We Shall Overcome Part One of "Secret Heroes" Part Two of "Secret Heroes" Part Three of "Secret Heroes" By: White Dove One of my church leaders threatened to rape me. A second leader claimed he was going to torture me with knives, beginning with my feet and working up. In cohoots, my husband threatened to take piano wire and slice […]
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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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– Sending Love and Light – What Does it Mean? By: Susan Deborah Schiller In the series, "Love from Papa" "Sending love and light," is a common phrase among people today who have experienced great darkness and reach out to others, hoping to be a beacon of Hope. Is it just a wish, a blessing, or is it […]
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When A Victim Speaks Up, is it "Airing Dirty Laundry" or Exposing Evil? By: Susan Deborah Schiller The only thing harder than living with a narcissist or sociopath is leaving one. Here's the trap: When the true victim dares speak up, usually after years of silence, she is told not to "air dirty laundry" – and she […]
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She Flew By: Susan Deborah Schiller Why have I attracted sociopaths everywhere I go? What causes them to be drawn to me? So many times I've heard it's because I'm "too nice," "too trusting," and "suffering from low self-esteem". Over a period of 14 years I have studied sociopaths, up close and personal. I have […]
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Name Your Adversary: Your Core Identity is at Stake By: Deborah White Dove While there are voices who tell victims to "be nice, don't mention names, and only talk about your issues and problems, not his," I now recognize those voices as siren calls luring me BACK to silence, back to the same victim mentality […]
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Silence the Abused – Cover Up the Crime By: Susan Deborah Schiller I was married to a sociopath for two decades. We were active Christian leaders and from all outward appearances we were "normal". That's the scariest part about sociopaths – they look like normal Christians. Like tares in a wheat field, they blend in perfectly. […]
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Blazing through the Challenges From the "Memoir Mondays" and "Parables" series By: Susan Deborah Schiller Through this chapter of my memoir, I want to hand you four keys that will unlock your destiny, causing you to to blaze through any challenge. In May 2009, I was on the edge of an abyss that nearly engulfed my life. My husband […]
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What Does Freedom Feel Like to You? By: Susan Deborah Schiller Photo Source In the mini-memoir series * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * My granddaughter experiences freedom when she's climbing rocks, her hands digging in the dirt, up high […]
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You are Altogether Beautiful, My Darling By: Susan Deborah Schiller Dedicated to Wayland – a man who makes the world a better place and me a better person! He didn't pick the perfect wife. No, he picked the broken one… the rejected one, the wrinkled one full of blemishes and spots. He chose her at […]
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How to Know if Your Church Leader is a Pathological By: Susan Schiller "I know something is wrong and I can't put a finger on it," is a phrase many of us ponder endlessly as we try to figure out why we feel uncomfortable in church or even at home. Today I'm sharing some simple […]
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Around the Bend By: Susan Deborah Schiller My husband and I have been exploring rivers this year, sometimes in a motorboat and sometimes by canoe. The Tongue River in Eastern Montana is my favorite, because it bends and twists on itself every few hundred feet. For miles and miles you never hear a sound except […]
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The Good Humor Barista: Serving Up Smiles By: Susan Deborah Schiller A funny movie, a hilarious joke, and a deep belly laugh all have one thing in common… they release a powerful hormone in your body called oxytocin. Ocytocin is often called the "love hormone" or the "trust hormone" and it's a chemical that has […]
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Seasons of Rain By: Susan Deborah Schiller aka Tender Lily Previous Article: Seasons of Fire Last summer our little pastoral town of Ashland was evacuated. It was Fire Season and hundreds of square miles of forests, farms, houses, cattle, and fields are now but charred remainders of once verdant ranches. This week, I was out […]
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Painting My World By: Susan Deborah Schiller Photo Credit – Jim Palmer I wet my paintbrush. I sense a glimmer of hope that the words I choose to paint my world with will sparkle, dazzle, and renew my soul. I'm so tired of dull, achy grey. I love colors, curves, lines, and texture. My […]
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Cowgirl Up! By: Susan Deborah Schiller My husband and I were invited to manage a ranch, that they wanted turned into a House of Prayer. Stepping foot into the sprawling, 5,000 sq ft barn-turned-into-a-house, we took the bull by its horns and began cleaning and decorating the newly constructed "winter home" which we were to […]
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Danielle's Spa: Wisdom + Compassion = Love By: Susan Deborah Schiller My granddaughter and I were spending the summer together… I couldn't wait to share with her all my favorite childhood haunts… canoeing on the lake, the local swimming hole called "The Pit," trips to the library, and so much more. Caring for Danielle became […]
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American Jesus By: Deborah Lionne Photo Credit: Jesus Daily Would Jesus be welcome in a typical American town, today? Would I recognize Him? What would He look like? How would He dress? What kind of car would He be driving? Where would He stay? Who would He hang out with? My town is full of […]
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Letter to Fellow Pastors By: Pastor Jeff Crippen Editor's Note: The following open letter is written "pastor-to-pastor" but it will benefit all Christians to understand the dynamics of domestic violence in our churches and our proper responses when it happens in our church family. It's no longer a matter of "if" but "when" so let's […]
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Ground Zero: Church Quake 1 Previous Chapter: Predators in the Pulpit By: Susan Schiller "This is your crucifixion. Just die," said my pastor, to me… My body was seated at my cubbyhole in the outer church office but inwardly my spirit was lying on a bloody battlefield. My spiritual eyes were peering up through the […]
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