Riding the roller coaster, waiting for hope
Life’s like riding a roller coaster: You’re up, then down, then jerked around. If you lose hope – wait for hope. That way lies new strength and joy in God.
Reign of terror: Narcissism in Esther
Two people in power. One, highly offended. The other, easily exploited. Both, given over to evil. As in Esther, that can erupt into a reign of terror.
Trauma & witness – lessons from a frazzled cat
How a cat that crash-landed into a treetop helped me see the difference between distress that is silenced and distress that is witnessed.
Toxic church? Healing promise: Real belonging
Long ago and still today, God promises his traumatized, grieving, scattered people: I will be a sanctuary to you. I will protect you. I will gather you back.
Facing shame – so freedom and favor can flow
Shame can torment and shackle us. Yet Jesus bore our sins. He bore our pain. He teaches us how to face and deal with shame, so freedom and favor can flow.
Enigma: A heart hidden, that appears open
“Your dad is an enigma,” the heart surgeon said. So true. So tragic. Why had a man people “just loved” spent his life in hiding? Why did he refuse to come out?
Newborn: Search for a parent’s love
Mama’s story ended where it should have begun – with so much lost in the chaos of trying to rewrite the start. And both of us still looking for a parent’s love.
The dream – and awakening 50 years later
For 50 years I didn’t know: My dream at age 3 profoundly explained and influenced the trauma in my life. Then, I began awakening to the key I’d held all along.
When waiting is writhing and silence groans
When we find ourselves writhing and groaning in the face of evil and grief, God is in it, giving us grace to “labor” in a way that births deliverance and life.
Resentment and its victims: Hate without cause
Resentment may seem harmless. It may seem justified. Yet it is toxic and often misdirected. Whether it’s simmering within you or aimed at you, it’s hurting you.