Just Because I've Forgiven doesn't Mean I've Forgotten By: Susan Deborah Schiller A letter to a reader Do you withdraw love from people because they can't be trusted? Do you dare risk giving your heart to someone again? When you've been abused by a sociopath, especially a religious one, it's hard not to blame God, or […]
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When Abuse Leads to Hitting Rock Bottom and You're Left in the Cold By: Susan Deborah Schiller A letter to a reader facing homelessness in the aftermath of a pathological relationship Rock bottom is both the hardest and the best place to be, for real transformation. I was homeless, too… it's a terrifying place to be, […]
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Earthing By: Susan Deborah Schiller In the "devotional" series Later this week I'm taking my granddaughter into the wilderness, tent camping. We'll sit under the stars, roast some marshmallows, and listen to the silvery laughter of the ponderosas as the wind tickles their needles. Sometimes when life makes no sense, you just need to walk barefoot in the […]
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Beware of the Marriage Trap By: Deborah White Dove Modern wedding vows may be a sign of marriage dysfunction. Marriage vows can be a license to steal, kill, and destroy a woman's soul, along with the children. Marriage vows are not biblical, but making a marriage covenant is. At the heart of love is a covenant […]
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Surrendering to Rest By: Susan Deborah Schiller This week's prompt is "If you surrendered to ___ what would happen? Dwell in the possibilities. Allow yourself to dream." I am replacing the blank with the word "rest". What word would you use? I like to take a mental vacation, if only for a few minutes. In my imagination I'm […]
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From Ruin to Restoration, Part Two By: Joshua Dimick Part One, By Kimberly Dimick For twenty years I kept my wife and two sons prisoners to my tyranny. I exacted control by using rage and manipulated them by means of my blistering anger. Nothing was about love; everything was about following my rules. I expected […]
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From Ruin to Restoration, Part One By Kimberly Dimick My husband Joshua and I have been married 23 years. We met at Bible College….got married and continued our Biblical Studies after marriage. Joshua was a believer! My dream of a great marriage was supposed to be coming true. It only took a few days to […]
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Beside Quiet Waters By: Susan Deborah Schiller He leads me beside quiet waters; he restores my soul. (Psalm 23) And because there really are female sociopaths in the world today, I must pause to ponder how God designed human life and put us in families. Why are there different genders and what are the roles? Is […]
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Passion is Ignited when the Fight gets Personal By: Susan Deborah Schiller The worst attacks have been aimed at my identity, my inheritance, and my story. That's why I continually say the words, "Be you. Be free. Tell your story." Today I want to share how these trials can turn your greatest despair into a joyful life. […]
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If you're the victim of a religious sociopath, I want to assure you that it's not because you're an ordinary victim of domestic violence. Don't let anyone tell you that it's because of your low self-esteem or whatever… it's definitely not that! By: Susan Deborah Schiller In a dream, I learned what caused me to attract […]
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I Will Follow Him A Five Minute Friday Writing Adventure My heart swells and beats faster when I hear Whoopie Goldberg's choir sing, "I Will Follow Him". A lump rises to my throat and it feels once again like that day when I was looking down at my bloody feet and the rocky uphill path that […]
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Go West, You Say By: Susan Schiller Many people are hearing a similar call to a radical counter-cultural lifestyle – a life without fear. Have you, too? I don't want to miss a day of living a full life, an abundant life. Life is happening right here and right now… not some day after we […]
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"Meet Me on the Moon" By: Susan Deborah Schiller On the horizon bloomed an orange light, as if an alien ship had just touched down in the stark, barren plains of a winter's evening in the middle of South Dakota. My granddaughter and I had been traveling for over a thousand miles and in front of […]
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Lioness Arising By: Susan Deborah Schiller "Can't you dial your story down a notch?" some Christians advise me. "Can't you just be quiet and move on?" they attempt to persuade me, in order to prevent ruffled feathers and not make the ministry look bad. No, I am a lioness arising. It is evil I am confronting, and if […]
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Beside Still Waters By: Susan Schiller Into the wilderness David hides, joined by the misfits, rebels, and rejects of society. The solitude of the wilderness – it's where David learned to sing, dance, and pray. It's where the shepherd boy learned the disciplines to be a man after God's own heart, and God's choice for […]
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