Family and forgiveness are terms that should go hand and hand. In most family relationships, forgiveness is a speed bump of everyday occurrences. In this book, The Church of Forgiveness, life for Deborah Allen has its sweet spots and its sour patches. Learning to forgive is a journey Allen takes through the hallways of her church, high school and bedroom. TCOF is a collection of essays that Allen sat down and penned to share her experiences, good or bad, right or wrong. She shares it all in a way to gather the pieces of her life in words. She shares stories about her father and mother and their relationship. She shares her life as a preacher's daughter growing up in the black church. She shares stories of how she dealt with learning about who her father was and how she began to accept and deal with that knowledge. She shares the heartbreak of learning her daughter had cancer and their struggle to overcome it. She briefly highlights her special relationship with her grandson, Drake. Ending the book with Family Matters, a recollection of how and why forgiveness is essential to move forward in life.