What exactly is this bizarre thing called Forgiveness? Why should we want to forgive? How does one do it? How do I? How could I?Forgiveness is probably difficult for most of us. We hurt others. We are hurt by others. We need to be forgiven. We need to forgive. Neither seeking nor granting pardon seems natural. Yet if we are to enjoy lives of harmony, peace, and joy, forgiveness alone provides the way. The ugly option is enslavement to a painful past.Author J. Randall O'Brien, the president of Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, Tennessee, reminds us through stories and personal experience that having a heart for forgiveness is not the best way to enjoy life-it is the only way. Nothing else works. O'Brien invites us to discover the way to peace and healing through being set free by forgiveness.
The amazing true story of Gaile Owens' release from death row shows how God opened a door for a mother and son to both be set free - one from a prison of unforgiveness, the other from a literal prison cell.
Forgiving the Nightmare is a testimony of forgiveness, God's grace, and overcoming in the midst of life's hurts, pains, and abuses. Mark has been rescued from traumatic childhood abuse and restored through the power of God's Word and prayer.
“‘Jesus, where are you?’ I prayed every night as I wept . . . I felt I had failed as a priest, for I had preached love and the people made genocide. . . .Then I heard God speak to me. Jesus wanted me to use these experiences to evangelize later. It was then that I knew my life would be spared. God would make a way.” During the 25th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide, Fr. Ubald Rugirangoga tells the dramatic story of how he survived while losing more than eighty of his family members and 45,000 of his parishioners in the killings. In the aftermath, Fr. Ubald experienced a renewed sense of purpose as a minister of reconciliation and a healing evangelist in his homeland and around the world. In Forgiveness Makes You Free, he offers five spiritual principles that can help those traumatized by the past to experience healing and peace in Christ. In 1994 the world looked on in disbelief and horror as Rwanda erupted in violent bloodshed. All across the landlocked African country, militant Hutus rose up to exterminate the Tutsi population, including women and young children. One hundred days later, a million bodies littered fields, streets, and even churches. Now, on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Rwandan genocide, a powerful testimony emerges of the power of God to bring peace and reconciliation into hearts full of fear and hate. In Forgiveness Makes You Free, Fr. Ubald Rugirangoga shares his own dramatic story of how he survived the genocide and its traumatic aftermath. He testifies about how God spared his life so that he might help others with deep physical, emotional, and spiritual wounds to experience peace and healing. In retelling the story of how he forgave the man who killed his family and cared for the man’s children while he was in prison, Fr. Ubald demonstrates how showing mercy can facilitate true forgiveness even in the most painful circumstances of our lives. Throughout the book, Fr. Ubald teaches about five spiritual keys that draw us to Christ, the only source of lasting peace: be thankful and have faith choose to forgive denounce evil decide to live for Jesus claim the blessing Each chapter combines Fr. Ubald’s story with reflection questions that guide readers along their own path of healing: from fear to faith, from shame to freedom, from isolation to reconciliation, from resentment to mercy, and from conflict to peace. The final chapter offers a guided meditation to help those who need to experience the power of God to release those held in bondage by fear and hate and to find the secret of peace. An appendix contains information about “The Mushaka Reconciliation Project,” a catechetical tool that has been used successfully by parishes in Rwanda, and could easily be adapted by parishes in the United States, to mediate reconciliation between individuals and groups who have become estranged by violence, trauma, and ethnic or cultural divisions.
Let go of anger and learn how to forgive with these journal prompts and self-assessment exercises to get you one step closer to peace, health, and lightness of spirit. I forgive you. Those three little words can improve your physical and mental health, release anger and resentment, and boost your overall well-being. Research shows that holding on to hurt is toxic to your mind, body, and spirit—increasing your chance of heart disease, inflammation, and depression. The solution is to forgive—but that doesn’t mean letting the person who hurt you off the hook! Through exercises and journaling techniques, certified life coach Meredith Hooke teaches the power and importance of forgiveness. Providing a step-by-step guide, Let Forgiveness Set You Free helps you learn to forgive in a satisfying and healthy way so you can move on to a happier and more enjoyable life.
Have you ever been hurt, betrayed, used or done wrong? At some point in life, we all experience wounds from others. But, staying hurt is not okay. When we refuse to let go of the hurt, it turns to unforgiveness and unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting the other guy to die. It eats our lunch. This book is all about HOW to forgive...
Human Resiliency: the ability of the human spirit to ""heal"" from traumatic experiences. In 1943 Hitler and his Nazi army were in the midst of enacting their plan of cleansing Germany of the non-aryans which included those that were Jewish, the ""Gypsies,"" Jehovah's Witnesses, the physically disabled, those married to non-aryans and all who were against Hitler. Auschwitz was the largest death camp during this time. This novel is set during this time, when Human Resiliency was tested often. Through the perspectives of the two main characters: Kurt and Ilsa, the novel captures the resiliency of the human spirit as they face the traumatic experiences during this time period. The role that love has in fueling the resiliency of the spirit; both the loss of love, and being surrounded by it.
One of the core messages of the gospel is that of total forgiveness…not only that we can be totally forgiven by God, but also that we must, in turn, totally forgive others.
Bitterness often grows out of a small offense: perhaps a passing word, an accidental slight, or a pair of dirty socks left in the middle of the living room floor. Yet when bitterness takes root in our hearts, its effects are anything but small. "See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many." (Heb. 12:15) In this collection of short articles, Jim Wilson and others discuss what it means to live as "imitators of God." As the Apostle Paul says in Ephesians, we have been called to leave the bitterness and anger of the world and instead embrace the love and compassion of our God. The authors remind us that we are to forgive others just as we have been forgiven, pointing to Scriptural admonitions and examples as they offer sound teaching on the trials and temptations of everyday life.
