The Healing Path: How the Hurts in Your Past Can Lead You to a More Abundant Life [Hardcover]

Dan B. Allender (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 16, 1999

Don’t Waste Your Pain. None of us escapes the heartache and disappointments of life. To live is to hurt, and we all have the wounds to prove it.
Regardless of how we’ve been hurt, we all face a common question: What should we do with our pain? Should we stoically ignore it? Should we just “get over it?” Should we let it “make us stronger?” Should we optimistically hope that everything will work out in the end?

If we fail to respond appropriately to the wounds that life and relationships inflict, our pain will be wasted; it will numb us or destroy us. But suffering doesn’t have to mangle our hearts and rob us of the joy of life. It can, instead, lead us to life–if we know the path to healing.

Healing is not the resolution of our past; it is the use of our past to draw us into deeper relationship with God and his purposes for our lives. We don’t have to be held captive by the hurts of our past. We can move from feelings of powerlessness, betrayal, and ambivalence into faith, hope and love. The Healing Path takes us beyond self-discovery to God-discovery, giving us the tools to excavate the riches that lay beneath the surface of our pain. If you’re ready to use the experiences of the past and present to shape a future characterized by love, service, and joy, now is the time to step out onto The Healing Path.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Powerful truths which heal the heart are not always easy to grasp, especially when you're hurting. But Dan Allender writes with such skill and expertise that you find yourself well down the path toward healing before you're even halfway through the book. Reliable and readable. That's The Healing Path."  
--Joni Eareckson Tada,  author and artist --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From the Inside Flap

Don?t Waste Your Pain. None of us escapes the heartache and disappointments of life. To live is to hurt, and we all have the wounds to prove it.
Regardless of how we?ve been hurt, we all face a common question: What should we do with our pain? Should we stoically ignore it? Should we just ?get over it?? Should we let it ?make us stronger?? Should we optimistically hope that everything will work out in the end?

If we fail to respond appropriately to the wounds that life and relationships inflict, our pain will be wasted; it will numb us or destroy us. But suffering doesn?t have to mangle our hearts and rob us of the joy of life. It can, instead, lead us to life?if we know the path to healing.

Healing is not the resolution of our past; it is the use of our past to draw us into deeper relationship with God and his purposes for our lives. We don?t have to be held captive by the hurts of our past. We can move from feelings of powerlessness, betrayal, and ambivalence into faith, hope and love. The Healing Path takes us beyond self-discovery to God-discovery, giving us the tools to excavate the riches that lay beneath the surface of our pain. If you?re ready to use the experiences of the past and present to shape a future characterized by love, service, and joy, now is the time to step out onto The Healing Path.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: WaterBrook Press; 1 edition (February 16, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1578561094
• ISBN-13: 978-1578561094
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #519,726 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dr. Dan Allender received his MDiv from Westminster Theological Seminary and his PhD in counseling psychology from Michigan State University.

Dan taught in the biblical counseling department of Grace Theological Seminary for seven years (1983-1989). From 1989-1997 he worked as a professor in the Master of Arts in biblical counseling program at Colorado Christian University, Denver, Colorado. Currently, Dan serves as president and professor of counseling at Mars Hill Graduate School in Bothell, Washington.

He travels and speaks extensively to present his unique perspective on sexual abuse recovery, love and forgiveness, worship, and other related topics. He is the author of "The Wounded Heart" (NavPress), "The Healing Path," and "How Children Raise Parents" (Waterbrook Press) and has coauthored four books with Dr. Tremper Longman, III--"Intimate Allies" (Tyndale House Publishers), "The Cry of the Soul" (NavPress), "Bold Love" (NavPress), and "Bold Purpose," (Tyndale House Publishers). He and his wife, Rebecca, live in the Puget Sound area with their three children, Annie, Amanda, and Andrew.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

86 of 87 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Embracing Life, August 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Healing Path: How the Hurts in Your Past Can Lead You to a More Abundant Life (Hardcover)

I highly recommend this book. Dr. Allender clearly communicates what it means to embrace life, including the disappointments and trials. There are no quick fix-it answers offered. In the opening chapter, Dr. Allender states "Healing in this life is not the resolution of our past; it is the use of our past to draw us into deeper relationship with God and His purposes for our lives. We need a new understanding of how to deal with past hurts, one that acknowledges the damage to the human spirit while charting a path toward the abundant life God promises." The very notion of not trying to resolve, or fix the past is revolutionary. Instead, the author invites us to embrace our life, to recognize the value of our "story" and to be willing to enter into the lives of others. He does not sugar coat this process, on the contrary, he states "The healing path plunges us into the depths of our doubt, where a new faith can be born. This faith...frees us to remember a past not only with loss, but with redemption." The great part is that Dr. Allender spends as much time on the redemption, hope and true community as he does honestly examining the pain that life often includes, then encourages the reader to consider what it means to live with the realization of hope. This book is a thoughtful, compassionate rendering and would benefit for anyone who has been dealt pain in their life, no matter what the pain is. Chapter topics include: betrayal and the loss of faith, the loss of hope, the loss of love, the wager of faith, the dream of hope and creating a community of sojourners.

54 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In the top 3, most profound books I have ever read, May 24, 2000

By 

scott davies - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Healing Path: How the Hurts in Your Past Can Lead You to a More Abundant Life (Hardcover)

As a Christian for 30 years and an evangelical pastor/US Army chaplain and licensed Therapist, I have read lots and lots and lots of books. This book by Dan is truely one of the most profound books that I have ever read. It is worth reading and re-reading. His stories and narrative portions put images and real-life flesh and blood on our living out the true power of the Gospel and Christ's love into our own real-life worlds.

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars True Healing and Preparing for a better place., January 6, 2000

By 

Kathleen Worthley (Avondale, AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Healing Path: How the Hurts in Your Past Can Lead You to a More Abundant Life (Audio Cassette)

Chapter 8 has so much to offer. Hope in the biggest since. I love what Dan Alender does with words. Some things require deep meditation. As I read I feel myself coming alive in a way I never knew before. And as I read I think of all the hurting people I know who could be helped by reading, actually taking in this book and allowing themselves to be consumed by it. True healing does come and joy returns, or for some who have never experienced true joy, will expereince it for the first time. I think everyone should read this book. I want to put it into the hands of all of my loved ones. It has done me good. I wish to share the good with others. Thank You Dan Allender, you are my hero.