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  • Home
  • Come out! Be free!
  • Who I am
  • What I post
  • Books
    • Return to Your Rest: A Spirit-to-spirit Journey
    • We Confess! The Civil War, the South, and the Church
    • The Elijah Blessing: An Undivided Heart
    • The Esther Blessing: Grace to Reign in Life
    • What About Women: A Spirit-to-spirit Exposé
  • Connect
Key Truths

Healing from toxic church – seeking what is precious, and truly God

White dove in a golden cage against a black background. The dove holds an olive branch in its beak.

Love story, fairy-tale life? Caged bird singing? Esther

  • Post published:April 11, 2025
  • Post category:From: The Esther Blessing/Living Life
  • Post last modified:April 23, 2025

Have we seen Queen Esther as a beloved wife, living a fairy-tale life? If so, we’ve missed the abuse in her story and a surprising key to reigning in life.

Continue ReadingLove story, fairy-tale life? Caged bird singing? Esther
Closeup of an older woman in a parka in a dark place. She leans forward, grieving deeply, her face in her hands.

When evil seems invincible: Two surprising sources of hope

  • Post published:November 9, 2023
  • Post category:From: The Esther Blessing
  • Post last modified:June 13, 2025

Where two malignant narcissists ruled, so did ruthlessness. Where evil seemed invincible, Mordecai and Esther seized on two surprising sources of hope and life.

Continue ReadingWhen evil seems invincible: Two surprising sources of hope
Red, pink and white rose petals, along with tiny yellow leaves, lie scattered on gray paving stones

To the exiles scattered by toxic church

  • Post published:December 19, 2022
  • Post category:Healing from Toxic Church
  • Post last modified:June 13, 2025

Maybe the church has become bewildering to you. Leaders you trusted and people you respected are acting in ways that do not reflect who Jesus is, nor what they profess to believe. They have turned on anyone among them who appears to threaten the status quo. What is going on?

Continue ReadingTo the exiles scattered by toxic church
Mist rises from yellow water, reflecting a hazy yellow sunrise sky. Dark trees behind the mist stand between sky and pond.

A sign and a wonder: The amazing grace cycle

  • Post published:December 5, 2020
  • Post category:From: The Esther Blessing
  • Post last modified:April 11, 2025

One wintry day, I finished the rough draft of a book manuscript titled, “The Esther Blessing.” The next morning, the God of all grace celebrated with me.

Continue ReadingA sign and a wonder: The amazing grace cycle
Closeup of matching antique-gold etched wedding bands

Yes, Lord, I do

  • Post published:November 29, 2019
  • Post category:Healing from Toxic Church/Knowing and Going with God
  • Post last modified:March 10, 2024

Even though I cannot live out any commitment perfectly, I can set my heart toward it and use my voice to affirm it. And that matters. A lot.

Continue ReadingYes, Lord, I do
A crown formed from clear splashing water sparkles against a black background.

Grace triumphs over power

  • Post published:October 3, 2018
  • Post category:From: The Esther Blessing
  • Post last modified:April 11, 2025

If you have suffered at the hands of the self-absorbed, the biblical book of Esther was written for you. Far from the fairy tale we've imagined, Esther's story shows us how to overcome the chaos and destruction wreaked by narcissists who care only for themselves.

Continue ReadingGrace triumphs over power
Waterdrop crown - from the cover of The Esther Blessing

Countdown to The Esther Blessing: 1

  • Post published:March 12, 2013
  • Post category:From: The Esther Blessing/My Story
  • Post last modified:March 12, 2024

The day I finished a book about the life of Esther, that was 20 years in the making.

Continue ReadingCountdown to The Esther Blessing: 1
A visible blanket of mist rises over grassland, as the sun rises above the horizon in the east.

Countdown to The Esther Blessing: 3

  • Post published:March 4, 2013
  • Post category:From: The Esther Blessing
  • Post last modified:March 14, 2024

Mini-post. Grace flows in a cycle, like the water cycle - down, out, up. Here's a quote about the upward flow from The Esther Blessing: Grace to Reign in Life.

Continue ReadingCountdown to The Esther Blessing: 3
A glassy river in an arid land flows past the fall-colored trees and bushes that line its banks.

Countdown to The Esther Blessing: 4

  • Post published:March 1, 2013
  • Post category:From: The Esther Blessing
  • Post last modified:March 14, 2024

Mini-post. Grace flows in a cycle, like the water cycle - down, out, up. Here's a quote about the outward flow from The Esther Blessing: Grace to Reign in Life.

Continue ReadingCountdown to The Esther Blessing: 4
Multiple waterfalls flow down into a crystal-clear lake, in a lush green rain forest.

Countdown to The Esther Blessing: 5

  • Post published:February 26, 2013
  • Post category:From: The Esther Blessing
  • Post last modified:March 14, 2024

Mini-post. Grace flows in a cycle, like the water cycle - down, out, up. Here's a quote about the downward flow, from The Esther Blessing: Grace to Reign in Life.

Continue ReadingCountdown to The Esther Blessing: 5
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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV) 2011.

  • Home
  • Come out! Be free!
  • Who I am
  • What I post
  • Books
    • Return to Your Rest: A Spirit-to-spirit Journey
    • We Confess! The Civil War, the South, and the Church
    • The Elijah Blessing: An Undivided Heart
    • The Esther Blessing: Grace to Reign in Life
    • What About Women: A Spirit-to-spirit Exposé
  • Connect
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