Faith, Hope, and a Lifetime of Beautiful Scars

Faith, Hope, and a Lifetime of Beautiful Scars
Author: Beverly A. Altemus
Publisher: WestBow Press
Total Pages: 252
Release: 2018-09-25
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1973633965

Natalee’s compelling story of faith in action amid ongoing life-altering medical challenges will encourage you to face life’s setbacks head-on with renewed faith in God.

The Scars That Have Shaped Me

The Scars That Have Shaped Me
Author: Vaneetha Rendall Risner
Publisher:
Total Pages: 200
Release: 2017-03-31
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9781941114292

21 surgeries by age 13. Years in the hospital. Verbal and physical bullying from schoolmates. Multiple miscarriages as a young wife. The death of a child. A debilitating progressive disease. Riveting pain. Abandonment. Unwanted divorce... Vaneetha begged God for grace that would deliver her. But God offered something better: his sustaining grace.

Scarred Beautiful

Scarred Beautiful
Author: Andrea Casteel Smith
Publisher:
Total Pages: 344
Release: 2021-12-14
Genre:
ISBN: 9781977249517

Beauty and shame, jail and forgiveness. Andrea Smith was by all appearances living the perfect life, yet in an instant it all changed. Now, shame is her only company as she leaves her husband and children to check into the Pima County Jail of Tucson, Arizona, bringing to the forefront all the emotional and physical scars she has been hiding. From her first strip search to her final release, Andrea's honest, touching memoir offers a rare look into the lives of those who are behind bars. Scarred Beautiful eloquently chronicles her journey to find forgiveness and discover the good in tragedy and the beauty in her flaws as she learns to overcome shame and allow God to comfort her through the most unexpected people. And although her incarceration threatens to break her spirit, Andrea Smith emerges with a new perspective about what is most precious and cherished in her life. Her story is one of courage and faith...and the unlikely gift of adversity.

The Beauty of Broken

The Beauty of Broken
Author: Elisa Morgan
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Total Pages: 252
Release: 2013-10-08
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 084996525X

Find beauty and hope by facing and dealing with the messiness of family life. The family is an imperfect institution. Broken people become broken parents who make broken families. But actually, broken is normal and exactly where God wants us. In The Beauty of Broken, Elisa Morgan, one of today’s most respected female Christian leaders, for the first time shares her very personal story of brokenness—from her first family of origin to the second, represented by her husband and two grown children. Over the years, Elisa’s family struggled privately with issues many parents must face, including: alcoholism and drug addiction infertility and adoption teen pregnancy and abortion divorce, homosexuality, and death Each story layers onto the next to reveal the brokenness that comes into our lives without invitation. “We’ve bought into the myth of the perfect family,” says Elisa. “Formulaic promises about the family may have originated in well-meaning intentions, but such thinking isn’t realistic. It’s not helpful. It’s not even kind.” Instead she offers hope in the form of “broken family values” that allow parents to grow and thrive with God. Values such as commitment, humility, relinquishment, and respect carry us to new places of understanding. Owning our brokenness shapes us into God’s best idea for us and enables us to discover the beauty in ourselves and each member of our family.

Hope Heals

Hope Heals
Author: Katherine Wolf
Publisher: Zondervan
Total Pages: 259
Release: 2016-04-26
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0310344557

When all seems lost, where can you find hope? Katherine and Jay Wolf married right after college and sought adventure far from home in Los Angeles, CA. As they pursued their dreams--she as a model and he as a lawyer--they planted their lives in the city and their church community. Their son, James, came along unexpectedly in the fall of 2007, and just six months later, everything changed in a moment for this young family. On April 21, 2008, as James slept in the other room, Katherine collapsed, suffering a massive brain stem stroke without warning. Miraculously, Jay came home in time and called for help. Katherine was immediately rushed into brain surgery, though her chance of survival was slim. As the sun rose the next morning, the surgeon proclaimed that Katherine had survived the removal of part of her brain, though her future recovery was uncertain. Yet in that moment, there was a spark of hope. Through forty days on life support in the ICU and nearly two years in full-time brain rehab, that small spark of hope was fanned into flame. Hope Heals documents Katherine and Jay's journey as they struggled to regain Katherine's quality of life and as she relearned to talk, eat, and walk. As Katherine returned home with a severely disabled body but a completely renewed purpose, she and Jay committed to celebrating this gift of a second chance by embracing life fully, even though that life looked very different than they could have ever imagined. As you uncover Katherine and Jay's remarkable story, you'll be encouraged to: Find lasting hope in the midst of struggle Embrace the unexpected Welcome God's miracles into your everyday life In the midst of continuing hardships, both in body and mind, Katherine and Jay found what we all long to find: a hope that heals the most broken place--our souls. Let Hope Heals be your guide along the way. Praise for Hope Heals: "As I read this book, tears streamed from my eyes even as joy flooded my heart. Jay and Katherine are a raw yet refreshing testimony to the unshakable trustworthiness of God amidst the unimaginable trials of life. This book reminds all of us where hope can be found in a world where none of us know what the next day holds." --David Platt, author of the New York Times bestseller Radical and president of the International Mission Board "Hope Heals is a beautiful, true story that illustrates the love and protection God has for us even in the darkest times of our lives. Katherine and Jay's dedication to each other and the Lord through their most devastating season is inspiring. This book will help your heart believe that He sees, He knows, He cares, and He is still working miracles today!" --Lysa TerKeurst, New York Times bestselling author and president of Proverbs 31 Ministries

