In "Hope Lies Ahead," pastor and author James Banks and his son Geoff Banks share their story of redemption. Each man writes from his perspective with the intent of offering hope to parents and their prodigals. No matter what a prodigal goes through - addiction, turning from faith, worldly pursuits - parents can find encouragement to pray deeply, love generously, and cling to God for comfort, healing, and restoration during the difficult journey.

I can attest that I found hope and comfort in this book. Some encouragement:
"Don't be an older brother." Read the story gently and with grace.
Hindsight is 20-20. It's easy to question parenting decisions or look for someone to blame. Jesus discussed the past as "a reference to something that God can redeem. Hope lies ahead."
Refuse to judge a prodigal. "There are a myriad of false satisfactions int he world." "In reality, we all have the same need for love, and we all spend time trying to fill it with deficient things."
"That's my boy/girl" - Identify with the child who has strayed or erred during his/her times of weakness, not just when they are performing well. Love, compassion and mercy allow us to point the way out of the pit and affirm our loved one. It's also what Jesus would do, demonstrates His love and character, and shows us and others what it means to follow Jesus.
Spend time with prodigal. Play, cook, watch TV, engage. Stop preaching and correcting all the time. Preserve the relationship!
"One of the upsides of the challenges we were facing with Geoff was that they forced us to try to live increasingly in the moment with God."
"Prayer and helplessness are inseparable. Only those who are truly helpless can truly pray." Ole Hallesby
"[S]ee our son through a larger lens than his addiction. His addiction didn't define him - he was so much more than that."
"'Wait,' I told her. I had begun to learn that reacting in the moment rarely got us where we needed to be. 'Let's pray and see if there's another way out of this.'"

The alternating perspectives can be confusing at times. Be prepared for backtracking since one author tells his side of the incident and then the other author tells the same story but from his perspective.
Anyone who is praying for a prodigal - or wants to understand prodigals and their families - will benefit from reading this book.

This is a must for anyone with a family member in crisis, or who's been a prodigal. The book is written in alternating chapters by Father and Son who are now on the other side of some serious struggles. The best wisdom for anyone comes from someone who has been there, done that, and survived. I'm thankful these two are willing to share honestly and openly about their process and their mindset not just looking back, but as they were going through terrible experiences.
I feel like I have a significant insight into how to pray for and help, people who are struggling, and a better idea of "what not to do". I"ve never been where the son in this story was. And although I"m not a parent, many times I have found myself looking at others more from the father's perspective - unable to comprehend how a friend or family member could possibly get themselves in the situation they have. The chapters from Geoff's perspective opened my eyes to a lot of things about how what we may consider obvious advice and appropriate counsel are actually received by someone at rock bottom. Geoff is very honest about how he wishes people would have treated him and how he perceived even things like efforts to pray for him, efforts he knew were being made in love but couldn't accept.
I recommend this book for anyone with a friend or family member struggling with a self-destructive cycle. Whether it's drugs and alcohol, mental health issues, or just turning their back on God. There's insight here for a multitude of situations.

Hope lies ahead is an excellent book that deals with a hard topic. Its a wonderful well written story. I truly enjoyed reading both points of view from father and son.
I read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are of my own. Thank you NetGalley and Our Daily Bread Publishing for letting me read this story.

Excellent book that deals with a very hard topic. I could relate and I'm sorry to say many people have walked this road with various outcomes. Thank you for the casserole!

I started reading this book mainly because I have read “Prayers for Prodigals”. It was a hard, honest account of a journey from addiction to wellness and all that the family and addict go through. I think it would give hope and insight to any one who is going through this personally or with a loved one.

My husband and I have walked the prodigal parent path. Thankfully not the path of addiction, but estrangement, tragic behavior, and life-altering consequences. Our prodigal has come home, but all around us are friends who are now on that journey. I chose to read "Hope Lies Ahead" because I want to instill hope in their hurting hearts. I hoped the book would give them a lifeline to hold onto, promises to claim, and a miracle story. I wasn't disappointed.

I appreciated reading both points of view, the parents' and the prodigal's, because it helped enlighten me to what might be going on in a prodigal's mind and heart. I also appreciated James' (the dad's) transparency and willingness to share what was going on in his own heart and spiritual life. Both were enlightening and helpful. One of my favorite parts of the book were these words from Geoff:

"Sometimes, the only difference I see between me and many of my friends who didn’t make it is the fact that I had praying parents at home who never gave up on me. Even when I disappointed them, lied to them, and stole from them—they never abandoned me. Parents who pray for their prodigals give them an amazing gift, and they receive new strength themselves. "

Thank you, James and Geoff, for sharing your story.

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride. Ecclesiastes 7:8”
This was a moving account of a prodigal from the Father and sons perspective and I couldn’t wait to read this. It was very good and I read it in one day!
I’m grateful that the authors took the risk and wrote about it. It’s a testimony that needs to be told. I needed to hear it, because sometimes I’m “clinging to God in the darkness”.
I long to talk and cry and share my story with people. Even if it’s messy.
I highly recommend this book for those of us that continue to pray for our prodigals. I’m glad I’m not alone in this.
This was a NETGALLEY gift from the publisher and all opinions are my own. Thank you for reading my review.

