A Surviving Faith

By Charlette Brown-Rivera

If you are struggling in your faith-walk because of offense and affliction brought on by others, know that you are not alone. You are very much on the heart of GOD. It is my prayer that by reading this book you will find hope and courage that leads you back to a healthy, thriving and vibrant relationship with the One who loves you most. I believe there is no relationship that is more important than the one we have with our Creator and life-source. It is invaluable and more than worth fighting for.

This book is about YOU. It is about your healing and restoration. It will not focus on what was done to hurt or offend. My hope is that it will uplift and encourage those who are right now wounded, and limping through life. If I made it through, so can you. I believe it is the desire of GOD's heart. He desires you to be whole and He is the One who abundantly provides the path to that place of serenity. You can begin today on your journey back home. You will find Him waiting there with open arms.

This book is designed to be a simple tool to help promote YOUR healing and restoration. It is not meant to be an exhaustive solution but is an attempt to provide some support in an open and transparent way. I once heard someone say, "You may have the same story to share, but no one can tell it exactly like you." I do believe that my unique perspective will speak to some. My hope is that nestled in these pages, you find at least one thing that you can identify with that starts you on a process to a healthy faith.

Choosing the word SURVIVING as a part of this book's title is significant. The definition of the word survive is this: to remain alive after the cessation of something. To get along or remain healthy, happy, and unaffected despite some occurrence. To endure or live through (an affliction, adversity, misery, etc.). The Church-going experience is designed to be one where Believers learn to live the Kingdom life and essentially thrive. However, for some, we may find ourselves in a situation where we must push to survive while in it, and even if we find ourselves outside of it. If you are in survival mode, where you feel your faith is hanging on by a thread, be of good cheer! You are more than a conqueror, an overcomer…you are a SURVIVOR!

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jan 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9781667879253

Book preview

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Copyright © 2022 Charlette Brown-Rivera All rights reserved.

eBook: 978-1-66787-925-3

Contents

DEDICATION

INTRODUCTION

MY CHURCH JOURNEY: chapter 1

THE UNRAVELING: chapter 2

STAYING CLOSE: chapter 3

THE CLEANSING PALETTE: chapter 4

R & R: chapter 5

FORGIVE, FORGIVE, FORGIVE: chapter 6

BACK TO BASICS: chapter 7

BEGINNING AGAIN: chapter 8

TRUST THE PROCESS: chapter 9

PROVED TO BE TRUE: chapter 10

CHANCE’S CHURCH JOURNEY: chapter 11

JOSEPH’S CHURCH JOURNEY: chapter 12

L.O.V.E.: chapter 13

THE AUTHOR

DEDICATION

I dedicate this book firstly to my GOD, who has never failed or forsaken me. In YOU I live, move, and have my being. Your overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love sustains me.

I would also like to dedicate this to my husband, Joseph, and son, Chance. Both have their own church journey story to tell, yet they were with me every step of the way in my journey, encouraging and holding me up. Their unconditional love and acceptance amaze me.

With deep love and respect, I would like to honor my mother, Betty Brown, with this book. Her life uplifts, encourages and inspires me. I watched her go through many hardships and great trials, and even battle Alzheimer’s without losing her true faith in GOD. She transitioned out of this world knowing who the Author and Finisher of her faith was. She believed until the end of this Earth journey that NOTHING can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. What an amazing legacy of FAITH she leaves.

INTRODUCTION

The Lord put it in my heart several months ago to write this book, and of course, as with any GOD-given inspiration, the path to get this penned has been riddled with distraction. However, I was determined to push through. I know from experience that if there is resistance to a GOD assignment, that means that it is important to get it done. At this very moment, I can think of many very beautiful souls who are struggling with their faith; not necessarily because GOD has disappointed them, but because something has happened along their church journey that has left them hurt or confused. Some may even be questioning GOD and are frustrated with not knowing why certain things may have been allowed or why some things happened a certain way. I know many may have been confused during the 2020 presidential election cycle. I have scratched my head many a day and searched my heart as to what was going on with the church while trying to resolve within myself if I was rightly aligned with the heart of GOD. I was perplexed by some of the things I witnessed. It was a tough leg of the journey, as lots of frustration set in, and many may have struggled to find balance and hold onto their Biblical beliefs. However, this brings me back to what I believe is a Spirit-led adventure and sincere purpose and motivation for writing this book.

In the process of writing this testimony, the title has changed a couple of times. I believe that I had one more step in my healing process before A SURVIVING Faith is dropped into my spirit. We can walk through many a great offense and affliction brought on us by those who we have believed are of the family of GOD and survive.

We can also survive not only a bad experience with a member of the church, but also a distressing experience stemming from the actual work and mission mandated by some church organizations. Whether it was a cut from a fellow Believer or a life-threatening gash from a church organization, we can come out of it with our faith in a loving GOD still healthy and alive. I will tell you upfront that it will take some work to persevere in your faith. However, it is so very worth it. I believe there is no relationship that is more important than the one