Endure: The Power of Spiritual Assets for Resilience to Trauma & Stress

by Daniel D. Maurer

A woman survives a machete attack committed by her own husband...

A Syrian refugee relates his harrowing account of fleeing his war-torn homeland...

A mother loses her only son to a devastating heroin addiction...

A young girl learns her beloved sister has been murdered by a serial killer...

A US soldier overcomes massive, continual trauma through his Cherokee beliefs...

A pastor learns a serial arsonist has torched his congregation, yet he learns to forgive...

Real stories of resilience told by real people demonstrate how spirituality makes a difference when it comes to a person's ability to bounce back after trauma or stress. Transformation guru and author Daniel D. Maurer (Sobriety: A Graphic Novel, Faraway: A Suburban Boy's Story as a Victim of Sex Trafficking, and Papa Luther) shares--in each person's own words--that spiritual beliefs are more than fluffy, "nice things" to believe in. Instead, spiritual assets become the transforming spark that undergirds a resilient response in many life situations, even yours.

200 pages, Paperback

Published October 2, 2017

About the author

Daniel D. Maurer is a freelance writer living in Saint Paul, Minnesota. In addition to writing as "Dan the Story Man" and sharing transformational stories, he also writes for Sparkhouse and Amicus Publishing, both publishers for children's curriculum resources. He lives with three cats, two boys, one wife, and an exceptionally needy German Shorthaired Pointer.

Reviews

[Madeleine Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love non fiction books, especially stories of survival, strength and resilience! The books consists of various interviews by the author Daniel Maurer which most people would find it hard to recover from, but we learn that they experience post traumatic growth as a result of their experience and become thrivers rather than survivors.
They show us that if we really want to we can choose to get past anything that happens to us in life. Inspiring and hopeful book

[Bonnie Dale Keck · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kindle Unlimited though pretty sure got copies in various formats from AuthorXP as well. The 'lessons' seem to be good things happen to good people, bad things happen to good people, good things happen to bad people, bad things happen to bad people, and stupid things happen to stupid people. I was raised around several different religions {Catholic, Lutheran, Baptist, Methodist, and several more, plus studies in World Religions}, and no one with any kind or type of religion or reasoning that I know of or have heard of act in such stupid manners. If one acts or reacts like a victim that is how they are treated; relying solely or mainly on 'belief' does nothing when one does nothing to change or help change or mitigate the situation or even stop it all together. That is NOT what 'ask and ye shall receive' is supposed to actually mean. This book was, supposedly, supposed to be uplifting, but instead was repetitive and depressing, for all the wrong reasons.

One of the main things I have always heard, elsewhere, is that no one is 'recovered' from addiction, but instead are always IN 'recovery'. Along with this, the writer mentions the thousands for treatments, when AA is free at churches and other organizations, is not charged for {under AA rules}, and that thousands otherwise spent whether via hospital type programs or others is another subject, as is mandated programs through whatever agency when AA is not for everyone. A preacher or other religious 'official' is talking about if one turns away from 'spiritual' gifts is basically when addictions take hold, and that supposedly staying on whatever spiritual path {which did not happen, even to/with a church official} will keep the addiction away or at bay even yet again did not happen and then took not only AA but by writer's own admission thousands of dollars in specialized treatment. Also, talking about higher power and I assume forgiveness, is one forgiven for being a drunk or drug user just because they ask for forgiveness after {for example} killing someone while driving or otherwise under the influence of anything? This does NOT sound like someone who believes in and is holding themselves accountable for their actions; it reads like a long excuse. How could someone claiming to have been a practicing man of the cloth talk about how being honest changed him...uh wasn't he honest before and all, or shouldn't he have been?

The second story, the girl, she comes off as a spoiled insecure airhead brat, the story-ies don't really make much sense about anything. Full immersion baptisms depends on faith/segment and or religion, NOT location. Wait, DURING the baptism is when she accepted God, not before? Huh? She had the kids with her, not the by then ex, WHY, 'saved' party girl 'ho'? Didn't even realize she still had them around, since they seem to be props in the story that got stuck on back burner for the OMG b.s. How was he not her 'type', she'd ALREADY DATED him once before. I hope DHR stepped in and took away her kids, no child should be in that environment. Let's see, put up with abuse, dated him later, married him, put up with more abuse, kept the kids around him, separated, got back together again, What, not thanking God for your stubborn streak, just yourself now? Physical therapy does not repair a brain, only surgery or mental exercises can do that. How would she not have her son if she hadn't been attacked? Why is the writer now repeating what he already did in the notes or whatever in teh beginning, he'd already covered {over covered, as did she} early years and after, why rehash it again. Really? God was the reason for any lucid or almost ones, yet no mention of God who didn't stop a machete attack? And now even more rehashing of the same story. How is she still angry at her abuse, earlier she said grateful for most of it, the outcome, and what happened to the several mentions of being 'thankful'?

In the next story, why isn't there a PROBLEM with someone attempting to hide PTSD, a person who is still in military? He has 'redneck' ways but is 'spiritually' in Cherokee ways? Is this an example of bad parenting, like the last story? Giving custody to your kids and 'hoping' they won't be neglected or abused...yo dude, military can work with 'compassionate leave' and other same type things. People tried to kill him, but it wasn't all the time but was at least once a day? Huh? Then yet another side story, again by the writer, talking about how his aging mother invited the family on an expensive paid vacation yet he somehow managed to get all histrionic about THAT re risk waiver of flying in the plane, so bad he got his son in tears and they all ended up having to take a bus back instead, which he seems weirdly proud about, and totally off the whatever the subject of the book supposed to be about, which according to other places was acceptance and not being an idiot about things. What does 'I should not actively seek out bad things from happening' even mean, it's a garbled mess of a sentence. Also, once again, the kids in the story seem to just be a minute or 2 prop then out of the picture for the rest of the story.

We don't need the writer's guesses at the political state of this or any other country, and once again it's unneeded filler. Story after long story, that should have been uplifting stories, just make me wonder how big of idiots these people are. It takes beatings, repeated ones, to make the one chick leave abusive relationship, the guy talks about Cherokee Way but yet left his kids to be a minor element of the story never to be mentioned again, and another guy is determined to stay in an area, with his wife and kids at risk, and it takes an actual bomb to make him rethink that. Wait, he stayed with bombing and worsening conditions, lets his son go with one of his brothers, says that refugee status could have been given for the family but bribery probably wouldn't work...how was he going to get money to travel even as refugee and what about his mother, was she still stuck here or going with them? You're with a huge group of refugees sneaking across the border and after that group fires warning shots one of you starts praying loud enough to be heard?

Overall, I found the book to be unnecessarily preachy, redundant, 'padded', boring when it wasn't ticking me off with different characters' stupidity, and just from what I typed up contradictory and rather senseless in places. That's the 'good' points; the bad ones would be longer than the overlong book. I didn't detail the rest out because it is giving me a huge migraine.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Endure is so beautifully written! Resilience is a popular topic at the moment and spiritual ties to resilience seem obvious. However, we walk through the many stories and their discovered spiritual asset along with Maurer and each Resilient Person. Each story of trauma/stress strongly carries its author's voice through Maurer's telling and subsequent discussion around each spiritual asset. Maurer invites us into his own life and deepest thoughts and vulnerabilities.

What I loved most about this book is that these are not celebrity types spouting about resilience. The stories in this book could be about your neighbor. These people ARE somebody's neighbor! I found the stories intensely emotional--I could not read them quickly. The spiritual asset discussion following each story also gives much for thought.

I also love that this doesn't become a list of definitive spiritual assets. And I'm a person that likes lists and can pinpoint where I fit in the list! These were the assets that each person discovered through their trauma, grief, and stress. Through this telling, we are free to each discover our own spiritual assets and how they bolster our own resilience.

[G. Cribbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reflecting on his own recovery journey, author Daniel D. Maurer builds a case for the importance of resilience as a potentially significant factor in treatment and recovery work, especially related to trauma and stress, but likewise with addiction and similar areas of recovery focus. This book details not only some of Maurer's recovery journey, but also the recovery journeys of a variety of participants with an equal variety of spiritual assets which contribute to that individual's resilience and recovery. Examples of Spiritual Assets include Gratitude, Acceptance, Hope, Faith, Forgiveness, and Love. Each story is unique, and provides a wide range of experiences, from overcoming physical assault, to managing the front line stressors of war, from hoping against all odds to escape a war zone as a civilian family, or developing faith despite experiencing the murder of a sibling, among other childhood traumas, from forgiving a serial arsonist who burned down a church without provocation, and a mother who loves her son, despite his addiction to heroin. I plan to use this as a group resource at the Medically Assisted Treatment Clinic where I am a counselor. I think this is an excellent resource for those in treatment and recovery, and no matter what pathway their journey is on. The resounding take away is this: resilience is a strength and can lead to progress in treatment and recovery when one engages with a spiritual asset, and applies this to his or her recovery journey. Highly recommended.

[Cassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book! Beautifully written and so moving. My heart was in my throat reading the stories but the message of hope is clear. The people in this book who were brave enough to share their story are amazing. Instead of wallowing in their horrible situations they chose to keep moving forward and rise above. They've overcome so much and it's truly inspiring. Wonderful read!

[Mark Goodson · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are familiar with Maurer's work, you've come to expect stories of transformation and spiritual growth. Endure gives you something new: the space to tell longer stories and reflect more deeply on the lessons waiting there.
These stories are heartbreaking, jaw-dropping, gut-wrenching in nature. Told by the voices of the people who underwent the experiences themselves, the book lacks pretension and judgmentalism. Instead, Maurer provides a backdrop in his introductions and represents his readers in his follow-up. The question he asks all pertain to the reason who pick up the book in the first place: just how does one endure that? That, being one of the six, seven if you include Maurer's own, stories of harrowing trial and hardship.
What I mean to say is that the book delivers what it promises and much more. And without Maurer's probing the storytellers themselves with follow-up questions, the reader would never have things like the Cherokee Harmony Ethic explained so well.
Occasionally, when I'm reading non-fiction work that is spiritual in nature (a genre I read a lot of) I come across that nugget of wisdom that I can never forget. Like Frankl's explaining that people who survived the concentration camps, did so when they thought what they could give to life, instead of what life could give to them. Or in one of my favorite's *The Spirituality of Imperfection* when fallibility is traced through history with a golden thread. I had one of those moments reading about the Harmony Ethic.
I'll leave the reading to you. I know I will never look at the word acceptance in the same way again. These ideas Maurer wrestles with are important, and, as you might expect, transformational.

[Bob Morton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a review copy of Endure from the AXP website. This is an honest review.

Endure is a series of six stories of people who have gone through extraordinary circumstances. In telling these stories, the author exposes us to what he calls Spiritual Assets. These assets are: gratitude, acceptance, hope, faith, forgiveness and love.

Each chapter opens with the explanation of the asset covered, then the story of the person. After this he does a question and answer with them and then explains why these are important. These are real life situations not some story made up to explain some point of a sermon.

The author tries and I feel succeeds, in not preaching the Christian Faith by showing how many religions have the same values. If I was writing this, I might not have done that, but I respect his faith and why he did it the way I did.

I would not recommend this book for children. There are some frightening scenes of the true violence that one man can inflict on another. Yet without those stories we would not have the examples of how these people are day by day, working out what they need to do to make it in this world.

It was a good book, in places I wanted him to get to the point a little quicker, that is why the loss of a star. That is more me than it would be the author.

Recommend (with the understanding about children) that this could be read by anyone looking to see how people recover and move on with life. There are elements of spirituality that may or not affect people not of faith, but I think they would enjoy as well.

[Janet Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating Study of Resilience
This book is an interesting study of what gets people through extreme situations. The discussion of Resilience and spiritual assets seems right on target. It has always interested me how some thrive in adverse situations while others crumble. I thank God for the way I was raised and the inner strength it encouraged. I also wonder about the modern ‘snowflake’ types that can’t take disappointment on any level without needing to retreat to a ‘safe place’. Caution: there are many triggers in this book! This is not for everyone and it is not a ‘light’ or ‘easy’ read. Just the first story in the book talks about an extremely violent case of domestic abuse. Think twice about reading this book if you are prone to nightmares. I would recommend this book to anyone dealing with a loved one in recovery or anyone in recovery. I received a free copy of this book (ARC) and voluntarily chose to share my honest review.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not someone who often reads non-fiction, but this book's blurb just spoke to me, so I requested it and am giving it an honest review as part of an ARC request.

Beautifully written, inspiring and well worth a read.