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The Most Beautiful Disaster

How God Makes Miracles Out of Our Mistakes

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

Hope Carpenter opens up about her personal struggles that nearly destroyed her family, her church, and her ministry, but then God did something miraculous—out of her brokenness, He made something beautiful.

As co-pastor of one of the nation's largest megachurches, Hope Carpenter had perfected the roles of supportive wife, good mother, devoted worship leader, and dutiful homemaker. But inside, she was secretly ashamed, sad, and afraid. She didn't know who she was, and she didn't know how to ask for help without bringing down the whole façade. A series of bad choices led to multiple affairs; her husband kicked her out and announced from the pulpit of their church that their marriage was over. Hope was sure her life was done. But in her lowest moments, something beautiful happened. God met her there, and, with a lot of hard work, time, and mountains of therapy, she started to understand the pain that had caused her to act out. She and her family faced their brokenness together, and in powerful acts of forgiveness only God could have arranged, they all found real breakthrough and healing. Ron and Hope rebuilt their marriage and their family, and their ministry thrives today. In The Most Beautiful Disaster, Hope helps readers understand the lasting impact of childhood trauma and gives readers practical steps to uncovering the root of pain in their own lives. She shows how small decisions can lead to big changes, and helps readers find healing and wholeness in Scripture and prayer. Ultimately, readers will be led to hope, reconciliation, and true freedom.
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    • Publisher's Weekly

      March 29, 2021
      Carpenter, cofounder of Redemption Church in Greenville, S.C., debuts with an eloquent account of her path to recovery and redemption following sexual abuse. At 15, Carpenter was sexually abused by a boy she trusted. She responded by assuming she’d done something to deserve it and “internalized the lie” that she was worthless. Carpenter describes learning to “put on a mask” of happy normalcy by “hiding what was really going on inside and showing the world what I thought it wanted to see,” how this pressure led to a double life and multiple affairs, and the relief of her confession to her husband and decision to seek help. She discusses how to identify warning signs of buried trauma, suggests seeking help through counseling, and assures those who are struggling that God loves them in their brokenness. While she acknowledges there is no quick-fix, she emphasizes the need to be honest with oneself, using biblical tales to make her points. Christian readers longing to overcome destructive patterns will be drawn to Carpenter’s encouraging account.

    • Library Journal

      April 2, 2021

      In this debut, Carpenter (Redemption Church, Greenville, SC) reminds readers that success does not guarantee happiness or a life free from the consequences of one's choices. Redemption Church, which Carpenter founded with her husband Ron, has campuses in California and North Carolina, with thousands of congregants. Carpenter discusses her commitment to Christ, her history of childhood trauma, and being raped as a teenager; she writes that these circumstances, combined with the pressure she felt to appear perfect, led her to repress her emotional needs during her marriage until, she says, she felt she snapped like a rubber band. She recounts how she began rebelling in ways great and small, until an extramarital affair broke her marriage, and her husband kicked her out of the house, out of the church, and out of her family's life. The book recounts Carpenter's journey to understanding herself and her actions and to reconciling with her husband, family, and church through her reliance on biblical principles. Each chapter ends with sections called "Think about This" and "Scripture To Meditate On." VERDICT While there is a bit of a reliance on "the enemy" to explain bad behavior, Carpenter's message is basically a hopeful one that emphasizes her concept of God's love.--Gail Eubanks, Univ. of Missouri, Springfield

      Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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  • English

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