Trust First, Bruce Deel
Trust First, Bruce Deel
3 Rating(s)
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Trust First
A True Story About the Power of Giving People Second Chances

Author: Bruce Deel, Sara Grace

Narrator: Bruce Deel, Simon Sinek

Unabridged: 6 hr 2 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Published: 07/23/2019


Synopsis

If we choose to trust unconditionally, how many lives could we change?

When Pastor Bruce Deel took over the Mission Church in the 30314 zip code of Atlanta, he had orders to shut it down. The church was old and decrepit, and its neighborhood--known as "Better Leave, You Effing Fool," or "the Bluff," for short--had the highest rates of crime, homelessness, and incarceration in Georgia. Expecting his time there to only last six months, Deel was not prepared for what happened next. One Sunday, he was approached by a woman he didn't know. "I've been hooking and stripping for fourteen years," she said. "Can you help me?"

Soon after, Bruce founded an organization called City of Refuge rooted in the principle of radical trust. Other nonprofits might drug test before offering housing, lock up valuables, or veto a program giving job skills and character references to felons as "a liability." But Bruce believed the best way to improve outcomes for the marginalized and impoverished was to extend them trust, even if that trust was violated multiple times--and even if someone didn't yet trust themselves. Since then, City of Refuge has helped over 20,000 people in Atlanta's toughest neighborhood escape the cycles of homelessness, joblessness, and drug abuse.

Of course, trust alone can't overcome a broken system that perpetuates inequality. Presenting an unvarnished window into the lives of ex-cons, drug addicts, human trafficking survivors, and displaced souls who have come through City of Refuge, Trust First examines the context in which Bruce's Atlanta neighborhood went downhill--and what City of Refuge chose to do about it. They've become a one-stop-shop for transitional housing, on-site medical and mental health care, childcare, and vocational training, including accredited intensives in auto tech, culinary arts, and coding. While most social services focus on one pain point and leave the burden on the poor to find the crosstown bus that'll serve their other needs, Bruce argues that bringing someone out of homelessness requires treating all of their needs simultaneously. This model has proven so effective that a dozen new chapters of City of Refuge have opened in the US, including in California, Illinois, Ohio, Maryland, Virginia, Texas, and Georgia.

More than a narrative about a single place in time, this radical primer for behavioral change belongs on every leader's shelf. Heartfelt, deeply personal, and inspiring, Trust First will break down your assumptions about whether anyone is ever truly a lost cause. Bruce will donate a portion of his proceeds from Trust First to the charitable organization City of Refuge.

About The Author

Bruce Deel founded City of Refuge in 1997. He is the Senior Pastor of The Mission Church and a graduate of Lee University in Cleveland, TN. As a result of his experience and success, Bruce has become a highly sought after speaker and serves as a consultant to numerous non-profits around the country.


Reviews

Goodreads review by chantel on March 27, 2021

If you’re seeking something inspirational, this is it. Bruce Deel aka Pastor Bruce aka Ghetto Rev told a story that is completely relatable for anyone who’s given their lives over in service of others, as a means of creating community for the marginalized, the forgotten about and the ignored. Trust......more

Goodreads review by Donna on August 03, 2019

Beautiful Everyone should read this beautiful book and be inspired. Government will never solve the problem of poverty, addiction and hopelessness. We have to.......more

Goodreads review by John on November 09, 2021

This is part memoir, part DIY for leading a successful life, not a “success” in terms of material wealth, social status, but success as a moral being. The author is a Christian minister, but the lessons are universal, cynics and sociopaths perhaps excepted. Pastor Deel began life as the son of a larg......more


Quotes

“Bruce’s story shows us the incredible power trust plays in being a catalyst for change and serves as a reminder that everybody deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. Inspirational!”
 --Bob Chapman, CEO of Barry-Wehmiller and author of Everybody Matters
 
Trust First inspired me beyond words. Through his nonprofit and his relentless love for the people he serves, Bruce models what a life lived for others looks like. With passionate storytelling and a posture of humility, Bruce reminds us that ‘there’s no expiration date on our commitment to people.’ Stirring, personal, and challenging, this book will win your heart and inspire action.”
--Dan T. Cathy, chairman & CEO, Chick-fil-A, Inc.
 
"Through an intimate and powerful account of a twenty-year journey, Bruce Deel affirms that radical trust is a critical investment needed to humanize the fight against poverty and injustice—trusting people to do their best, and then stepping away to allow transformation to unfold. He illustrates how we have to re-think binary notions of success and failure, thereby ensuring that individual dignity and freedom remain intact.”
--Michelle Nunn, CEO of humanitarian aid organization CARE USA

Trust First is an amazing story of the power of the true servant leadership. Practicing radical trust can transform not just those in our care, but, over time, ourselves. A beautifully written, insightful, and unforgettable book.”
--Doug Parker, chairman & CEO of American Airlines 

"This book will debunk all your excuses for why you don't trust those around you. Secretly, we're not sure about others—their fundamental goodness, their motivations, and their ability to keep their word—and compounded cynicism holds us back from being great and doing great things. Bruce Deel will convince you that you can trust—even in the toughest environments."
--L. David Marquet, author of Turn the Ship Around!