Beautiful Scars

Beautiful Scars
Author: Ligia Fabiola Rower
Publisher: Ligia Fabiola Rower
Total Pages: 122
Release:
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN:

"Beautiful Scars" by Ligia Fabiola Rower is a poignant exploration of the author's journey as a girl grappling with mental health conditions. Through heartfelt storytelling and insightful advice, Rower shares her personal struggles, triumphs, and the healing process. The book not only serves as a means of self-expression and healing for the author but also aims to inspire and guide others facing similar challenges. With themes of resilience, self-discovery, and empowerment, "Beautiful Scars" is a testament to the beauty found in overcoming adversity and embracing one's unique journey toward healing and fulfillment.

The Most Beautiful Disaster

The Most Beautiful Disaster
Author: Hope Carpenter
Publisher: FaithWords
Total Pages: 157
Release: 2021-05-04
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 154601747X

Hope Carpenter opens up about her personal struggles that nearly destroyed her family, her church, and her ministry, but then God did something miraculous—out of her brokenness, He made something beautiful. As co-pastor of one of the nation's largest megachurches, Hope Carpenter had perfected the roles of supportive wife, good mother, devoted worship leader, and dutiful homemaker. But inside, she was secretly ashamed, sad, and afraid. She didn't know who she was, and she didn't know how to ask for help without bringing down the whole façade. A series of bad choices led to multiple affairs; her husband kicked her out and announced from the pulpit of their church that their marriage was over. Hope was sure her life was done. But in her lowest moments, something beautiful happened. God met her there, and, with a lot of hard work, time, and mountains of therapy, she started to understand the pain that had caused her to act out. She and her family faced their brokenness together, and in powerful acts of forgiveness only God could have arranged, they all found real breakthrough and healing. Ron and Hope rebuilt their marriage and their family, and their ministry thrives today. In The Most Beautiful Disaster, Hope helps readers understand the lasting impact of childhood trauma and gives readers practical steps to uncovering the root of pain in their own lives. She shows how small decisions can lead to big changes, and helps readers find healing and wholeness in Scripture and prayer. Ultimately, readers will be led to hope, reconciliation, and true freedom.

Beauty Marks

Beauty Marks
Author: Linda Barrick
Publisher: David C Cook
Total Pages: 256
Release: 2017-09-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1434711129

In this powerful healing journey, Linda Barrick applies the words Jesus spoke during His time of greatest pain to help readers transform their deepest wounds into their highest purpose. In one second, Linda Barrick’s life changed when a drunk driver slammed into her family’s van, nearly killing her daughter and leaving Linda, her husband, and their son critically injured. Barrick draws on her remarkable story of loss and hope to lead readers toward emotional, physical, and spiritual restoration. Everyone experiences shattered dreams and emotional pain. Some scars are visible, and some are hidden deep in the heart. Whether the pain happened yesterday or fifteen years ago, Beauty Marks shows readers that they don’t have to keep covering up their wounds. As Barrick leads readers through Jesus’s words of abandonment, forgiveness, and release, she shows how pain has purpose—and that God can transform scars into beautiful marks of victory.

More Than My Scars

More Than My Scars
Author: Kechi Okwuchi
Publisher: Baker Books
Total Pages: 240
Release: 2022-03-29
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1493434055

The first thing you will notice when you meet Kechi Okwuchi is her scars. One of just two survivors of a devastating plane crash that killed more than 100 people, 16-year-old Kechi was left with third-degree burns over 65 percent of her body. More Than My Scars is her incredible story. A story of not just surviving impossible odds but thriving in a world that is too often caught up with how we look on the outside rather than seeing that our true value is within. Now in her early 30s, Kechi has spent the last 16 years refusing to be defined by her trauma. Follow her as she decides for herself what role her scars will play in her life before society decides for her. Her strong sense of identity, rooted in seeing herself the way God sees her, has allowed her to live authentically in a world that constantly seeks to define us by its ever-changing (and ever-shallow) standards. Kechi's story will inspire you to love and accept yourself as you are and confidently present your true self to the world.

Your Scars Are Beautiful to God

Your Scars Are Beautiful to God
Author: Sharon Jaynes
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers
Total Pages: 240
Release: 2006-07-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0736936904

Physical scars represent a story, a moment in one's life, and they show others that there is a history of healing. Noted author Sharon Jaynes shares with women how their internal scars—marks from past hurts and mistakes—also represent a story of restoration. With empathy, personal insight, and a best friend's gentle spirit, Sharon helps readers: recognize Jesus through their scars receive grace and forgiveness remove the mask and be real restore the broken heart release the power of healed wounds Encouraging chapters, inspirational stories, godly wisdom, and a Bible study guide lead readers to give their wounds to the One who sees their beauty and who turns hurts into hope.