REAL SURVIVORS: Finding Hope and Courage in Times of Crisis
Steve & Valerie Bell

They are all around us … people who suffer incredibly. People with difficult circumstances. People with worse circumstances than our own. People who display enormous courage. People who from their beds of suffering refuse to let go of God. People who, like Job, say, “Though You slay me, still will I trust You.” Spiritual survivors. They give us courage for our own journeys in faith.

In the pages of Real Survivors, Steve and Valerie Bell introduce us to a number of these spiritual survivors. For some, closure is lacking, loose ends remain, and many unanswered questions linger. But all have found God sufficient in their darkest moments. And because they have been willing to honestly unveil their hurts, their stories offer us hope for our own times of heartache and struggle, hope that we too can come back.

In graphic detail, these seven true stories illustrate how—with God’s help—people like you have survived unimaginable difficulties. This updated edition was originally published as Coming Back: Real-Life Stories of Courage from Spiritual Survivors.

“Real Survivors is a book you’ll want to read before you need to. If you need to, don’t wait another second before diving in.”
—Jerry B. Jenkins, Novelist

“Steve and Valerie Bell, two of the most joy-filled Christians I know, embody the truth that life can be about thriving, not just surviving. I’m glad their words and the words of their fellow survivors can be part of the lives of the rest of us. Each of these stories is enormously powerful.” Real Survivors is a book you’ll want to read before you need to. If you need to, don’t wait another second before diving in.”
—John Ortberg, Senior Pastor, Menlo Park Presbyterian Church Author of Everybody’s Normal ‘til You Get to Know Them

“Hear the subdued but compelling voices of Christians as ordinary as ourselves who grappled with the horrors of our most dreaded nightmares. As they plumbed the depths of brokenness, they discovered themselves growing in the very faith that their ordeals were designed to destroy. Real Survivors offers a vibrant message of hope for our troubled times.”
—Gilbert Bilezikian, Professor emeritus, Wheaton College Founding elder, Willow Creek Community Church

“If you’ve ever been hit with an unexpected crisis, numbed by the betrayal of someone you trusted, or questioned the goodness of God in the middle of impossible circumstances, this book is for you. Real Survivors will give you hope—not through pat answers but through honest stories. Steve and Valerie Bell have given us a practical tool for turning life’s greatest disappointments into courageous hope.”
—Carol Kent, Author and Speaker