About the Book

Book: Long Live Love: Walking Out Freedom From Painful Generational Patterns

Author: Rena Roberts

Genre: Spiritual Memoir

Release Date: May 6, 2023

While utterly broken and at the end of herself, Rena Roberts broke free from spiritual bondage…and you can too.

In real life, victory over destructive generational patterns is rare. Psychologists have studied pathological family patterns for decades, trying to discover why they persist but to no avail. Part memoir, part psychological education and application, and part Christian living, Long Live Love is an invitation and opportunity for self-reflection and healing from family-of-origin issues.

Rena Roberts grew up in a profoundly dysfunctional home and set out to create a healthy, loving Christian family of her own. But when her daughter began to rebel in her late teens, Rena found herself stripped of her faith and everything she counted on from God. It was then that He began to radically transform her as she surrendered to His will and word, no matter what.

Rena’s approach to overcoming deep bondage and spiritual darkness will embolden others to go after freedom recklessly and bring the power of God’s supernatural love to their family line. This journey of freedom from generational jail is told in three sections: Longing, Living, and Loving. Each chapter ends with spiritual growth and reflection questions to examine the longings we have throughout our lives, how we try to live differently from our family of origin, and how we can truly love those we never thought we could.

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This review is gonna be a little bit different than normal because I am gonna say this book made me post something on Facebook that I have been struggling with. It was a post about unforgiveness. I will share the post with you all.

I have really been struggling in my soul and my heart about posting this but in my reading of today’s book for the review it is about the same issue I am wondering if it it is just me or the Holy Sprit telling me to post it, so I decided it to be posted for someone, if it isn’t for you ok I understand. But I truly believe someone needs to hear( or in this case read it).

I was awaken this morning with the thought that in 5 days I will be 64. And yes I have many regrets but there are many things I don’t regret. I don’t regret all the love I have shown to others, nor the mercy and grace and all the sacrifices that I have made so that others are blessed. I don’t regret anytime that I have said I love you to someone nor do I regret the times I have forgiven someone even though they continue to do the same things and continue to hurt me emotionally and verbally and yes, even unintentionally such as the person who hit Joe. I don’t know if it was intentionally or not to hit him, but I am positive that this person didn’t hit him to hurt me but they did hurt me. Yes, I have had to forgive some people more than once and it is a continuing process. But I still don’t regret my forgiveness.

What I do regret is the time I failed or refused to forgive or shown mercy. I regret the times I was bitter and shown that, which I am ashamed to post that it has been too many times.

No, the book isn’t on all this but is does discuss forgiveness as well as other topics. The book is about walking out from painful generational patterns. And it talks about how unforgiveness can keep us living in fear.

I posted this to tell someone that if you are struggling with unforgiveness to please forgive so that you can be free to live in freedom. Forgiveness heals the one that forgives more than the one being forgiven. I am a personal example of this truth.

This post has nothing really with the book I just thought Ok God I will listen and post because I believe someone needs to hear this.

Sometimes the person that needs forgiveness is ourselves. If that person is you. Then forgive yourself if you have repented.

This book is a personal story about the author’s life and then it gives prompts at the end of each chapter to answer to help the reader walk out in freedom from things of the past. I recommend that if you do the questions you have someone that will go through the journey with you. The questions and prompts are beneficial and helpful but might be a little overwhelming if attempted without support. The author is a therapist. This book is really helpful if you had a troubling childhood and in some instances even if you haven’t, like the chapters on forgiveness. This book isn’t all on forgiveness but other issues as well.

I received a complimentary copy from the author and Celebrate Lit and these opinions are my own.

About the Author

Rena Robertsgrew up in poverty amongst a profoundly dysfunctional family. She muscled her way through college and a graduate degree in Psychology/Counseling. Rena became a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in 1998. She specialized in the treatment of eating disorders for twenty-five years. She has worked as a primary therapist at a residential treatment center, a clinical director of a day treatment center and in private practice over the course of her career. After homeschooling her three children and holding leadership positions in her local church, she underwent a spiritual crisis that ultimately led to the authorship of her first book, Long Live Love: Walking Out Freedom From Painful Generational Patterns. She now speaks by invitation to various women’s and youth groups sharing her life’s work and God’s work in her so far.

More from Rena

I wouldn’t say there’s anything fun about my book. It’s intense and raw and very real. It has been super fun to receive feedback from readers! They love it. They are inspired by it. They all thank me for writing such a vulnerable book. They love the reflections questions..I think my chapters on forgiveness are most inspiring to my readers and
some have applied the practices I encourage and report to me that it has been life changing, saved their marriages, etc. That’s super fun!

I also realized that I love to write and that I am a writer. I did not know that prior to this project. I hope you enjoy it. I look forward to your thoughts.