Painfully Broken Yet Beautifully Redeemed


Book Description

Painfully Broken Yet Beautifully Redeemed gives practical guidance to help break the Destruction of the cycle of Grief and Faith. This book is a true story of the life of the writer and her family. It begins with what was a Non-faith-based approach to how she handled the Grief of her stepson Jacob's murder, which was one of the roots of destruction in the home. Angela then explains a Biblical version of the same grief when she got the opportunity to have what she calls a Do-over when she loses yet another child named Jarred just 2091 days later. It is all here in this trying, sad and eye-opening exploration of the biblical principles on parenting, grief and how to live again after loss. This book can help make families function as God intended for them to function, even thru the tragedy of death.




Even Broken Can Be Beautiful


Book Description

“No human language possesses adequate words to describe what it feels like to watch as life slowly leaves your newborn baby. I have never felt so palpably and sickeningly helpless in my entire life. I was strong like wet tissue paper is strong. The moment felt like a horrible dream . . . except this bad dream was my reality.” How can a good God let babies die? Does He really have my best in mind? Will He ever heal my broken heart? The Bible tells us that God is good and that everything He does is good. But what about when the pain of this life bristles against that definition of God’s undeniable goodness? It is in those times when the deepest questions of our souls emerge. After learning that her unborn daughter would not be able to survive outside of the womb, author Sarah Rieke was pressed face-to-face with these difficult questions. Three years later, following the fatal diagnosis for her unborn son, Sarah was once again forced to reconcile God’s goodness against the brokenness of the world. Even Broken Can Be Beautiful is the story of the author’s own personal journey to find purpose in the most difficult, confusing, heart-breaking moments of life. It is the story of learning to lean hard on the God who can bring good from even the most despairing situations, an honest story of deep pain redeemed by the beauty of the cross of Christ. In this book, you, too, will uncover the sacred truth that because of Christ, even our most deeply broken places can be made beautiful.




Redeemed


Book Description

What do you do when pain and brokenness force their way into life? What about when life deals you a blow that you're not sure you can recover from? Should you try to avoid the pain, move through it as quickly as possible, or numb it until it passes? Could there be any value in suffering? How you handle pain and how you allow others to experience their pain reveals what you believe to be true about yourself, others, and God. What do you do when life inscribes words on your heart that you wish weren't there? Words like shame, fear, hopelessness and bitterness. My adoptive mother would tell me, "I got you out of the gutter, and I can put you back there." She was right. I did start out and travel through some very dark places in my life, but I did not remain there. I have God to thank for that! Not the God that fancy religious people told me about, but the God that I got to know for myself. This is the story of a life redeemed in so many beautiful ways!




Blended and Redeemed


Book Description

THE DIVORCE RATE FOR BLENDED FAMILIES IS 70%. BUT WHEN YOU DO IT GOD’S WAY, YOU HAVE A 100% CHANCE OF SUCCESS! Couples in blended—or “step”—families often feel misunderstood, even in the church. They struggle with complicated child behavioral issues, battle-pitched custody fights, and difficulty finding unity in co-parenting. Emotions such as guilt, shame, fear, or isolation threaten to overwhelm them. Now is the time for these families to feel heard, helped, and healed. In Blended and Redeemed, blended family experts, coaches, and therapists Scott and Vanessa Martindale go where few dare to venture—into the minefield of today’s blended families. You will learn how to: Defend your new marriage from old wounds and the enemy’s schemes Turn strangers into siblings through intentional and intelligent blending Work and communicate effectively with your ex-spouse as co-parents Navigate the fiery furnace of custody litigation Bring glory to God and inform the church about your messy and beautifully unique blended family Designed for pastors, church leaders, individuals or group studies, Blended and Redeemed will become your new go-to field guide for the modern stepfamily!




Teen Mom


Book Description

Being a mom is hard. Being a young mom has unique challenges. From a teen mom herself, Teen Mom speaks to your heart, sharing insight, encouragement, and practical advice to help you create a better life for yourself and your child. Everything changes the day you discover you're going to be a mom. It's not just yourself that you think about--you have a child to care for, too. While you wouldn't trade your child for the world, some days are just hard. Baby-daddy drama, dealing with your parents, and worries about school, work, and your future slam you. Your friends can't relate to your little family, and you wonder if God has turned His back on you, too. Tricia Goyer understands. A mom at age 17, Tricia remembers what it felt like to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, and she's here to help you through it too. In this book, she pours out her heart and shares practical advice on: Making decisions about work and school Dealing with changing relationships with friends Finding support as a single mom Relating to the baby daddy Handling hard days . . . and more! You are the great mom your child deserves! And you are stronger than you think. This book was previously titled Life Interrupted.




