Hope Is Real: Radical Recovery Prayers

By Corey Jones

Hope Is Real: Radical Recovery Prayers is a different kind of devotional. It invites the reader to get lost in many feminist, recovery, and spiritual rabbit holes. It is a devotional meant to be savored and spark intellectual stimulation. Radical Recovery Prayers are a collection of intimate prayers inspired by scripture and Jones’ own inner turmoil that started during the United States election in 2016 and continued throughout the next four years. As she struggled watching the rise of fascism, racism, misogyny, environmental disaster, homophobia, and able-ism in her own country, she felt the need to cry out in prayer to her God. Eventually, Jones came to realize that these prayers might be useful spiritual connecting points for other progressive, feminist Christians as well. Each devotional contains the Scripture that inspired the following prayer, a recovery action item, and then a book recommendation. This book is for progressive Christians, people in recovery, intersectional feminists, and anyone with an open mind and heart looking for hope in this hard and messy world. These are intimate prayers and suggestions from a person who is called to authenticity and radical vulnerability. Jones wishes to give all people the permission to be themselves and the hope to keep on going. Hope is real, always.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Aug 9, 2020
• ISBN: 9781716727252

Book preview

Hope Is Real: Radical Recovery Prayers

Hope Is Real: Radical Recovery Prayers

Copyright © 2020 Corey Jones

All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-716-72728-3

Preface

2016 was a tough year for progressives and people trying to keep their cool in recovery.  That year, I started a project where I read the Apocrypha and wrote what I am calling prayer-poems to express my frustrations and questions to God.  I am a Protestant, but I chose to focus on the scripture from the Apocrypha because I had never read them before, and my mind would be fresh and open.  I believe that one can find inspiration in all kinds of writing and in all kinds of people.  As I wrote throughout the next four years, I found the prayers helped me find peace in a chaotic world and I wanted to share them with other spiritual people who are frustrated by the current world order of greed and ignorance.  Now it is time for another election, and we are stuck in the uncertainty of the corona virus.  More people than before feel alone and afraid.  And yet, I do not.  I know at least part of the reason is the way my mind transformed from one based in fear to one based in hope over the past four years.  Hope Is Real is my brand-it started over ten years ago when I started the blog, Hope Is Real, to encourage people with mental health challenges and chronic pain.  My message is that the hope is real for a life worth living, no matter what.  I hope these poems help you as much as they have helped me. 

My first goal is always to show that there is a way beyond fear and there is hope for all to live a better life, no matter what their present circumstances, but my second goal with this was to fill a gap in the Christian devotional world.  As an intellectual, intersectional feminist, process theologian, and person in mental health recovery, there is not that much out there for me.  There are some great devotionals out there-one of them I included, Monica A Coleman’s Not Alone: Reflections on Faith and Depression, but I certainly would not be able to find any of the devotionals I want in a standard grocery store in the American South.  If I did not have brilliant friends who share their writings and favorite authors, I would be stuck with even fewer reading options.  This is the devotional that I wish I could find.  It is grounded in progressive Christianity, recovery, and intersectional feminism.  Each day begins with an authentic prayer based on the scripture at the top of the page; then there is an action, and lastly, a book recommendation.  You don’t become better without a lot of practice and I am hoping that this book will help people’s spirituality, recovery, and feminism grow deeper.  You do not need to identify with any of these labels to get meaning out of these devotionals, but they are the target audience.  I wanted to write a book that you don’t read once and then that’s it.  By offering actions to practice and books to read, this particular book could become a person’s starting point for many years.  I don’t expect anyone to read every recommendation or do every single action, but they are there and my hope is that they will fill you up where you need it.  I have read about 75% of the books I recommend.  In order to be intersectional and relevant to the prayers, if I could not think of a book that I had read that fit the bill, then I researched spiritual, feminist, and recovery possibilities.  If I have not read a book, then it is certainly on my own reading list.  I am an avid and enthusiastic reader and so I have created the devotional book that I have never seen, but always wanted.  I hope that this mixture of poem-prayers, actions, and book recommendations touches people and helps them grow.  Hope Is Real.  Always.

1. 1 Maccabees 12:15

we rely on the help of YHWH - who has conquered our enemies and rescued us from them.

God, affirm for every person the needlessness of worry.  There is always another day, another opportunity.  Even when we die, our spirits will move to a more enlightened plane.  There is an inner harmony to the world if we will just take the time to listen.  Move this world ever towards unity and the paths of peace.  Keep on showing me your ways of mercy and affirmation.  I affirm how much I love and trust in you, O God. Fill up my heart with your goodness every morning and let me empty it upon your people.  You are my reliance.  I love you.  Thank you, Amen.