Johann Christoph Arnold 
Cries from the Heart 
Stories of Struggle and Hope

People will see themselves in these stories about real men and women overcoming adversity with prayer.


Cries from the Heart answers a specific spiritual hunger millions share – a longing for a personal connection to the divine. In times of crisis, all of us reach for someone, or something, greater than ourselves. Some call it prayer. Others just do it. For many, it’s often like talking to a wall.


People are looking for assurance that someone hears them when they cry out in their despair, loneliness, or frustration. The last thing they need is another book telling them how to pray or what to say, holding out religion like a good-luck charm. So instead of theorizing or preaching, Johann Christoph Arnold tells stories about real men and women dealing with adversity. Their difficulties – which range from extreme to quite ordinary and universal – resonate with readers, offering a challenge, but also comfort and encouragement. People will see themselves in these glimpses of anguish, triumph, and peace.

Spis treści

to the reader
foreword by Robert Coles
1. searching – God finds an atheist
2. finding – is someone really there?
3. believing – even when children die?
4. universality – call it what you will
5. god’s messengers – angels at work
6. emotional suffering – when you can’t pray
7. illness – where the doctor leaves off
8. despair – talking to a wall
9. attitude – thank God I’m not like that!
10. reverence – meet your maker
11. letting go – my will be done
12. remorse – when you’ve messed up
13. protection – alive to tell it
14. selflessness – someone needs you
15. service – words are not enough
16. contemplation – be quiet and listen
17. worship – giving thanks in a death camp
18. unity – divided we fall
19. marriage – unlocking horns
20. unanswered prayer – isn’t “no” an answer?
21. miracles – what do you expect?
22. prayer in daily life – keeping the faith
23. faithfulness – one thing never changes

O autorze

Johann Christoph Arnold was an award-winning author with over two million copies of his twelve books in print in more than twenty languages. A noted speaker and writer on marriage, parenting, and end-of-life issues. Arnold was a senior pastor of the Bruderhof, a movement of Christian communities, until his death in April 2017. Johann Christoph Arnold’s books include Why Forgive?, Rich in Years, Their Name Is Today, Seeking Peace, Escape Routes, Cries from the Heart, Be Not Afraid, Why Children Matter, and Sex, God and Marriage.