Hope Rising

Our daughter loves horses so we bought this book for her. To my surprise the whole family loved it as we read a chapter at a time out loud. If you want to develop your compassion and your vision for real beauty, read this book. It shows the potential and value in seemingly worthless things. Or more specifically in horses that some see as worthless. Or in a child that has no hope. Kim Meeder has experienced the worst and the best in life, and describes the transition between the two incredibly well.

This is truly an incredible book. The underlying theme throughout is that we are all broken, hurting people, but that through our own experiences, we become equipped to reach out and offer love and compassion to others. Mistreated and neglected horses become instrumental in the healing of abused and hurt children, and the children offer healing to the horses. Even the very land where the ranch is located was undesirable and "mistreated," and they planted "rejected" trees from local nurseries. The short stories give glimpses of countless miracles worked by the hand of God and how a little faith can go a long way in turning something broken and seemingly undesirable into a beautiful place where healing and absolute miracles are seen every day. This is definitely a book to read with tissues in hand, but it is well worth the tears.

Be careful? Yes, because this book can grab you and change your life...especially if you love horses and kids. After it was given to me by a friend, I passed it on to my daugher in law, who is an outstanding horsewoman. Like wildfire, everyone in our family read the book and now there's this plan brewing to start a ranch on the east coast to do what Kim does there in Oregon. I loved the transparency with which she shares her (and her husband's) struggles. The way that her faith emboldens her to keep on doing her "little bit" to make a difference in a world of indifference, neglect and abuse motivates me to do the same. This book was written in Kim's heart before it was written on paper. How many times do we get to look into someone's heart? Not often. So be careful....when you look into hers, you might just get inspired to look into your own.

This book is one that has touched on every emotion I've ever experienced! From sadness to anger to compassion to love! This woman has my utmost respect for what she does for the children and the horses! If people would recognize how these animals could help troubled children, there would be no more horse slaughter in the U.S. because unwanted horses would be adopted and put to uses like this all over the world! What a great way for two innocents to overcome what our society does to them! I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone and everyone!

Having recently re-entered the world of horses, I'm constantly on the lookout for quality books about all things horse-related. When I came across Hope Rising at a local Christian bookstore, I knew this was one book that I had to get. From the cover art to the comments on the back, to the brief selection I read through, the book grabbed my heart.Kim has a gift of being able to relate the stories of Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch in a powerful and beautiful way. Her heart for the Lord and for His children and creatures shows through in every story. She addresses the horrors of what she's seen and experienced in a way that's honest, but doesn't overdo it with graphic details. Her focus remains on the Hope she refers to in the book's title. She always comes back to the fact that God can make beauty from ashes, no matter how hopeless a situation seems.This book is one that anyone would benefit from reading, regardless of their feelings about horses. I know for me, it's already been life-changing. Kim and her husband's work at Crystal Peak is an inspiration for anyone who wants to impact the world for Christ, no matter what the arena in which they choose to do so.