About the Book
Book: Hope Lies Ahead
Author: James & Geoffrey Banks
Genre: Christian non-fiction, Christian living, family and relationships
Release Date: April, 2020
No prodigal is beyond the reach of God
Every inch of my body was in pain and my skin was crawling. I couldn’t think straight or even form coherent sentences . . . How did I end up like this? –Geoffrey Banks
Geoff’s situation seemed hopeless: a heroin addict going through a nightmarish detox on the floor of an overpopulated jail cell. He had made a mess of his life.
His parents felt their son slipping away. They loved him so much and felt so powerless. And so they prayed—through the hurt, the questions, the frustrations. And through it all, God walked with them.
Hope Lies Ahead shares Geoff’s prodigal journey and James’s perspective as his father. Each man writes his own story and candidly addresses the spiritual and practical challenges families with prodigals face. As someone who loves a prodigal, you’ll know you are not alone and that there is hope! Click
HERE to get your copy
About the Authors
Dr. James Banks is the author of Prayers for Prodigals, Prayers for Your Children, Praying the Prayers of the Bible, Praying Together, and Praying with Jesus. Through books, blog posts, and magazine articles, he regularly encourages people to pray. Dr. Banks has been a pastor and church planter for more than twenty-five years and lives with his wife, Cari, in Durham, North Carolina. They have two adult children.
Geoffrey Banks serves as the high school coordinator at Port City Community Church in Wilmington, North Carolina. He loves reaching students where they are and helping them walk with God. He is an avid surfer and skater. Geoffrey struggled with heroin addiction throughout his teens and early twenties before coming to know Jesus and having his life radically change. Now he is host of the podcast Too Many Christians, which explores beliefs in the pursuit of ultimate truth.
More from Geoffrey and Dr. Banks
From James
My son, Geoff, and I chose to tell our story in Hope Lies Ahead because we believe it’s what God would have us do. So many families suffer in silence when their loved ones go down prodigal paths, and we want them to know they are not alone. God truly offers hope when it seems like none can be found.
Geoff and I could only write this book because of God’s kindness to us. Like the father in the parable of the prodigal, “My son was lost and now is found,” and I’m still celebrating. Geoff is so much more than his past sins and mistakes. He is a new creation, made stronger in the broken places by God’s amazing love. Today God uses him to reach people in ways that would not have been possible had he not been down such difficult roads. God wastes nothing—redemption is a precious, priceless thing.
God never gives up on us. He goes to lengths that defy reason to save us and love us back to Himself. Even when our children make choices that break our hearts, God doesn’t abandon them. He loves our prodigals even more than we do.
Jesus is still “a friend of sinners.” No one is beyond God’s reach. When answers to prayer are long in coming, He Himself is the best answer. In the rough and raw places where we feel numb or even nothing at all, God is able to meet us with help and healing as we cast our cares on Him.
So if you find yourself in a similar situation, keep loving, keep praying, and keep the lines of communication open. God can empower us in love beyond what we think is possible, and give us the wisdom and direction we need to face each day.
From Geoff
Substance abuse is so prevalent in our world right now. There is no specific socioeconomic class, community, or age that struggles with it, it is everywhere. With that being the reality, there is a lot of negative stories out there. All over the news you hear of overdoses, arrests, and other things related to this topic going on. My heart behind writing Hope Lies Ahead is that people will find some hope in the midst of an incredibly difficult time.
It is an up close and personal book for both my father and I, and that is on purpose. We looked at both of our failings, our strengths, and where we could have done things differently. For us it was an honest dialogue about what our journey through substance abuse as a family was like and how we came out on the other side. I hope that it can be the start of an honest dialogue for a lot of other families as well that will point everyone involved toward our one hope—Jesus.
