve lost - which is indeed a beginning help. But THIS book takes you to a higher and more thorough perspective - a climb up a holy mountain per se, to help you know, realize, and recognize the valuable CHOICES you have in your grief. I’ve been a long-time believer that God never, ever wastes our pain...but so many of us do. This book can help change all of that.
“Hope When Your Heart Is Breaking” is life-giving, which sounds ironic when it’s a book on grief. Can you have both exist in the same sacred space? You better believe it. Through candid transparency and courageous vulnerability, Ron takes us through his journey...to help speak life into yours. Read it and I have every confidence you will find hope on each page...and in some cases...every sentence.
This book will give you, as Ron writes: “The ability to see what you couldn’t see before” - how God can bring indescribable beauty from indescribable loss. It is a game changer when “defiant hope enters the picture.” Let Ron’s journey show you how.
January 1, 2021
An amazing, uplifting and PRACTICAL approach to living life fully amidst the challenges!
HOPE When Your Heart Is Breaking by Ron Hutchcraft was NOT what I expected when I volunteered to read it. What I found within its pages was so much more! Author Ron Hutchcraft has penned a treatise on how to live life and capture the true peace to which all of us are called. Through sound teaching and real-world examples, Pastor Hutchcraft shows his readers that it is not just the loss of a loved one that can cause the kind of PAIN that leaves scars on the inside. Scars that others can’t see but can be just as debilitating as a broken limb or an organ that has ceased to function. The real power of the message in HOPE When Your Heart Is Breaking is found in the illustrations of practical choices one can make to seek a positive future through healing and avoid the choices that offer only increased injury and/or pain. It is NOT merely when we face great loss, as with the death of a family member or close friend that we grieve. Nor does that confusing, dizzying sense of inertia only felt when one faces something big. The accumulation of the little scars can be debilitating. There are so many situations, challenges and experiences that everyday people face every day which can rob them of the motivation and confidence to face forward. These practical examples provide a next step when prayers are answered with a “No” (“I have a plan for you.”), when one’s marriage, job, or school become a burden, or the scars of past choices hack away one’s harmony in the present and one’s confidence for a future. Considering all of the changes and challenges we have faced this past year, HOPE When Your Heart Is Breaking by Ron Hutchcraft is perfectly timed. It’s not a preachy message, nor does the reader have to be a Christian by name or in the midst of a great loss. The message is inspirational, practical and motivational especially when the internal scars are piling up - when life gets hard, heavy and overwhelming. Through inspirational, real-life examples, Ron Hutchcraft offers practical, Biblical steps to help readers find their footing, and to open a reader’s heart to HOPE even in the midst of overwhelming challenges, pain and/or suffering. If you recognize the need to find a way to make better life choices for your future, then HOPE When Your Heart Is Breaking by Ron Hutchcraft should be your next book purchase. I volunteered to read a copy of HOPE When Your Heart Is Breaking, and it has easily earned this voluntary 5+STAR recommendation for its easy-to-read prose and inspirational, yet practical, message. I STRONGLY suggest that you get your copy of HOPE When Your Heart Is Breaking today. Happy pages! 😉
HOPE When Your Heart Is Breaking by Ron Hutchcraft was NOT what I expected when I volunteered to read it. What I found within its pages was so much more! Author Ron Hutchcraft has penned a treatise on how to live life and capture the true peace to which all of us are called. Through sound teaching and real-world examples, Pastor Hutchcraft shows his readers that it is not just the loss of a loved one that can cause the kind of PAIN that leaves scars on the inside. Scars that others can’t see but can be just as debilitating as a broken limb or an organ that has ceased to function. The real power of the message in HOPE When Your Heart Is Breaking is found in the illustrations of practical choices one can make to seek a positive future through healing and avoid the choices that offer only increased injury and/or pain. It is NOT merely when we face great loss, as with the death of a family member or close friend that we grieve. Nor does that confusing, dizzying sense of inertia only felt when one faces something big. The accumulation of the little scars can be debilitating. There are so many situations, challenges and experiences that everyday people face every day which can rob them of the motivation and confidence to face forward. These practical examples provide a next step when prayers are answered with a “No” (“I have a plan for you.”), when one’s marriage, job, or school become a burden, or the scars of past choices hack away one’s harmony in the present and one’s confidence for a future. Considering all of the changes and challenges we have faced this past year, HOPE When Your Heart Is Breaking by Ron Hutchcraft is perfectly timed. It’s not a preachy message, nor does the reader have to be a Christian by name or in the midst of a great loss. The message is inspirational, practical and motivational especially when the internal scars are piling up - when life gets hard, heavy and overwhelming. Through inspirational, real-life examples, Ron Hutchcraft offers practical, Biblical steps to help readers find their footing, and to open a reader’s heart to HOPE even in the midst of overwhelming challenges, pain and/or suffering. If you recognize the need to find a way to make better life choices for your future, then HOPE When Your Heart Is Breaking by Ron Hutchcraft should be your next book purchase. I volunteered to read a copy of HOPE When Your Heart Is Breaking, and it has easily earned this voluntary 5+STAR recommendation for its easy-to-read prose and inspirational, yet practical, message. I STRONGLY suggest that you get your copy of HOPE When Your Heart Is Breaking today. Happy pages! 😉
January 8, 2021
As part of @ronhutchcraft’s book launch team for ‘Hope When Your Heart Is Breaking’, I received an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest unbiased review.
