Murder as a Call to Love: A True Story of Transformation and Forgiveness

Murder as a Call to Love: A True Story of Transformation and Forgiveness
Author: Judith Toy
Publisher:
Total Pages: 284
Release: 2011-11
Genre: Self-Help
ISBN: 9780578089263

When a neighbor murders her sister-in-law and two nephews, the author's life changes forever. Seeking a way of dealing with the sudden loss, full of grief, the author turns to Zen. After many years, she's ready to forgive the killer, but it is too late. He's dead at his own hand. So she calls his mother and they cry together. This true account of how that one night changed her life is the focus of this work.--Source other than Library of Congress.

Letters from My Father's Murderer

Letters from My Father's Murderer
Author: Laurie Coombs
Publisher: Kregel Publications
Total Pages: 183
Release: 2015-06-25
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 082544229X

An extraordinary true story of grace, mercy, and the redemptive power of God When her father was murdered, Laurie Coombs and her family sought justice—and found it. Yet, despite the swift punishment of the killer, Laurie found herself increasingly full of pain, bitterness, and anger she couldn’t control. It was the call to love and forgive her father’s murderer that set her, the murderer, and several other inmates on the journey that would truly change their lives forever. This compelling story of transformation will touch the deepest wounds and show how God can redeem what seems unredeemable.

The Joy of Forgiving:

The Joy of Forgiving:
Author: Katie Toomey RN
Publisher: Balboa Press
Total Pages: 162
Release: 2019-10-16
Genre: Self-Help
ISBN: 1982235586

It’s about love and death, surviving and thriving, pain and empowerment. For a lighter, enthusiastic, and sometimes humorous approach to what can be a heavy topic, The JOY of ForGiving shares inspiring perspectives and stories for letting go of toxins we are holding on to ~ Katie Style. An enjoyable read, you will find yourself feeling lifted and more joyous in your life.

Change of Heart

Change of Heart
Author: Jeanne Bishop
Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press
Total Pages: 208
Release: 2015-03-14
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1611645565

This powerful, true story of faith and forgiveness shows that all of us are capable of experiencing the healing and renewal that comes with truly forgiving another. Change of Heart follows the transformative journey undertaken by Jeanne Bishop after the murders of her sister and brother-in-law, a journey that challenged Jeanne's belief in the message of Jesus on the cross and eventually moved her beyond simple forgiveness to the deeper waters of redemption and grace. Jeanne's authentic story will guide readers past the temptation of anger and revenge, and help them navigate the path of truly forgiving someone whose actions have hardened their heart. From once wishing that her sister's killer languished in a cell for the rest of his life, Jeanne now visits him regularly in prison and publicly advocates for his release. "It's not okay what you did, but I am not going to hate you. I am not going to wish evil on you," writes Bishop of the murderer. "I am going to wish the opposite. I am going to wish that you will be redeemed." “The criminal justice system in the United States, which deems some people unworthy of redemptionâ€"even children who commit serious crimesâ€"urgently needs to hear voices that speak for mercy and restoration. Jeanne Bishop's is such a voice†writes Sr. Helen Prejean, activist and author of Dead Man Walking. Change of Heart confronts these serious and pressing issues of restorative justice, juvenile life sentences, and incarceration in the criminal justice system. Ultimately, Jeanne is writing more than a memoir of finding faith through extraordinary obstacles. Her compelling story offers a better understanding of what it truly means to be a person of faith. It is a call to action that is a “must-read for pastors, social workers, caregivers, and all who seek to build community with people relegated to the margins†(Greg Ellison, Emory University).

Forgiving My Daughter's Killer

Forgiving My Daughter's Killer
Author: Kate Grosmaire
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2017-03-14
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9780718091477

In a testament to the liberating power of forgiveness, Kate Grosmaire tells the story of her daughter's murder at the hand of her boyfriend- and the stunning, deliberate forgiveness and help that Kate and her husband offered to the young man who shattered their world.

I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die

I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die
Author: Sarah J. Robinson
Publisher: WaterBrook
Total Pages: 257
Release: 2021-05-11
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0593193539

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.

