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The Freedom of Forgiveness
Reprinted: 3G Publishing, Inc., December, 2015
Copyright © 2015 by Allen B. Jackson
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, copied, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means – graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval systems without the prior written permission of Allen B. Jackson or Hope of Vision Publishing except where permitted by law.
Unless otherwise specified, all Scripture quotations in this book are from The Holy Bible, King James Version (KJV). Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Cover Design: Hope of Vision Designs Cover Image: Google Images
Editor: Bonita Kale for BK Edits
Write the Author at: Allen B. Jackson
P.O. Box 26687 Tamarac, FL 33320
Email: [email protected]
For more information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Email: [email protected]
ISBN 978-1-942871-00-2
Library of Congress Control Number: 2015930924
Printed in the United States of America
“Allen reveals in his personal life story how he confronts a tragic fork in the road and how it gives all of us a profound teaching on the power of forgiveness. Allen is a master at integrating the world of theology and psychology in his book. In using himself as the protagonist, he takes us on a personal journey of discovering that unforgiveness is a piercing thorn in the side of one’s soul. Though the murder of his mother by his brother poses a seemingly insurmountable obstacle to get pass, Allen proves to us all that anything is possible through the power of forgiveness”
Dr. Ron Mercer, PHD, LMHC, NCC
Director of community services center for creative living and author of “Unspoken language of men” Coral Springs, Florida
Gloria Jean Jackson-Morris
February 11, 1949 – December 17, 1993
This book is dedicated to my hero and the strongest person I have ever known in my entire life: my mother, my friend and greatest supporter, Gloria Jean Jackson-Morris. Thank you for everything you taught me and especially for teaching me to always be strong and independent. I still remember the things you told me when I was a little boy. May you continue to rest in peace.
Rhonda Lowe
I would also like to dedicate this book to the only person that lived the majority of this tragedy with me. To my best friend, ex-wife, high school sweetheart and childhood friend, Rhonda Lowe. Thank you for your love and support when no one else knew or understood what I was going through.
Gabrielle Jackson
You are my princess, and you are the best daughter a dad could ask for. You bring so much joy to my life and you are my gift from God. I love you more than words can express.
I want to acknowledge and give my sincere and heartfelt thanks, first to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Mr. and Mrs. Lowe and the entire Lowe family;, James Jackson Jr., Willie and Juanita Creech, and the entire Creech family; Beverly and Hal Batson; Mommy Agnes Joseph; Elaine Stevens; Brenton Wright; Vernon Shazier; Attorney Yanique Otto; and the entire Ark Restoration Church International family.
Prologue ....................................................................9
Author Notes ..........................................................11
Chapter One:
December 17, 1993 ................................................13
Chapter Two:
Christmas Eve 1993 ...............................................31
Chapter Three:
Time for Justice ......................................................48
Chapter Four:
Where do I go from here? ......................................63
Chapter Five:
The Letter ...............................................................77
Chapter Six:
The Journey to Forgiveness ....................................91
Chapter Seven:
What Forgiveness is and is Not .............................103
Chapter Eight:
Signs of Unforgiveness ........................................118
About the Author ...................................................127
Family Album .......................................................129
One of life’s greatest luxuries is freedom. Freedom gives a person the opportunity to be, to do and to have. When a person’s freedom is taken away, they can no longer experience all that life has to offer. Often when a person loses their freedom, it’s as a result of being incarcerated. But you don’t have to be in a jail cell or sent off to prison to lose your freedom. I’ve learned through personal experience that allowing unforgiveness to linger, to lie dormant and unaddressed, will cause us to be imprisoned in our minds.
Unforgiveness is a prison. It takes away a person’s emotional, mental and spiritual freedom, and according to extensive studies, unforgiveness can cause serious health issues. Just as criminals are locked away in prison, unforgiveness keeps us locked away in the prison of our minds and hearts and
prevents us from living a free, productive, successful, and meaningful life. It has taken me twenty-one years to write this book, because forgiving and living in forgiveness is a journey.
This is a work of nonfiction. Some names have been changed in order to respect and protect their privacy. While circumstances and comments depicted herein come from my recollection of them, this book is the best recollection of an event that changed my