Scott Bradley, former pastor and community leader, shares his story while integrating sound principles for change. His father was a wounded Vietnam War hero that struggled with flashbacks and PTSD upon his return. He abused Scott's mom, others, and eventually killed a man. After several prison sentences, failed marriages, and substance abuse, he gave his life to Christ. He is now an ordained minister, elder, and jail chaplain. Scott's mom experienced the pain of failed relationships, broken dreams, and trauma. In response to her pain, she chose a healthy lifestyle by honoring God. She remarried and now mentors other women. With a deep level of transparency, Scott invites readers into his life. He describes the challenge of growing up with abuse, addiction, and abandonment issues. His story is one of tragedy and hope. He's been married for eleven years with two daughters. His family has reconciled and is committed to helping others. Real hope is found in Jesus Christ, The Forgiveness Factor.

We know we’re supposed to forgive, but we just can’t forget. And it’s that struggle in our soul that keeps our hurts and hearts from being healed – creating a gap between our pain and the peace we’re so desperate for to seem completely unbridgeable. When it comes to forgiveness, we so easily confuse God’s love with our own and find ourselves frustrated and confused without a clear understanding of what God is really asking us to do. It’s through The Forgiveness Factor that you’ll come to clearly understand what God means when He says to ‘forgive’. And more than likely, it’s not what you think. It’s in uncovering the truth about forgiveness, by revealing the lies, that you’ll be set free from the burden that forgiveness seems to bring. You’ll realize that you’re only giving up your hope for a different past ... realizing that wrongs may never be made right, but they can be forgiven.

God made your heart for love, joy, peace, and wholeness. But pastors say that more than 90% of their congregations struggle with unforgiveness - and unforgiveness can make us forget what we were made for. What if the most pervasive sin of our day is invisible, hidden deep inside our hearts? What if it affects every aspect of our lives and relationships so quietly and insidiously that most of us miss it altogether? Bruce Wilkinson believes unforgiveness is that sin. Through the teachings of Jesus, The Freedom Factor reveals the link between our suffering and our unforgiveness. But it also shows how to forgive - for real and forever. The story doesn't have to end with the pain of our wounds. Whatever happened to us happened. But the God who made your heart has shown a way past the wounds, back to the life and love that we were made for - a path toward freedom.

In this true story about one family's quest for restoration and wholeness, author Scott Bradley describes how forgiveness and restored relationships can result from hurt, pain, and betrayal. HAVE YOU ASKED ANY OF THESE QUESTIONS? - How can I forgive those who have hurt me? - How can I forgive my parents? - How can I forgive myself? - When can I reconcile with a person I've forgiven? Answering these questions for yourself will require you to address the brokenness in your life. This book helps you know there are others who are experiencing similar life challenges. Begin your journey of freedom as you read a raw, authentic story of hope and healing. You will also discover that the forgiveness factor can empower you to live a life full of purpose and meaning. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Scott Bradley, pastor of AS IS Church near Portland, Oregon, has worked with hurting and addicted people for over fifteen years. He is married and has two beautiful daughters. His writing reflects his personal experiences and promotes healthy living practices. Scott has helped many churches and organizations implement principles and practices that can lead to changed lives and transformed families.

We live in a fallen world where offenses and serious grievances occur in every person's life. These painful situations, no matter how slight or serious, demand that we face the question, "Does God expect me to forgive?" The answer is clear. The choice is ours to obey. The power comes from God alone. I Choose to Forgive tells the heartbreaking journey from devastation to freedom from the unique perspective of a mother, father, and sibling on the ultimate offense of murder. In addition, the powerful testimony of the murderer's journey of finding forgiveness is shared in his own words. These personal stories are rooted in a strong biblical foundation, which undergirds the practical steps of choosing forgiveness.

This is NOT just another book on forgiveness; this one provides the necessary tools to help you forgive profoundly, more or less instantaneously and with ease. First published in 1997, this 2nd Edition builds on the success of the first edition which has changed hundreds if not thousands of lives. The book will more than likely change your life. It will transform how you view your past and what is occurring for you in the present, especially where relationships are concerned. Unlike other forms of forgiveness, radical forgiveness is easily achieved and virtually immediate, enabling you to let go of being a victim, open your heart and raise your vibration. The simple, easy-to-use tools provided help you let go of the emotional baggage of the past and to feel the joy of living in total surrender to the process of life as it unfolds, however it unfolds. The result is vastly increased happiness, personal power and freedom.

By demonstrating how forgiveness, approached in the correct manner, benefits the forgiver far more than the forgiven this self-help book benefits people who have been deeply hurt by another and caught in a vortex of anger, depression, and resentment.

Offering insights based on years of original research, Redefining Murder, Transforming Emotion: An Exploration of Forgiveness after Loss Due to Homicide investigates the ideas and experiences of individuals who have lost loved ones to homicide (co-victims) in order to advance our understanding of the emotional transformation of forgiveness. It stands at the crux of two vibrant, growing fields: criminal victimology and the sociology of emotion. Analysis of 36 intensive interviews with co-victims and three years of participant observation of self-help groups and other victim-centered events offers a multidimensional understanding of forgiveness. Specifically, this book answers the questions of "What?," "When?," "How?," and "Why?" forgiveness occurs by exploring co-victims’ ideas about forgiveness, the differential experiences of various groups of people, the processes through which forgiveness occurs in a variety of extreme circumstances of homicide, and co-victims’ motivations toward forgiveness. The book concludes with commentary on overarching conclusions based on this work; theoretical and practical implications; suggestions for directions for future inquiry; and an in-depth account of the methodological strategies employed to gather such rich and nuanced data. This book will appeal to academics and students alike, within relevant fields, including sociology, criminology, restorative justice, victim services, psychology, and social welfare, as well as individuals seeking a better understanding of their own experiences, including co-victims or others whose lives have been altered by extreme forms of violence and upheaval. Its detailed postscript will also serve well those interested in qualitative methodology in social science research.

Although it does not receive the press coverage that violent conflict will always attract, reconciliation does work. Henderson presents examples from Europe, Africa, North America, and Asia that clearly show how effective peaceful reconciliation can be.

"Describes a series of situations in which people are reconciled to some injustice and manage to come to a better understanding and, sometimes, to forgive . . .For anyone interested in the subject, I would highly recommend it." --Rachel Billington, "Inside Time" in the National Newspaper for Prisoners How could survivors of the Burma Road, the Siberian Gulag, or Nazi atrocities forgive those who harmed them? How can representatives of entire populations--Australian Aborigines, African Americans, and black South Africans--be reconciled with whites who exploited them? And how can the offenders find the grace to apologize? Michael Henderson writes about dozens of remarkable people of many nations and faiths who have, by repentance and forgiveness, been able to break the chain of hate through repentance and forgiveness.