Catching Hope - by Pete Nunnally (Paperback)

About the Book

"Open your heart to the hidden wisdom and beauty found at the water's edge. Priest and fisherman Pete Nunnally loves to teach people how to fish for fish and, through that, how to fish for what their soul is yearning for: to come alive. In Catching Hope, he takes his readers fishing with him. Each chapter explores a different aspect of the fishing process--from preparing your tackle, to reading the landscape, to finally catching something (or not). But this isn't a book about how to fish. It's a book about the bigger and more profound truths about our lives that the act of fishing reveals. Along the way you'll learn how fishing connects the human condition to the divine presence in all things. And even if you never go fishing, this book will open your heart to the hidden wisdom and beauty found at the water's edge.Fishing is an exercise in hope. In a world where every answer is at our fingertips, fishing is transformative for its sheer unpredictability. You never know what is going to happen. While the potter knows they will make a pot, the fisherman knows only that they will be at the water's edge, watching and waiting, anticipating the moment when the pole bends and something wild joins the story. In an age when we are more removed from nature than ever before, fishing also reconnects and draws us into an ancient dance with the natural world, our true home. Let's walk to the edge of the water together, toss out our lines, and wait to see what happens next"-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

Open your heart to the hidden wisdom and beauty found at the water's edge.

Priest and fisherman Pete Nunnally loves to teach people how to fish for fish and, through that, how to fish for what their soul is yearning for: to come alive. In Catching Hope, he takes his readers fishing with him. Each chapter explores a different aspect of the fishing process--from preparing your tackle, to reading the landscape, to finally catching something (or not). But this isn't a book about how to fish. It's a book about the bigger and more profound truths about our lives that the act of fishing reveals. Along the way you'll learn how fishing connects the human condition to the divine presence in all things. And even if you never go fishing, this book will open your heart to the hidden wisdom and beauty found at the water's edge.

Fishing is an exercise in hope. In a world where every answer is at our fingertips, fishing is transformative for its sheer unpredictability. You never know what is going to happen. While the potter knows they will make a pot, the fisherman knows only that they will be at the water's edge, watching and waiting, anticipating the moment when the pole bends and something wild joins the story. In an age when we are more removed from nature than ever before, fishing also reconnects and draws us into an ancient dance with the natural world, our true home. Let's walk to the edge of the water together, toss out our lines, and wait to see what happens next.

Review Quotes

"Like every good fisherman, Pete Nunnally is a great storyteller, and each chapter of this book is full of adventurous, humorous, and delightful stories. That would be a good enough reason to read Catching Hope, but Nunnally always adds some deeper insight into why we're here, what we're searching for--and that deeper insight makes this book an unforgettable catch. Highly recommended!" --Brian D. McLaren, author of Faith After Doubt and The Last Voyage

"No need to be a fishing enthusiast to find this little gem utterly compelling. In vivid prose, and with vulnerable wisdom, Father Pete Nunnally tells his story of coming alive--to waters and winds and fishy creatures with their wily ways, but even more, to God. Currents of memoir and hard-won spiritual insight flow deftly through these chapters, offering spiritual seekers and yearners plenty to celebrate and ponder." --Debra Rienstra, author of Refugia Faith: Seeking Hidden Shelters, Ordinary Wonders, and the Healing of the Earth

"I don't know much about fishing, but I know that it includes a great deal of struggle. Catching Hope is for all those who struggle, whether it is a struggle with God, faith, and religion; a struggle to find their place in the world; or a struggle with their own thoughts and demons. If you have ever found yourself in any of these struggles, you will resonate with this gift that Father Pete Nunnally has offered us. Nunnally writes with passion, humor, deep spiritual insight, and refreshing authenticity. Catching Hope is for those of us who are tired of easy answers and neat, tidy stories and who are ready to struggle faithfully with the real life that God has given to us." --Derrick Weston, director of theological education and formation at Creation Justice Ministries, and author of The Just Kitchen