Self-Surrender: The Key to Dreaming Again

by Rick Unruh

"We parked our car in front of Yankton's Federal Prison Camp and walked through the doors of the control center. 'I'm Rick Unruh, and I'm here to self-surrender, ' I told the corrections officer. There is no way I could comprehend what those words would mean over course of the next year, as God would begin a new work in me."

Born and raised in a small town in Kansas, Rick Unruh was called to be in the ministry. But when he lost his mother to cancer despite her unwavering faith that God would heal her, it planted seeds of doubt in his heart. He served as a traveling evangelist for years but later faded away from the ministry.

He and his wife lost their house in a fire, but a year later, far worse pain was ahead when they, lost their twelve-year-old son in an ATV accident. Just when it seemed there was hope and recovery ahead, Rick was blindsided by a federal investigation into a mortgage consulting group he'd been involved with. He was eventually charged and then sentenced to over a year in prison, embarrassed and sure that God was done with him this time. But God wasn't finished.

This book is a testament to the God who restores us and allows us to dream again--if we will only surrender ourselves to him.

252 pages, Paperback

Published June 28, 2019

Reviews

[Debbie]

I am going to start this review differently then I normal do with a quote from the book and the post that I posted on Facebook while reading the book. "What if God were to call a shakedown right now? If God were to stop by and openly dig through our secret thoughts and actions right now.If Christ were to walk in and take inventory of our life, would He say,"Well done, good and faithful servant"? Or would we want to run for cover from the embarrassing things we know He would find?" When I read this, I had to stop reading and say a prayer because He does knows our thoughts, every negative though toward others and even ourselves. I am being reminded that I am one of God's children and when I think negative thoughts of me, I am hurting one of God's children and that is just as sinful as thinking negatives thoughts of someone else. WHAT A POWERFUL TOOL THIS MESSAGE IS TO ME, and I hope that it helps someone else that is struggling with these negatives thoughts. I always feel guilty when I think less of someone than I should because God tells us in His word that we need to do all things in love, and since I am His child, I need to show love to me also. I don't mean selfishly or mean but just as I treat other fairly and show that I appreciate and think they are worthy, I and others need to do the same for ourselves. Wow, I didn't mean to type all this but once I started typing the words just flowed. I am not sure if that is what Rick Unruh was meaning to reveal when he wrote those words but it is what came to me as I reading.
As you can see this book has really spoken to me. I recommend this book to everyone because we all have times when we feel or thank God can't use me anymore because of this or that and the choices that we have made, or events like death or house fires or other tragic events that we felt that God could have prevented if He truly was who He said He was and if He truly care.
The author shares that even in the struggles and heartaches God isn't finished with us and encourages us to allow God to help us dream again and to totally surrender all to Him. This all includes our fears, questions and doubts and unforgiveness.
This is another book that I strongly recommend that pastors and counselors have in their library to help those they come in contact with.
I was given a complimentary copy by the author and Celebrate Lit. These opinions are my own.

[Deana Dick]

I enjoyed how the author was very transparent about his struggles. It was interesting to follow him as he struggled with his faith. High school is very hard and at this time in your life it is all about acceptance. The author had a good example to follow as his parents were faith filled and embraced God everyday. The missteps that the author faced in his teens are pretty typical for most as we all rebelled against our parents. I liked how his parents disciplined him with love. It reminds me of the scripture. "God disciplines those He loves." It was a true example of following God's word and showing unconditional love to their son.

The book takes us on a journey through the trials of a man who could have given up but never did. At times I felt like I was reading the book of Job. How much more could be endured before the author gave up? One of the most devastating things to read was when his son died. My heart ached for this family as their grief was overpowering. My brother lost his son to a car accident years ago. I will never forget the phone call he made to me. We had just buried my mother a week before and now my nephew was dead. In the days ahead I couldn't understand how these two tragedies could happen to a family.

I admire the perseverance the author has as he shares his story. It is obvious that his deep faith as helped him to walk through trials and come out stronger. His ability to find new financial opportunities were inspiring. One such job would become a nightmare and cause the author's life to take a dark turn into the world of lawyers, judges and prison. It was hard to read how other people involved in the crime cut a deal and left him out to dry and to take the brunt of the punishment. The author had to turn to God to guide him to forgiveness and accept what lay ahead of him.

The book is not an easy read but is filled with hope and a fierce determination to never give up on your dreams. It may seem like you will never get ahead, that bad things keep happening, but God is still there walking beside you. The author uses his story to encourage others to keep moving forward and allow God to direct your path.

