Accepting Truth, Finding Hope!

The author argues that only God can meet four basic human needs: acceptance, identity, security, and purpose. Still, people routinely try to meet them on their own. Ricky D. Sluder explores this pattern by asking four pointed questions: why we strive for acceptance, who we really are, why we feel so insecure, and what we were made to do with our lives.

Rather than lecturing, Sluder writes as though he is talking directly with the reader. He draws on his own lifelong struggle with these questions and owns his mistakes, including sins he committed deliberately, without offering excuses. Rhetorical questions, hypothetical scenarios, and metaphors keep each chapter reflective and conversational, encouraging readers to examine their own past, present, and future.

Each theme is anchored in Scripture. Sluder looks at biblical figures and their experiences, then offers candid analysis and practical application. The goal is to help readers understand God's character and nature as it relates to these four needs. The book presents itself as a personal invitation to anyone who picks it up to join the conversation.

Sluder describes himself as a son and an outlaw disciple of Jesus Christ. A badge on his chest no longer defines his identity, nor do the scars left by the lies he believed through a painful past. He considers acceptance, identity, security, and purpose the four words God gave him for ministry, and he plans to spend his life helping others accept Truth and find Hope. He enjoys writing, public speaking, and his roles as husband, father, and friend. A native Texan, he lives in Fort Worth, Texas, with his wife and children.