John Trent - A Place Called Blessing: Where Hurting Ends and Love Begins

PRAISE FOR A Place Called Blessing

I love a great storyespecially one that captures both my mind and my spirit. In A Place Called Blessing we get both: a compelling story and a deep understanding of the essential need for every person to receive the gift of unconditional love and acceptance from their parents. How do you give this blessing? Turn the page and read for yourself.

GARY SMALLEY
Author, Guarding Your Childs Heart

If you have children in your life, then give them and yourself a gift by reading A Place Called Blessing. Youll be stirred, encouraged, and forever changed by this deeper understanding of Gods intention for parents to bless their children.

ANDY ANDREWS
New York Times best-selling author,
The Noticer and The Travelers Gift

If youve ever doubted your ability to be a vessel of grace and healing in the life of someone whos hurting, you need to read A Place Called Blessing. It is the story of a wounded soul named Josh, but chances are there is a Josh living next door to you or even sitting near you in the pew at church.

JIM DALY
President, Focus on the Family

Redemption! We all long for it. Some fear they may never find it. In this masterfully crafted story, John Trent reminds us that no one is beyond the reach of loves redeeming power. No matter how far or difficult the journey, there is a place called blessing for each of us!

DAVID LIVINGSTONE
HENDERSON, MD
Coauthor, Finding Purpose Beyond
Our Pain; Hope for the Heart Chair of
Counseling and Psychology, Criswell
College; adjunct professor, Dallas
Theological Seminary

Happy endings arent just for fairy talesthey can be the stuff of life if God is given the opportunity to redeem the circumstances and individuals involved. A Place Called Blessing is that kind of story, proving that endings, while not always perfect, can truly be happy and blessed.

CLAUDIA AND DAVID ARP, MSW
Authors, 10 Great Dates series

When God gives a writer a life message, it is inscribed upon his heart and spirit. Its not that other great books dont come out of the author, but you always remember their finest work. John Trents The Blessing is Johns life message. And now in novel form A Place Called Blessing will reach down into your own spirit and heart and bless you beyond measure.

DR. GARY and BARB ROSBERG
Americas Family Coaches; coauthors,
6 Secrets to a Lasting Love

A PLACE CALLED
BLESSING

Books Authored or Coauthored
by John Trent

The Blessing
The Two Sides of Love
The Language of Love
LifeMapping
Love for All Seasons
The Light of Home
Dads Everything Book for Daughters
Go the Distance
Choosing to Live the Blessing
Faith Launch
My Mothers Hands
Chasing Skinny Rabbits
The Gift of Honor
HeartShift
The 2-Degree Difference
Love Is a Decision

CHILDRENS BOOKS

Id Choose You!

The Treasure Tree
The Two Trails
Theres a Duck in My Closet!

Spider Sisters
Superhero Swamp

A PLACE CALLED
BLESSING

Where Hurting Ends and Love Begins

John Trent, PhD
with Annette Smith

2011 John Trent

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Published in association with the literary agency of Alive Communications, Inc., 7680 Goddard Street, Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80920. www.alivecommunications.com.

Thomas Nelson, Inc., titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail SpecialMarkets@ThomasNelson.com.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Trent, John, 1952
A place called Blessing : where hurting ends and love begins / John Trent with Annette Smith.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-0-8499-4618-9 (pbk.)
1. Blessing and cursing. 2. ParentingReligious aspectsChristianity. 3. Self-esteemReligious aspectsChristianity. I. Smith, Annette Gail, 1959 II. Title. III. Title: Where hurting ends and love begins.
BV4509.5.T696 2011
231'.5dc22 2010050657

Printed in the United States of America
11 12 13 14 15 RRD 5 4 3 2 1

Contents

To Dr. Ted and Lynn Kitchens

Years ago, my wife, Cindy, and I were struggling to start a new seminar ministry with a new message based on a new book called The Blessing.

The first church in the country to take the risk and host my seminar was Christ Chapel in Fort Worth, Texas, pastored by Dr. Ted and Lynn Kitchens.

Ted and Lynns love, counsel, and encouragement continue to be incredible blessings to Cindy and me.

And the thousands of people who attend Christ Chapel today know what Cindy and I know. When you walk into Ted and Lynns home or visit their womens ministry or show up at their church, you truly have found a place called Blessing.

HEARTFELT THANKS AND boundless admiration go out to Annette Smith. Her ability to come alongside me and aid in capturing the deep emotions invoked when hurting people gain or miss the blessing is a God-given gift.

And there would be no A Place Called Blessing had not Debbie Wickwire at Thomas Nelson listened with her heart and acted boldly. She became the champion at Nelson for relaunching the timeless message of the blessing in this new form for a new generation of readers.

Cindy and I are deeply appreciative to you both.

We believe every reader will be as well.

A PLACE CALLED BLESSING is a dream come true for me. For years I have shared the message of the biblical blessing with men and women across the country and across the world. Yet here, finally, is a way to communicate this life-changing message in a new way for a new generation of readersnot by sharing studies and overhead points and sidebars, but in story form. By portraying human interactions in such a compelling way that the reality of Gods blessing comes alive for readers and becomes a part of their own real-life stories.

A Place Called Blessing paints a vivid picture of what it means to choose blessings over curses, light over darkness, life over death. It is the story of one young mans struggle to believe he could ever be worthy of anyones blessing and one young womans longing to be loved and affirmed despite the fear that it will never happen for her. More important, it shows what happens when a hurting family chooses to live the blessing. I hope it points the way toward a real place called Blessing in your life. Believe me, it is the kind of place you will want to find and share with those you love.