Mended Faith shares Cornelia Jude’s struggle to understand why she was the target of repetitive sexual, physical, and emotional abuse, and how unhealthy coping mechanisms―drug and alcohol abuse, reclusive behavior, and self-mutilation―didn’t heal her, but added more brokenness to her already shattered life. Her story mirrors the accounts of many women today living in the shadows of their abuse and who watch its remnants affect their marriages, damage their parenting, and cloud their judgment. Jude builds a case for faith in Christ as the only way to find peace, forgive abusers, and live a life of joy beyond the shadows of pain. "In this heartrending debut, blogger Jude chronicles the abuse she suffered as an adolescent, its destructive aftermath, and the power of faith and forgiveness in helping her to heal. Writing with journalist Jones, Jude gives an account of a decade in which her mother's boyfriend abused her. The abuse began when she was 10. Two years later, Jude began using drugs, alcohol, self-harm, promiscuity, and suicide attempts to try to alleviate the pain of her secret trauma, as well as to survive her volatile family life. Jude's adulthood continued to be filled with dysfunctional relationships (including two unhappy marriages), but she eventually found her way to God through a local church. By praying for her abuser, Jude learned that forgiveness was the key to her own healing. Each chapter includes a brief scriptural passage that relates to the author's life. Jude helpfully encourages fellow survivors to tell their stories, even if others refuse to believe them or try to silence them. This affecting memoir will move any reader and will be of particular help to survivors of abuse looking for hope and healing." - Publisher's Weekly Cornelia Jude attends Upward Church, a nondenominational Christian Church in Williamsburg, Virginia with five campuses across the East Coast. Despite enduring years of sexual, physical, and mental abuse, which led to a 1999 PTSD diagnosis, Cornelia fights every day to live her life as a survivor and not a victim. After embracing the Christian faith in 2016, she has come to terms with the pain of her past and looks forward to the plans that God has for her future. Since then, she has been sharing how she turned her most painful memories into something positive through the strength of Christ with others on her active Facebook group, “I am a Survivor, Not a Victim!” and through the blog on her Mended Faith website. Chris Jones attends Williamsburg Community Chapel, an interdenominational Christian Church located in Williamsburg, Virginia. Chris has served as a writer and editor at two newspapers, and an editor at two magazines where he has written profiles and features of regional notables, as well as high profile people and celebrities. In 2015, Chris wrote The Art & Business of Writing: A Practical Guide to the Writing Life , to help new authors and business professionals learn how to write and sell their books. He is also the host of The Art & Business of Writing podcast and co-hosts a weekly on-air radio show.