June 30, 2022

Survival mode has been a fixed position for author and teacher Chantel Thompson, a native of Abaco, the island not so long ago hit by the devastating hurricane Dorian some years ago. Ms. Thompson is quite familiar with storms, as she so aptly shares in her newly released book, Unchained: The Grace to Break Strongholds (Trilogy 2022). Now a resident of Freeport, Grand Bahama, the host of The Father’s Love, which airs on Dove 103.7 FM radio, Ms. Thompson uses every platform to share her story of brokenness and redemption. A story that is all too common among the hurting.

A prisoner of her fears, trapped in a world she unwittingly lived in, Ms. Thompson says she knew what it was like to give up on God. She knew all too well what it felt like to be lonely, search for love, embrace compromise and then begin the cycle over and over again. She knew what it was to cry out in pain for help, only to feel like it was her voice echoing through the darkness. In this plain-talking book, Ms. Thompson speaks with great transparency of the highs and lows in her life. But she doesn’t do this, she says, to air her dirty laundry. She’s doing it because she knows that there are others out there, both men and women, who are hurting and feeling alone as she did. “People,” she said, “who look beautiful on the outside yet feel as if they are dying within.”

Educator and youth leader Tori Tiffany Lewis says, “What a message for weary people everywhere. No subject is better than God’s grace.” Ms. Lewis went on to say, “Chantel’s account of her journey to freedom, through God’s grace, is the hope and encouragement we all need.”

“It’s a desperate place to be,” Ms. Thompson explained. “I’m grateful that God brought me through, but it was not an easy journey for someone like me who wanted to do things my way.” She explained that she had to learn how to surrender and turn her life over to God entirely as she made it through what felt like a dark, hideous tunnel with no way out. “This book has already been a lifeline to readers,” she noted. “I believe many people confused my determination and outward confidence with success. The truth is, nobody knows what goes on in the quiet times of a person’s life when the doors are closed, and the smiles are put to rest—looks can be and many times are, deceiving,” she noted.

Having rejected herself, Ms. Thompson wondered if God would ever forgive or love her. She, after all, had difficulty forgiving or loving herself. The author mentions that she was done with trying to be free from the chains and strongholds in her life through her efforts and finally learned how to let go. The journey she aptly shares in the book is to help others through their desperate times.

After reading the book in one sitting, Ms. Lutesha Campbell, an English Language instructor, declared, “I am speechless!” An avid reader, Ms. Campbell went on to say, “I have never related to a book like I have done this one. It was as if Chantel lived my life experiences. It [this book] is a must-read! I promise you that you will never be the same!” Following on her heels with a similar report was Ms. Pauline Ramsey, a beautician who admitted to not being able to put the book down through the night. In her social media post, Ms. Ramsey stated, “I’m up at this hour still reading and feel like I’m experiencing every moment. The scriptures are there to back up [what is being said]. I love it!”

Written to walk others through their dark times, Unchained: The Grace to Break Strongholds gives readers scriptures and guides them through meaningful prayers to help express their hearts to God as they identify strongholds and destroy them at their roots to receive God’s unconditional love.

Unchained: The Grace to Break Strongholds can be purchased at Bellvue Books and Gifts Ltd. in Freeport and is also available in paperback and kindle on Amazon.com.