Hope In Hard Times

We’ve all been there. Rock bottom. The end of our rope. The last straw. During hard times, it often seems like the only option is to throw in the towel. In Hope for Hard Times, author Magrey deVega examines the lives of the great biblical prophets Elijah and Elisha and reveals a consistent message in their stories: Don’t give up, and don’t lose hope. Trust that God will help you find a way. When you look closely at the accounts of Elijah and Elisha from 1 Kings 17 to 2 Kings 8, you will find amazing stories of God’s provision. God provides for Elijah, as he faces down opposition in a mountaintop showdown and when he feels alone and ready to give up while hiding in a cave listening for God’s still, small voice. God provides for Elisha, when he brings healing to Naaman and when he is surrounded by enemies and praying for spiritual eyes to be opened to hope. There is hope for you in hard times. Your story of hurt, heartache, and hopelessness has been heard, and God has a message for you. Read these stories, pray through them, and listen as you receive encouragement and guidance for whatever you are facing today. Open your eyes, and open your hands. For just like ravens at the Brook Cherith, God is with you, giving you everything you need. Components for this 4-session study will include a book, leader guide, and four streaming videos available online featuring Magrey outlining each topic in an accessible and engaging way. Sessions Include: When the Odds Seem Against You (1 Kings 17 and 18) When You Feel Down and Out (1 Kings 18-21) When Life Takes a Turn (2 Kings 2) When All Seems Lost (2 Kings 4-8)

Of the many recipients of federal support during the Great Depression, the citizens of Norvelt, Pennsylvania, stand out as model reminders of the vital importance of New Deal programs. Hoping to transform their desperate situation, the 250 families of this western Pennsylvania town worked with the federal government to envision a new kind of community that would raise standards of living through a cooperative lifestyle and enhanced civic engagement. Their efforts won them a nearly mythic status among those familiar with Norvelt’s history. Hope in Hard Times explores the many transitions faced by those who undertook this experiment. With the aid of the New Deal, these residents, who hailed from the hardworking and underserved class that Jacob Riis had called the “other half” a generation earlier, created a middle-class community that would become an exemplar of the success of such programs. Despite this, many current residents of Norvelt—the children and grandchildren of the first inhabitants—oppose government intervention and support political candidates who advocate scrutinizing and even eliminating public programs. Authors Timothy Kelly, Margaret Power, and Michael Cary examine this still-unfolding narrative of transformation in one Pennsylvania town, and the struggles and successes of its original residents, against the backdrop of one of the most ambitious federal endeavors in U.S. history.

Arthur Rothstein, Russell Lee, John Vachon, and Marion Post Wolcott became some of the United States' best-known photographers through their pictures of Depression-era America. Their assignment, as one of their associates described it, was to have "a long look at the whole vast, complicated rural U.S. landscape with all that was built on it and all those who built and wrecked and worked in it and bore kids and dragged them up and played games and paraded and picnicked and suffered and died and were buried in it." In Montana the four photographers traveled to forty of the state's fifty-six counties, creating a rich record of the many facets of the Depression and recovery: rural and urban, agricultural and industrial, work and play, hard times and the promise of a brighter future. The photographers captured the dignity of Montanans as they struggled to scratch out livings from dried-up fields, nurture families in the shadows of Butte head frames, and foster communities on the vast expanses of the northern plains. Hope in Hard Times, features over 140 Farm Security Administration photographs to illustrate the story of the Great Depression in Montana and the experiences of the photographers who documented it. Today these striking images, from cities like Butte to small towns like Terry, present an unforgettable portrait of a little-studied period in the history of Montana. Selected from the Farm Security Administration Collection at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., the photographs in Hope in Hard Times offer viewers an unparalleled look at life in Montana in the years preceding the United States' entry into World War II.

In hard times, it is easy to feel as if there is no hope. But Christ's work on the cross gives reason for hope even in the darkest of times.

Fear Worry Stress These emotions can overwhelm and consume us. They fill our minds with unanswerable questions. What will I lose…my health? my family? my job? my home? Will our lives ever be normal again? What is “normal”? We live in a sin-sick world. Catastrophes surround us, but we can surrender our fears to Jesus. He is the answer to overwhelming fears that consume our energy, rob our joy, and ruin our health. Fear is an emotion. Faith is an attitude, and focus is a choice. Fear must give way to faith as we adjust our focus. If our eyes are focused on the problem, fear will overcome us. If our eyes are fixed upon Jesus, the emotion of fear may still be present, but it will not cripple us. Fear will no longer dominate our lives. Discover with Pastor Mark Finley as he shows us that we have One who is larger than our fears, bigger than our worries, and greater than our anxieties by our side, and He has practical, down-to-earth, real solutions to our problems. We have the assurance of the One who said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).

Are you managing your life or is your life managing you? Get back on track with the perfect dose of inspiration, fresh perspective and faithful direction in Our Sunday Visitor's brand new 30-Minute Read series. The 30-Minute Read series touches on a variety of useful topics such as: --Stress-Proof Your Marriage --Why Me? When Bad Things Happen -- Hope For Hard Times Find a sliver of time at lunch, in the parking lot or just before bed and get started today!

How do you find hope in hard times? Learn not only how to survive the difficult seasons, but to live a full life in the midst of them and beyond. Grounded in God's constancy and rooted in eternal hope, Nouwen guides you towards the kind of life that you can dance to—even through the darkest night. Deeply comforting and profoundly realistic, Turn My Mourning into Dancing discusses five movements we experience during hard times: From Our Little Selves to a Larger World From Holding Tight to Letting Go From Fatalism to Hope From Manipulation to Love From a Fearful Death to a Joyous Life Healing begins with taking our pain out of its toxic isolation and seeing our sufferings in communion with all humanity, and all creation. Nouwen teaches us that our lives participate in something much larger. Turn My Mourning into Dancing is a must read for: Those seeking growth and insight on the struggles of life Anyone going through the grief process and searching for real solutions Those who have experienced a loss, betrayal, or hard times Everyone grieves differently. It is a process, not a science experiment. Mourning shouldn’t last forever. Do you want the kind of life that allows you to dance even in the middle of the darkest night? Get the answers and find hope within your hard times.

Successes and speed bumps on the road to sustainable communities