So, I just finished the book and went over how many times I’ve underlined what spoke to my heart, which was over 40 sentences, quotes, and paragraphs. I’ve attached a few pictures so you can see for yourself what spoke to my heart. I honestly believe that if you have a copy of this book, God will definitely meet you in the midst of whatever you are grieving.
I’ve known Ron Hutchcraft for the last 8 years as “Papa Hutch” and with the loss of “Mama Hutch”, his wife Karen, God definitely answered his prayer, which says, “Lord, I don’t want to waste this grief. If it’s going to hurt this bad, please use it to make me more useful to You.” Ron doesn’t only speak directly to the loss of someone he dearly loved but also for those who may be experiencing heartbreak, the loss of a long sought after dream, a failed marriage, your declining health, and so forth.
Each of us has experienced loss in some form, and we all have a choice, it’s entirely up to us to choose, which path to take. May this book help you to choose Hope, Hope in the one who created you. Hope in the one who knows all the days of your time, this side of Heaven. Hope that can turn your heavy heart from grief into joy! And ultimately, may you experience from the day you start this book to finishing it, the peace, which Jesus provides.
This book has been so impactful as someone who’s been through grief that I will definitely be purchasing a few books to give because of how much of an impact it was for me.
So, I just finished the book and went over how many times I’ve underlined what spoke to my heart, which was over 40 sentences, quotes, and paragraphs. I’ve attached a few pictures so you can see for yourself what spoke to my heart. I honestly believe that if you have a copy of this book, God will definitely meet you in the midst of whatever you are grieving.
I’ve known Ron Hutchcraft for the last 8 years as “Papa Hutch” and with the loss of “Mama Hutch”, his wife Karen, God definitely answered his prayer, which says, “Lord, I don’t want to waste this grief. If it’s going to hurt this bad, please use it to make me more useful to You.” Ron doesn’t only speak directly to the loss of someone he dearly loved but also for those who may be experiencing heartbreak, the loss of a long sought after dream, a failed marriage, your declining health, and so forth.
Each of us has experienced loss in some form, and we all have a choice, it’s entirely up to us to choose, which path to take. May this book help you to choose Hope, Hope in the one who created you. Hope in the one who knows all the days of your time, this side of Heaven. Hope that can turn your heavy heart from grief into joy! And ultimately, may you experience from the day you start this book to finishing it, the peace, which Jesus provides.
This book has been so impactful as someone who’s been through grief that I will definitely be purchasing a few books to give because of how much of an impact it was for me.
January 8, 2021
This book offers reliable hope from someone in real pain.
Several days ago I was feeling the discomfort of my brokenness. Then I read the line Ron tacked on to the end of “Humpty Dumpty:”
“Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall;
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men
Couldn’t put Humpty together again.
But the KING CAN! (pp. 102-103)
The King, as Ron makes clear, is Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, there is much of substance here to encourage anyone, Christian or not. Hope, he affirms, is based on choices we have the power to make.
