Chrissy Cymbala Toledo - Girl in the Song: The True Story of a Young Woman Who Lost Her Way—and the Miracle That Led Her Home

In Girl in the Song, Chrissy Cymbala Toledo engages us with a transformative truth: The purpose of God is greater than the brokenness of man. As her journey depicts, God does great things with broken pieces.

Rev. Dr. Samuel Rodriguez

President, NHCLC/Conela Hispanic Evangelical Association

Beautiful girl, beautiful story! I respect Chrissys parents, Jim and Carol, and I wholeheartedly believe in the power of prayer and good parents. I am so proud of Chrissy, and I believe that many ministers should tune in to how their kids view God and the church!

Nicky Cruz

Evangelist and author of Run, Baby, Run

An amazing tale of redemption and light breaking through darkness. Chrissy Cymbala Toledos story of spiritual transformation is an inspiration to us all.

Dr. Robert Jeffress

Senior pastor, First Baptist Church, Dallas, TX

Girl in the Song is a book for anyone who has ever yearned for true love and acceptance. As you experience the music God is writing through Chrissys story and yours, youll sense His hand on your own life and draw closer to His heart.

Lionel Hollins

Head coach, Brooklyn Nets

Girl in the Song offers much-needed hope and encouragement. Its the story of what happens when God moves people to pray. Its a story of redemption, grace, and love. Chrissys journey will bless you, and in the process, God may prompt you to get another copy for someone else who has lost their way.

Michael Catt

Senior pastor, Sherwood Baptist Church, and executive producer, Sherwood Pictures

A compelling, must-read story that will touch your heart. With beauty and vulnerability, Chrissy Cymbala Toledo shares what it means to be lost and found again, and how the power of grace can redeem any situation.

Darlene Zschech

Senior pastor, Hope Unlimited Church

We all have chapters in our lives wed rather not disclose. Everybody has to contend with his or her own personal version of a sinful heart. Everybody. Chrissy Toledo combines great courage and humble transparency in sharing her story. She offers hope to people who want to exchange theirs for a new heart from God.

Paul Westphal

Assistant coach, Brooklyn Nets

In this book Chrissy Cymbala Toledo details her run away from God days and the faithful love of her parents. They never gave up and neither did the church! Chrissy found her way back and now she and her husband have been instrumental in helping to lead a spiritual turnaround for thousands of people. All of us find a piece of ourselves in Chrissys story.

Rich Wilkerson Sr.

Lead pastor, TrinityChurch.TV, Miami, FL

Intimate and emotionally compelling, Girl in the Song is the page-turning story of one womans journey to discover her true self and the God who loved her through it all.

Dr. Tony Evans

Senior pastor, Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship, and president, The Urban Alternative

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Girl in the Song: The True Story of a Young Woman Who Lost Her Wayand the Miracle That Led Her Home

Copyright 2015 by Chrissy Cymbala Toledo. All rights reserved.

Cover photograph copyright Jovana Rikalo/Stocksy.com. All rights reserved.

Designed by Jennifer Ghionzoli

Edited by Bonne Steffen

Published in association with the literary agency of Ann Spangler and Company, 1415 Laurel Avenue, SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Some names have been changed for the privacy of the individuals involved.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Toledo, Chrissy Cymbala.

Girl in the song : the true story of a young woman who lost her way and the miracle that led her home / Chrissy Cymbala Toledo.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 978-1-4143-7863-3 (sc : alk. paper) 1. Toledo, Chrissy Cymbala. 2. Christian biography United States. I. Title.

BR1725.T58A3 2015

277.3'083092 dc23

[B] 2015013279

ISBN 978-1-4964-0705-4 (ePub); ISBN 978-1-4143-8455-9 (Kindle); ISBN 978-1-4964-0706-1 (Apple)

Build: 2021-11-30 15:43:30 EPUB 3.0

Dedicated to my husband,

a selfless man who lives to secure the blessing for others

Every life has its share of twists and turns. I was a young businessman working for an airline company, newly married with my first child, when I answered the call to full-time ministry. With neither formal training nor ministry experience, my wife Carol and I took over a struggling church in downtown Brooklyn. For the next twenty years we spent our lives helping people, many of whom were ravaged by pain and bound by inner turmoil.

How that pain surfaces in the midst of lifes emotional storms can often be ugly and difficult to deal with. Though it felt like an uphill struggle, we soon began to see remarkable breakthroughs as peoples lives were transformed by the power of Jesus. Witnessing such changes encouraged us to keep going.

In the midst of helping others, we were taken by surprise the moment a chaotic storm engulfed our own family. Though I touched on my experience with our daughter Chrissy in my book Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire, I didnt feel at liberty to disclose everything that occurred during those tumultuous years.

What you are about to read is Chrissys story, a behind-the-scenes look at a young girl who was surrounded by people who loved her, yet fell prey to influences that threatened to tear her apart.

As a pastor, I would like to encourage anyone who wonders whether there is something more to life than the latest relationship to open her heart as she reads the story Chrissy has to tell. As a father, I want to urge parents who are tempted to lose hope for a child to read Chrissys story before concluding there are limits to what God can do.

Whatever your situation, whether it is hard or easy right now, I hope Girl in the Song will help you face lifes storms in ways that will bring you peace and make you strong.

Pastor Jim Cymbala

Brooklyn Tabernacle

I didnt want to look in the mirror I loathed the person who stared back. She was selfish and ungrateful and had blown it over and over again. Her decisions over these past years had created a deep crevasse between her and the people who loved her.

Will there ever be peace between us again? I wondered. As I hurried to finish in the bathroom and get ready for bed, I tried to forget what had happened with my parents. There were moments when I could push it all out of my mind, but then I would be squeezed by such loneliness that I wanted to cry out.

I was certainly grateful for one thing I had a safe place to live, a generous offer from a dear friend. Before leaving this evening, Lorna had made sure I had everything I needed, mentioning that there was plenty of food in the kitchen. The house was so quiet without her lively personality filling the rooms.