Tag Archive | spiritual abuse recovery
Book Review of “Broken Trust” by F. Remy Diederich
Editor’s Note: I rarely endorse books. This is an exception. Remy sent me an earlier draft of his book and requested feedback. I made some edits, but mostly I just rejoiced that he had written such a book. I believe it is the most helpful resource about spiritual abuse that has yet been written. The […]
Spiritual Abuse Recovery: Learning to Risk
I, like many survivors of spiritually abusive churches or cults, experience trust issues and am generally risk-averse. I have become so good at saying “no” to people and opportunities that I have almost forgotten what it is like to say “yes.” It is easier to hunker down in my tightly-controlled routine than to risk getting […]
Recovering from Spiritual Abuse: Fearing the Good
“What would you do if you had no fear? Sometimes we think we are driven by our wants — when too often we are driven by our fears.” – Ann Voskamp I started flossing again. For the last couple of years it’s been hit or miss, mostly because I had a visceral reaction to the […]
Hope for those Hurt by Spiritual Abuse
“The heavens declare the glory of God.” – Psalm 19:1 A child will handle incredible amounts of pain if only he has hope. It may come through a single soft word, a fleeting kindness, or the frailest wisp of a verse unthreaded from scripture’s thick mat. Even for those who, like me, were caught for […]
“Crock-Pot” Trauma: Spiritual Abuse and Recovery
Snow melted from my boots and formed a spreading stain on the carpet. Outside, a foot of fresh powder lay untroubled by tracks. The University had cancelled classes for the day but I had several time-sensitive matters to attend to. So I drove in on slush-greased roads to my basement office in southern Maine. A […]
Redeeming the Years of the Locust
“I will make up to you for the years that the locust has eaten.” – Joel 2:25 Joplin, Missouri. I stand transfixed in the hot July parking lot watching a brown grasshopper chew grass. Trucks roar by on I-44 and puffy clouds stack overhead. But the real drama happens in front of me, on the brittle […]
Liberty for Captives 