A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity. Proverbs 17:17 I collect carolers and found these on eBay last year. Love them! Friday night I invited students from my kids' high school choir classes to come over for a night of caroling, hot apple cider, treats, and games. … Continue reading Carolers, Joy, Neighbors, and the Gift that Keeps Giving
Spiritual Abuse: Verses Pastors Twist and Misuse to Control
7 For an overseer, as God's steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, 8 but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. 9 He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction insound[f] doctrine and also to rebuke those… Continue reading Spiritual Abuse: Verses Pastors Twist and Misuse to Control
Doomsday Send-Off
I've managed to outlive all of the other projected dates predicting end times. However, just in case it is the end of the world tomorrow, I thought I'd share this beautiful choral send-off. Oh boy, I better hurry, it's already 12:23 AM. What time is this thing supposed to happen? The lyrics come from a… Continue reading Doomsday Send-Off
Music and Madness
'Tis the season and my kids and I have been playing a lot of this: and singing in Christmas programs. There are two final music events this week. Music is so wonderfully healing and was certainly a nice distraction from some heavier subjects. But hey, did you happen to read about Westboro Baptist Church's website getting hacked… Continue reading Music and Madness
Who’da Thunk It?
Thus, I heal therefore I blog; I blog therefore I heal. ~Brad SargentA new milestone: 300,000 blog hitsThank you for reading, for walking this journey with me, for learning along with me, for spreading the word about spiritual abuse. It's not a pleasant topic, but it needs to be discussed. I could never have imagined… Continue reading Who’da Thunk It?
SGM Flagship Church Covenant Life Church to Cut Ties with Sovereign Grace Ministries
Reports are just coming in from SGMSurvivors.com that members of Covenant Life Church under head pastor, Josh Harris, have voted to sever ties with their parent, Sovereign Grace Ministries (SGM). This is a very big decision. Joshua Harris was mentored by SGM's president, C.J. Mahaney for several years before C.J. turned the reigns over to Josh… Continue reading SGM Flagship Church Covenant Life Church to Cut Ties with Sovereign Grace Ministries
She Was Not Alone
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4This story amidst pain and tragedy we have… Continue reading She Was Not Alone
Impostor "True" BGBC Survivors Blog Site Created by Suing Pastor Chuck O’Neal
Just when I thought I had seen it all, there is a new twist in the Beaverton Grace Bible Church (BGBC) saga with Pastor Chuck O'Neal - you remember, the pastor who sued me and 4 others for $500K for defamation. Ya know, us moms always know when our kids are up to no good… Continue reading Impostor "True" BGBC Survivors Blog Site Created by Suing Pastor Chuck O’Neal
The Homeschool Movement: Michael Farris, Patrick Henry College and His Response to a LGBT Group
You all might feel like a yo-yo today because I'm going to go down an entirely different path today. This post has to do with Michael Farris, but not about Reconstructionism or Patriarchy. I did, however, think it was important to understand his background and also the vision of Patrick Henry College leading into… Continue reading The Homeschool Movement: Michael Farris, Patrick Henry College and His Response to a LGBT Group
The Homeschool Movement: Reconstructionist Movement, Michael Farris, HSLDA, and Patrick Henry College
Continuing with last article's theme of Reconstructionist ideology as in the homeschool movement, I'd like to give you some history on Michael Farris, one of the key pillars in the homeschool movement. I cannot say whether Farris would call himself a Reconstructionist, but as I shared in the last post, many times people adopt… Continue reading The Homeschool Movement: Reconstructionist Movement, Michael Farris, HSLDA, and Patrick Henry College
The Homeschool Movement: Its Reconstructionist Roots and Rushdoony’s Influence
"We are authorized by God to challenge all that is not godly!" Rushdoony thundered. "God is angry with the wicked every day, and the sins of the wicked deserve the infliction of God's wrath in this life as well as the life hereafter!" RushdoonyI know the title of this post seems dry and boring. If… Continue reading The Homeschool Movement: Its Reconstructionist Roots and Rushdoony’s Influence
The UnMarried Movie: Singleness as a Result of Rigid and Controlled Parenting
I'm still getting comments on the UnMarried movie posts (More Background Info on the Movie: UnMarried and UnMarried Movie: Is Staying Single Sabotaging Chr... ) and today while looking through my Twitter feed, I noticed quite a few tweets on the topics of modesty and purity. In case you missed the brief movie trailer, here it is:I've discussed… Continue reading The UnMarried Movie: Singleness as a Result of Rigid and Controlled Parenting
False Teachers: The Hard Gospel and Grace
In my former church our pastor spoke that our church was different than others because he preached a tough gospel message. It was implied that people in other churches would have difficulty getting through the narrow gate to heaven because their pastors preached what they wanted to hear, not what was necessary to get to… Continue reading False Teachers: The Hard Gospel and Grace
More Background Info on the Movie: UnMarried
There is a slice of heaven on earth when we can relate to one another in the church, regardless of the form our family takes, as individuals equal in worth, significance and value. ~Wade BurlesonThe other day, I posted about a new movie coming out called UnMarried. I really appreciated the contributions in the comments. Just… Continue reading More Background Info on the Movie: UnMarried
UnMarried Movie: Is Staying Single Sabotaging Christianity?
WARNING TO SINGLES: You just might blow a fuse after reading this. Brace yourselves.Yesterday I was reading SGMSurvivors.com blog and read this comment:Jenn Grover November 28th, 2012 at 11:06 pmPersona -- don’t even get me started on that line of thinking about singles. CJ got that straight from Mohler. “There is no biblical category for enduring… Continue reading UnMarried Movie: Is Staying Single Sabotaging Christianity?
A Courtship Story: Chryssie Rose
* * * Over the past couple months, I've been sharing bits and pieces of the homeschooling movement as it ties in with abuse in churches. I've connected a number of times with Chryssie Rose who reads here and is also a blogger and asked if she could share her courtship… Continue reading A Courtship Story: Chryssie Rose
Complementarians Speak out about Violence Against Women
“Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”Dietrich Bonhoeffer Today, Novermber 25, was the day designated as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women:"Millions of women and girls around the world are assaulted, beaten,… Continue reading Complementarians Speak out about Violence Against Women
Judge Refuses to Drop Charges in Oklahoma Failure to Report Case
One of my big pet peeves is pastors or church leaders who fail to report cases of suspected abuse to civil authorities. I found an update on a case mentioned earlier in this post: Mandatory Reporting Laws for Clergy: Loopholes for AbuseHere is the new update:Okla. Judge Refuses to Drop Child Abuse Charges Against Victory… Continue reading Judge Refuses to Drop Charges in Oklahoma Failure to Report Case
Courtship: The Background and Negative Outcomes
Soon I will begin posting personal courtship stories, so it might be helpful to get a little background of the history of courtship. The courtship model is unquestionably a part of the culture of many conservative churches, conservative Christian groups, and promoted by leaders in the homeschooling community. Some groups who have embraced the courtship… Continue reading Courtship: The Background and Negative Outcomes
Hannah’s Purity Ring Story
After posting the article, Fathers and Daughters: Who Owns a Daughter's Heart?, it opened up a can of worms for Hannah, my 25-year old daughter. For new readers, she's my daughter who was also named in the defamation lawsuit by our former pastor (you can read her story from her perspective: Hannah's Personal Story in Her Own… Continue reading Hannah’s Purity Ring Story
Spiritual Sounding Board 