Holy Hardship

“Pastor Dicks leads us through the process of dealing with adversity using the story of Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem through his death and resurrection. His perspective offers the reader an opportunity to see adversity a new light. His focus on patience, trust and prayer gives anyone struggling with adversity some healthy Christian guidelines for living through pain and loss with the clear Christian hope at the end.”

—Pastor Mike Flanigan, Holy Cross Episcopal Church, Simpsonville, SC

“Trendsetter, trailblazer, and torchbearer! These are just some of the superlatives that describe the amazing traits and characteristics of Dr. A. A. Dicks Jr. As a proven leader, pastor, and entrepreneur, he has touched the lives of thousands. However, I was totally surprised in 2017 to learn about his extreme adversity in his thriving local church. In fact, I will never forget our heart-wrenching conversation during his trip to Atlanta that year. Little did I know then, but our conversation became the catalyst for this seminal work. In a very transparent way, Dr. Dicks shares the timeless truths that adversity has taught him and how these principles have transformed his life. His ability to explain the advantages of adversity is beyond outstanding and promises to be the difference maker in the lives of those who read this life-changing body of work.”

 —Rev. Dr. Emory Berry Jr., Senior Pastor, Greenforest Community Baptist Church, Decatur, GA

“My dear friend and brother Pastor A. A. Dicks Jr. has offered to the world and Kingdom of God a much-needed book: Holy Hardship: How Jesus Turns Your Adversity Into an Advantage. In a culture that highlights the accouterments of successes and clicks on the social media stories that portray the illusion of prosperity, we rarely talk about the reality of pain, loss, stress, and hardships. In a time of multiple pandemics, from Covid-19, economic uncertainty, political dissonance, racial reckonings and church division, Pastor Dicks presents the argument that we should not be surprised by these tough times, but better is achievable on the other side of these hardships that cannot be ignored or avoided. In this book, not only will Pastor Dicks provide you incredible insight to overcome and thrive amid adversity but will give you the tools to identify and classify the adversity you are facing. This is a needed work in the times we are living in. May the revelations shared by Pastor Dicks guide and guard you through your holy hardships!”

—Rev. Dr. Charles E. Goodman Jr., Senior Pastor, Tabernacle Baptist Church, Augusta, GA

“Despite the obstacles that have been presented to Reverend A. A. Dicks Jr., he has managed to turn lemons into lemonade and teach us how to do the same without becoming bitter, but better. Reverend Dicks, your testimony and nuggets of wisdom breathes life to the reader. Page after page, the reader is drawn in until the wounds of their life experience healing. Thank you for the crushing that you’ve experienced so that we can receive the oil from your life.”

—Bishop Carl D. Parrott, Senior Pastor of Rhema Word Restoration Ministries, Presiding Prelate, T.R.U.E. Fellowship

“This book is excellent. It will ‘scratch where most of us itch.’ It is easy reading. A few times I had to put the book down and reflect how I handled challenges in my ministry. Was Jesus my model or was it someone else that I was trying to be like?”

—t, Senior Pastor, Greater Piney Grove Baptist Church, Atlanta, GA

“Holy Hardship is an incredibly phenomenal display of revelatory brilliance. This impressive superlative is a step-by-step coup d’oeil of life’s challenges as faced by a quintessential Savior. Dicks’s true-to-life depiction of the sufferings of Christ in correlation to the Believer yields an intuitive exhibition of artistic genius. Dicks masterfully leads an extraordinary excavation as he ingeniously unearths an age-old conundrum—Purpose! Truly, a remarkable read and one happily perused”

—Apostle Stacy Glover, Presiding Prelate, F.L.O.W. Ministries, Latta, SC 

“I have personally known Ps. Anthony Dicks for over 20 years. He is a dear friend, mentor, intellectual, theologian, leader, pastor, and a phenomenal preacher. This body of work, Holy Hardship: How Jesus Turns Your Adversity Into an Advantage is a must-read for every person that needs the right language and tools to grow beyond their adversity. It possesses the perfect balance of theological depth coupled with enlightening practicality for the everyday reader. Dicks has embraced the role to mentor his readers into a new relationship with adversity in hopes to find the purpose beyond their pain.”  

—Pastor Travis Simons, MDiv, Associate Pastor, The Potter’s House North Dallas, Frisco, TX  

“This book is a gift to this generation. In troublesome times as these, we need fresh, biblically authoritative pastoral voices to provide a guided understanding of the redemptive power of the cross to and help reframe adversity for a new generation as a divine invitation to flourish. The earnest offering in these pages is the sacred sentiments of a pastor who is deeply acquainted with the joys, rewards, and sorrows of every season of life. This book is theologically rich, intellectually accessible, and practically relevant. You will be captivated and comforted by the transformative teachings in this exciting work. The thoughts here are mined from a deep well of experience and satisfyingly saturated with love, wisdom, and grace that can only flow from a pastor’s heart. A must-read if you need hope in hard times.”

—Rev. Sheleta E. Fomby, New Life Church, Laurel, Maryland

“I have known Anthony for several years and his is a true and authentic faith that has been tested. In Holy Hardship he gives you a peak into how he journeyed through an excruciating season of testing and trial. All of us will go through a season of testing and Anthony blesses us with the wisdom of one that has gone before.”

—Erik Ely, President, Tre Fratelli Consulting, Columbia, SC 

“Anthony A. Dicks Jr. does not disappoint. He has found a way to marry the intellectual, the informative, and the inspirational. Holy Hardship: How Jesus Turns Your Adversity into an Advantage is scholarly in that it broadens your theological scope of adversity and its purpose in our lives. Yet, it is simplistic in that it is filled with foundational truths that are rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ! It is definitely worth reading!”

—Barry J. Elliot, The Logos Connection, Charlotte, NC