Surrender! The Life Changing Power of Doing God's Will

by Larry Richards

At best, the word surrender is decidedly un-American Remember the Alamo, Leave it all on the field, Never give up.

But Scripture and Father Larry Richards can be equally as compelling as he challenges you to go against the grain and do what few are willing to do.

A gifted and captivating speaker, preacher, and retreat master... inner city pastor Father Richard's infectious enthusiasm, in-your-face realism and solid teaching will help you see how surrendering to the will of God paves the way to obtaining the peace which surpasses all understanding, that will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (see Phil 4:7).

Following in the footsteps of his best-selling "Be a Man" book, Surrender outlines concrete steps you can take to dwell in peace. Simply put, God wants every one of us to be a saint which is a lot of work! It requires developing a plan for your life, in accordance with the Lord's will.

Prayer is the key to this, as it opens the soul to hearing God's voice and accepting his guidance. But prayer too requires discipline and planning. Father Richards is the life coach every one of us needs on the sidelines of our daily life the tough love coach who calls it like he sees it.

Allow yourself to move out of the driver seat and surrender to the one who knows all God.

Genres: Catholic, Nonfiction, Religion, Spirituality, Faith, Christian, Self Help

156 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

A gifted and captivating speaker, preacher, retreat master and author, Father Larry Richards holds the answer to some of life’s most profound questions. He speaks from experience as a pastor of an inner city parish, a high school chaplain, a counselor and evangelist. Fr. Larry Richards has directed hundreds of Retreats, Parish Missions and Conferences for young and old alike. His inspirational talks and presentations, always authentic and enthusiastic, have changed the hearts, minds, and lives of millions of listeners worldwide. He continues to accept invitations for speaking engagements all over the United States and in Canada and has recently traveled abroad to continue his mission of evangelization.

Father Larry Richards was born on March 26, 1960, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He entered St. Mark High School Seminary, Erie, Pennsylvania, at the age of 17. After high school, Father Larry attended the college Seminary at Gannon University and received his Bachelor of Science degree in Mental Health Counseling in 1983.

Continuing his studies at the Major Seminary at St. Vincent in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, Father Larry Richards received his Masters of Divinity degree in 1987. He will soon conclude his studies and be awarded a Master of Arts degree in Liturgy from the University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana.

Ordained to the priesthood on April 21, 1989 for the Diocese of Erie, Pennsylvania, Father Larry Richards has served as Pastor of St. Joseph Church/Bread of Life Community, also in Erie, since July 1, 2002. In addition, Father is the founder of the DME (Divine Mercy Encounter) Retreat Program for the Diocese of Erie

On August 30, 2004, in the midst of his many commitments to his parishioners, to the TEC community, and to traveling around the United States for Parish Missions, Retreats, and Conferences, Father Larry founded and is president of “The Reason For Our Hope Foundation,” a non-profit organization dedicated to ‘spreading the Good News’ by educating others about Jesus Christ and the Catholic faith through CDs and DVDs, as well as promoting Catholic speakers who are effective instruments of evangelization. In turn, the foundation will support charities that strive to make real the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

He has recorded many talks on all aspects of the Catholic Faith for individual and small-group instruction, all of which are available on The Reason for Our Hope website. Since the inception of the Foundation, Father Larry has also recorded CDs and DVDs entitled “The Truth”, “Confession”, “The Mass Explained”, “Knowing God’s Will”, “Prayer”, “Livingin the Holy Spirit”, “Be a Man”, and “What More Could He Do For You”. Father Larry’s live presentation of “What More Could He Do For You?”, a dramatic explanation of the Passion of Jesus, is riveting; the DVD of this presentation is, without a doubt, the most moving re-enactment of the Passion one can view.

Father Larry Richards also hosts a radio show called “Changed Forever with Father Larry Richards”. It can be heard nationwide on Relevant Radio on Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. CT, and Sundays at 11:00 a.m. ET/10:00a.m. CT.

Reviews

[Essential Catholic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let there be no mistake - - - Fr. Larry tells it like it is. Like it or not, Fr. Larry Richards loves his faith and wants to help every Christian to embrace the abundant love that God has for them. He is unashamedly Catholic to the core and makes no excuses for his zeal and enthusiasm. Some people love Fr. Larry. Others find him to be "too Catholic." Regardless, he speaks with Love. Knows Scripture. Knows Tradition. Know Catechism. And makes no apologies for speaking the Truth.

This book will make you laugh. Cry. And view your faith will more clarity and gratitude.

Enjoy!

[Stuart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surrender! The Life Changing Power of Doing God's Will is another book that Our Sunday Visitor (OSV) sent me in exchange for a review. I was super excited to read this book, as Fr. Larry Richards gave a men's retreat in Mobile, I was unable to attend due to Catechist training. My friend talked for months about how great the retreat is, and got this very book from his conference. When, OSV I opened my box and saw this book in there, I was super excited to dive in this book.

