To outsiders, Larry Owen Azlin was a drug-addicted criminal who defied societal rules and norms. But to authors Shirley Anne McMurray and Melinda Leigh Alkire, he was the man they called Daddy. In this memoir, these sisters paint a picture of their life with their father and mother-a life marked by crime, drugs, police busts, and shootings in the ghettos of Fresno, California.

Breaking the Chain provides a glimpse into the life of children with parents who struggle with addiction and the impact the criminal justice system leaves on them. McMurray and Alkire share the details of what life was like with their father before drugs engulfed his mind, body, and soul. It also narrates the grim stories of his drug-addicted machinations, his prison incarceration with the California Department of Corrections, and his failed attempts at reform.

Recalling both the heartaches and the joys, Breaking the Chain provides a unique perspective of their unusual upbringing. They provide testimony that there is hope for the future.

Highly respected counselor guides those who suffered physical, sexual, or emotional abuse as a child to move beyond the lasting impact of that abuse to a healthier future.

The deep pain of childhood abuse--whether physical or emotional, whether a child was neglected or wished nothing more than to be left alone--doesn't just go away. There's simply no just getting over it. Even if no physical scars remain as evidence of the victim's suffering, the deep wounds on their minds, hearts, and souls are still there. But it is possible to become whole and happy.

Author of the successful Healing the Scars of Emotional Abuse, Dr. Gregory Jantz now helps readers understand the effects of childhood abuse on their emotional, intellectual, physical, relational, and spiritual health. He then outlines the steps to lasting healing, including grieving what was lost, learning to balance emotions with intentionality, regaining a positive relationship with one's own body and mind, and coming to an understanding of God not as a frightening authority figure like the abuser or an accusing judge, but as a loving creator, redeemer, and friend.

In spite of their physical invisibility, emotional wounds are a very damaging form of abuse. Whether caused by words, actions, or even indifference, emotional abuse is common--yet often overlooked.
In this helpful guide, Dr. Gregory L. Jantz reveals how those who have been abused by a spouse, parent, employer, or minister can overcome the past and rebuild their self-image. This revised and updated edition of "Healing the Scars of Emotional Abuse" includes
- strategies for dealing with the verbal abuser
- self-check quizzes with each chapter
- keys to rebuilding relationships
- letters from survivors of emotional abuse
- new information on dealing with spiritual abuse
- and a biblical plan for healing.

Historically, men have been in control--of nations, of wars, of commerce, of their families. Of practically everything, except often themselves. And those men who are fully in control of all other aspects of their worlds are often the ones who find themselves trapped in hidden compulsions and behaviors. From the usual suspects like pornography and gambling to those overlooked compulsions like overwork and withdrawal.
In "Battles Men Face," Dr. Jantz exposes the temptations that entrap good men, explains the root reasons men find themselves trapped in these behaviors, and gives them practical steps to take to overcome their unhealthy patterns. He shows them how to accept who they are (and who they're not), love themselves enough to say no, focus and build on the positive, and, perhaps most difficult, ask for and accept help.

To outsiders, Larry Owen Azlin was a drug-addicted criminal who defied societal rules and norms. But to authors Shirley Anne McMurray and Melinda Leigh Alkire, he was the man they called Daddy. In this memoir, these sisters paint a picture of their life with their father and mother-a life marked by crime, drugs, police busts, and shootings in the ghettos of Fresno, California.

Breaking the Chain provides a glimpse into the life of children with parents who struggle with addiction and the impact the criminal justice system leaves on them. McMurray and Alkire share the details of what life was like with their father before drugs engulfed his mind, body, and soul. It also narrates the grim stories of his drug-addicted machinations, his prison incarceration with the California Department of Corrections, and his failed attempts at reform.

Recalling both the heartaches and the joys, Breaking the Chain provides a unique perspective of their unusual upbringing. They provide testimony that there is hope for the future.

"Our world is aflame with sex," warns counselor and author Dr. Gregg Jantz. We live in a society where sex is practiced openly, talked about freely, engaged in creatively, and flaunted shamelessly. Cultural stigmas that once kept sex within definable boundaries have all but disappeared.

Anyone can fall prey to sexual temptation or become the target of a sexual aggressor. Any man or woman who has contact with the opposite sex -- whether at church, in the workplace, or at play -- needs the vital information contained in these pages.

Would you recognize a sexually charged relationship soon enough to avoid falling into an affair? Would you be able to help a friend, loved one, or someone you're counseling avoid such a relationship? Basing each section on gripping case studies, this must-read book for the new millennium will help you recognize the danger signs of a sexualized relationship and show you how to keep your future with your family, your friends, your coworkers, and your God secure.

In this informative volume, Dr. Jantz offers expert guidance in:

identifying sexual manipulators and climbers spotting danger signals in friendships about to turn sexual protecting family members from relatives or acquaintances who are sexual predators knowing how to avoid sexual traps when advising church members avoiding sexual pitfalls in professional and pastoral counseling

Fretting over seemingly inconsequential daily headaches. Constantly worrying about family members' health or safety. Being weighed down by negativity from the 24-hour news cycle. It's a wonder anyone can escape anxiety. Unchecked, anxiety can swiftly rob us of our sense of safety, well-being, and peace.
"Overcoming Anxiety, Worry, and Fear" offers a whole-person approach to coping with and eliminating anxiety. This compassionate combination of common sense, biblical wisdom, and therapeutic advice will help readers unchain themselves from constant worry so that they can "be anxious about nothing" (Phil. 4:6). Trusted author Dr. Gregory L. Jantz helps readers identify the causes for their anxiety, assess the severity of their symptoms, and start down avenues for positive change.

Healing the Scars of Addiction is a lifeline. It offers a holistic approach to healing so that you and your loved ones can reclaim your lives and move forward in hope.

Addiction doesn't have to have the last word.

Illegal drugs, alcohol, gambling, food, prescription medication, shopping, pornography, technology. Our world is full of addictions, and the wreckage lies scattered around too many of us--from the one who is or was addicted to those in relationship with that person.

For anyone struggling with an addiction, attempting to live in recovery, or seeking to understand the mind of an addict they love, Healing the Scars of Addiction is a lifeline. It offers a holistic approach to healing so that you and your loved ones can reclaim your lives and move forward in hope.