How to escape from persistent troubles
Have there been times in your life when it feels like for every step you take forward, you’re forced to take two steps back? After a while, life can feel…
Topic > When Life Hurts > Anxiety & Depression > Hopelessness >
When Hope Is Lost: Dealing With Depression
Giving up on life or feeling that life has given up on you is a battle millions of people face in struggling with depression. In this booklet, counselor Jeff Olson…
Storms of Fear
In a TV commercial I saw recently, a woman casually asks someone in a group watching TV, “What are you searching for, Mark?” “A version of myself that doesn’t make decisions based on fear,” he responds soberly—not realizing that she was just asking what he liked to watch on TV!
Whoa, I thought. I wasn’t expecting a TV commercial to hit me so profoundly! But I related to poor Mark: sometimes I too feel embarrassed by the way fear sometimes seems to direct my life.
Jesus’ disciples also experienced the profound power of fear. Once, as they headed across the Sea of…
Through the Waters
The movie The Free State of Jones tells the US Civil War story of Newton Knight and some Confederate deserters and slaves who aided the Union Army and then resisted slaveholders after the war. Many herald Newton as the hero, but two slaves first saved his life after his desertion. They carried Knight deep into a secluded swampland and tended a leg wound he suffered while fleeing Confederate forces. If they’d abandoned him, he would have died.
The people of Judah were wounded and desperate, facing enemies and feeling helpless. Israel had been overtaken by Assyria, and Isaiah prophesied that one day…
Friendship Bench
In the south central African country of Zimbabwe, war trauma and high unemployment can leave people in despair—until they find hope on a bench. A friendship bench. Hopeless people can go there to talk with trained “grandmothers”—elderly women taught to listen to people struggling with depression, known in that nation’s Shona language as kufungisisa, or “thinking too much.”
The Friendship Bench Project is being launched in other places, including Zanzibar, Malawi, London, and New York City. “We were thrilled to bits with the results,” said one London researcher. A New York counselor agreed. “Before you know it, you’re not on a…
“The Widow Of Nain”
When you’re in a crowd, it’s easy to get caught up in the group’s emotion. Well, today on Discover the Word, the team will examine an emotional encounter when a crowd following Jesus crossed paths with a funeral procession. It’s a thought-provoking discussion in their series about “The Widow of Nain” today on Discover the Word!
The Power Of Tears
In times of sorrow, it can feel as if we’re alone in our suffering. But God never lets a single tear fall without His notice. Today on Discover the Word, we consider the power of tears and find hope in the truth that Jesus understands our grief. Join the group as they introduce a new series […]
When All Seems Lost
In just six months, Gerald’s life fell apart. An economic crisis destroyed his business and wealth, while a tragic accident took his son’s life. Overcome by shock, his mother had a heart attack and died, his wife went into depression, and his two young daughters remained inconsolable. All he could do was echo the words of the psalmist, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Psalm 22:1).
The only thing that kept Gerald going was the hope that God, who raised Jesus to life, would one day deliver him and his family from their pain to an eternal life…
Second Chances
“How can you be so kind if you don’t even know me!”
By making the wrong decisions, Linda had ended up in jail in a country not her own. For six years she remained in prison, and when she was set free she didn’t have anywhere to go. She thought her life was over! While her family gathered money to buy her ticket home, a kind couple offered her lodging, food, and a helping hand. Linda was so touched by their kindness that she willingly listened as they told her the good news of a God who loves her and wants…
What To Do When Your Burden Is Overwhelming
We must recognize the difference between burdens that are right for us to bear and burdens that are wrong. We should never bear the burdens of sin or doubt, but there are some burdens placed on us by God which He does not intend to lift off. God wants us to roll them back on Him— to literally “cast your burden,” which He has given you, “on the Lord . . . .” If we set out to serve God and do His work but get out of touch with Him, the sense of responsibility we feel will be overwhelming and defeating. But if we will only roll back on God the burdens He has placed on us, He will take away that immense feeling of responsibility, replacing it with an awareness and understanding of Himself and His presence.
Looking Up
An article in the Surgical Technology International journal says that looking down at a smart phone with your head bent forward is the equivalent of having a 60-pound weight on your neck. When we consider that millions of people around the world spend an average of 2-4 hours daily reading and texting, the resulting damage to neck and spine becomes a growing health concern.
It is also easy to become spiritually bowed down by the burdens of life. How often we find ourselves discouraged by the problems we face and the needs of those we love. The psalmist understood this weight of…
An encouraging conversation about a song of desperation
Have you ever felt buried under the weight of daily struggles? Ever felt overwhelmed by the troubles you’re going through? Then you can definitely relate to Psalm 55! Join us for an encouraging conversation as we take a look at David’s song of desperation.
Finding hope in the midst of discouragement
Life can be disappointing at times. So where do we turn for hope? Today on “Discover the Word,” we consider our only true source of hope during dark times: the encouragement of Jesus’ resurrection!
Discover the most important ingredient in a Christian’s life
It’s been said you can live 40 days without food, 4 days without water, 4 minutes without air. But you can’t live 4 seconds without hope. Join our brand new series on “Discover the Word” as we discover our hope of Christ.
How to escape from persistent troubles
Have there been times in your life when it feels like for every step you take forward, you’re forced to take two steps back? After a while, life can feel like a relentless chore! Here is an encouraging look at a place where we can escape that helplessness.
Perspective From The Clouds
In 1927 the silent film Wings, a World War I film about two American aviators, won the first Academy Award for Best Picture. When it was being filmed, production stopped for several days. Frustrated producers asked the director why. He responded: “All we have is blue sky. The conflict in the air will not be as visible without clouds. Clouds bring perspective.” He was right. Only by seeing aerial combat with clouds as a backdrop could the viewer see what was really going on.
Peace, Be Still
My friend Elouise has a wonderful way of putting life into clever perspectives. Once when I asked her, “How are you today?” I expected the usual “fine” response. Instead, she said, “I’ve got to wake Him up!” When I asked what she meant, she kiddingly exclaimed, “Don’t you know your Bible?!” Then she explained: “When the disciples faced trouble, they ran to wake up Jesus. I’m going to run to Him too!”
