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False Refuges: Learning to Trust Yourself after Abuse
I learned to escape into false refuges early on into my first marriage. My first marriage taught me that I couldn’t trust God. After all, I prayed for my ex-husband extensively and nothing ever happened. He must be one of the most prayed for humans on the planet since my mother spent a lot of her prayer time having a go at him as well. Because my prayers didn’t work and God did not change my ex from a narcissistic abuser into a good guy, I lost my trust in a God who changed people. I didn’t pray for people for a long time. I didn’t think it would do…
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Redefining Solitude: Facing the Dark Mirrors
Solitude is the most misunderstood spiritual discipline in our toolbox of Christian practices. As with every spiritual method, solitude has become twisted into shapes that bear no resemblance to the real work of solitude, the facing of our own selves in the mirror of our souls. This revelation is somewhat new to me, and yet not. My first foray into the realms of real seclusion of the mind and heart came with the knowledge of the inner court ritual as a pattern for prayer. The priests in Solomon’s temple engaged in a prayerful mindfulness every time they gazed at themselves in the bronze lavers and made confession throughout their day.…
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The Great Reversal is Coming!
Reversal is everywhere in the Bible. That the Bible is a revolutionary document probably comes as a surprise to some because these days it is commonly viewed as an old-fashioned narrative that is out of date. But the philosophical and literary weight the Bible pulls influences so many current arenas, not the least of which is how we relate our personal stories. To give some historical perspective, the pre-biblical narrative of the day was a circular one. Like the snake devouring its own tail, the pagan narratives were stories of endless cycles that never arrive, merely circle back around to its origin over and over. Reincarnation is an example of…
Healing Through Art & Words
