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.
Click here to get your copy!
About the Author
Rena Roberts grew 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.
Interview with the Author
If you could invite one person to dinner, who would it be and what would you cook?
This is such a hard question to answer because there are so many. Does the person have to be alive? If not, how about CS Lewis or Jane Austin or Ronald Regan or Mother Teresa.
But as I think about having someone over for dinner and cooking for them, Megyn Kelly comes to mind first. I jokingly call Megyn Kelly my BFF. I’ve enjoyed her shows on television and I now listen to her podcast regularly. I admire her courage to speak her beliefs. I admire her ability to articulate her positions in a strong and compassionate manner. I respect her bent toward forgiveness and humility to admit when she has been wrong. I really would like to be friends with her.
I know she’s not a cook, so I think I would cook one of my family staple recipes like hamburger watercress or beef stew. These recipes come from my mom’s family and I say they are “island style.” Both are serves with rice and soy sauce. They are comfort food and delicious. I think she’d love them…everybody does. And they are both simple so the conversation and being together would be the primary focus of our time.
Does writing energize you or exhaust you?
Writing definitely energizes me. After I complete my time spent writing, I feel accomplished by just putting in the time I committed to myself even if I don’t get much done. Usually thought, words flow onto the paper even if it’s not always great. I am very okay with first drafts, so I don’t get hung up on making my writing perfect. I also love editing after my editor, Jennifer Edwards, gives me feedback. The collaborative part of writing is also energizing for me. Even when I feel stuck or can’t figure out how to organize crucial ideas that I am trying to convey, I am energized by the fact that I am struggling through a process because I know I’m learning and growing.
How did this book grow you spiritually?
The book is about how God grew me spiritually. He told me to tell about what He did for me by writing a book about it. I would say writing the book reminded me of what He did and I really needed those reminders because so much was going terribly wrong in my life while I was writing it. So, that’s not really growth. It’s more about the goodness of God to provide in the storms of life.
I think the book challenged me to articulate who God is to me. I grappled with what many smart and faithful men have taught me. I considered their opinions and sometimes they disagreed with who God has revealed Himself to be to me. I believe God allowed me to struggle with more traditional ideas about who God is and how He deals with us, and He gave me the courage and strength to boldly claim what He has shown me about Himself.
What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
I love spending time with my grandsons. They are the sweetest part of my life on earth. I also love travel, hiking, and cooking. I find I spend a lot of time doing house projects…like big ones…like taping, mudding and sanding drywall and then painting or wallpapering. I think I enjoy beautifying places, working with my hands, and completing a job.
I spend a lot of time loving and counseling people in pain. As a psychotherapist, I do this as a career, but I find I end up doing it with many friends and family members. I do enjoy helping others emotionally and spiritually.
As I ponder this question, I would say my favorite thing to do is praying deliverance and forgiveness with people. I love to teach them to pray and hear from Holy Spirit. When this happens, and Holy Spirit shows up to heal and reveal and humble, it’s miraculous! And I am beyond grateful to be a part of that process with another human.
What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?
CS Lewis and Jane Austin and Gene Stratton Porter have most influenced my writing. CS Lewis taught me to write my thoughts authentically to the reader even while telling a story. I love how he talks directly to the reader even when he’s writing fiction. Jane Austin was a genius at seeing and articulating relational dynamics and capturing her characters’ pathology with brilliant wit. I don’t think I am much good at that, but she inspires me. Gene Stratton Porter was a naturalist and a lover of nature. She wrote her books to support her passion of studying nature. But it turned out she was a wonderful fiction author. She inspires me by emphasizing the best in people. Her protagonists are good and courageous even when enduring abuse or deformities. Her books inspire me to be a better person and to write books that call others to higher values.
Thank you for letting us get to know you better!
Blog Stops
Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, December 15
Batya’s Bits , December 16
Artistic Nobody, December 17 (Author Interview)
Chronicles of Courage, December 17
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, December 18
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, December 19
Guild Master, December 20 (Author Interview)
Texas Book-aholic, December 21
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, December 22
Fiction Book Lover, December 23 (Author Interview)
Splashes of Joy, December 23
The Lit Lady, December 24
A Modern Day Fairy Tale, December 25 (Author Interview)
Locks, Hooks and Books, December 26
JESUS in the EVERYDAY, December 27
Life on Chickadee Lane, December 28
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Rena is giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon gift card and a copy of the book!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
https://promosimple.com/ps/29586/long-live-love-celebration-tour-giveaway