If you have been in Christian circles for any length of time, you have heard it said, “Nothing happens to a child of God, unless God allows it.” Other times you’ll hear, “There’s a reason for everything.” This suggests that tragedy was allowed for good. My ExPerience The suggestion that nothing would touch me without … Continue reading Finding God Amidst Trauma: Was He in It?
It doesn’t take long before victims ask themselves this question: “God, if you are all powerful, all knowing, and present everywhere as I have been taught, where were you when I was hurt? No loving earthly father would allow bad things to happen to one of his children if he was capable of intervening! Why … Continue reading God, Where Were You?
In U.S. churches, pastors are generally highly esteemed, and in some places almost idolized by their congregations. Therefore, to question pastoral actions or lack thereof, teachings, or approaches to ministry can be frowned upon. Those who make waves may ride them right out the front door! Many parishioners experience church like ducks swimming serenely on … Continue reading Is It Ever Right to Make Waves at Church?
A friend asked recently why I had not posted in my blog since April 2021? Events that shook my world in the fall of 2021 immediately came to mind, along with the resulting pain of spiritual abuse that accompanied them. It began when a close friend confided that she saw online that our church’s newly … Continue reading The Costly Impact of “Cheap Grace”
Many of us think of sexual abuse as an unpardonable sin. Its effects are so far-reaching. We have been told repeatedly that abusers can’t change, and recovery means acknowledging that fact while no longer permitting what happened to control us. We hold on to the hope that change is possible for us, but we believe … Continue reading What if the Improbable Was Somehow Possible?
Father Knows Best was a popular television show when I was a child. It was about the Anderson family whose dad offered sage advice whenever one of his children encountered a problem. The image of a caring father who acts in the best interest of his children is an anomaly for victims of sexual abuse … Continue reading How Knowing God as “Father” Informs My Understanding of Prayer
The day my heart shattered was one of those moments frozen in time, much like 9/11. She was in her late twenties when she told me about the molestation that occurred 15 years earlier. She shared it in snippets over the following year with each revelation cutting deeper than the last. How could this be? … Continue reading Repressed Memories: Why Didn’t I Remember Sooner?
As a prayer counselor prayed with me after my mother’s death, I remember how shocked I was to hear myself exclaim, “My god had no arms!” It came in response to a childhood memory of my mom accidentally scalding me as she washed my hair. Such words would normally never come from my lips, but … Continue reading My “god” had No Arms!
Restored Destiny 