WE all need a source of strength when times get tough.

For many, it will be loved ones. For others friends. For some, it may be simply a refusal to give in, or a conviction that things will get better. For Luke Smith, it was faith.

The father of two was only 33 when he was diagnosed with bowel cancer. The charity worker had gone into hospital to have an obstruction in his bowel removed. He woke up to find he had been fitted with a temporary colostomy bag. Tests later confirmed the tumour that had been removed was cancerous.

Luke underwent six months of chemotherapy, which left him feeling wiped out. His lowest moments came when he thought of the possibility of leaving his wife Hannah and sons Aaron and Morgan behind.

But through it all, he says, his faith kept him going. “Faith is a huge part of me,” he said.

Luke, a church leader with St Michael-le-Belfrey Church, has now written of his experiences for Hope Stories, a new book by the Archbishop of York telling 20 powerful personal stories.

Religious faith will not provide the answer for everyone at times of personal crisis.

But the inspiring stories in the Archbishop’s book demonstrate how powerful hope – whatever form that hope takes – can be.