About the Book

Book: Long Live Love: Walking Out Freedom From Painful Generational Patterns Author: Rena Roberts Genre: Spiritual Memoir Release Date: May 6, 2023

While utterly broken and at the end of herself, Rena Roberts broke free from spiritual bondage…and you can too. In real life, victory over destructive generational patterns is rare. Psychologists have studied pathological family patterns for decades, trying to discover why they persist but to no avail. Part memoir, part psychological education and application, and part Christian living, Long Live Love is an invitation and opportunity for self-reflection and healing from family-of-origin issues. Rena Roberts grew up in a profoundly dysfunctional home and set out to create a healthy, loving Christian family of her own. But when her daughter began to rebel in her late teens, Rena found herself stripped of her faith and everything she counted on from God. It was then that He began to radically transform her as she surrendered to His will and word, no matter what. Rena’s approach to overcoming deep bondage and spiritual darkness will embolden others to go after freedom recklessly and bring the power of God’s supernatural love to their family line. This journey of freedom from generational jail is told in three sections: Longing, Living, and Loving. Each chapter ends with spiritual growth and reflection questions to examine the longings we have throughout our lives, how we try to live differently from our family of origin, and how we can truly love those we never thought we could.

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About the Author

Rena Roberts grew up in poverty amongst a profoundly dysfunctional family. She muscled her way through college and a graduate degree in Psychology/Counseling. Rena became a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in 1998. She specialized in the treatment of eating disorders for twenty-five years. She has worked as a primary therapist at a residential treatment center, a clinical director of a day treatment center and in private practice over the course of her career. After homeschooling her three children and holding leadership positions in her local church, she underwent a spiritual crisis that ultimately led to the authorship of her first book, Long Live Love: Walking Out Freedom From Painful Generational Patterns. She now speaks by invitation to various women’s and youth groups sharing her life’s work and God’s work in her so far.

More from Rena

I wouldn’t say there’s anything fun about my book. It’s intense and raw and very real. It has been super fun to receive feedback from readers! They love it. They are inspired by it. They all thank me for writing such a vulnerable book. They love the reflections questions..I think my chapters on forgiveness are most inspiring to my readers and some have applied the practices I encourage and report to me that it has been life changing, saved their marriages, etc. That’s super fun! I also realized that I love to write and that I am a writer. I did not know that prior to this project. I hope you enjoy it. I look forward to your thoughts.

Interview with the Author

Why do you think the topic of your book is important?

Jesus said that He came to ‘bring good news to the poor, to set the captives free, and to release the prisoners from oppression.’ (Luke 4:18) Yet so many Christians are not happy and full of joy as if they’ve truly received good news. So many Christians are burdened with guilt and continuing to live lifestyles of sin while trying not to. And so many Christians are oppressed spiritually with fear and trauma and shame. My book addresses these realities and challenges the reader to walk in the freedom and joy that Jesus offers us. It’s there for the taking. We can be truly free here on earth. In this world there is trouble (as Jesus also said), but He has overcome the world. He taught me how to live in this reality no matter the circumstances and I share my journey and offer a road map to the reader. I think this is so important because if Christians truly walked in the freedom of Christ, people would be knocking down the church doors to get in. What’s more important than that?

What is your favorite hymn and why?

Come Thou Fount is my favorite Hymn. The lyrics focus on praise and a longing for more and more closeness with God. I love the line that says,

“Here’s my heart, Lord

Take and seal it

Seal it for Thy courts above”

That is my daily prayer. If my heart is completely sealed up for God, that is all I need.

What is your favorite verse and why?

My favorite verse is 2 Timothy 1:7

“For God did not give us a spirit of fear,

but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

This has been a favorite verse of mine since I was nineteen years old. I used to be afraid I would lose my mind or become a drug addict like others in my family. I used to be riddled with fear about my future because I had no support and I feared that my weak family foundation would mean I could not make it in life. This verse felt like a lifeline from God. It still feels like He’s speaking directly to me. I often felt and feel powerless, but God says I have a spirit of power. I believe my most powerful power is the power to exercise my spirit of love no matter how I am treated or what circumstances come my way. This verse is comforting in the hardest of times. The times I feel I cannot possibly endure, and I wonder if I can even keep ahold of my sanity, God says He has given me a sound mind. I believe it.

What is one thing readers would be surprised to learn about you?

I think readers might be surprised to learn that I do a lot of manual labor. I guess I enjoy working on projects to completion. I’ve painted my entire house inside and out more than once. I have recently learned how to tape and mud drywall and then texture the walls or sand them smooth to prepare them for paint. I am also very good at finishing cabinets and bookcases. I can also handle many household maintenance duties. Friends are often surprised when they see me fixing a toilet or something. To me, its quicker than waiting for my husband or a professional and while I don’t do a better job than my husband (except at painting and finishing), I’m usually better than a professional. Not because I’m so great, but because I care more about my house than they do. Am I a perfectionist? Uh oh…

Outside of the Bible, what is the one book or author that has had the biggest influence on you?

That’s easy. Corrie Ten Boom’s The Hiding Place has had a huge influence on my maturity. She taught me to seek big courage in the face of evil and even more importantly, she lives out supernatural forgiveness and love. I was so moved by her book that I bought twenty books the year I read it and gave it away for Christmas to friends and family. I think everyone should read her book.

Thank you for letting us get to know you better!