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.

Author Interview

1. Who would you say inspired you the most in your life?

My parents. I would say early in life, it was my mom. I write about her in the book and her amazing faith and love of life before she passed from a long battle with cancer. She was so active in every part of our lives. Her ability to always find the positive, her humor and unmovable faith still lives on in us. My wife always referred to me as a mama’s boy when we first met.

Later in life, it clearly became my dad. He was a great dad growing up and focused on providing a great life for his family. I often describe him as a rock, because there is just this steadfastness to him that he has seen his share of struggles in life, but he has this ability to focus on the finish line and trust God. He had witnessed God’s faithfulness again and again in his life and business. Many a days I just felt overwhelmed and like giving up. I would call or email him and ironically, he doesn’t have to say much, but what he says hits home and although you may be hanging on by a thread, you hang up the phone with this fresh boldness to keep moving forward.

My wife, with all that we’ve been through, many marriages do not make it. But in the midst of her deep hurt, there is this deep love for her family and determination. She’s truly one of a kind and a great balance to me in so many ways.

2. If you could spend the day with anyone (living or dead) who would it be? Why?

There are so many great people that would be priceless to spend a day with and learn from them. But for me, that is an easy answer. To get one more day with my son, one more hug.

3. Do you have a special writing area?

I like to change it up. I do a lot of writing in my office at home and being an empty nester, I can actually get a lot accomplished. But sometimes a change of location, gets me unstuck and moving again.

I love finding places outside to write and often when I travel, I find it easy to write in a hotel room. Really seems to limit distractions.

4. Do you read much?

I seem to go in spurts with reading. I enjoy reading many religious type books about many things and of course, I do a lot of reading on grief and research for the training workshops I do on ministering to the grieving. About the only non-Christian books I read are Westerns. I usually read those when I need to just shut down on what I am working on and take a break.

5. What is different about writing non-fiction vs fiction? Would you say one is easier than the other?

I wrote the first chapter of my book in 2011 and that was it. It just sat there. Deep down, I knew that I would have to go places I didn’t really want to go back to. Then in December of 2018 I felt it was time to work on the book. By July it was published. I had one person comment that they were surprised it happened that quick, because it was so well laid out. It was easy to lay out the book, because it was simply following my life timeline.

As I am thinking of the next book, with several options spinning, I am seeing that it will be a slower process as I put everything together in an order that makes sense.

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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.