A few questions.

I have a project I am doing. It would be great if you guys could help me with it. If you could take a few minutes to answer these questions as best you can it would be great.

Who, what or where gives you hope??

Was there any point in time when you had more hope than you have today?? Why?? or do you hope more now than ever before??

Is there a photograph that represents hope to you?? a song?? a phrase?? a speech??

Is there a book, a film or even a t-shirt that sums it up the best??

Is there a particular season that fills you with hope more than any other??

Is there one person on planet Earth that gives you hope above all others, is it your mum?? your dad?? your children?? or someone you have never met??

Could it be a single graphic image, a cheap doodle, piece of graffiti on a wall??

If you have taken the time to answer these thank you very much. If you have taken the time to attach images etc then thank you again. This is for a uni project so I will keep you all posted on the project, please keep checking back for progress.

EDIT: I would really appreciate some answers from some non-christians. I realise that all the ones so far are from christians, so it would be really great to here from non believers. If you are not a believer please don’t feel you have nothing to contribute, you do and your answers are just as valid and important as those who do believe.

The fact that i know that when i die I am not finished gives me hope and that the fulness of life i will experience then, i can experience now. This hope is because of Jesus and I’ve only had it since i became a Christian when I was 13, the Bible represents it pretty well, but so do the stars - if they’ve managed to stay up there for so long then i, who means a lot more to god, can probably last out too. There isn’t a graphic image that fits this for me, at least I haven’t found it yet, it would have to encapsulate the feeling of warm sun on face with the smell of freshness when it’s just rained in summer - probably not a photograph as they so often can’t do the original sight justice, i dunno - you’re the graphic designer!

Especially at easter time, I get hope from Jesus when he dies on cross for me. Feel hopeful now as im excited about the future and what it holds. I think the little saying; a child asked Jesus how much he loves him, and Jesus replied, ‘this much’ and he opened his arms wide upon the cross and died.
The film the Notebook sums up hope to me because it seems to say that no matter how much suffering and pain an individual goes through, love is the one thing than can get you through. I think Easter time is full of hope because it tells of how we have been forgiven because we are loved so much. And when we die, it is not over, because of how much God loves us. I find other Chrstians fill me with hope when you can see the excitment as they try to live and aspire to be like Christ.
Theres some graffti on a wall in Canterbury of a dark angel which has a glowing halo and wings. When I walk past it I always feel it reflects hope because it shows how even though we are dark sinners, Jesus still allows himself to shine out of us.

The amazing truth that Jesus died in my place, to take my sins on his shoulders, knowing that my heavenly Father has forgiven me and is preparing my place in heaven is the only reason I can have hope. Sometimes you can lose track of what you’re here for, you get caught up in the world and the things it throws at you but then you remember that this isn’t home and that we are only he for a short time, that gives me hope. I guess I didn’t always think like that, as a kid you kind of just accept that Jesus died for you but you don’t fully understand what that means. I definately have more hope now than I did as a kid. It’s hard for me as I am scared of dying and in some ways I think I have to trust in God more and in the hope that he brings. I think a verse in the bible sums in up: 2 Corinthians 4 v 18: So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. How can you not have hope when you have a faith that you have been saved in Jesus Christ. I don’t think anything could represent hope pictorially because it is more than that, it could never be expressed to it’s fullest. Only God can know the hope that you have.

For me hope lies not in the death of Jesus Christ but the fact that he lived again. This puts new light upon the bible passage ‘He whois for us is greater than those who are against’, as it shows my God defeated the universal constant: Death. In this life i have no fear, i have ups and downs, but through it all I know death is not the end becuase my God defeated it and promises me that so will I. That is hope; living for the present with no fear fo the future.

Nature gives me hope. The fact that the world goes on no matter how bad things get. That you will always be able to escape to an area of natural beauty and feel completely at ease. Nature is so completely awe inspiring that I can’t ignore it. To think of all the billions of natural processes and systems that just happen, dispite human intervention.
I think an image that symbolises hope for me is that of a sunset on a beach with waves breaking over the rocky shore. That is when I feel most at ease with the world and that is what fills me with hope for the future.

The fact that i am a child of God and that i have eternal life gives me hope. My hope is stronger today than it has ever been before. The picture that represents hope best to me is of the three crosses on calvary with the focus on the middle one on which Jesus died. i know that it is very symbolic but when i see the cross it reminds me that Christ died for me and that have freedom from my sins because of it. The book for me is the book of Romans in the New Testament of the Bible. i dont think that i have a particular season but if there was one it would probably be the summer seeing the trees with thier leaves and the flowers and the sunshine it is all truly amazing. God is ultimately who i have my hope in. There is no one like him.

>Who, what or where gives you hope??
My friends, my girlfriend and my family.

>Was there any point in time when you had more hope than >you have today?? Why?? or do you hope more now than ever >before??
Definatly more hope as time goes on, because you learn that everything always ends up ok in the end.

