Hope in Their Hands
... Come with me to a poetry show!
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Hope in Their Hands
Getting Through What You’re Going Through has been out for almost 3 months!
It was written while wrestling with some of the hardest questions of my life:
Will I make it through this?
Where is God in all of this?
What now?
Why is life like this?
The essays and poems in this book were born from those questions. They became a place for me to process grief, uncertainty, faith, healing, and hope.
What I’ve come to realize is this: we’re all asking these questions in one way or another.
When I was in high school and college, I assumed everyone else had life figured out. I thought I was the only one struggling internally. But as I’ve grown older, I’ve learned that we’re all doing the best we can with what we know. Everyone is carrying something.
That realization is what inspired Hope in Their Hands.
My dream is simple:
to place 7,000 copies of this book into the hands of students.
Not because I have every answer.
Not because this book magically fixes pain.
But because I want young people to know that what they’re going through matters, that they are not alone, and that they have the strength to endure.
Hope in Their Hands is about giving hope, language, and courage to a generation searching for a way forward.
Already, we’ve begun to see this vision come to life.
Up to this point, we’ve already distributed 2,500 copies of the book because of generous supporters.
We were able to send 50 copies to Birmingham, Alabama, where they were distributed to college students during an event where I had the opportunity to perform and share my story.
More recently, we sent 15 copies to a juvenile detention center and are getting ready to ship another 50 copies to high school students in Michigan and 25 copies to college students in Nebraska.
These moments remind me why this matters so much.
There are students everywhere silently carrying pain, fear, loneliness, confusion, anxiety, and hopelessness. Many of them simply need someone to remind them that they are seen, valued, loved, and capable of making it through.
I want to continue getting this book into the hands of students who may not otherwise have access to it.
Below is a video from my trip to Birmingham and some moments spent with the students there.
If you’d like to support Hope in Their Hands, you can make a tax-deductible donation at the link below.
Thank you for believing in this mission.
Thank you for helping place hope into the hands of a generation that deeply needs it.
Much love,
Tanner
How to Make it From Monday to Friday
The following is from my most recent book, Getting Through What You’re Going Through.
To get from Monday to Friday, you’ll have to get out of bed five times.
Some weeks this will seem like a lot, but most good gifts can feel overwhelming at first.
To make it to the weekend, you’ll need to do things to keep you going:
Get outside.
Take a break from screens.
Hold fast to the truth.
Eat chocolate of any kind: brownies, chocolate chip cookies, hot chocolate, cake, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (or if you’re fancy, you can get the dark chocolate peanut butter cups from Trader Joe’s, but I am warning you, you’ll get addicted).
Make plans so you can have something to look forward to.
Leave your phone in the other room, but be sure to call your mom or dad or sibling or someone who can remind you that you are loved and seen and prayed for.
Take a minute to watch videos of dogs on the internet or watch them at the park.
Let the dirty dishes pile up before you wash them down.
Scroll through Zillow and dream.
Walk the neighborhood.
Sing with the music loud and the windows down.
Order some sort of seasonal latte.
Count your blessings. Count them again.
Give yourself moments of stillness and stretching and silence.
Spend a few nights in your favorite sweatshirt.
Speak with God. Short prayers, long prayers, morning, afternoon, and evening prayers.
Don’t forget to watch the sun rest and rise.
And as the colors mix with the sky,
remind yourself that you were made to do both:
rest and rise.
Empty your hands but keep holding on to hope.
Confess your sins and go forward with grace.
To get from Monday to Friday, you’ll have to get out of bed five times.
What a gift.
Grab a copy of Getting Through What You’re Going Through. It’s a collection of poems, essays, and other hopeful words written to meet you where you are and gently guide you forward. Whether you’re navigating a difficult season or just need a reminder that you’re not alone, this book offers comfort, perspective, and a quiet sense of encouragement.
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Love the video and the journey you described to get where you are today - ups and downs, highs and lows.
I love the "Get out of bed 5 times" concept, and everything that was included in that poem! Maybe the Trader Joe's dark chocolate peanut butter cup a little too much, but always yes to chocolate! Thank you, Tanner, for sharing the hope you have with all of us who need to remember that it is ours, too.