About the Book

Book: The Key to Dreaming Again

Author: Rick Unruh key to dreaming again

Genre: Non-Fiction, Inspirational

Release Date: July 10, 2019

“We parked our car in front of Yankton’s Federal Prison Camp and walked through the doors of the control center. ‘I’m Rick Unruh, and I’m here to self-surrender,’ I told the corrections officer. There is no way I could comprehend what those words would mean over course of the next year, as God would begin a new work in me.”

Born and raised in a small town in Kansas, Rick Unruh was called to be in the ministry. But when he lost his mother to cancer despite her unwavering faith that God would heal her, it planted seeds of doubt in his heart. He served as a traveling evangelist for years but later faded away from the ministry.

He and his wife lost their house in a fire, but a year later, far worse pain was ahead when they[dori1] , lost their twelve-year-old son in an ATV accident. Just when it seemed there was hope and recovery ahead, Rick was blindsided by a federal investigation into a mortgage consulting group he’d been involved with. He was eventually charged and then sentenced to over a year in prison, embarrassed and sure that God was done with him this time. But God wasn’t finished.

This book is a testament to the God who restores us and allows us to dream again—if we will only surrender ourselves to him.

Click here to get your copy!

Mindy Houng’s Q&A with Rick Unruh

What inspired this book?

Traveling and sharing my testimony, I was continually asked about a book because I can only hit a highlights of the book and can’t get into details or what’s going on behind the scene. This book gave me a platform to share the utter heartbreak and the victories.

Which chapter was the most difficult to write?

Chapter 10, Takotsubo – Broken Heart. I share about the loss of our son. When I am traveling I share our story about the loss of our son and it is always painful, it always brings a few tears, but I am on the subject for a few minutes and then moving on in my message.

But to go back and write about it, I was re-living every detail of that dreadful night. Then having to keep editing it was tough each time I had to work on it. One morning my wife walked into my office and casually asked what I was working on, I simply pointed to all the used Kleenex on my desk and she says “the Landon chapter” and quietly walks out.

What is your favorite Bible verse or life verse?

PS 34:17,18

¹⁷ When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears

and delivers them out of all their troubles.

¹⁸ The Lord is near to the brokenhearted

and saves the crushed in spirit.

It is a promise that brings comfort that God hears us when we cry for help and a promise that he will deliver us.

He is near the brokenhearted (takotsubo). Losing a child is clearly breaking your heart. I remember so many times saying, God I don’t feel you close by, but you said you hear my cry and you are close to the brokenhearted and my heart is clearly broken and I need to know you are close, even when I don’t feel it.

Faith is standing on a promise, not a feeling. I desperately wanted to feel Him close, but I had to trust that He was close and he still had a plan!

Where is your favorite vacation spot?

The ocean. There is such peace there and you can see God’s beauty. But I also sit there at times and see the ocean as life and wave after wave tried to break me and it definitely came close, but God was faithful and brought peace in the troubled waters. Now, I see the waves coming as I sit there, but I don’t fear them because I know God is in control and I can enjoy the moment and feel close to God!

Thank you Rick for your time in letting us get to know you better!

About the Author

Rick Unruh is a US MAPS missionary and is the founder of Dream Again Ministry. He holds a master’s degree in counseling from Logos University (Jacksonville, FL), with a special interest in grief ministry. He lives in Kansas with his wife, Tamela, and travels the country sharing his Dream Again testimony, a message of hope and finding our purpose. He recently added workshops for the church, helping them understand and minister to the grieving. Rick also recruits full-time missionaries to serve with MAPS.

More from Rick

I actually wrote the first chapter of my book in 2011 and then it just sat there until December of 2018. I continually have had people ask me to write a book about my story, since I travel nearly every weekend sharing my story. I could just never get the desire or focus to finish it. After writing it, I realized, that I was hesitating because I didn’t want to go back to some of those places and dig deep, stirring painful emotions, just to write about them. I would feel the anxiety building as I was getting closer to those moments. There is great healing in writing, but the early process of writing this book caused me to shed many tears. But, if it can help others who are struggling with the loss of a loved one or a major setback in life, and bring hope and encouragement, then it has all been worth it.