"God often uses our dark times to grab our attention."

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.

[Katie]

Oh my- this book connected with me on such a deep level. Not full of Scripture, but told like a story, we follow Rick through one heartbreaking episode after another. His mom dying from cancer, health issues, his son dying in an accident, being sent to jail, and all while trying to be a pastor. The depth of emotion and how relatable this story is can not be overstated. While I have not faced such strong challenges, I have faced my own share of struggles like we all do, and what this book was able to do, was to use simple Scripture and life experience to bring us to the reality that every struggle, every experience, God uses for the purpose of glorifying Himself and bringing us closer to Him. Only in surrender, even surrendering that God will fix the problem or deliver us from it, in surrendering to the One who has a plan, who loves us more than we can imagine, can we find the ability to have peace and dreams. Knowing that the Lord's dreams for us are higher than anything we could think for ourselves helps us to surrender, not looking for him to act, but looking for Him. One part that really stuck out to me in the book was that many times we miss how God helps us to get through an issue rather than deliver us from it, which can come from the most unexpected sources. I recommend this book for anyone who feels hopeless, is doubting Christ in the midst of struggle, or is looking for an inspirational story to read.



I received a complimentary copy of this book, and all opinions given are entirely my own.

[Chautona Havig]

What Kinds of Dreams Are Key?

One thing The Key to Dreaming Again does and does well is that it points the reader to the only One who can make our dreams what they should be and then make them come true. A verse that fits well is Psalm 37:4.

Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.”

Readers looking for a “how-to” guide to evaluating one’s dreams and aligning them with the Word will be disappointed. This isn’t that book. I’m not sure why the book is listed as “Nonfiction Inspirational.” It’s a memoir.

Sure, Rick Unruh has a point to his memories and the stories he tells, but from page one through to the last, it’s a story—of his life, those he loves, and the lessons he and they learned from the Lord as they navigated it all.

While well-written and interesting on the one hand, I wouldn’t have purchased it had it been put in the memoir category, and had I not been given a free ARC to review, I would have requested a refund. It’s just not what the title and the category portray it to be.

I am assuming that my ARC was an uncorrected proof. There were a (very) few typos that I assume will be corrected in the final printing.

Recommended for people who enjoy memoirs and stories of what the Lord does in His peoples’ lives. Trigger warning: there’s a lot of death in this book—including child loss.

And what kind of dreams are key? Those that the Lord holds the key to, of course.

[Connie Saunders]

Rick Unruh shares his triumphs, his failures, and his deepest emotions in Self-Surrender and I admire that he is willing to be so transparent. He begins this book by relating a very low point and then he explains just what he gained from being incarcerated. 'I was walking into a physical prison, but I was already living in a spiritual prison of shame, regret, and deep hurt. And yet, I would find freedom in prison......Only when I was willing to surrender "self"---all of my hurts, all my pain, all my regrets, and all of my questions---and just trust that I genuinely begin to understand freedom.' (p. 15)

This book might be considered a memoir or autobiography because Unruh shares many of the experiences that made him falter: the deaths of his mother and his son, financial problems, and being sentenced to prison. In the end, however, it is a book of affirmation, inspiration, and encouragement; we are shown how his hurts and failures have helped him to achieve more than he ever dreamed. Self-Surrender: The Key to Dreaming Again reminds us that our best lives can be achieved only when we accept God's Plan for us and we fully surrender to what He has chosen for us.

I received a copy of this book from the author and Celebrate Lit but I wasn't obligated to write a review. All opinions are strictly my own.

[Stephanie Norton]

Rick Unruh takes us on his journey of life who never gave up even when one bad thing after another happened. It starts out when he went to prison and then goes back to his childhood and early marriage. He talks about his mother dying from cancer, his son died in an accident, being sent to jail and trying to be a pastor. The story is relatable and inspiring. It uses simple Scripture and life experiences to bring us to the reality that every experience and things we go through God is there. It is a memoir because Rick Unruh shares his life experiences.

"The Key to Dreaming Again" is an inspirational story about not giving up and turning to turn God to help you get through things. If you are feeling down, overwhelmed, lonely or sad I would recommend reading this book. It is filled with hope and determination. It is very inspiring. God is always walking with you through your journey. I encourage you to read this book. "God often uses our dark times to grab our attention."

I received a copy of this book from the author and Celebrate Lit but I wasn't obligated to write a positive review. All opinions are strictly my own.