An insightful narrative written from two viewpoints, a father and a son. Initially, my expectations were for the book to be a 'how-to' manual rather than a testimonial. I do find the book to be a true and sincere telling of a relationship that people can connect with, including myself.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. A father-son joint effort, this tells their story. A son who became a heroin addict while still a teenager, and the parents who never gave up hope of a better life for him. Told from the both perspectives, this is a heart wrenching testimony of the ups and downs of addiction. I found myself crying as I read of the depths of bondage Geoff, the son, was in as well as the heart ache of his parents. And then I found myself crying tears of joy and praise at God’s care through those deeply dark times. This is not a book that uses religious jargon, but deals with the destruction that comes from bondage in a very straightforward way. God is glorified as they share their story of the hard fought battle. Whether or not you have a child who is a “prodigal” or a loved one caught in the strangle hold of addiction, I highly recommend this book. #ourdailybreadpublishing #goodreads #netgalley

Powerful, heartbreaking, shocking, inspirational, are just a few words that come to mind as I write this review. Hope Lies Ahead is a story of a family struggling with their son's/brother's addiction to heroin and opiates .This is not just another book on addiction. What is different and unique is how well it is written and how by alternating chapters, James and Geof share their stories. Throughout the book you can feel the frustration and despair of the parents and Geof at the many failed attempts at rehab. Inspirational in that through it all there was hope, faith,prayer and GOD. A eye opening experience for me and a definite five star review.

James Banks and his son, Geoffrey share a memoir of Geoffrey's descent into drug abuse from both the parents' viewpoint and the son's. I loved the look at what each was feeling during different points of time.. It was very enlightening to see both of their thoughts and actions at various points during the journey. It was especially encouraging to me to see the power of prayer by parents for their son and also how they continued to have a relationship with him, even during the lowest points of Geoffrey's life
This book is extremely well written and engaging. This book was just what this mother of a prodigal needed! I encourage this book to be read by not only parents who have prodigal children or with substance abuse, but also by pastors, Christian counselors or others who are concerned about how to help parents and their adult children.

Nice book for parents or any family dealing with addictions . It gives the perspective from the parent and the teenager who is of course now an adult. They both tell of their struggles/point of view in dealing with the son's addiction. They describe how with continued prayer God helped them through to have a good relationship and how he now has control and freedom from his addictions. It is great that he is able to help others.
I received this book as a complimentary copy and under no obligation to provide a review. The opinions expressed are my own.

Geoff was a pastor’s kid who spent his early years enjoying his years in school and church - until he hit middle school when he tried to please his peers.
His mom and dad watched him playing a game of lacrosse and all seemed well, yet later that week they got a call saying he had been caught with a bag of prescription meds, which he said he was holding for a friend.
He refused to rat on his friend, and he ended up in trouble and was suspended from school. His parents tried to keep a closer eye on his friends and activities, and they tried to reason with him and tell him that he wasn’t a loser, and only losers did drugs and got in trouble.
Geoff wasn’t listening, he was attracted to the “ high” he felt when he used drugs. Geoff felt like he was misunderstood, people judged him for his behavior, instead of feeling bad for the ignorant mistakes he had made.
Geoff tried to attend school and please his parents, but the pull of drugs and bad friendships. His parents tried to help him by sending him to treatment centers, but he always relapsed.
Who would win?.......

Hope Lies Ahead by James Banks and Geoffrey Banks is a story about substance abuse in a family . The narrative goes back and forth between the father and the addicted son. I thought that this novel was very realistic . It was interesting and informative when explaining what substance abuse does to the addict and the entire family. The father is a pastor and there is a definite theme of Jesus and overall Christianity in the novel. Substance abuse can happen to any family and this novel illustrates this . I enjoyed reading this novel and I am sure that you will not be disappointed. I received this novel from the publisher and netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This book was very easy to read taking me less than 24 hours which included time to look up the scripture references, cry, pray and keep going. The format was very enlightening to get dad’s perspective and then to get the son’s side of the story. Reading the emotions, struggles, prayers and praise from both sides makes a powerful statement of a real problem facing families in this day and time. I’m so thankful that you both had the opportunity to tell your story.

What an amazing help this book was for me! I read this book for personal gain instead of to give feedback but it touched me so much that I had to thank you. I am a mom of a prodigal daughter and I have gone through much of the ups and downs of praying for her for 16 years with no results that I know of. This book has been encouraging for me and helped me to regain my strength to pray. My prodigal is not substance related but the struggle has been much the same as you have described.

Thank you to Our Daily Bread for allowing me to read this advanced copy for my honest feedback.

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Hope Lies Ahead
by James Banks and Geoffrey Banks

This well written book provides a fresh, honest look at a heartbreaking family situation. The perspectives of father and son are provided in alternating, easy to follow fashion. Centering on addiction struggles the story can easily apply to any family that has experienced separation and heartbreak-no matter the circumstances. I found Geoff's story enlightening as he shares his life from experimenting to complete addiction. The parental perspective provided “the other side of the story" realistically.
As a believer, I found the scripture references fitting and uplifting. I would strongly recommend this book for anyone, whether you have experienced the prodigal child or not. The story stands as a great reminder that relationships are the most important aspect of our lives, especially our relationship with God, our Father and Creator. Five stars!

Hope Lies Ahead is the story of Geoff, who became addicted to drugs as a teenager, and his parents, who never gave up and constantly prayed for their son. It’s also the story of how God is always waiting for us to come home, just as the father waited for the prodigal son in the Bible.

The book chapters alternate between Geoff and his Dad James as they relay the story of a young man deeply addicted to opiates and then heroin, and parents who were desperate to help him. But ultimately it is the story of a loving God who is waiting with acceptance, healing, and a plan for your life.

If you’ve ever been a prodigal, the family member of a prodigal, or if you’ve ever struggled with sin or hopelessness, this book can help you. It is an inspirational story of how God is there for us in the darkest of times.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley. My review is voluntary.