Forgiving My Father, Forgiving Myself: An Invitation to the Miracle of Forgiveness

by Ruth Graham, Cindy Lambert (With)

Overview

When we live with unresolved anger or hurt, the result is nearly always bitterness, broken relationships, and unhealthy behaviors. Unforgiveness not only sabotages our interactions with those around us, it impedes our own spiritual growth and inner peace. And it can happen to anyone.

In her most vulnerable writing yet, Ruth Graham reveals how a visit to Angola Prison inspired her to release the unforgiveness lurking in her own heart—toward others, herself, and even her heavenly Father and her earthly father, evangelist Billy Graham. In this encouraging book, she weaves her own personal experiences with biblical examples to explore what holds us back from forgiving others and ourselves—and what we gain when we finally discover the power to forgive. Along the way, she guides us into our own deeply personal experiences of forgiveness that will penetrate our protective walls and unleash true transformation in our lives.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780801094262
Publisher:	Baker Publishing Group
Publication date:	10/01/2019
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	620,704
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Ruth Graham is the author of nine books including the bestselling In Every Pew Sits a Broken Heart and the award-winning Step into the Bible. Her passion is to motivate people by God's grace and loving acceptance to move from a place of woundedness to a place of wholeness in Christ. Ruth Graham Ministries seeks to create safe places where people can begin and further their journey to wholeness in Christ. No stranger to heartache, Graham provides a biblical perspective as she shares her journey and points to the faithfulness of God in her own life's heartache. She lives in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and has three grown children and nine terrific grandchildren.

Cindy Lambert is a freelance writer and executive editor for Baker Publishing Group. For nearly two decades she owned an award-winning bookstore before expanding into leadership roles in distribution, editorial with such companies as Ingram, Simon & Schuster, and Zondervan where she served as vice president and associate publisher. She and her husband, Dave, have six children and nine grandchildren and live in Michigan.

Table of Contents

1 Beyond the Prison Walls 9

2 Forgiveness Isn't Fair 23

3 God's Heartbeat 37

4 The Essence of Forgiveness 55

5 The Power of Grace 71

6 Choices for the Wounded 87

7 The Call for Help 109

8 The Importance of Community 127

9 Blessings Not Bitterness 143

10 Telling Yourself the Truth 163

11 Going Backward to Go Forward 183

12 What If I Still Can't Forgive? 205

13 Displaying the Character of God 231

14 Intimacy with God 249

Acknowledgments 259

Notes 263

About Ruth Graham Ministries 266

About the Authors 267

Editorial Reviews

09/16/2019

In this excellent inspirational guide, Graham (In Every Pew Sits a Broken Heart), daughter of Billy Graham, shares how she learned to forgive her father and move from brokenness to wholeness and freedom. While Graham has many fond memories of her father, work with a therapist revealed a need to acknowledge the pain caused by his long absences throughout her childhood, adolescence, and into her adulthood. “Forgiveness often feels unfair, like we are letting someone off the hook for an injury against us,” she writes. Graham shares the example of Jesus, who after being mocked, beaten, and crucified, used his last breath to grant forgiveness. She doesn’t consider herself an expert on forgiveness; instead, Graham sees herself as an apprentice who allows God to use her story to encourage others. She provides examples from her personal experience of the steps she has taken to ask forgiveness and to offer forgiveness to others and herself, such as making amends with her unfaithful ex-husband. Graham confesses that, at times, she has even needed to forgive God. Explaining the role that forgiveness plays in restoring relationships from a biblical perspective, she also examines the difference between forgiveness, trust, and reconciliation. Graham’s inviting analysis and affecting particular history will convince any reader of the merits of forgiveness. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly