Sacred Attachment

"Trauma, exhaustion, shame, and pain are all part of life. However, the brighter side of life consists of love, contentment, peace, and joy. The latter are spiritual fruit that develop throughout the course of life. In the book Sacred Attachment, Michael John Cusick understands that both sides of the coin are part of the divine plan. He masterfully weaves his spiritual journey from childhood to adulthood in his writing. His transparent description of the devout spirituality of his family leaves the reader with a sense of 'being right there,' experiencing explicit segments of the journey. He takes the reader on a spiritual journey from growing up with fear and anxiety about his faith to becoming an adult who delights in the blessed assurance of experiencing a more intimate relationship with Yahweh. And that is why we were created!"

-Barbara L. Peacock, founder of Peacock Soul Care and author of Soul Care in African American Practice

"I absolutely love this book! Cusick not only brilliantly unpacks insights from scripture and psychology, but with breathtaking courage and generosity, he reveals his life to us so we can experience the joy of wholeness."

-Ken Shigematsu, pastor of Tenth Church in Vancouver, British Columbia, and author of Now I Become Myself: How Deep Grace Heals Our Shame and Restores Our True Self

"Some of us are tempted to believe that our struggles or sufferings push God away. In fact, the grace, mercy, and love of God is drawn to that which is wounded, wayward, or broken in us. Michael Cusick's stories, from both his life and his walking alongside others, powerfully display the surprising and even scandalous grace of our God. I felt encouraged and understood as I read this book. I highly recommend it."

-Alan Fadling, co-founder of Unhurried Living, Inc. and author of A Non-Anxious Life

"With compassion and vulnerability, Sacred Attachment invites us to address the gap between who we are and who God created us to be. Michael Cusick has written a gentle yet powerful book drawn from a blend of biblical insight, psychological acumen, and ancient Christian wisdom that is deeply needed in our world today. This compelling resource is an absolute gift."

-Aundi Kolber, therapist and author of Try Softer and Strong like Water

"We don't believe we are loved until we feel it in our chests. Given how infrequently this happens, no wonder we are as exhausted as we are. But thanks be to God, in Michael Cusick, we have someone who has done the necessary, excruciating, transforming work of opening himself to the anointing of God's love, to become a conduit of it to us. And with Sacred Attachment, he takes us on a deeply personal and comprehensively practical journey that invites the reader into the wide place to stand of which the psalmist writes. A wide place in which you become the beauty and goodness that you have been destined to become. Read this book and rest. Read this book and be revealed. But mostly read this book and know—in your chest—what it means to be loved."

-Curt Thompson, author of The Soul of Shame and The Deepest Place: Suffering and the Formation of Hope

"As a personal witness and beneficiary of Michael Cusick's trauma-informed spiritual care, I can attest to the sacred wisdom offered in these pages. Among the treasures you'll find herein, you'll find the truth of how it is that the divine life can be known and experienced directly through our wounds and in our shadows. This revelation is perhaps the primary medicine and mercy that God dispenses through Michael to those in need of healing, whether in his clinic and intensive retreats or through his books. I'm forever grateful."

-Bradley Jersak, principal at St. Stephen's University and author of A More Christlike God