Unfortunately, the book did not meet my expectations. For starters this book had tons of typos in it. I understand one or two, but there are several in each chapter, including spelling errors and typing two verbs in a row where it seemed like the editor (if there was one) forgot to remove one of the verbs. Another thing, I didn't like about the book was the style it was written. Each chapter was roughly twenty pages, but it was written like a stream of consciousness, where Fr. Larry just started a thought and rambled in ink for twenty pages. Chapter breaks would have been immensely helpful. Those were my two biggest gripes with the book, and it definitely made the book harder to read than it should have been.

Those two gripes aside, the message in this book is solid. I like Fr. Larry's in your face attitude, and how he tells you things, like "Be a saint, or go to hell." Each chapter also builds on the previous chapter to provide a very clear road map for surrendering our entire life to God. And while surrender has such an ugly connotation in our society, surrender is exactly what we need to do to God, so that we can live a life pleasing to Him.

I also enjoyed the steps Fr. Larry gives at the end of each chapter to help us surrender our life. Though, the steps are simply written, they aren't simple to follow, which should be an obvious statement. If it was simple to follow God and surrender everything to Him, everyone would do it. One such step, Fr. Larry gave was to Write down the names of people we don't like, and pray that God will change our hearts toward them. This is extremely hard for me (and I'm sure most people), as certain people just rub me the wrong way.

My overall rating for this book is somewhere between 3.5 and 4 stars out of 5. The message was solid and spot on and something all of could stand to hear. However, the typos and stream of consciousness made it difficult to muddle through. This book would be better served as an audiobook, but only if Fr. Larry Richards agreed to read it, as he has a very distinct speaking style. Check out my other book reviews at stuartsstudy.blogspot.com

[Clare · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author is very direct about encouraging the reader to surrender everything to God. He combines enthusiasm, realism and deep spirituality. His highly personal and direct style may particularly appeal to young men, and his themes are taken from contemporary experience and are easy to relate to. It is aimed at the average young reader who has seen (if not experienced) the lack of reverence for life and love that is common today, though some of his directness about dealing with contemporary issues and obsessions may shock a sheltered young reader.

Readers will certainly be stirred to be more generous, more adventurous in their spiritual lives, something that would be especially helpful for those ready to consider the path their future life could take.

[booklady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Father Larry writes like he talks—with lots of exclamation points! I can see and hear him as I read his book which is probably why I found myself laughing out loud during certain passages. If you’ve ever attended one of his missions you will appreciate this book which is a compilation of many of his best stories roughly tied together with narrative. It’s not the smoothest writing in the world—Father is no great author—but he is very human, down-to-earth and real. He’s fun and he’s humble; by that I mean he’s not the least afraid to poke fun at himself which is so refreshingly endearing.

An uplifting and inspiring read with many good practical spiritual ideas.

Recommended!

[djt · Rating 4 out of 5]

After attending a parish mission presented by Fr.Larry Richards I was impressed by his down-to-earth talk about day-to-day life and its challenges and obstacles and his explanation of discerning God's Will in our life to help us through seeming insurmountable problems. It made perfect sense and, again, presented in basic logical thought and language. With minds cluttered with life's difficult situations it's hard to think clearly and come to an understanding of God's Will for our happiness, for us to live our lives with a sense of joy, instead of the hurt and pain we may be feeling. This book very nicely addresses this sense of discernment of God's Presence in our life, when we're filled with a sense of despair and abandonment. Fr. Richards explains steps and methods to bring yourself to a peaceful, quiet place for this discernment, and acceptance. He uses many examples of his own life as references to these times of sadness and how his way of growing closer to God, instead of pushing away, works to serve us well in finding this peace. I would definitely recommend this book to everyone, no matter their faith, or religious beliefs.

[Amber · Rating 2 out of 5]

While Richards has plenty of important insights in this particular book, his tone completely turns me off of his overarching message. Richards is snarky, derogatory, and takes a very self-righteous tone. This is the kind of 'spiritual inspiration' books that is a huge hit with members of the privileged class who want to hear that 'just doing more work' or scourging yourself with further routines is the end-all be all answer to a healthier relationship with God (not to say that it cannot be effective, it is just not overarchingly effective). Additionally, the attitude of using the word 'pagan' as an insult, as well as throwing the whole 'or you're going to hell' admonishment around as if shock tactics are in any way a long-term solution to any wound of the soul was a practice I had thought the Church had already veered away from. I guess I was just luckier in the priests and theologians I have been blessed to know.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure this was the right book for me at this current time. I loved "Be a Man", but this one seemed disjointed and in need of a good editor. There seemed to be some unnecessary repetition, and the chapters lacked definition within themselves and continuity withe ach other. It feel like, "Here's a story. Now I want to tell you a thing. Here's another thing. Here's something that I remember that goes with the thing. And now I'm going to tell you the same thing for emphasis."

Don't get me wrong, I love Fr. Larry. Although, I am a bit afraid he's going to read this and call me a pagan!