>Is there a photograph that represents hope to you?? a >song?? a phrase?? a speech??
“Dance like nobody’s watching; love like you’ve never been hurt. Sing like nobody’s listening; live like it’s heaven on earth” — Mark Twain

>Is there a book, a film or even a t-shirt that sums it up >the best??
I quite like any film or book that has a really happy ending like where two people fall in love, that makes me really happy and gives me a belief that everyone will find true love later even if it takes a while.

>Is there a particular season that fills you with hope >more than any other??
Its nice if it snows in winter, or if its raining really hard and just listening to it while in bed

>Is there one person on planet Earth that gives you hope >above all others, is it your mum?? your dad?? your >children?? or someone you have never met??
My girlfriend gives me hope because shes been nothing but lovly to me since ive met her

>Could it be a single graphic image, a cheap doodle, piece >of graffiti on a wall??
the artwork of children is always the most inspiring thing to see, great just to look over some of the stuff that ive drawn that my mom has saved and shown me from so long ago!

Im not a christian, but i respect and quite like christian’s beliefs and i hopefully u’d appreciate my answers. Katie Shaw ask me to do it so thank her!

what gives me hope? Perpetual hope - water. It is never ending. It rains, collects as a small rivulet, builds into a stream, to a river to an estuary, before finally collecting in the sea, where it washes the shore or crashes the rocks. You can see a storm out at sea while standing in the sun on a cliff listening to the crashing sounds. the ebb and flow links to my heart beat - rhtmical, steady. Water does fail sometimes like in Africa, but that single rain drop gives so much hope, hope of things to come. It washes, it feeds, It is life giving both physical and spiritual. Be filled with the life giving waters of our Lord.

Who, what or where gives you hope??
My friends and family give me hope. Not always explicitly but through their advice and guidance hope is gained and helps build your own personal aspirations and hope.

Was there any point in time when you had more hope than you have today?? Why?? or do you hope more now than ever before??
I don’t think hope can be quantified like this. There are different types of hope depending on your current situation and outlook on things. I ‘hope’ I will win the lottery, just like I hope Nottingham Forest won’t get relegated! These aren’t life long dreams but mearly spur of the moment feelings based on my current surroundings and opinions. I also have my own personal hopes and dreams such as having a family and getting a good job.

Is there a photograph that represents hope to you?? a song?? a phrase?? a speech??
“Don’t be encumbered by history, go out and do something wonderful” - Robert Noyce, Intel Corporation.
I only heard this quote recently but when I heard it it really made me think about things.

Is there a book, a film or even a t-shirt that sums it up the best??
The book and film Papillon by Henri Charriere to me represents one man’s struggle against an unjust system and his desire to escape. It displays how his hope never subsided and he eventually escaped and became a free man.

Is there a particular season that fills you with hope more than any other??
I think that the autumn or winter would fill me with hope. The fact that all the leaves are orange and that the cold wet rainy winter is coming but you hope that the winter is mild and that you know spring and summer will come again next year.

Is there one person on planet Earth that gives you hope above all others, is it your mum?? your dad?? your children?? or someone you have never met??
I wouldn’t say that there is one specific person that gives me hope more than others. Hope is gained from any number of factors including people of beliefs.

Could it be a single graphic image, a cheap doodle, piece of graffiti on a wall??
Yes - I guess thats where you come in

Hope these few little ramblings help out a little.

Cheers buddy.

Oli

>Who, what or where gives you hope??
my faith, my friends and family. home. my bed room at home, and my home church building! i dont know why, maybe its familiarity. yeh, probably familiarity

>Was there any point in time when you had more hope than >you have today?? Why?? or do you hope more now than ever >before??
no, think im fairly at my peak of hope - think its just when everything is going well, life feels good and im happy then hope feels more like hope makes sense. but i always have hope in God therefore i’m a fairly high-in-hope (hopeful?) person generally.

>Is there a photograph that represents hope to you?? a >song?? a phrase?? a speech??
errm, the Bible is full of them! cant think of one at the moment. im rubbish, i know.

>Is there a book, a film or even a t-shirt that sums it up >the best??
think Billy Elliot is a good one for hope - getting over obsticles with the sheer determination makes me feel like there is hope for everyone.

>Is there a particular season that fills you with hope >more than any other??
summer - things feel more positive, therefore ‘fills me with hope’. Easter Sunday, for obvious reasons. but the Gospel is true always so dunno why Easter sunday feels special!

>Is there one person on planet Earth that gives you hope >above all others, is it your mum?? your dad?? your >children?? or someone you have never met??
errm i think my parents never ending faith in me gives me hope. when i ‘fail’ they still have faith i will make it, and they have faith in me when i feel hopeless. and again, Jesus gives me hope cos i believe there wouldnt be any hope at all without Him!

>Could it be a single graphic image, a cheap doodle, piece >of graffiti on a wall??
a rainbow - a sign of God’s promise… no hope without a promise.

Tried me best chuckle… xx

Who, what or where gives you hope??: My hope lies within the promises set out by God (unoriginal answer i know but true all the same), to know that there is something waiting for us at the end of our time on Earth… makes all this crap worth while.

