When the Rev. Kevin McBride opens his office door on a snowy Sunday morning, he\u2019s ready to preach a good word for tough times. He walks straight into an anxious crowd of cookie-eating people who could really use some deeper sustenance.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s Jeff Bean, who was laid off 11 days ago from his manufacturing job and now sells identity-theft prevention tools on commission. There\u2019s Ken Archibald, an unemployed contractor. And there\u2019s Kim Sparks, a chicken farmer in a purple sweat suit and white T-shirt that proclaims: \u201cMy Savior Is Tougher Than Nails.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
She\u2019s losing money on every egg sale because of the high cost of feed. \u201cI worry a lot,\u201d\u009d says Carolyn Matthews, a freelance editor whose retirement portfolio has been \u201cpretty much decimated\u201d\u009d in recent months. \u201cBut Scripture is full of adversity. And in every story, there\u2019s a triumph of this sustaining Spirit.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n