I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die


Book Description

A compassionate, shame-free guide for your darkest days “A one-of-a-kind book . . . to read for yourself or give to a struggling friend or loved one without the fear that depression and suicidal thoughts will be minimized, medicalized or over-spiritualized.”—Kay Warren, cofounder of Saddleback Church What happens when loving Jesus doesn’t cure you of depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts? You might be crushed by shame over your mental illness, only to be told by well-meaning Christians to “choose joy” and “pray more.” So you beg God to take away the pain, but nothing eases the ache inside. As darkness lingers and color drains from your world, you’re left wondering if God has abandoned you. You just want a way out. But there’s hope. In I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die, Sarah J. Robinson offers a healthy, practical, and shame-free guide for Christians struggling with mental illness. With unflinching honesty, Sarah shares her story of battling depression and fighting to stay alive despite toxic theology that made her afraid to seek help outside the church. Pairing her own story with scriptural insights, mental health research, and simple practices, Sarah helps you reconnect with the God who is present in our deepest anguish and discover that you are worth everything it takes to get better. Beautifully written and full of hard-won wisdom, I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die offers a path toward a rich, hope-filled life in Christ, even when healing doesn’t look like what you expect.




The Masquerade


Book Description

On the outside, Brielle Joy is a smiling, carefree teenager, but behind her facade shes slowly drowning in her fight to control a life headed for destruction. Shes struggling so much to forget her painful past that shes caught in the snares of anorexia and self-harm; Brielle will do anything to control the pain that threatens to escape. But God has a plan. In The Masquerade, Brielle shares her true story of a life shattered by sexual abuse and the restorative power of a heavenly Father. In this memoir, she tells how she suffered abuse at the hands of her father and how, with the help of God, she came to a place of freedom from her past. She describes her experiences because she understands others carry the same secrets in silence. Their painful pasts remain hidden, but not from God. He sees each tear and every hurt. The Masquerade offers a look at Brielles journey through the pain into a place of hope. She sends the message that no pain is too great, no darkness too overwhelming for God to reach out and bring you into the light of his love.




Impossible Marriages Redeemed


Book Description

Fifty stories of marriages brought back from the brink of disaster. Fifteen more stories of heroic spouses standing for their marriages after spousal abandonment.




Redeeming Heartache


Book Description

Find freedom and healing from painful memories and relational struggles and learn how your past has uniquely prepared you to experience more joy. Tragedy and pain inevitably touch our lives in some way. We long to feel whole, but more often than not, the way we've learned to deal with our wounds pushes us away from the very restoration we need most. Renowned psychologist Dr. Dan Allender and counselor and teacher Cathy Loerzel present a life-changing process of true connection and healing with ourselves, God, and others. With a clear, biblically trustworthy method, Allender and Loerzel walk you through a journey of profound inner transformation--from the shame and hurt of old emotional wounds to true freedom and healing. Drawn from modern research and their pioneering work at The Allender Center, they will help you identify your core trauma in one of the three outcast archetypes--the widow, orphan, or stranger--and chart your path of growth into the God-given roles of priest, prophet, or leader. This book will help you learn: What to do about feeling out-of-place and directionless How your coping mechanisms create a false sense of health How to embrace your divine calling and find lasting reconciliation How your heart wounds are your unique invitation to true strength and purpose. Your past pain does not dictate your life. Answer the call to healing and discover your life's beautiful story and a future of hope and freedom.




My Broken Smiles


Book Description

After becoming a teenage mother of two children while in high school, suffering spiritual depression, and surviving an emotionally abusive, narcissistic husband, Melanie Smiles was broken. But with an unyielding faith, she found transformation and emotional healing through the word of God, constant prayer, loving family, and devoted mentors. Follow Melanie's journey of internal struggles and unfortunate life events that eventually led to her brokenness-including a tumultuous marriage to an abusive narcissist. Learn how to recognize common signs of narcissistic personality disorder and the traits of broken individuals. Come to realize how the enemy uses people and their brokenness to hurt others and gain access to their lives. Through her story of brokenness, Melanie offers hope, knowledge, and encouragement to others facing the same or similar circumstances, inspiring them to seek and know the same God who saved her. Beauty does not exist in brokenness itself, but in how we allow it to restore and transform us into better versions of ourselves, so we may become Beautifully Broken.