New Morning Mercies

New Morning Mercies
Author: Paul David Tripp
Publisher: Crossway
Total Pages: 386
Release: 2014-10-31
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1433541416

365 Gospel-Centered Devotions for the Whole Year Mornings can be tough. Sometimes, a hearty breakfast and strong cup of coffee just aren't enough. Offering more than a rush of caffeine, best-selling author Paul David Tripp wants to energize you with the most potent encouragement imaginable: the gospel. Forget "behavior modification" or feel-good aphorisms. Tripp knows that what we really need is an encounter with the living God. Then we'll be prepared to trust in God's goodness, rely on his grace, and live for his glory each and every day.

God Moments

God Moments
Author: Andy Otto
Publisher: Ave Maria Press
Total Pages: 128
Release: 2017-04-07
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 159471648X

Where do you seek God? Are you waiting for him to appear in a monumental, life-altering event? In God Moments, Catholic blogger Andy Otto shows you how to discover the unexpected beauty of God’s presence in the story of ordinary things and in everyday routines like preparing breakfast or walking in the woods. Drawing on the Ignatian principles of awareness, prayer, and discernment, Otto will help you discover the transforming power of God’s presence in your life and better understand your place in the world. Andy Otto found God’s presence in surprising moments during his life—when, as a Jesuit scholastic, he taught children in Jamaica and also as he discerned the call to marriage with his wife. By combining elements of Ignatian spirituality with the lessons that came from his experiences, Otto identified three practices that helped him find God in all things: Awareness—Gain an understanding that God is present in the ordinary messiness of our lives such as battle with depression or sharing in the struggle of a friend. Prayer—Develop a prayer life using Ignatian practices such as asking for a morning grace and examining how your prayer was answered at the end of the day. That way you can focus on a personal relationship with God that finds everyday physical activities such as making a meal as an opportunity to talk to him. Discernment—The more you are aware of God’s presence and draw closer to him in prayer, the better you can learn how to plug into God’s narrative of the world in a way that enables you to participate in the divine story through the use of your gifts and talents. With God Moments as a guide, you’ll have a better understanding of how to seek personal wholeness in the reality of God’s presence in the ordinary and learn to accept his invitation to participate in his transformation of the world.

Left to Tell

Left to Tell
Author: Immaculee Ilibagiza
Publisher: Hay House, Inc
Total Pages: 257
Release: 2014-04-07
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1401944329

Immaculee Ilibagiza grew up in a country she loved, surrounded by a family she cherished. But in 1994 her idyllic world was ripped apart as Rwanda descended into a bloody genocide. Immaculee’s family was brutally murdered during a killing spree that lasted three months and claimed the lives of nearly a million Rwandans. Incredibly, Immaculee survived the slaughter. For 91 days, she and seven other women huddled silently together in the cramped bathroom of a local pastor while hundreds of machete-wielding killers hunted for them. It was during those endless hours of unspeakable terror that Immaculee discovered the power of prayer, eventually shedding her fear of death and forging a profound and lasting relationship with God. She emerged from her bathroom hideout having discovered the meaning of truly unconditional love—a love so strong she was able seek out and forgive her family’s killers. The triumphant story of this remarkable young woman’s journey through the darkness of genocide will inspire anyone whose life has been touched by fear, suffering, and loss.

The Sunflower

The Sunflower
Author: Simon Wiesenthal
Publisher: Schocken
Total Pages: 306
Release: 2008-12-18
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0307560422

A Holocaust survivor's surprising and thought-provoking study of forgiveness, justice, compassion, and human responsibility, featuring contributions from the Dalai Lama, Harry Wu, Cynthia Ozick, Primo Levi, and more. You are a prisoner in a concentration camp. A dying Nazi soldier asks for your forgiveness. What would you do? While imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp, Simon Wiesenthal was taken one day from his work detail to the bedside of a dying member of the SS. Haunted by the crimes in which he had participated, the soldier wanted to confess to--and obtain absolution from--a Jew. Faced with the choice between compassion and justice, silence and truth, Wiesenthal said nothing. But even years after the way had ended, he wondered: Had he done the right thing? What would you have done in his place? In this important book, fifty-three distinguished men and women respond to Wiesenthal's questions. They are theologians, political leaders, writers, jurists, psychiatrists, human rights activists, Holocaust survivors, and victims of attempted genocides in Bosnia, Cambodia, China and Tibet. Their responses, as varied as their experiences of the world, remind us that Wiesenthal's questions are not limited to events of the past.