A Journey Into Hope

In this episode, Val Brown interviews author Barbara Isaac Croce about her book 'A Journey into Hope: An Interactive Journal for Women.' They discuss the importance of processing thoughts and emotions and training the heart to look at life from a "Hope in God" perspective. Barbara shares the Biblical pattern for training the soul found in Psalm 42:11. The Psalmist acknowledges the current state of his soul--despairing and disturbed--then he directs his heart to God, to trust in Him, and to worship Him as his Help, his God to whom he can run. Friends, Hope that originates within a loving relationship with God transcends our circumstances! In Him, we can find Hope; i.e., a legitimate expectation of good. Indeed, He is the God of Hope, who wants to meet us right where we find ourselves. “If you just open your heart a tiny bit, He’s going to rush in like a river.” Barbara In this conversation, Barbara gives personal instances of when she's reframed her life's challenges and found Hope that sustained her. In these challenges, she's learned the importance of trusting God and worshiping Him; furthermore, she's found true riches in great loss. Purchase the journal on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3NxwPTE. [The Move Your Heart Ministry may receive a small compensation through this affiliate link.]; or if you are local to Indiana, PA, various small businesses stock her journal. Email Barbara for more information: [email protected]. Join the Journey Into Hope Facebook community with the QR Code found in the back of the journal. Takeaways from the broadcast: *Processing emotions and finding hope in God's Word is essential for living well. *Hope is not dependent on circumstances, but on our relationship with God. *Leaning into pain and yielding to God's discipline can lead to growth and transformation. Training our hearts to look at life through a hopeful perspective is a lifelong journey. Hope is a choice that we can make while in difficult circumstances. Discovering peace and finding true riches can be a part of the journey through challenging times. Podcast Chapters: 00:00 Introduction and Welcome 01:18 Barbara's Journey and Writing the Book 03:01 Processing Emotions and Overcoming Difficulties 06:15 Facing Pain and Processing Emotions 07:06 The Importance of Keeping a Soft Heart 08:20 Finding Hope in God 10:46 The Level of Difficulty and Overcoming Challenges 12:13 Asking Questions and Finding Hope in God's Word 15:06 Finding God and Discovering Hope 19:35 Training the Heart to Find Hope 21:31 Hope Beyond Circumstances 23:12 Finding Hope in Difficult Circumstances 25:04 God as the God of Hope 26:19 Drawing Strength from God 28:30 Barbara's Background and Journey 34:12 Barbara's Relationship with the Lord 35:32 Leaning into Pain and Yielding to God 43:51 The Journey of Going Through 44:11 Discovering Peace in Hard Life Circumstances 45:06 Worship and Trusting God 46:04 The Book's Audience: Women at Every Stage of Life 46:58 Empowering Young Women to Handle Challenges 47:28 Reframing Life's Challenges 48:06 Losing Everything and Finding True Riches 49:15 Walking One Day at a Time 50:37 The Power of Writing and Pouring Out Our Hearts 51:38 Opening Our Hearts to God 52:28 The Healing Power of Raw and Honest Communication with God 52:42 Finding Strength in Community 53:05 Creating a Supportive Community through a Facebook Group 54:59 Hope as a Choice 55:35 Prayer for Hope and God's Unconditional Love 56:54 Closing Prayer and Encouragement