Dr. Kathy Koch - Finding Authentic Hope and Wholeness: 5 Questions That Will Change Your Life

Finding
Authentic
Hope &
Wholeness

5 QUESTIONS THAT WILL
change YOUR LIFE

D R . K ATHY K OCH

M OODY P UBLISHERS
CHICAGO

2005 by
D R . K ATHY K OCH

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked THE MESSAGE are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson, copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version.

ISBN: 0-8024-0282-8

EAN/ISBN-13: 978-0-8024-0282-0

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Koch, Kathy.

Finding authentic hope and wholeness : five questions that will change your life / Kathy Koch.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 0-8024-0282-8

1. Identification (Religion) 2. Identity (Psychology)Religious aspectsChristianity. 3. Self-confidenceReligious aspectsChristianity. I. Title.

BV4509.5.K63 2005

248.4dc22

2004020513

1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2

Printed in the United States of America

I dedicate Finding Authentic Hope and Wholeness
to my triune God.

Im grateful to God the Father
for creating me and loving me unconditionally.
Im honored He has given me gifts to use for His purposes,
and I pray that He is glorified through the ideas presented here.
Im especially grateful for His wisdom and truth.

Im grateful to Jesus, my Lord and Savior,
for willingly taking the punishment for my sins upon Himself
and dying so I can live with Him forever after my time on earth is done.
Im especially grateful that He is my peace and joy.

Im grateful to the Holy Spirit for guiding me
to understand Gods Word and will.
Im especially grateful that He empowers me to obey.

IM THANKFUL TO GOD: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Gods presence in my life is truly life-changing and enriching. Without Him, I would have had no desire to write this book or ability to do so. I owe Him everything.

My gratitude to my entire family runs deep. Im sorry my dad didnt live long enough to read this book. I think he would have liked it. Im grateful my mom is still a significant part of my life. Her support is a consistent blessing. Their loving parenting is a great example. I was also heavily influenced by my grandparents. My moms parents are among my heroes. Additionally, I value the love and strength I receive from my brother, Dave, his wife, Debbie, and their three children, Betsy, Katie, and Andy.

Board members from Celebrate Kids, Inc. have believed in me and the message of the Model of Authentic Hope and Wholeness for years. Im better for knowing them, and Celebrate Kids, Inc. is healthier because of their involvement. Ron Horton, Andrea Heitz, Mark Davis, Timmie Mosley, Edra Hudson, Linda Currier, and Jack Shreffler are Gods choice servants.

The men and women who work with me at Celebrate Kids, Inc. add to my joy and allow me to accomplish so much more than I could without them. And thats an understatement! Joyce Penninger, Toni Gerhard, Linda Depler, Tina Hollenbeck, Denice Crawford, Sharon May, Angela Bunyard, Martin Critz, Sandra Critz, and Rachael DAngelo are unselfish, wise, fun, encouraging, and very valuable. Also, Kevin Schreiber (our webmaster), Karl Giere (our graphic artist), and Lori Cable (our grant writer) have been used by God to strengthen our efforts. Im grateful for this entire team.

Ive been privileged to be a part of some healthy churches through the years. Ever since moving to Fort Worth, Ive been a member of Grace Community Bible Church. My pastor, Ron Horton, and many others have supported me, taught me a great deal, and helped pray this book into existence. Ill be forever grateful.

God has surrounded me with some vibrant mentors. I dont have words that adequately communicate the depth of my gratitude to them. They know what theyve done to help my development and that of this message. Chip Griepsma, Andrea Heitz, Linda Page, Dave Roever, Brad Sargent, and Pat Titsworthyou make a positive difference in my life. (Im also grateful for Mordecai. He, too, has taught me much.)

Bekah and Mike Mulvaney hosted some friends and me for several writing retreats where the possibility of writing this book was first investigated. They were invaluable. And I owe a big thank you to editors of several magazines who asked me to write articles and regular columns for them. Because of them, I gained confidence and skill as a writer. Im especially grateful to Jill Briscoe, Shelly Esser, and the Just Between Us family.

Im grateful for every person who has hired me to speak and for people in audiences throughout the world who have been used by God to strengthen my ideas. They have taught me much as they reacted to my content and raised excellent questions.

Through the years, many have contributed to Celebrate Kids, Inc., which has allowed us to keep going during some lean times. Because of their faith in God and in our work, this book was completed.

Im grateful to people who allowed me to tell their stories within these pages and on our Web site. I dont take their trust lightly. Their willingness to be a part of my teaching humbles me.

God used Nancy Elwood, the executive director of SHARE Education Services of Budapest, Hungary, in a significant way. She recommended me to speak at a conference sponsored by Moody Bible Institute. Its because of connections made there that this book exists. Ill always be grateful.

Working with people from Moody Publishers has been a very positive experience. I can say the same thing for Moody Bible Institute, Moody Radio, and Moody Conferences. Im honored to be affiliated with them, and Im glad our ministry will continue beyond this first book. Im especially grateful to God for Dr. Joseph Stowell, Jim Jenks, Mark Tobey, Elsa Mazon, and Ali Childers. And I appreciate everyone from the marketing and publicity departments, as their work assures more people will be influenced by this book. Thats why I wrote it. Not to be an author, but to have a greater influence. Im glad I can partner with Moody toward that goal.

THIS BOOK IS DESIGNED to help you make sure that your core needs are met in healthy ways. When they are, you will be secure and competent. Youll also know who you are, whom you fit with, and why youre alive. As a result, youll be at peace.

Everyone has the same God-given basic needssecurity, identity, belonging, purpose, and competence. Thats what this book is aboutthese needs and unhealthy and healthy ways people go about trying to meet them and what God has to say about them. I pray that this material will positively affect you as you rely on Gods help to put these ideas into practicein all areas of your life. Are you a wife or husband? Use the principles to strengthen your marriage. Are you a mom or dad? Use the ideas to better parent your child(ren). Are you a daughter or son? (Thats a trick question. Of course you are!) Use the truths when relating to your parents. I expect youll also apply the concepts in these pages to your friendships and relationships with coworkers, clients, and others you serve.