Was there any point in time when you had more hope than you have today?? Why?? or do you hope more now than ever before??: I guess when you’re younger you don’t hope as much because you’re so dependent on your parents, you don’t know what hope is. You may hope for your favourite toy but then again, hope is hope right? Becoming a Christian changes your outlook on life so sure, i hope more now than before.

Is there a photograph that represents hope to you?? a song?? a phrase?? a speech??: not too sure, not something I usually think about. Watching Walk the Line recently, that represents a hope. A hope to be better both in terms of more sucessful and more normal -a paradox. Worth watching, but be careful… i left wanting to listen to country music :S oh dear

Is there a book, a film or even a t-shirt that sums it up the best??: see above

Is there a particular season that fills you with hope more than any other??: Spring, that’s the reason I love Dafodils so much The beginning of new life.

Is there one person on planet Earth that gives you hope above all others, is it your mum?? your dad?? your children?? or someone you have never met??: Is is too obvious to say Jesus? I’ll meet him one day. On a more personal level (not that Jesus isn’t personal), is the hope of future friendships and relationships. When you move on (home, job, etc) you make new friends -at least you hope too.

Could it be a single graphic image, a cheap doodle, piece of graffiti on a wall??: the world. magnificent, big, God’s hand crafted work.

(I don’t know how to attach pictures)

Who, what or where gives you hope??

I guess I give myself hope. It is my inability to disprove to myself that there isn’t anymore room for hope, that calms all the discontent that can swell in a fleeting moment, or a crushing day.

Was there any point in time when you had more hope than you have today?? Why?? or do you hope more now than ever before??

If there was ever more hope; it was just in quantity. And those were probabily more akin to being wishes. –When I younger, I had more things I hoped for to happen. I don’t think it is cynicism or a drought of the present–but a difference in lifes disposition of waiting for the future to arrive, versus realizing the present is (to put it plainly) all there is.

Is there a photograph that represents hope to you?? a song?? a phrase?? a speech??

There are plenty I know that I’ve come across. But the ones that initially come to mind at the question, is Imagine by John Lennon, or Across the Universe by the Beatles. But I don’t think many things contain the essence of hope for me. It’s just a nuance that–fromt time to time–calms the discontent, or sends it out for a consideration with fleeting thought.

Is there a book, a film or even a t-shirt that sums it up the best??

Nothing currently fuels me besides myself.

Is there a particular season that fills you with hope more than any other??

Winter. –Waiting to be uncoiled from its grip to prove my existence.

Is there one person on planet Earth that gives you hope above all others, is it your mum?? your dad?? your children?? or someone you have never met??

Nobody permanent right now. Just those that catch my fleeting adoration. Hoping without is longing, I suppose. –Just more wishes for a fancy moment, these days.

Could it be a single graphic image, a cheap doodle, piece of graffiti on a wall??

Could be–sometimes.

Who, what or where gives you hope??

I actually draw hope from many things:
- My friends give me hope.
- Certain things that I read and find on the internet give me hope - by this I mean intelligently worded discussion, thoughtful argument, and posts like the one I’m replying to here. The simple fact that a category of individual who is sufficiently thoughtful, passionate, and intelligent to carry out some of the discussions I see genuinely gives me hope. There’s an opposite of course, but that’s as with all things.
- most importantly, my family (particularly my wife and son) give me hope. There’s something about having a very young child which generates hopes and fears in equal and alarmingly voluminous measure.

Was there any point in time when you had more hope than you have today?? Why?? or do you hope more now than ever before??

I actually think that now I have a family, I have more hope than ever before. It’s very easy to hope for wonderful things before they happen to you, but it’s after you’ve lived through and experienced wonderful things that you’re inspired to hope for even more wonderful things to happen (and by wonderful things I don’t mean winning the lottery, etc, I mean things like my child being born safely, talking, taking his first steps: The hope for the next tiny miracle).

Is there a photograph that represents hope to you?? a song?? a phrase?? a speech??

There are a couple of songs; A Magic World by The Eels (also Hey Man (Now You’re Really Living)), also One in a million by Chris Wood (one of the most beautiful songs I’ve heard in a long time).

Is there a book, a film or even a t-shirt that sums it up the best??

While many write it off as sci-fi hokum (or simply rubbish) I think Signs is one of the best films about hope ever made. It has obvious, strong religious overtones, but I actually think that beyond this it’s a genuinely moving film. Again, I’m sure the topic of hope in modern and classic cinema is a huge one, but any further examples escape me at the moment.

Is there a particular season that fills you with hope more than any other??

Not really. I suppose Christmas time (ergo, the winter) fills me with the most hope; directly as a result of close proximity to family and friends.

Is there one person on planet Earth that gives you hope above all others, is it your mum?? your dad?? your children?? or someone you have never met??

There is no one person.

Could it be a single graphic image, a cheap doodle, piece of graffiti on a wall??

Not in my case.

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