Finding resolve amidst the dissonance of "churchianity"
I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. 3 John 1:4 On our very first Sunday at the church, I recall being in the nursery with my baby. A sweet teenager was helping with childcare and she told me in a matter-of-fact way that she… Continue reading Disobedient Children and Meetings with the Pastor
Modern day technology is amazing. Little did I know that by posting resources on my sidebar and reaching out to people found on the internet would yield comments and support from complete strangers. The intent of this blog is to provide information and support to those who have experienced any kind of spiritual abuse. … Continue reading Bloggers and Pastors
We've had a busy week on the blog discussing how dictators abuse their authority over their people and comparing their characteristics with spiritual abusers. The last couple of days, we've read examples of the pastor recording private conversations without permission. In contrast, the Bible talks about how pastors are to be like shepherds. They do… Continue reading I Look to the Shepherd
*   *   * Pastor Chuck O'Neal sometimes recorded private conversations without getting permission from involved parties. The elders were aware of this practice as you will read below.  This was not a rare practice for him according to some people who personally saw this taking place. I'm wondering how many churches… Continue reading Chuck O’Neal Secretly Recorded Private Conversations
** I've visited a couple of "African-American" churches - of course they would welcome anybody, but they were primarily filled with African-Americans. They were so warm and loving. The services were exciting and the joy of the Lord was acknowledged loudly and from the heart.  I love to see how other churches praise God. … Continue reading White Hanky Award: "Hypocricy" by Anonymous Commenter
This is the final post of a 3-part series comparing the characteristics of dictators with people who spiritually abuse. The other two parts can be found here: Comparing the Two, Part 1 Comparing the Two, Part 2 "Anonymous" posted this comment on Part 1: The last sentence really made my head spin. I had been thinking of… Continue reading Comparing the Two, Part 3
My family and I spent quite a few hours on the road and are now at the Oregon coast enjoying a few days of spring break.It looks like we broke a record today on the blog in both number of hits and comments. If you have not read the comments, please check them out. So… Continue reading Chillaxin’
We've reached 5,000 hits on this blog! Woohooooooooo!!!!!
This post is continued from Comparing the Two, Part 1. Some might ask how one can begin to compare the atrocities of physical starvation and beatings at the hands of a dictator to the emotional/spiritual abuse by pastor/elders of a church.  They seem worlds different. I understand that question.   The physical abuse mentioned in the… Continue reading Comparing the Two, Part 2
Keith Green was a popular Christian singer when I was a teen. I was told that if you didn't have money for his concert, he would never turn you away. He also gave out his cassettes to people. He had a very giving heart. He also published a newsletter that I devoured and the information… Continue reading How Can They Live Without Jesus
I read a heart-wrenching story on CNN.com yesterday (In North Korea, a brutal choice) about North Korean defectors and what they have to go through to survive and get to freedom. It was very difficult to read. Some of the paragraphs grabbed my attention because of the similarities in leadership tactics between dictators and authoritarian… Continue reading Comparing the Two, Part 1
** It's been one month since this blog was created. After noticing my Google reviews on Beaverton Grace Bible Church were being removed from the Google review website without any explanation, I began this blog to share my story because I felt my voice was being taken from me. I don't get this idea of… Continue reading One Month and I Feel Good
Let Freedom RingChristian freedom assumes one's ability to critique Christian teaching. Only in cults and other oppressively authoritarian environments is the freedom to critique what is being said taken away. Even the Apostle Paul says it is a noble and honorable thing to not receive what you hear Christians say (just because of who is saying it),… Continue reading Christian Freedom
I remember something that was taught. I think it was said at the ladies retreat and/or perhaps on a Wednesday night meeting, but probably not on Sunday (because Sunday's messages were recorded???). Anyway, the topic was about men/boys wearing the color pink. We were told that pink was a "feminine" color and men/boys ought not… Continue reading You Can’t Make This Stuff Up, Part 1
*   *   * In Part 1, I shared my story about how Hebrews 13:17 was used with me as I questioned an elder about the firing of our personal friend. I discussed the feelings I had when it felt like the elder was lording over me the idea that it was… Continue reading Obey Those Who Rule Over You and Be Submissive, Part 2
*   *   * One of the last Sundays at the church, I arrived only to discover that our long-time personal friend who was also on staff at the church was fired.  We were shocked and deeply saddened.  I had arrived early for praise and worship practice as normal, but was obviously… Continue reading Obey Those Who Rule Over You, and Be Submissive, Part 1
Blogger (the hosting site for this blog) gives me behind-the-scene stats on my blog. Although I am unable to tell exactly who is frequenting the blog, it does give some interesting information. Here's a picture shown on my stats page of the words/phrases people have used to find this blog. I guess I'm a nerd… Continue reading How People Search for This Blog
Last night "Anonymous" left the following comment and I felt it was worthy of a whole blog post. The snippets of paragraphs come from the article entitled, "When Should a Christian Leave a Church" at the Battered Sheep website (also noted in this blog's sidebar).  The entire comment is indented and italicized; my comments will… Continue reading Yesterday’s Comment
I ran across this post a while back from SGMSurvivors Blog and bookmarked it because a lot of it rang true to my experience. I wonder if anyone else can identify with it:1. A person has a difference of opinion, a question, or a problem.2. As he’s been trained to do, he approaches leadership with… Continue reading Does This Sound Familiar?
Spiritual Sounding Board 