A Churchwide Emphasis on The Gospel in Hard Times
We all face hard times and brokenness, and the church should be a safe place to find real answers. That’s why we are introducing The Gospel in Hard Times, a new collection of resources that will deepen your understanding of God’s plan by providing gospel answers to questions such as, “Why am I going through this?” and “Where is God when I need him?”
The Gospel in Hard Times
This new Bible study with additional resources were created to equip believers with a biblical perspective on hardship, suffering, and disability. From the pulpit to small groups, and even in the children’s ministry, every area of the church is able to take part in the study together. Pastors can use the provided sermon notes to lead their congregations to a deeper understanding of how to trust God through life’s struggles and adversities, while the studies provide God’s people with real help and hope in the midst of suffering.
Through eight engaging sessions, The Gospel in Hard Times small group resources explore how a loving faith community can support each other well during hard times. As one body with many parts, a church can meet the needs of those who are suffering, and also help them walk alongside others who are afflicted, disabled, and marginalized.
The study guide includes leader’s notes and discussion questions to assist in directing the conversation. You can also use the session videos to engage study participants and spark discussion within your group. Each brief video features real-life stories of people facing hard times and how they have found hope in the gospel.
God Made Me Unique
This fully illustrated children’s book helps parents, teachers, and caregivers teach children that God creates every person in His image and each individual has tremendous value, regardless of his or her appearance or abilities. This book helps eliminate fear and misconceptions about those who have special needs and emphasizes that every person deserves to be treated with kindness and respect.
In addition, The Gospel in Hard Times is combined with more focused resources that provide personal insight and encouragement for specific circumstances and topics including disability and marriage, having a special needs child, thriving in suffering, and questions for God.
For Better or Worse: When Disability Challenges Your Marriage
Even the best of marriages can be tried by the distresses of disability. The cumulative effects of strict daily routines, social isolation and inaccessibility, financial pressures, unmet expectations, and a life that is vastly different from most other couples can wear on the spirits of the strongest husband and wife. Married to Joni Eareckson Tada for more than 37 years, Ken Tada shares that disability does not have to be the defining word in your marriage. Instead, disability is an invitation for you and your spouse to depend on Jesus in your weakness and grow closer to each other than you ever thought possible.
My Baby Has a Disability: Life-Giving Questions and Answers
So, your world has just been rocked with news that the baby you’re expecting has been diagnosed with a significant disability. Your hopes and plans are crumbling as your fears and questions are rising to take their place. Shauna Amick shares her story of having a child prenatally diagnosed with Down syndrome. In the midst of her enormous questions and fears, Shauna learned that God has a one-of-a-kind purpose for every child—each one uniquely formed in His image. She invites you to dream new dreams for yourself and your precious child and guides you towards acceptance of this unexpected diagnosis.
A New Normal: Learning to Thrive in Suffering
How do you begin to piece your life together after it has been changed forever? When suffering waylays you, it doesn’t seem as if anything will ever be “normal” again. How do you take steps to move from surviving to thriving? This resource will help you understand how to lean into your Christian community. A New Normal encourages you to experience the blessing of sharing the comfort that the Lord gives you as you pour out your pain honestly before Him. Suffering is an invitation to know the heart of Jesus and to hope in the restoration that the Lord will work on behalf of His children. Discover hope in the unlikliest of places as you learn how to suffer well and thrive in the midst of hard times.
Is God Listening? What if He Doesn’t Answer?
Nothing in life is turning out the way you expected. You pray and ask for relief, help, and changed circumstances, but those prayers never seem to be answered. So, what are you to think when it feels like life is going from bad to worse? You wonder if God is even listening. Does he hear your cries for help? If He does, why doesn’t He do something? Why does He allow you to suffer? This book reminds us that God hears each cry for help, and He is not silent. He speaks to you through His Word—the Bible—and He acted to save you through the cross. Jesus offers us His unwavering presence and the promise that one day, those who trust him will be delivered completely.
So, we invite you to dive in with your church congregation, small group study, and your children in learning how to suffer well and come alongside those in your community who are experiencing hardship. Your understanding of God’s plan for suffering will deepen through these real gospel answers to some of life’s hardest questions!
The Gospel in Hard Times
Equipping believers with a biblical perspective on hardship, suffering and disability. From the pulpit to small groups and even in the children’s ministry, every area of the church will find help and hope in this collection of resources.
