Catching Fire - Releasing Hope

Over Thanksgiving weekend we had the treat of watching 

Catching Fire

on the big screen. Intense. Two messages struck me from it: The incredible power of Hope, and how important it is to remember who the enemy is. For me, there is added significance as I finish the

Hope Journal, the one I’ve been demonstrating in for my online classes 2013-2020). “Releasing hope” has been the theme for me all year and, ironically, my struggle.

To begin the journal, I looked up definitions of HOPE and wrote it on the front cover:

HOPE:

to cherish a desire with anticipation,

believing with the expectation

of fulfillment and success

Here's a quote from my

Hope Journal

from another movie that made an impact on me, 

A Walk to Remember

:

I am thankful the

Hope Journal

followed the

Faith Journal

. Looking back, 

it makes sense that faith provided the foundation for HOPE.

FAITH:

complete trust or confidence in someone or something

“By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us - set us right with him, make us fit for him - we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that’s not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand - out in the wide open spaces of God’s grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.”

-Romans 5:1-2 The Message