Ron writes from within his grief (over the death of his wife a few years ago), not while looking back at it in the rearview mirror. He says plainly that his hope in Jesus does not “erase the pain, the grief…It envelopes it” (p. 37).
When his wife died, he felt like he was in an unfamiliar land with no map to go by. In his easy-to-read style, he shares the choices he has learned to make, and that we ourselves can make, to find healing and growth following what we wish had never happened.
Ron’s book is not only for those feeling crushed by life, but also for those whose sorrows are not so severe, and even for those whose lives are stable, but who want to live with a firmer anchor in place for when future storms do come crashing in.
Several days ago I was feeling the discomfort of my brokenness. Then I read the line Ron tacked on to the end of “Humpty Dumpty:”
“Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall;
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men
Couldn’t put Humpty together again.
But the KING CAN! (pp. 102-103)
The King, as Ron makes clear, is Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, there is much of substance here to encourage anyone, Christian or not. Hope, he affirms, is based on choices we have the power to make.
Ron writes from within his grief (over the death of his wife a few years ago), not while looking back at it in the rearview mirror. He says plainly that his hope in Jesus does not “erase the pain, the grief…It envelopes it” (p. 37).
When his wife died, he felt like he was in an unfamiliar land with no map to go by. In his easy-to-read style, he shares the choices he has learned to make, and that we ourselves can make, to find healing and growth following what we wish had never happened.
Ron’s book is not only for those feeling crushed by life, but also for those whose sorrows are not so severe, and even for those whose lives are stable, but who want to live with a firmer anchor in place for when future storms do come crashing in.
January 5, 2021
When I had to say goodbye to my beloved mother in 2019, I didn't realize that it was the beginning of a long season of grief and loss. Until I read "Hope When Your Heart is Breaking," I felt like I was just walking through a joyless fog.
I cannot say enough how much Ron Hutchcraft has encouraged me through his honest and compassionate sharing of his own experience of grief in the sudden death of his beloved wife, Karen, and the hope that not only got him through, but is continuing to take him through the "valley of the shadow of death."
Ron and his wife Karen served the Native American & First Nation peoples for together, for decades, bringing hope and healing, and one year when my mom saw that I was so serious about supporting that vital work, she gave me a treasured "Precious Moments" figurine with a Native American, so this book brings things full circle for me, in now helping me heal from the very profound loss of her presence.
Whether you are experiencing loss of a loved one, a relationship, a job, or just anxiety over uncertainty, "Hope When Your Heart Is Breaking" goes beyond platitudes and brings genuine love and healing from the One who is Hope - the Broken Saviour who makes us whole.
I cannot say enough how much Ron Hutchcraft has encouraged me through his honest and compassionate sharing of his own experience of grief in the sudden death of his beloved wife, Karen, and the hope that not only got him through, but is continuing to take him through the "valley of the shadow of death."
Ron and his wife Karen served the Native American & First Nation peoples for together, for decades, bringing hope and healing, and one year when my mom saw that I was so serious about supporting that vital work, she gave me a treasured "Precious Moments" figurine with a Native American, so this book brings things full circle for me, in now helping me heal from the very profound loss of her presence.
Whether you are experiencing loss of a loved one, a relationship, a job, or just anxiety over uncertainty, "Hope When Your Heart Is Breaking" goes beyond platitudes and brings genuine love and healing from the One who is Hope - the Broken Saviour who makes us whole.
January 7, 2021
This book is about the salvation made available to us all in Christ. But it is not only about the forgiveness of our sins and the hope of heaven. It is about how the very life of Christ can well up within us to swallow our greatest sorrows, regrets and fears. In this book, Ron graphically describes his greatest life sorrow, losing his wife, Karen. He is wise enough to know that there are a thousand other sorrows that cut as deeply for others, so in sharing his loss he invites us to remember our losses. However, Ron does not simply leave us with painful memories, he leads us to the place where shattered, disillusioned, regret filled lives can be restored. Actually he leads us, not so much to a place as to a Person. Today Ron’s greatest sorrow is being transformed by the world’s only Savior, Jesus Christ. Reading Ron’s transformation is like watching a flower sprout and bloom out of the dessert wastelands. Ron also powerfully explains the intentional choices we must make to experience this same kind of transformation. This book is a must read for anyone that is grasping for hope while in a sea of despair. I think everyone in America would benefit from reading this book at this point in time.
