Free Yourself to Love: The Liberating Power of Forgiveness (Faith Words) [Paperback]

Jackie Kendall (Author)

Book Description

Series: Faith Words | Publication Date: February 24, 2009

Jackie Kendall's childhood was a horror story of abuse. A counselor deemed her family "one of the top-ten most dysfunctional in America." Family members have dealt with this trauma in different ways: Two siblings committed suicide. Some siblings ran wild. When Jackie decided that she wanted to break the mold and be a healthy, loving woman, to forgive or not to forgive was not a question. Simply put: one can't love freely without the developed skill of forgiving freely. In FREE YOURSELF TO LOVE, Jackie shares her own story and struggle to learn this vital life skill. She also reveals the reasons for--and results of --refusing to forgive. In passionate, empathetic prose, Jackie urges her readers to exchange free-floating bitterness for the freedom to love and be loved.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jackie Kendall has been involved with ministry for twenty-five years, working as teacher, counselor, conference speaker, and author. Jackie works with several athletic teams, including the Atlanta Braves and Pro Athletes Outreach (which is involved with professional baseball teams and the NFL). She is also the president of Power to Grow Ministries and the author or coauthor of several books.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: FaithWords; 1 edition (February 24, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446580899
• ISBN-13: 978-0446580892
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.7 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #249,247 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

As president of Power to Grow Ministries, Jackie Kendall is a very popular conference speaker for all ages and stages of life. Her teaching style is humorous, encouraging, and hard-hitting, and it brings healing. Jackie resides in Florida with husband and is the mother of two grown children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A self-help guide for those who are having a hard time letting go of grudges, August 16, 2009

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Free Yourself to Love: The Liberating Power of Forgiveness (Faith Words) (Paperback)

One can't love if one is too busy hating. "Free Yourself to Love: The Liberating Power of Forgiveness" is a self-help guide for those who are having a hard time letting go of grudges. Author Jackie Kendall brings readers tips and advice on improving their ability to forgive and forget those who have wronged them, so that they may better learn to love the world and themselves. With a Christian outlook, "Free Yourself to Love" is a recommended read for those who don't want hate in their hearts.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A reference for years to come..., August 13, 2009

By 

Jolanthe - See all my reviews

This review is from: Free Yourself to Love: The Liberating Power of Forgiveness (Faith Words) (Paperback)

Over the last few months I have been reading and re-reading the book, while studying it with a friend of mine. During that time there has been so much simmering in me and I have been sorting through various things that the book has brought up in me. While I was a bit skeptical at first as to how the book would apply to me, I can honestly say that for myself {and for the friend I'm reading it with} it has been a definite 'God-timing' read.

Jackie Kendall grew up in a completely dysfunctional family ~ suffering abuse as a child and living through the pain of two siblings committing suicide. She is amazingly transparent and open in her writing, sharing how she has learned what a forgiving lifestyle is truly about.

Throughout the book, Jackie address various aspects of forgiveness: reasons we don't forgive, counterfeit forgiveness, saying goodbye to shame, authentic forgiveness and the tools to forgiveness. She also addresses the six most commonly used excuses we use in not forgiving others:

1. The offense was too great.
2. The memories of the offense are so vivid.
3. The offense was repeated.
4. You want to make the person pay for the offense.
5. You are too angry to even consider forgiving this person.
6. The offender didn't say, "I am sorry."

The one thing that has impacted me the most from this book is the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation. In my mind the two were so entwined - but the two are separate in nature. This passage from Jackie's book describes it so well:

"Forgiving is a gift I give because of Jesus' gift to me. It is a gift I bestow upon my offender and a gift I give to myself. Forgiveness is also a gift I give to God. Such a response in faith and obedience is, indeed, an offering to God. Reconciliation is the gift exchanged between me and the offender when he or she has repented. Because I have already forgiven, I am not held hostage to that person's offensive behavior, waiting for him or her to repent. Forgiveness is my being set free, and reconciliation is when the relationship between me and the offender is healed."
{page 73, Free Yourself to Love}


Jackie breaks things down so well, gives great examples throughout the book, and provides excellent 'personal questions' to help you understand the heart of forgiveness. Free Yourself to Love has challenged me on so many different levels ~ this book is one that I am still pouring over and will be referencing for years to come.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Free Yourself To Love, March 2, 2009

By 

M. K. Hoelscher (Wapakoneta, OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Free Yourself to Love: The Liberating Power of Forgiveness (Faith Words) (Paperback)

We all have someone who we are holding a grudge against, but how do we let go? Jackie Kendall is embracing the subject of forgiving those unforgiveables in your life. NOT forgiving someone is a sin; she explains how and why this is so, and why if you want to move on and have loving relationships you need to conquer that. I thought this book was great. We all have baggage from our pasts that really threaten our happiness in the future. I know I had feelings of unforgiveness against my ex-husband. This really opened my eyes to how to find forgiveness towards him and how that could open up my future. Whether you're angry at an abusive husband or parent, a friend who said the wrong thing, people in your office, or even your children Jackie helps you understand why you need to forgive them, and how to do it. The book also examines the artificial forgiveness we all seem to practice on a daily basis. Have you ever told little white lie excusing people's actions to their faces and then silently stew about the offense. This book is a must read for just about everyone. Believe me, it will shine a bit of light in places you didn't know you had to work on!