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Tag Archives: pain

Giving Thanks

27 November 2014, 10:32

MatthewS

11

Thanksgiving and distress—these two experiences make an odd couple. If you are in distress, giving thanks might seem like adding soap bubbles instead of milk to a pumpkin spice latte: frothy, unhelpful, and leaves a bad taste. On the other hand, if you are in the mood to give thanks, being reminded of distress may […]

Narcissistic Apologies

7 May 2014, 06:00

Moderator

57

I recently read yet another statement by a well-known Christian leader confessing sin and asking for forgiveness. It was one of those apologies that leave you with a bad taste in your mouth. I would say that it was a narcissistic apology. The difference between the narcissistic apology and a real apology is the center. […]

The Question of Grief: “Who am I now?”

28 February 2014, 13:00

Moderator

43

Photo credit: Charlie Johnson

Beginning September 12, 2013, the northern Front Range of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado received more than its yearly precipitation in just a few days. Rivers that normally flowed from one to three feet deep were ten or more feet above their flood stage. Eighteen miles of Highway 34 between Estes Park and Loveland were […]

The Detour

16 January 2014, 06:00

Moderator

2

The Detour by Michelle Kohler I took a detour to myself, To my fears and doubts in my mind; To my feelings of hopelessness and hurt Of pain and confusion and shame. I took a detour to the self That yells and screams for his own way, That feeds on being right Sobbing at the […]

What Grace Means to Me

16 December 2013, 06:00

Moderator

10

One of the things Jesus has been so faithful to show me throughout my journey of healing from ATI is the beauty of grace. Grace is something I never fully understood until recently. Although I had heard people talk about grace, my understanding of what it really meant ended at knowing that I was saved […]

Letter from a Survivor of Spiritual Abuse

25 November 2013, 06:00

Moderator

44

To all those who are a part of my life in some way: Please don’t tell me that my parents loved me and “only wanted what was best” for me. When I hear you say that, I hear you telling me that all the spiritual abuse, oppression, and deep pain I have felt and experienced […]

Reflections on Healing After Surgery

21 October 2013, 06:00

RyanR

2

Within the Recovering Grace community, many often are confronted by well-meaning friends or family who believe that the spiritually wounded should just get over it. The refrains vary from, “You’re being bitter,” to “You just need to leave it at the cross,” to “You WANT to hang on to this.” I recently underwent lumbar spinal […]

What Forgiveness Isn’t

29 April 2013, 06:00

Moderator

21

6 myths that may be keeping you from letting go by Denise George I listened quietly as my friend Jamie told me the frank details of the sexual abuse she’d suffered as a child. “I hate my father!” she blurted out. “He abused me for more than a decade!” Jamie cried. “But my pastor said […]

My Life in ATI, part two

5 December 2011, 06:00

DavidA

2

Life Focus Advanced. Soon after I turned 15, I received a letter about a new program called Life Focus Advanced. The concept of the program was this: two Life Focus graduates would room with a leader in training (LIT) for three months and try to counsel and help him out. I was like, “It’s the […]

Longing

31 August 2011, 06:30

MicahK

5

I’m afraid that most of my life I’ve carried the belief that resolving life’s circumstances was the way life ultimately was supposed to be lived out. The logical conclusion of this was that seeking to resolve life’s desires, either in a particular course of action or inaction, seemed a good goal. The Christian version of […]