[Betti]

‘The storms in our lives will try to kill our dreams.’

This book in the rather incredible true story of the author, his family and life! As one that is always optimistic, I have to wonder where I would stand having experienced just some of this. To deal with prison, cancer, death of loved ones and even fire seems like just too much! How could one ever think of dreaming again?

Takotsubo, or broken heart syndrome, is something that is new to me. However, there is plenty of information detailing this cardiomyopathy that can occur after the death of a loved one. The concept of self-surrender weaves its way throughout the book. To dream again we have to voluntarily surrender the pain, the anger and hurt and forgive oneself as well as others.

Reading through this book, I realized again that God’s provision in our lives doesn’t change - we are the ones that allow circumstances to take away our dreams!

I received this book through Redemption Press and CelebrateLit. The impressions and opinions are my own.

[Patti Pierce]

As I started to read this book, I had no idea of the flood of emotions that would wash over me as I read the words. But this book made me laugh in spots and cry in others. Some of the stories involving Rick Unruh and his family were absolutely heartbreaking, such dealing with the death of loved ones. Other stories such as the one about the lady who intentionally came to visit his mother in the hospital in a robe, nightgown, slippers, and curlers made me smile. It reminded me of the fact that many of us go to visit people dressed up when the person we were visiting probably only cared about us actually being there and being present.

The stories told in this book of his own life and tales of his family and friends touched my heart. The evidence of Rick’s faith is seen throughout the pages of the book. If you want to read a book that will make you feel a variety of emotions, check out this book for yourself.

I received a copy of this book for my fair and honest review.

[Mary Hake]

As I read this memoir about Rick Unruh’s life, my own pastor’s wife was facing charges for an accident with a foster son and the possibility of a jail sentence (she was sentenced to 45 days). That made his story particularly poignant at the time. He begins with the quoted part (see below under About the Book) about going to prison, but then takes readers back to his growing up years and his full biography. So much of the book is about his life and struggles, when I expected more application from the title. I think this should be called a memoir, but we do glean lessons from his experiences and what God taught him. The author faced some difficult times, and readers can identify with another’s struggles. May others be encouraged to dream again after going through tough trials. Surrender to God is a key theme. I received a copy from Celebrate Lit.

[Melissa]

This was an interesting read. It is definitely more of a memoir which wasn’t what I was really expecting. The author goes into great detail about his life and the lessons he learned a long the way. I did enjoy reading that but I honestly picked up the book hoping to have more “keys” to learning to dream again and really it was about the authors ability to learn to dream again. So maybe I had the wrong impression of the book.

But if you enjoy memoirs then you will probably enjoy this book. You will glean lessons from what the author went through but not lessons in the way I was expecting. But still it was an interesting read.

A copy of this book was given to me through the Celebrate Lit Team. All opinions are my own.

[Cheri Swalwell]

This book was wonderful. I love how the author was so transparent – telling us about the victories in his life as well as the “not-so-pleasant” moments that God was able to turn around for good. This was a book that I savored, reading a chapter a day so that I could really chew on the meat given in each chapter. This is an incredible story of surrender but also of victory God’s way. I highly recommend it as a wonderful read to those who think God can’t use them for mighty things because they are “too far gone.”
I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit but was not under any obligation to write a review. All opinions are strictly mine.

[Shirley]

As Rick Unruh shares details of his life and the myriad of struggles and trials he tells a story of God’s faithfulness. He shares his struggles with God and the effect his sinful choices had on him and all of his family. My favorite parts of the book are snippets Rick shares from the journal of his mom—“a woman of true, unmovable faith.” It is a great reminder that in everything we experience we are given opportunities to glorify God.

NOTE: I received a complimentary copy of this book for reviewing from Rick Unruh. I was not required to provide a positive review. Thoughts in “My Two Cents” are my own opinion.

[Janice Sisemore]

Self-surrender: the Key to Dreaming Again

Once I started this book it was hard to put down. By the title I didn’t realize it was going to be a life story of the author. I found it very interesting. Him and his wife have been through so much. He has Dream Again ministry that he thought he would never be part of again.

The book starts out when he Self-Surrender to prison. Then goes back to his childhood and early marriage. I found it all very inspiring. I encourage all to read his story.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher through Celebrate Lit. This book review is my own opinion.

[Dj Wells]

Compelling book of joy and sorrow in one family’s journey with the Lord and how God has used the path to enhance the author’s ministry call.