January 5, 2021
‘HOPE When Your Heart Is Breaking – Finding God’s Presence In Your Pain’ by Ron Hutchcraft is an
approachable, practical, and life-changing guidebook to anyone going through loss. I appreciated the
fact that it wasn’t just another treatise on grief, although it certainly covers the loss of loved ones but it
goes beyond to address how our heart breaks when other things are broken: health, dreams, finances,
relationships. Ron gives personal and real life examples of loss but shines the light of hope – not hope
as a concept but hope as an experience and a choice. I really appreciated how he laid out how our
choices can lead to healing or to more hurting. He uses scripture timely and appropriately. The writing
is a little choppy in places, but the content is so rich that I could easily get past that. I highly recommend
getting a copy for yourself and another to give away. So timely now and always. It’s a book to come back
to when God’s plan includes another difficult ‘opportunity’ to choose Him and choose hope.
approachable, practical, and life-changing guidebook to anyone going through loss. I appreciated the
fact that it wasn’t just another treatise on grief, although it certainly covers the loss of loved ones but it
goes beyond to address how our heart breaks when other things are broken: health, dreams, finances,
relationships. Ron gives personal and real life examples of loss but shines the light of hope – not hope
as a concept but hope as an experience and a choice. I really appreciated how he laid out how our
choices can lead to healing or to more hurting. He uses scripture timely and appropriately. The writing
is a little choppy in places, but the content is so rich that I could easily get past that. I highly recommend
getting a copy for yourself and another to give away. So timely now and always. It’s a book to come back
to when God’s plan includes another difficult ‘opportunity’ to choose Him and choose hope.
January 6, 2021
I had always admired the words from Ron Hutchcraft. When I read this book, I just knew that it was written with the love and hope that God had shown him through his hard time. We’ve all lost someone at one time or another. We’ve all went through a rough time during this past year but still we hang onto hope. Ron Hutchcraft, the author, is able to show us just how we can have hope when it seems like all of our hope is gone.
I highly suggest you get this book. The author is very real and genuine with talking about losing his wife. There are quite a few times that I gasped reading his words but these words were so real to me. When he goes through the emotions he was feeling throughout his life, it was as if I were there. He brings you back to scripture to help you realize even more, that there is hope. This is the kind of biblical teaching that we need in a book.
As part of a launch team, I received an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
I highly suggest you get this book. The author is very real and genuine with talking about losing his wife. There are quite a few times that I gasped reading his words but these words were so real to me. When he goes through the emotions he was feeling throughout his life, it was as if I were there. He brings you back to scripture to help you realize even more, that there is hope. This is the kind of biblical teaching that we need in a book.
As part of a launch team, I received an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
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January 8, 2021It was a great book and I have already ordered a copy for a friend whose husband just passed away.I think Ron is an excellent writer. My heart broke for him when he talked about his wife's passing and how close they had been for years. He also emphasized the need for hope and not giving up or getting depressed. Journaling was another good idea.
The chapter about his comfort from Psalm 23 was very comforting to me. He gave good scripture references throughout the book as well as explaining about God being his anchor.Page 54 gives a good but sad story too about the woman letting go of her baby to save her life in a fire.Letting go is important I think but not easy.
There are so many good suggestions in this book that it really was hard to put down.My husband passed away 3 years ago but our circumstances were similar in some ways and not similar in others. I know many will appreciate Ron's help and honesty.
The chapter about his comfort from Psalm 23 was very comforting to me. He gave good scripture references throughout the book as well as explaining about God being his anchor.Page 54 gives a good but sad story too about the woman letting go of her baby to save her life in a fire.Letting go is important I think but not easy.
There are so many good suggestions in this book that it really was hard to put down.My husband passed away 3 years ago but our circumstances were similar in some ways and not similar in others. I know many will appreciate Ron's help and honesty.