As you read through Hope Lies Ahead, you will see a little bit of yourself in both of us. At times I am pretty hard on my father for some of the things that he did. The thing that I want to remind the reader of is that even when he made mistakes, it was done out of love. He wasn’t the religious Bible thumper I sometimes make him out to be but rather was driven by a deep love for his kids that sometimes got expressed in the wrong way. I think that his perspective is so unique because now he recognizes those moments for what they are and is able to help other people not fall in those same traps. I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for my parents, and this experience ended up sharpening both of us.
Based on what we learned going through this experience, I would say to a parent of a prodigal above all else, maintain relationship. Let them know you love them even when they make huge mistakes. Let them know that if they ever want help you are right there waiting. Make sure they are aware of their options as far as treatment goes and when the opportunity arises to get them there, jump on it. Do it immediately. Don’t wait.
I think we often find ourselves wanting to preach. Addiction can be an infuriating disease to experience, whether you are the one who is addicted or a family member is. In the midst of that anger and frustration, we need to be reminded that our battle is not against flesh and blood. Your war isn’t with that person, it is with the sin that is dominating their life. Don’t exchange your relationship with them for an off handed comment or a sermon about their behavior. It isn’t worth it.
My prayer is that people reading this book will be encouraged in their situation and that they turn first to Jesus. I believe that ultimate redemption looks like Jesus on the cross. It is when something meant for evil gets turned around and used for good. There are many stories of people going through addiction and then using their experience to help others out of it. There is nothing more beautiful than a giant struggle becoming an incredible strength.
Author Interview
When/how did you decide to become a writer?
I have been fascinated with stories since a very young age. Whether it was video games, movies, or books, I always had my mind wrapped up in some sort of story. In school I flourished in creative writing and literature classes. I am not sure it was ever a conscious decision, it was just something I’ve always been drawn to, so when the opportunity arose to put my own story on paper it was an easy choice. I am fortunate to have a father who is an accomplished author that helped pave the way for me.
Which author has most influenced your own writing?
I am a huge Flannery O’Connor fan. The depth of her characters is incredible and she does an amazing job of keeping everything morally grey. Just when you think one person is the “good guy” she flips it around and you are left unsure. That is so similar to the real word, so when I was writing this book, I kept that in mind and tried to show the good sides and the bad sides of everyone. There are no heros or villians. Just people.
What is your work schedule like when you’re writing?
I have a full time job outside of my writing so most of my writing takes place at strange times. I am a night owl and often don’t sleep well so I found that my best writing was done at 2:00 am when my mind was racing with thoughts and ideas. Outside of that, I try to squeeze it in the mornings on the weekend. I am not much for scheduling and just try to get it when I can.
Do you have a favorite or special place to write?
My front porch. I live in Wilmington, NC and we have a pretty mild climate 75% of the time. I love sitting in a chair on my front porch on a sunny day and writing there. Something about being able to hear the birds, cars, and general sounds of life just seems to keep me focused. The tan I get is just a bonus.
What are your hobbies?
I am a total hobby guy! I have so many it is hard to list. I am totally a jack of all trades and an ace of none. My main things that I do most consistently are surfing, skateboarding, and mountain biking. Honorable mentions would be hiking and spearfishing. I love getting outside in nature and taking advantage of what the world has to offer. There is something about it that is just so freeing.
Blog Stops
Texas Book-aholic, April 24
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, April 25
Andrea Christenson, April 26 (Author Interview)
Inklings and notions, April 27
For Him and My Family, April 28
Genesis 5020, April 29
For the Love of Literature, April 30 (Author Interview)
deb’s Book Review, May 1
A Baker’s Perspective, May 2 (Author Interview)
A Reader’s Brain, May 3
Simple Harvest Reads, May 4 (Author Interview)
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, May 5
Through the Fire Blogs, May 6
Artistic Nobody, May 7 (Guest Review from Joni Truex)
Giveaway
To celebrate their tour, James and Geoffrey are giving away the grand prize package of Hope Lies Ahead, Prayers For Prodigals and $10 Amazon Gift Card!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
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