Category: Christianity
Posted on March 14, 2015
by MJ
Leave a Comment
A good friend sent me a blog post by an evangelical pastor, John Bevere, a few days ago in order to get my opinion. What did I think about the content of his post: “Growing Through Unfair Treatment”? I vehemently disagree with him. In… Continue Reading “Fighting Unfair Treatment”
Category: advocacy, Christianity, encouragement, Evangelical church, God, JesusTags: empowerment, fighting oppression, Gnostic teaching in Christianity, John Bevere, kavanah, self-advocacy, teshuvah, true intimacy with God, victimization in God's name
Posted on March 12, 2015
by MJ
Leave a Comment
In the middle of my intense therapy beginnings and increasing awareness that all on the home front is not as it should be and perhaps never was, there is another world opening up to me. I am studying with a rabbi. This has provided… Continue Reading “Understanding Judaism and Christianity”
Posted on January 27, 2015
by MJ
Leave a Comment
I want to recommend a book. I also want to be careful in how I go about recommending it. I wrote at least a year ago that I questioned how the Church at large would be able to handle a hypothetical influx of emancipated… Continue Reading “A Sea Change”
Category: Christianity, Community, Evangelical church, God, Healing, human trafficking, Jesus, Judaism, sex, sex trade, Sexual Abuse, Women's IssuesTags: central message of Christianity vs. Christian culture, Christian culture, Christianity and domestic violence statistics, human trafficking, sex, sexual healing after sexual abuse, sexuality and Christian culture
Posted on January 11, 2015
by MJ
Leave a Comment
What’s it like to read the same story over and over again and know the ending? Children seem to love this. My daughters each had a favorite story that they insisted I read them repeatedly. Each time I read it they were wide-eyed with… Continue Reading “Three Days”
Category: Christianity, encouragement, Faith, God, Healing, Jesus, Moving Forward, RedemptionTags: Christianity, Faith, feeling abandoned, God, grief, healing process, journeying with God, personal God, restoration
Posted on January 10, 2015
by MJ
Leave a Comment
I have learned something about getting on with life. There’s no easy way to do it, and there’s no good time to do it. What’s more, there is absolutely no pain-free way to do it either. Hollywood has played a bigger role in our… Continue Reading “Magical Thinking”
Category: abuse in families, Christianity, encouragement, Faith, God, Healing, Moving Forward, relationshipsTags: "happy ever after" mentality, Christianity, encouragement, God, healing process, judgment in the church, magical thinking, personal responsiblity, religion, suffering
Posted on December 22, 2014
by MJ
1 Comment
We are right in the middle of the holiday season. Hanukkah is here. Christmas Eve is the day after tomorrow. Kwanzaa begins on Friday. These are holidays that involve gathering with communities and families. Because of that, the holiday season can be a much… Continue Reading “The Three Kinds of Forgiveness”
Category: Christianity, encouragement, Faith, forgiveness, God, Healing, Judaism, relationshipsTags: Christianity, encouragement, forgiveness, God, healing process, Judaism, judgment in the church, reconciliation
Posted on September 16, 2014
by MJ
2 Comments
I have been on a bit of a blogging binge these past few days. I suspect the reason is that I am housebound. I had an arthroscopic surgical repair on my hip and must do a lot of sitting around. I feel compelled to… Continue Reading “Permission Granted”
Category: Christianity, Denial, Evangelical church, God, mental health, therapyTags: Christian stigma against therapy, evangelicalism, Go forth and multiply, proper view of God, relational Christianity, therapy
Posted on September 13, 2014
by MJ
3 Comments
Somewhere in the annals of this blog I’m sure I’ve posted on the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation. I feel quite certain that most people who know me have heard me yammer on about that, and yet a plethora of Christians and even non-Christians… Continue Reading “A Plea”
Category: abuse in families, Christianity, emotional abuse, Evangelical church, forgiveness, God, Jesus, relationshipsTags: abuse in families, Christianity, encouragement, forgiveness, forgiveness vs. reconciliation, God, judgment in the church, reconciliation, sexual abuse, trauma
Posted on September 12, 2014
by MJ
6 Comments
What I have wanted to discuss is the idea of feeling abandoned by God. I have certainly felt this way. For many people of faith, when something goes wrong in their lives, the first response is, “Why? Why did God let this happen?… Continue Reading “Clicker Training and Formula Faith”
Category: Christianity, dog training, encouragement, Evangelical church, Faith, God, Jesus, loveTags: Christianity, Faith, feeling abandoned by God, formula faith, God, Jesus, judgment in the church, performance-based Christianity, personal God, relational Christianity
Posted on July 21, 2014
by MJ
6 Comments
I want to pause the DBT button for a moment and talk about something ontologically significant–our right to be here. Let me explain. Many people who follow this blog have experienced abuse. Someone from war-torn Africa once commented. Abuse doesn’t have to be overt… Continue Reading “A Blessing”
Category: abuse in families, Christianity, emotional abuse, encouragement, Faith, GodTags: Abraham and Sarah and Ishmael, abuse, Blessing Your Soul, blessings, Christianity, encouragement, God, healing process, ontological rights, ontological significance, triggers
Out of the Mire 