Reasons for Hope: In the Mosaic of Your Life by Carl Kerby

An interview with Carl Kerby, author of

Reasons for Hope in the Mosaic of Your Life

“The two most important pieces of information I will take away from this book: stay bold and be prepared to give a defense of your faith. This book will inspire Christians to do just that. Your story, from your checkered childhood to your resistance to God’s path for you, is a strong reminder that God has a plan for us all. Your explanation of how the Bible fits into the modern-day world, tackling issues such as evolution and race, is crucial to today’s Christian.”

~ Rich “Ace” Franklin, three-time UFC MMA Champ

Life is often not picture-perfect, and difficult times can make it hard to see a plan or purpose for our lives. In this inspiring story of one man’s journey, you will learn to see life from a different perspective. No matter what your circumstances, God can gather up the broken pieces and random elements of your life and form them into a beautiful mosaic—making you a useful vessel for His glory.

Questions and Answers with Carl Kerby

Q: In what ways are our lives like mosaics?

To me, a mosaic is a fitting illustration of the way God can take the broken pieces of our lives and create something beautiful from them. My life has been filled with boulders and broken stones. Yet God, in His grace, has put those stones together in a mosaic to make me into a useful vessel for His glory.

I once saw a large mosaic but was too close to understand the design, so I backed up to get a better view. Just as the mosaic picture didn’t make sense until I got a broader perspective, I had to do the same thing with the struggles I’ve encountered. As I look back over my life from a different perspective, I can see why God has allowed me to undergo some of the challenges I’ve had.

I also realized that the more broken pieces in the mosaic, the more beautiful the picture and the greater its value. The more we’ve gone through, the more amazing the picture our lives can be when we have God’s perspective.

Q: How can Christians use the mosaic of their life to bring hope to others? 

People are often encouraged by my story, when they realize that God can use anyone to do His work—even the messed-up son of a professional wrestler who ended up earning his livelihood as an air-traffic controller and then a public creation speaker. Growing up I struggled with a lot of things other people do: an absentee father, my parents’ divorce, alcohol and drugs, run-ins with the law, even being homeless at one point.

No matter our background, we can all share our own life stories, our mosaic, to tell others how God has taken the broken pieces of our life and made something beautiful and valuable. Those rocky areas in our life can be steppingstones for sharing the love of Christ with others.

Q: You address the topic of racism in Reasons for Hope. Why was that issue important to include?

Sadly, evolutionary teaching promotes the idea that people are divided into different “races” with some “races” better than others, leading to all sorts of prejudice, hatred, and bloodshed. I know I was wrong in my racist attitudes when I was young, and many still believe the same way I did. That’s why I take such a strong stand on this issue today.

Ultimately, the issue of racism comes down to this: where did humans come from? When you reject what the Bible says about man’s origin, you will end up with all kinds of wrong beliefs. But biblically and scientifically, there is only one race of people—Homo sapiens—all made in the image of God. So we need to abandon the term “races” and instead talk about “cultures” or “people groups.”

We have to teach people the truth about racism, but what bothers me the most is that the church has dropped the ball on this issue. In fact, the church (in some instances) is one of the last bastions of racism and prejudice in America. And if we, as Christians, cannot grasp the need to eradicate racism, how can we expect the world to do that?

Carl Kerby's Bio...

Carl’s passion is to proclaim the authority and accuracy of the Bible and to engage the minds and hearts of believers and unbelievers in today’s culture so that they may experience the realities of the Word of God.

This happens whenever Carl speaks. Whether he speaks to youth or adults, large or small crowds, churches or schools, Carl has a way of connecting with almost everybody; and that is one of the reasons he is a much sought-after speaker both in the United States and abroad.  He has spoken in Bermuda, Canada, England, Greece, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico the Philippines and Wales just to name a few.

Carl was a founding Board Member of Answers in Genesis for 10 years and served there for over 15 years before stepping out in faith to become President and Founder of Reasons for Hope.

Though Carl has played many roles in his life, (son of a professional wrestler, air-traffic controller at O’Hare International Airport, Founding Board member and widely known speaker for Answers in Genesis), his most cherished accomplishment is his marriage to his wife, Masami, for over 28 years, and his role as a father to his daughter, Alisa, and his son, Carl, Jr., and grandfather to his grandchildren, Trey and those he’ll meet in 2012.

Carl's website

 

My Review:

I really enjoyed reading Reasons for Hope. I found Carl's writing style easy to follow, clear and direct. One of my favorite parts of the book is found on pages 28 and 29. Here he is talking about when the Hebrew children were crossing the river Jordan. (Joshua 3:15-17)

...As a reminder to the current and future generations of what a great thing God had done for His people, God commanded Joshua to build a memorial. Twelve men (one from each tribe) went to the riverbed, and each removed one stone. They carried these stones to where they camped on the western side of the Jordan and piled them up as a memorial.... The stone memorial on the riverbank testified to His faithfulness and served as a reminder to them and future generations that only God is their deliverer and their source of strength. The stones "cry out" the message to every generation that God is steadfast in His promises to deliver and bless His people.

Reading how God had His hand on Carl was insightful. I caused me to stop and look at how God has kept His hand on my own life even when I didn't realize it.

Being familiar with Answers In Genesis, I hadn't realized how close he worked with Ken Hamm and the organization. That was quite informative, especially since it caused Carl to step out of his comfort zone and begin public speaking.

A well written book, Reasons for Hope, is one I would chose to read again and recommend to those who may be struggling to find hope in their lives. Carl does a wonderful job in pointing his readers to our Great Hope, Christ Jesus. He also gives great arguments in why we should place our hope in the one true God, Jesus Christ.

This book was provided for review purposes by The B and B Media Group, Inc. I am under no obligation to provide a positive review.