Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely by Lysa TerKeurst

Lysa TerKeurst’s father abandoned her when she was 8 years old. From then on, instead of expecting to receive love from relationships, she anticipated rejection. Hungry for love, she looked for acceptance in all the wrong places. Sexually promiscuous relationships, an unwanted pregnancy, and an abortion deepened the pit of her rejection and alienation from God and others.

In Uninvited, TerKeurst urges women to take an honest look at their lives. She challenges them to consider how past rejections continue to influence their choices and relationships, many of which might not be spiritually, emotionally, or physically healthy. She repeatedly points to God, who invites and never turns away people who are brokenhearted when they call on him. She adds, “People can’t fix from the outside a perspective that needs to be rewired on the inside. Only the Lord can do that.”

With candid reflections on her own life, self-deprecating humor, and biblical insight, TerKeurst shows that, with God’s help, “on the other side of every hardship is a resurrection.” A six-session DVD and study guide based on the book are available for individuals or groups. (Thomas Nelson)