Authentic Hope provides living encouragement to those who have experienced or are currently experiencing difficult times and events.
We have learned that God's presence is often best seen when life appears to have handed us the toughest of circumstances. A relationship with Him encourages and lifts us up when we are at our lowest, unable to encourage each other on our own.
To meet my goal of being an encouragement to you, the reader, I chose to share two of my significant life experiences:
1. Living with a family member who battles a drug addiction
2. Receiving a cancer diagnosis which has no known cure
As I began formulating what I wanted to write, the simple concept of a "footnote" came to mind. Google has many footnote examples in the definition of a footnote. What caught my eye was "... additional information that would disrupt the flow of the main text ..."
If you, as the reader, are going through circumstances which may cause your life to have a footnote, this book is for you.
My life is not unique because of my footnotes. Most people live out life with one or more footnotes which impact their life in either positive or negative ways. Moreover, I think the type of footnote(s) or severity of them are not what makes the difference in how one journeys through life successfully. I believe the defining difference for me was this: my life has been, currently is, and will continue to be focused on Authentic
Hope as my living foundation as I journey through the challenges and experiences with my two footnotes.
God's positive involvement with us can best be seen when we have to deal with some of the profound negatives that life can dish out.
Authentic Hope has been the thread which has been shown to be the silver lining in some very dark clouds.
Authentic Hope looks closely at these two significant life-changing events: a family member with a drug addiction and being diagnosed with cancer. The book invites the reader to experience with the author both tragedy and triumph.
Mark Chrysler was born in San Diego, California in 1960. His was a Navy family. At a young age, Mark and the family departed San Diego and moved to the Philippines. They lived in Navy housing in Subic Bay.Later the family relocated back to the United States. After his mother divorced and eventually remarried a wonderful man, Mark's family bought a home in a small rural town called Dorr, Michigan. Go Blue!During the summer after his high school senior year, Mark made his move back to San Diego. After graduation, on a dare from a family friend, he worked for a time in Bakersfield, California at a carrot packaging plant.Mark soon learned one of his first valuable life lessons. It was that people have more to offer than the work they perform. He learned how important it is to look past just the job description.In the fall of 1979, Mark began his college experience. In the spring of 1980, Mark and his best friend struck out to make their first million, starting a courier/office supply business in Denver, Colorado. Why not? The prospects of being business owner were way more exciting than being a college student.His second life lesson soon was revealed. It was this: there is no free lunch in life, and many of the people you meet do not subscribe to the philosophy of "my word is my bond." After working odd jobs, Mark was offered what became his career steppingstone. He became an apprentice electrician for his girlfriend's dad's electrical contracting company. Mark and his girlfriend became engaged and married on March 30, 1985. In 1988, their son was born; in 1990, their daughter was born.Mark and his wife have been married over 37 years. Mark retired as a Senior Electrical Inspector for the City of San Diego.*****Note: The following is the meaning of the acrostic graphic on the back cover. A: Authentic; H: Hope; C: Commands; S: Surrender. Interestingly, as one embraces a life receptive to the message of Authentic Hope, submission to God's commands is more like accepting a warm and loving invitation to a relationship where all other relationships pale in comparison.
