What is your favorite chapter of Hope for a Lifetime and why?
"There are several. I enjoyed the chapter on the army of people who started the Hope Center and how many people have come together since then to help. It was also a delight to write about Hope Center's different businesses. Just share the heart of those who created those businesses and how hard they've worked. And then to see the progress of what these businesses have been able to do. When you're in the world of raising funds, it's always good for companies and other leaders who come through our campus to see how hard we work to be self-sustaining. These businesses also provide job skills and opportunities for the residents, which is the icing on the cake. It's one of the wonderful things we didn't anticipate."
Is there a chapter that you find to be especially encouraging?
"The chapter on 10,000 reasons is an incredible story of God's provision for the Hope Center. I enjoyed writing all of those. The 10,000 reasons are the financial gifts that have come through the Hope Center. Seeing those gifts reoccurring and reoccurring and seeing God's divine provision has been such an encouragement. For some of the people giving gifts, it wasn't like they were wealthy. It wasn't just mega-churches with all kinds of money to give away. It was a sacrifice that individuals were making, and it touched my heart that people were so willing to give what they had to be a part of something greater than themselves."
What was the most challenging chapter for you to write and why?
"The hardest chapter was From the Mountaintop to the Valley of Despair. This is the chapter about my son David's life, his sudden death, and then trying to put our lives back together afterward. Even when I did the audiobook, saying it out loud was a difficult thing to do.
When David and I started the Hope Center, we often said, 'the Hope Center is for everyone.' Little did we know at the time how the Hope Center would be for the Nolen family. The way the body of Christ rallied around us through the Hope Center and provided us comfort. In the chapter, I mention that people brought meals to our home for about three months. That's unheard of in the world we live. It might be something for a family member or someone to bring meals for a few days, but for three solid months, we had people bringing meals to our home, supporting us, praying for us, and being there. Seeing the body of Christ in that light was glorious."
And the second hardest chapter to write?
"The second hardest chapter, I think, was the Arrows of Discouragement, which is the chapter that talks about the ongoing spiritual warfare we had with the search warrant that was served on our campus and some other extremely difficult things we had happen. I didn't want to hurt those falsely accused us; they'd already been hurt enough. And then also to honor the police and make sure we realized they were doing their job."
Were there any moments as you wrote Hope for a Lifetime that you felt God's presence?
"There were moments when I was writing the book when I would stop, and my eyes would fill with tears. I would bask in the moment, and I would realize that God is good all the time. Our circumstances never change the goodness of God. It may feel like it has, but His goodness is always there. That's who He is."
