In Every Pew Sits a Broken Heart: Hope for the Hurting - Paperback

by Ruth Graham (Author), Stacy Mattingly (With)

Ruth Graham - daughter of beloved evangelist Billy Graham - offers a guide for those who are hurting or those who love them. She illustrates through personal stories and Scripture how nothing can keep you from experiencing the fullness of God's grace. Run with Ruth to the arms of the God you can trust, the Father God who embraces, sustains, and redeems your brokenness.

Ruth Graham has discovered through bitter personal experience that God does his great work in the ruins of our lives. As Ruth's life descended through divorce, depression, and shame; as she bore heartrending parental struggles; and as she faltered trying to make wise choices in the wake of bad ones, she discovered the unending embrace of a faithful, forgiving, and grace-filled God.

This book surpasses the testimony of her fascinating story as she brings sharp new insight from the Word of God for all who fear their actions may be beyond forgiveness or their broken circumstances may keep them from being used by God ever again. Through the words of Jeremiah - the weeping prophet - Ruth reveals the God who makes wasted places come to life. You'll explore the parable of the Prodigal Son as never before as Ruth discloses her own likeness to each character:

• The indignant older brother, struggling to understand God's grace toward her husband's infidelity
• The prodigal, wading through the deep shame and painful circumstances of her own actions
• The father, running to embrace her children in the midst of bulimia, drug abuse, and unplanned pregnancy

Ruth includes practical steps in every chapter anyone can take to offer care, support, and hope to the broken people they encounter in their lives and in the pews beside them every Sunday.

Back Jacket

WHEN LIFE'S ROSY DREAMS DISSOLVE INTO DIFFICULT REALITIES THAT BREAK OUR HEARTS, GOD SHOWS THAT HE SPECIALIZES IN RESTORATION' 'If in these pages you see your own life's experience mirrored in our daughter's, may you, too, find a personal relationship with the same heavenly Father who continues to be her strength, comfort, and joy.' ---From the foreword by Billy Graham 'Warning: This book should only be read by imperfect, flawed people in serious need of God's amazing grace. Thank you, Ruth Graham, for having the courage to bare your soul and then lead others back toward God's welcoming arms.'----Philip Yancey, author of Where Is God When It Hurts? 'For any who have experienced the tragedy of infidelity and wrong choices. Ruth unfolds her life, showing that the grace of God is sufficient. ----Elisabeth Elliot Gren, author of Through Gates of Splendor 'You hold in your hand a tool that will help you whether you are hurting or seeking to minister to one who is hurting. By sharing openly from her own experiences of heartache and by offering practical insights founded on biblical truth, Ruth Graham has provided a resource that both equips us to pursue wholeness and leads us into the arms of the only One who can make us whole.----Dr. Gary Smalley, The author of DNA of Relationships 'This book is a must-read for those who are hurting or for those who would like to be a healing agent for someone else.'----Dr. Charles Stanley, author of The Blessings of Brokenness