New book by Hawkins restores hope for people mired in crises

Published: October 18, 2021

Inspiration today often comes packaged in two-word bites via social media: Dream big, Aim high, Be awesome.

But reality for most people demands a greater measure of encouragement than instant inspiration. David Hawkins, author of the newly released book Dips, Disruptions & Destiny: Getting Out of What Life Got You In (self-published, 2021), contends that lifes difficulties hijack most folks fairy tale dreams and hold the dreamers hostage in chaos and dark valleys until despondency and depression take over. Not surprisingly, the dreams fade.

The good news? Those mired in disruptions are in good company. The biblical account of Joshua and the conquest of Jericho sets the stage for lessons in how God uses valleys to move his work upward and onward. Remarkably, God wants to join us on that journey.

Joshua is not who you think he is, and the Bible is clear that hes in nuclear meltdown mode, says Hawkins. Readers who know all too intimately the paralysis that meltdown mode brings will identify with the scenario.

Except for the hand of God, we dont view Joshua as a hero, says Hawkins. Then again, never underestimate the hand of God.

Hawkins, a gifted speaker and teacher, says writing the book opened a door for him to share with others in a way that is lasting and inspirationala reflective pace both for the writer and the reader.

Hawkins venture into authoring Dips, Disruptions & Destiny resembles Annie Herrings venture into songwriting. The contemporary Christian music pioneer once described receiving lyrics from the Lord in bits and pieces. She may receive a full verse in one sitting, but not the chorus. That means Im going to have to live through something to get it, she says.

Likewise, Dips, Disruptions & Destiny flowed not just from Hawkins studies, but also from having to live through something to get it. That somethinga crisis that shook him to the coreushered in a painful and difficult season.

The way I pushed forward and processed each day was to scribe my feelings, he says. In time, it occurred to him that he may not be alone and that his experiences were not unique. Others might identify with his documenting and processing.

At the time I did not know how things would turn out. I just knew I had to keep hoping, he recalls. The bookand opportunities to help othersemerged.

Too often, unwanted detours and diversions leave onetime dreamers feeling disqualified to dream. Not so, says Hawkins, speaking from experience.

This book isnt a roadmap or a self-help book, he says. Its a permission slip with a push. It is designed to provide handlebars that the world hides. We call them grace and mercy in theological circles.

Hawkins hopes Dips, Disruptions & Destiny will dispel the popular myth that a fruitful, productive life flows only from following a defined linear path, free of obstructions and upheavals.

We will have ups and downs and thats okay, he says. You can still move forward towards the God-given destiny and fulfill purpose and impact the world, even if you are dinged up! We are all dinged up!

Purchase Dips, Disruptions & Destiny on davidhawkins.net.

David Hawkins, GUs interim chapel director for 2021-22, is senior pastor at Living The Word Church in Collinsville, Illinois. He holds a bachelors in business administration from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a masters in theology from Covenant Seminary.