Hope No Matter What: Helping Your Children Heal After Divorce

Hope No Matter What: Helping Your Children Heal After Divorce Kim's unique method of connecting with children is so AWESOME in this book. Hill is so tender in the way she brings God's promise of Peace, Love and Hope (no matter what) to children in the midst of their vulnerability. Each devotion and interactive activity reiterates God's love for us and HIS promise that He will never forsake us-NO MATTER WHAT! How COOL is that!!! We as parents, aunts, uncles, church leaders, school teachers, and friends need to be reminded of this as well as we journey through life's bumps. I have shared this book along with Kim's CD by the same name, to several friends who are in the midst of divorce as they comfort their children. Reading and experiencing this book with your child can bring you closer as you explore God's LOVE for each of you through this most difficult time in the life of your family.

This is everything a devotional for kids of divorce should be--short, easy to understand, colorful, comforting and helpful. This is kid-friendly right down to the layout. There are free-form titles and drawings, multi-colored scripture verses, a special space devoted to getting a response to the content, and a concluding prayer that a parent can pray over their child. This is designed for parents to read with their children. Though it was written with younger ones in mind, children of all ages, and even adults, can benefit from the content. Simple truths, like the ones found here, comfort and encourage when our hearts are hurting. This collection of 32 short devotions is divided into eight sections. Each section represents one of the eight songs on the Kim Hill CD Hope No Matter What (2002). The CD does not come with the book, but would be worth getting because of the overlapping content. Each devotion starts with a line from one of the songs. The first song is "Hold Me Jesus" by Rich Mullins. How could I not like a devotional that starts out with the lines from one of my favorite songs? Stories and thoughts that Hill shared with her children in the aftermath of her divorce follow. It concludes with a verse of Scripture. All of this fills one page. On the adjacent page, there is an attractive space for children to write and draw their response to a simple activity. The book is wider than normal--7 x 9 inches--to provide plenty of space for this interactive section. It would be easy to breeze through the book quickly, but the recommendation is two or three devotions a week. I'm not aware of any other books like this. It's a valuable resource for parents and children that have experienced the tragedy of divorce.

When I realize how faithful my niece, Kim Hill, is to being open about herself to the world in a manner that can only come through the power of God's Holy Spirit, I am amazed. Most of us hide or run from being honest about our troubles; even in the church. From the beginning, Kim was willing to give up her music career by going public about her divorce, rather than hide the fact as some were counseling her to do. In the years since her divorce, Kim's music, and now her writing, have reflected her crying out to God and the peace that she continues to receive. Her book, "Hope No Matter What," is a reflection of the manner in which Kim is able to minister to others, especially those who have also suffered the pain of divorce. 1 Peter 4:10-1, "As each one has received a gift, minister it one to another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God...If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen." 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 describes God as the "God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." I thank God that Kim has chosen to use the comfort she has received from God to help "comfort those who are in any trouble." This book will be an excellent resource for any pastor or counselor to help a parent in helping their children heal after divorce. I have given a copy of this book to my pastor. Bruce Hill. Lexington, MS

I have been a fan of Kim Hill's music for many years. With her deep, rich voice she has recorded many songs of praise and worship as well as contemporary songs of faith. I first encountered Hope No Matter What through Kim's recording of songs by that name. The songs were written to bring hope and comfort to her children and to other kids experiencing the heartache of their parents' divorce. Yet the words of these songs can speak truth and encouragement to any child or adult. Hope No Matter What, Kim's book by the same name, takes the words of these songs and fleshes them out through personal stories and biblical truths and puts them in the words and tone of a friend. This unique book is visually kid-friendly and includes simple, creative exercises to help children (or adults) process their thoughts and feelings about their parents' divorce or other heartache. Kim shares her own story as she talked, prayed and sang with her boys as they processed the pain of divorce in their family. She offers help to others by providing a creative tool for engaging with their own kids and most importantly teaching them to call out to God, the One constant source of love and hope in this life. Though this book speaks specifically to the pain and trauma of divorce, much of it applies to the inevitable experience of pain and disappointment that is part of growing up. A child who engages with this book will learn how to honestly relate his feelings to others and to trust in the help of his loving God. A child who experiences this process, especially in the company of a loving parent, will be better equipped for many of life's experiences as a child and as an adult. This is not a "how to " book but rather a book that can take a family gently by the hand and help them find the way through on a difficult journey. I highly recommend this book to any family that has been touched by divorce. Hope No Matter What (the book and the CD) would be a kind gift for a friend raising kids in a home impacted by divorce.

A Christian friend who knew that my children and I had experienced a painful divorce recommended I read Kim's book. I have really enjoyed pouring through its comforting truths. I truly wish I'd had something like this book when I began guiding myself and my kids through our deeply personal nightmare. All I had for my kids other than scripture was a very factual book given by a counselor to help get things 'out into the open,' but not the life-affirming hope and comfort Kim's book offers. Her honesty about God's response to our vulnerabilities and hurts is refreshing, and the pages weave in much-needed biblical reassurance in a kid-friendly--yet not sugary--way. And when as the parent, I was barely hanging on myself, books for children were what spoke to me. It was as much as my mind and heart could absorb at that difficult time, so I think the book will serve many a 'dual-purpose.' This book will affirm that God's love will indeed heal your children...and you as well. Listen to her companion cd as you read. What an amazing voice!...like a salve to soothe raw wounds.