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January 9, 2021With the desperate, early days of grief in my rear view mirror I still read this book with great interest. Nearly 5 years out from my first life changing loss, the grief has become an unwelcome companion traveling with me through life. The grief changes over time but is still present. Ron’s book was a good reminder of what grief cannot do. I really appreciate that Ron went beyond grief over a death and explored other losses that we endure in life. Divorce, loss of health, security and dreams are all things that can cause despair. Ron’s very practical and relatable approach make this a book that I would recommend to anyone going through a time of suffering or loss of hope. I have shared this book already and plan to buy more copies to share with friends and family. It’s a very easy read and very practical and I know I will go back to it again and again.
As part of a launch team, I received an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
As part of a launch team, I received an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
January 10, 2021
I have read many books on grief and loss during my own journey through “the shadow of death” over the years, but this is the first book I have read that truly injects what Ron calls “defiant hope” hope into your heart. He gives you hope and assurance that there is a light at the end of the tunnel of pain and he leads you to the understanding that there is a purpose for the pain, it is not all just meaningless suffering. Reading this book you feel as if you are in the presence of a friend who has been through the darkness and survived. A dear friend who has returned to take your hand and help you navigate the pitfalls of the road ahead of you so that you too can emerge victorious with defiant hope in your heart despite the loss you have suffered.
As part of a launch team, I received an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.As part of a launch team, I received an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
As part of a launch team, I received an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.As part of a launch team, I received an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
March 14, 2021
This book is encouraging, comforting, and heart-touching. I admire the author for his openness in sharing his personal story of living through the aftermath of the loss of his beloved wife. Using his own story as an example, he clearly communicates Biblical truth to help us through the sorrow and difficulties that come to all of us in this life. He explains how he can confidently tell people “My Anchor holds.” He gives us not only a very clear presentation of the gospel, but over and over again illustrates the security and stability we find in Christ. I think it’s one of the best books I’ve read on the topics of suffering and loss. After finishing this book, I felt as if I’d been participating in a small group that was led by the author. I’m glad I have this book to refer back to during difficult times, and I know it’s one that I’m going to be recommending and giving to friends.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
January 5, 2021
A MUST READ for anyone who has experienced ANY TYPE OF PERSONAL LOSS
In this book, Ron Hutchcraft shares with us his raw emotion and heartache as he traveled the road of pain, loss, and grief. Everyone that reads this book will be able to relate to one or more of the dark valleys that we travel through in this life. Ron will reveal, through his own personal experience, how we can overcome the painful, lonely, and broken chapters of our lives. Hope When Your Heart is Breaking will give practical steps and personal guidance that will lead you to a place of PEACE and RENEWED HOPE. Ron’s book provides a message that is so vital in our world today...we highly recommend this book and please share with your friends and family!!
Mary & Robert Driscoll
In this book, Ron Hutchcraft shares with us his raw emotion and heartache as he traveled the road of pain, loss, and grief. Everyone that reads this book will be able to relate to one or more of the dark valleys that we travel through in this life. Ron will reveal, through his own personal experience, how we can overcome the painful, lonely, and broken chapters of our lives. Hope When Your Heart is Breaking will give practical steps and personal guidance that will lead you to a place of PEACE and RENEWED HOPE. Ron’s book provides a message that is so vital in our world today...we highly recommend this book and please share with your friends and family!!
Mary & Robert Driscoll
January 9, 2021
We lost a family member in 2020 and I never imagined the amount of grief and loss that would come with this. I read "Hope When Your Heart is Breaking" and it really described the things that I was feeling. Things I couldn't put into words became visible with Ron's gifted writing. I could really relate to so many things in his book. This book was so helpful, especially in these uncertain times of our world. Nothing feels stable right now and this book really helped anchor me back to the Lord and made me whole again. I would recommend this book to anyone that is experiencing a loss of a loved one, a divorce, relationship turmoil, a health crisis or someone who needs a reminder of who Jesus is!
November 8, 2020
For years I have listened to Ron Hutchcraft on Christian radio. I have also read his books, so I was looking forward to reading and reviewing, "Hope When Your Heart is Breaking: Finding God's Presence in Your Pain."
Ron writes this book from a place of his own pain and grief, in the loss of his wife, Karen.
I highly recommend this book for anyone that has lost a loved one, going through a divorce or just experiencing a difficult time in their life. Ron's wisdom is a wonderful gift from God that he shares with others. I know this book helped me see that God's hope is stronger than any hurt in my life!.
