Hope Realized: How the Power of Practical and Spiritual Development Can Diminish Poverty and Expose the Lie of Hopelessness

by James H. Belt III

A world free of poverty is possible—when we reimagine the powerful force of hope and what it can do.

Poverty isn’t just a lack of resources. Often, even after resources are available, poverty lingers. Why is that? And can anything be done to help?

The problem is bigger than a lack of resources, wealth, or education. A lie of hopelessness is holding people captive, preventing them from moving forward, and perpetuating global poverty.

It might feel hopeless, but it’s not. You can make a meaningful difference once you understand the missing piece you can offer.

From rural Nicaraguan towns to large American cities, business and church leader James Belt is transforming impoverished communities through practical opportunities for growth and the spiritual hope found in Jesus. Full of inspiration and actionable steps for every Christian who wants their own contributions to make a significant difference, this guide will help you create “all-in” hope that can change lives and end poverty.

You’ll discover

• A new perspective on why economic inequality exists—and how to go beyond traditional missionary and volunteer work to end it.
• True stories of the hopelessness ensnaring the poor in self-perpetuating pockets of intergenerational poverty, homelessness, and underprivilege.
• The incredible power of practical and spiritual hope to overcome poverty, whether in your city or across the world.
• Inspiring Bible passages to help you transform your own faith and privilege into hope and identity for others.
• Practical outreach and community project ideas that will empower people to fulfill their God-given potential.

We need more than surface-level hope to create impactful change. Get Hope Realized and start fighting the lie of hopelessness and poverty with all-in hope.

Genres: Nonfiction

185 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 30, 2022

About the author

James H. Belt III is the second-generation owner and president of Belt Enterprises, Inc. A church leader and missionary, he traveled to Nicaragua in 2007, where he witnessed the realities of poverty firsthand. His experience and his commitment to helping others thrive inspires his hope-filled, world-changing approach to fighting poverty—one of the world’s biggest problems.

While living in Nicaragua for three years, James focused on community and small-business development as the field director for NicaWorks!, an organization that creates community-led change to build a hopeful present and future for the vulnerable in Nicaragua. He helped develop NicaBike Shop, a pre-owned bike retailer in Managua, as well as Fruitvera, a commercial agriculture operation in Veracruz. He continues to work with NicaWorks! and currently serves on their management team.

A graduate of Towson University, James lives in Maryland with his wife, Jennifer, two children, two dogs, and two cats. When he’s not busy volunteering, he enjoys traveling, reading, and playing sports. Learn more at www.jameshbelt.com.

Reviews

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hope Realized is one of the easiest 5 star ratings I've given a book this year. James' conversational writing style is accessible to all, and yet moves the reader deeply. His heartwarming and heartbreaking storytelling captures moments and memories from suburban America to the mountains of Nicaragua. His compassion jumps off the page and I found myself smiling and crying at the resilience of people and their unmovable faith in God. I went in thinking this would be an idealistic and oversimplified take on how to overcome poverty, but this book gave me a refreshing perspective on the reality of poverty and how I can play a role in giving hope, the NOUN, to people by sharing resources and partnering with them to encourage them spiritually. James speaks to the fundamentals of life - marrying practical needs with spiritual needs. He challenges preconceived notions on social advantages, and inspires to reader to look inward to grow personally wherever they find themselves in life. For me, this book has helped me identify and check my privilege as I develop compassion for others. Hope Realized shines a light on how every one of us can be part of a bigger story - one of true HOPE - that is shared across cultures around the world.

[Shirley Alarie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poverty doesn’t seem like it would be an insurmountable problem. When you’re not poor, it actually seems like a relatively easy problem to solve. But author James Belt III understands first-hand why the simplified ways that people who aren’t living in poverty think that poverty can be solved aren’t always effective. With his many years in the trenches of poverty in Nicaragua as a missionary, Belt understands why poverty’s not a problem we can simply throw money at and expect a magical result.

As an engaging storyteller, Belt takes readers on a rollercoaster ride through multiple people and organizations’ attempts at breaking through barriers to poverty. Belt paints a realistic picture of what makes systemic poverty so difficult to overcome. At times inspiring and heartbreaking, Hope Realized remains hopeful for a brighter future.

Just when I was starting to lose hope that lasting change to break the cycle of poverty is possible, Belt made the case for the power we each have to contribute to making change.

Who would benefit from this book?
If you care about those who are struggling through poverty, both in your native country and in the rest of the world, Hope Realized: How the Power of Practical and Spiritual Development Can Diminish Poverty and Expose the Lie of Hopelessness is for you.

[Hayley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some self-help books seem more like a way for these authors to talk about their lives/accomplishments than truly meaningful books. Unfortunately, this book fell into this trend. I know more about the author’s life than I do how to address poverty. No matter the topic of the chapter, the conversation kept returning to the author’s personal life or work with particular organizations in Nicaragua. At times, I wondered if this book was actually a ploy for gaining donors and volunteers under the guise of Christian nonfiction.

There was some useful information. I enjoyed the short analysis of the factors contributing to Nicaraguan poverty, as well as the description of the impact of the scarcity mindset and hopelessness. However, this book promised a “new perspective”—a task that definitely was not accomplished. There was nothing unique about the information this book provided. In fact, there are many books, including “Scarcity: Why Having Too Little Means So Much” by Eldar Shafir, that offer the same insight but in a much more compelling way.

Overall, this book failed to add anything new to the topic of poverty and seemed more self-serving than truly helpful.

*I received an ARC of this book. This is my complete and honest review.*

[Julianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great overall point that you need both practical and spiritual hope to escape poverty. Argument could have been organized better, felt like only a piece in the puzzle of proving this important point.

Read the physical copy, not the audio book. The odd phrasing distracts from the content.

The longer I ponder this book, the more incomplete it feels. I worry that 2 things could happen with it:

1. His point won’t be convincing because it’s all based on his personal experiences (and mostly in one location), so it doesn’t show enough of how this is true for everyone.

2. Those who are convinced that a holistic approach to hope is necessary won’t know where to go from here, because after saying that how we’ve done things doesn’t work he doesn’t provide a concrete way to do it better. (This one is where I’m at.)

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hope Realized looks at the issue of poverty and provides insight on how to improve this issue through "all-in hope". The author describes his experiences in Nicaragua and impoverished areas in the United States. His interactions with those struggling to climb out of poverty have led him to do all he can to help those in need. The book is well written and very inspirational! My favorite quote is "All in hope is both practical and spiritual. It is providing practical hope in the form of tangible resources and spiritual hope in the form of a new picture of the life for which they were created."

[Stephanie Albright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great picture of how real change can happen and the power of spiritual and practical hope.

I would recommend this book for anyone who has a heart for equipping and empowering those in need. Or to put it simply anyone who has a heart for helping others.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

[Juan · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great inspirational book. It made me realize that an "all in hope" approach, is one way to achieve a meaningful successful spiritual life. Here the author brings light on how hope can be a practical power to our lives.

[Jenny K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to GoodReads and the author for a Kindle edition of this amazing book!

[Debbie Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very inspiring book. Thank you Goodreads for my Kindle copy.

[Shelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written and helpful.