Maybe he should write "Be a Woman."

[Pat Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Father Richards is back with a book for everyone looking for peace, and a sense of fulfillment in their life. What he does for men in his first book on spirituality, he now does for everyone who does not enjoy the way their lives are.
He tells you what will get you feeling better about the course your life is on. The simple steps you need to change your life from one of emptiness to one in which life is rewarding.
In a couple of hours you can set your life onto a path to happiness. A good investment of your time in my opinion.

[Denese · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just can not be read quickly. Small book, deep, long looks into my soul. Re- reading slower.

[Skip Coale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional book with practical guidance for enhanced spiritual life and relationship with God.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, and amazing that you can hear his voice in your head as you read each page. At least for those who have heard him speak.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book that offers practical ways to implement the truths of Catholic teachings.

[Shaunacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book to inspire and modivate you to giving your life over to God. Will have to pull it out next year and read it again.

[Shaun Kober · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome and thought provoking. I love Fr. Larry!

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book for anyone looking for some help in their spiritual life.

[Stan Blackburn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book's tone and direction are close-minded, accusatory, and very conservative in scope. The text will draw traditionalists and repel most others. This text, moreover, is not an accurate representation of the majority of the Church. Aiming phrases like "shut-up," "you're going to hell," and "do you hate me now?" toward the reader give the Church a bad rap and is inaccurate to the Spirit of Christ. There are moments in the text where Fr. Larry cherry-picks verses to proof-text his conservative religious views. The text, overall, presents a negative, raucous, minority Catholic view, one that gets too much voice in the media. There is a Church of love present in Catholicism, not the strict "mortal sin is mortal sin" view presented here. Moral theology, modern scholarship, and discernment teach much differently than this perspective champions. Fr. Larry makes some well-intentioned points about following God's will in our lives; I'll give him that. And he does come off as sincere in his presentation, as flawed as it can be at times.

[Bill Leis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was familiar with Fr. Richard’s and had started reading this book, before, but finished it cover to cover in my reading journey of 2023. I previously read his book, “Be a Man” and have seen some of his videos on YouTube.

Father Larry writes to men. He’s a bit harsh, but believes (as do I) that men respond better to direct and sometimes harsh love than a “nicey-nice” message. I recommend this book on discernment, surrender, and finding/doing the will of God.

[Jan Kubiznak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Skutečně praktické a důrazné rady pro toho, kdo chce se svým životem něco dělat. Někdy je o. Larry rázný až moc, ale vždy to odlehčí osobitý humorem nebo anekdotou. Kniha je dobře strukturovaná, má jasný směr a cíl. Nepřináší mimořádné nebo objevné postřehy a je to tak dobře. Tradiční postupy naprosto dostačují.

[Mary Diebel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this with a faith sharing group. The discussions were good. He gave some different views, and as always I learned something. But I still don't know what God wants me to do, specifically. However, I will continue to do what I think He is asking me to do.

[Khadija Altaf · Rating 5 out of 5]

it sgood

[Andrea Mudd · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books that I’ve ever read about how to give yourself to God every day and truly do God’s will. I will be returning to this book to remind myself.

[Betty Jean Poznak · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very timely book that will encourage you to let go and let God take charge of your life.

[Paul Tucker · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for every Catholic

This was a very very good book. Everybody who claims to be a Christian and wants to follow Christ more closely with benefit from reading this.

[Neil Fidler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life changer! Thank you, Father Larry!

[Resi Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went to one of Fr. Larry's talks during the weekend of Divine Mercy and was so moved by him that I decided to purchase this book. it really was a great book and I would recommend it. I took off a star because there were a lot of typographical/grammatical errors, which could potentially question his credibility particularly for other, especially skeptical, readers. I also didn't agree with him on a certain subject but I won't delve into that in this review because it is irrelevant to his overall wonderful message.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book after Fr. Larry visited my church for a parish mission. It's a good reminder of his life changing message, written in a highly practical way with a summary at the end of each chapter. It's not such an "easy" concept to surrender to God, but Fr. Larry gives us specific things to do every day that make a difference. He writes the way he speaks, with humor, passion, and a deep love of God.

[Tim Speer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will definitely challenge you to become a better Christian. In this book Father Larry Richards outlines, and explains in simple terms, how to completely surrender to God's will. It will definitely challenge you, for as humans, we all fall short. However, by putting to practice the principles of this book, you will grow spiritually, and become closer to Christ.

[Joe Riccomini · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Fr Larrys style. He pulls no punches and wastes no words. Reading him is the equivalent of getting smacked up side the head with a spiritual 2x4 in a good way. This book worth rereading every few years. Powerful stuff.

[Erik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good ole Fr. Larry. Straightforward and challenging, and often funny. Five chapters on surrendering yourself to God; one on discerning His will; last chapter on living His will.

[Candice Guillory · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing! It's a tiny book that took me months to read because I would only read a few pages at a time hoping to soak it all up.