I feel so uplifted after reading this book and I hope you will as well.
Ron writes this book from a place of his own pain and grief, in the loss of his wife, Karen.
I highly recommend this book for anyone that has lost a loved one, going through a divorce or just experiencing a difficult time in their life. Ron's wisdom is a wonderful gift from God that he shares with others. I know this book helped me see that God's hope is stronger than any hurt in my life!.
I feel so uplifted after reading this book and I hope you will as well.
January 4, 2021
Written for such a time as this - when circumstances chisel at your sense of peace and security
-when life has hit you with one or more of the 5 big hammers or hope robbers -
loss of a loved one, loss of your marriage, loss of your dream(goals), loss of health
or a past that wont heal and is bleeding into your present and future ....
Ron Hutchcraft author, speaker and pastor shares his heartfelt journey and tools for navigating your storm while you grieve the people, places and times that just wont be part of your life.
He walks you down the path to how you can choose the way to hope and healing.
-when life has hit you with one or more of the 5 big hammers or hope robbers -
loss of a loved one, loss of your marriage, loss of your dream(goals), loss of health
or a past that wont heal and is bleeding into your present and future ....
Ron Hutchcraft author, speaker and pastor shares his heartfelt journey and tools for navigating your storm while you grieve the people, places and times that just wont be part of your life.
He walks you down the path to how you can choose the way to hope and healing.
December 3, 2020
This books was amazingly deep, honest, and refreshing. I know that sounds weird to say, but when your heart is breaking, it brings hope when someone truly understands you, and you find yourself refreshed.
I know 2020 has broken a lot of people, it has me. This book came at a perfect time to read, because I honestly was losing hope. All I could see was my pain. I appreciate the hope that Mr. Hutchcraft brought through his well-thought out words in this book.
I will definitely be suggesting this book to my friends who are also walking through heartbreak.
I know 2020 has broken a lot of people, it has me. This book came at a perfect time to read, because I honestly was losing hope. All I could see was my pain. I appreciate the hope that Mr. Hutchcraft brought through his well-thought out words in this book.
I will definitely be suggesting this book to my friends who are also walking through heartbreak.
January 13, 2021
This book is truely a hug from heaven, for who among us doesn't have an empty blue chair in our homes or hearts? Reading this book was like sitting down with a treasured letter from Ron’s heart on how to not just find Hope but navigate life's tempest with an Anchor. It is real and you will likely share tears with the author because from page one , you know Ron has been there and understands how it feels when your world is crumbling. Its a book you will want to share. Thank you Ron, and Karen too, for surely I hear Mama Hutch's voice echo on each page also.
January 6, 2021
We all will face personal loss or tragedy of some kind in our lifetime, and often it will lead us onto a destructive road. Ron Hutchcraft tells his personal story of confronting grief after losing the love of his life of 50 years. He calls it defiant hope. He discusses how he received spiritual adrenaline for his soul anchored in a living hope, in the person of Jesus Christ.
July 10, 2023
4.5 stars. Great book all about hope during difficult seasons. We’ve all been through storms in life, it’s good to think about where your hope comes from. What have you anchored your life, your future and your hope to? What is hope? How can I have this hope and how does it help me in a crisis. A great, helpful book recommended for all.
January 5, 2026
Excellent when hope is gone
I've been a believer for 40 yrs but have lived with betrayal, life ending health crisis & devastating relational trauma. This book was a cup of cold water in a desert of despair for me.
I've been a believer for 40 yrs but have lived with betrayal, life ending health crisis & devastating relational trauma. This book was a cup of cold water in a desert of despair for me.
January 21, 2021
Hope When Your Heart Is Breaking: Finding God's Presence in Your Pain is an inspiring book to read. I would recommend it.
December 23, 2024
There was a lot of redundancy which took away from the book for me, but overall wonderful message of encouragement.
June 12, 2024
A very moving book, and a good positive read for someone experiencing loss. Both loss of a loved one and divorce are touched on, and Hutchcraft is speaking from first-hand experience, having lost his wife two years before. He supports his points with scripture, and how through Christ we can have a way to deal with this loss. A great read if you lost someone, as well as a great gift for someone who has, or is experiencing loss.
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