Book Description
In this first-of-its-kind prayerbook for adoptive and foster families, Fostering Hope draws from a wealth of traditions, viewpoints, and understandings to show the love of God made evident in the courageous acts of adopting and fostering children. From short prayers to essays, this book seeks to draw on the fullness of adoption and fostering to show that God is both with and for us in the movement of our lives. From prayers about birth families to blessings at the dinner table, this book is for those seeking to craft their prayer life around the foster and adoptive experience.
Book Reviews
This is a beautiful new spiritual resource for all the beautiful new families that, with each passing day, bless our world more and more.
—James Martin, SJ
Author of Learning to Pray
What a powerful collection of prayers! As I read through them and let them echo in my soul, my heart was moved and expanded. A gift for families of all types, including yours.
—Brian D. McLaren
Author of Do I Stay Christian?
This is a beautiful volume of prayers and reflections—one that captures much of the nuance and complexity of adoption and seeks to give voice to the variety of people at the center of adoption stories. The book gives space for raw grief and for glimmers of grace, without being overly saccharine about the adoption journey. With its prayers of lament, gratitude, joy, and frustration, this slim volume pricks the heart and stands to encourage any whose lives are touched by adoption and fostering.
—The Rev. Meghan F. Benson
Chaplain, Duke Divinity School
Simply put, this book of prayers, edited by Robert W. Lee, one of the bright lights in of our world, is inspired. It is chock-full of collective wisdom and comfort, wonder and challenge, power and strength, and joy and sorrow. Had it been around when my sons were growing up, it would have had a prominent spot on my night stand next to my Bible and Book of Common Prayer. By now its pages would be worn and dog-eared from use. If you are the parent of a child, —foster, adopted, or biological—Fostering Hope: A Prayerbook for Foster & Adoptive Families is for you.
—The Very Rev. Samuel Colley-Toothaker
Dean, St. James Cathedral, Fresno, California
Having recently become an adoptive grandparent, reading through these pages touched deep places in our experience and prepared me for things that lie ahead. The prayers resonate with thoughtful spiritual insight, bold honesty, and deep love. Along with providing a devotional resource, it made me aware of things I had not considered and will be a beautiful gift of wisdom, guidance, and faith to everyone who shares in the experience of adoption.
—The Rev. Dr. James A. Harnish
Retired United Methodist pastor
Author of Finding Your Bearings:
How Words that Guided Jesus through Crisis Can Guide Us