You’ve Been Hurt By The Church. What’s Next? Church hurt happens. Maybe it’s happened to you. Spiritual abuse can lead you to feeling stunned, overwhelmed, confused and uncertain. What do you do when you’ve been victimized by spiritual leaders you trusted? How do you recover when everything you’ve believed is challenged? The first thing you … Read more
The Power of Positive Thinking Faith Many Christians roll their eyes when they hear the phrase “positive thinking.” They associate it with mind-over-matter, or manifestation mumbo-jumbo. They think it has nothing to do with Christianity. But did you know that The Power of Positive Thinking was not the original title for Norman Vincent Peale’s classic bestseller? Peale wanted … Read more
Am I Wrong To Feel Angry? When someone has experienced spiritual abuse (or any kind of abuse, for that matter),it is normal to have feelings of anger. But often we have not been taught how to process that anger. In fact, in many situations we may have been taught that it was wrong, even sinful, … Read more
Saved And Excited My own experience with spiritual abuse happened when I was in my twenties and early thirties. I had come to Christ when I was 18, during the Jesus People Movement in the early Seventies (what Time magazine called the Jesus Revolution). I started going to a Christian coffeehouse begun by a man … Read more
What Is Spiritual Abuse? It’s called by different names: spiritual abuse, church hurt, religious trauma. But regardless of its label, its consequences can be catastrophic. Switching churches provides a change of scenery but often does little to bring healing, so victims sit and suffer in silence. For others, the experience is so painful that it … Read more
Is A Smile Your Style? Remember the musical “Annie”? It tells the story of an orphan during the Great Depression, a time when there certainly wasn’t much to smile about. One of the highlights is a musical number titled “You’re Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile.” The chorus goes, “Who cares what they’re wearing on … Read more
Letting Go Of What’s Holding You Back “The space in which we live should be for the person we are becoming now, not for the person we were in the past.” ~ Marie Kondo Marie Kondo is an organization expert. Her mission is to bring order to people’s lives by helping them let go of … Read more
“As A Man Thinks In His Heart, So Is He.” –Proverbs 23:7 I am always fascinated by the latest research about the brain. Scientists are discovering more and more about this amazing creation of God! We are learning that our minds are incredibly adaptable. For years people believed that our mindset was fixed and unchanging, … Read more
Introducing Josh Butler When I was a teacher, I always enjoyed going to the annual teachers’ conference held every fall. I loved going to workshops and being on the other side of the desk, being the student rather than the teacher. Learning has always been exciting to me. Now that I’m retired after 44 years … Read more
Time For A Checkup Did you know that May is National Mental Health Awareness Month? Why not take a moment to do your own mental health check? How are you doing? If you’re feeling a bit anxious, you’re not alone. The Covid-19 pandemic of 2020 led to a 26% rise in anxiety and a 28% … Read more