What is a Sociopath? By: Susan Deborah Schiller I was married to a sociopath for 30-years. My marriage counselors told me I was the most abused woman they had ever met. In the course of gaining my freedom I have listened to the life stories of survivors and of sociopaths. Like many other survivors, the information […]
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Where Do You Want to Be in One Year? By: Susan Deborah Schiller "It may be that when we no longer know what to do, We have come to our real work, And when we no longer know which way to go, We have begun our real journey." – Wendell Berry "Where do you […]
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How do I choose Love when someone I have allowed into the deepest places of my heart has turned against me? What does choosing Love look like when you are being deliberately and maliciously harmed? This kind of thing happens in churches all across the world, and in Christian marriages and families. In prayer, I […]
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Astonished by the Most Brilliant Light in the Darkest Times By: Susan Deborah Schiller Following the Light means choosing Love, and for me today that's reading old journals, which I call conversations with Daddy. I like to call them "brilliant thoughts" – like stars piercing through the dark heavens. A brilliant thought originates beyond my […]
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An Encounter at God's Beauty Spa By: Susan Deborah Schiller What if the abuse you've endured serves to make you bigger, better, and more beautiful? What if what scares you turns into your greatest source of blessing? What if the ugliest things you've seen and heard are being used to make you more beautiful? What if the weapon […]
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Curing the Sting of Betrayal: Caught in a Smear Campaign By: White Dove Living, working, or ministering with a sociopath will eventually result in a smear campaign launched against you. That's just how these things work, nearly every time. Even Jesus was betrayed by someone in his own team. If you can switch over from […]
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The Courage to Go Public By: Susan Deborah Schiller "Go public with your diaries," whispered a voice I've come to trust as my heavenly father's. "But instead of writing the past, I want you to write your future," he continued. Since then, I've joined a growing army of "heart scribes" and we are writing ourselves into […]
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The Kaleidoscope Effect By: Deborah Whtie Dove “The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a […]
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The Honey Rock By: Susan Schiller Much to my surprise, a carefully wrapped rock arrived in my mailbox yesterday, glistening with a shiny amber substance that appeared to pool out of the rock. "I will give you honey out of the rock," the note said, a message from Psalm 81:16. "From out of all the […]
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Love from Papa By: White Dove What I hear Papa saying… "Let's talk about provision, even in winter," I heard Papa God whisper to me. In my mind's eye I saw an apple orchard, like the one in my backyard… the emotions of abundance, freedom, and beauty came with that memory. "I want to give you […]
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Beware of the strong woman! By: White Dove Warning: Trigger alert. Please don't read if you are sensitive to images of family violence. "I'm ashamed of you! Why can't you have more grace?" said my pastor, after telling him I was divorcing my husband. We were just shy of our 20-year anniversary and the LAST […]
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Harness the Energy By: Susan Deborah Schiller In our part of the country powerful windmills dot the pastures, fueling the water troughs for thousands of cows. These simple inventions harness the energy of the wind. I want to share with you how writing has harnessed the energy, created a shift in my circumstances, and catapulted me into a […]
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Stand & Shine By: Susan Schiller From the series "Love from Papa' Papa, it's dark out and a chill wind is picking up speed. I hear the cries and groans of all the afflicted, it seems, in between my own sobs. My only hope is you. You are the Light of the World. You are […]
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It's Not Your Fault By: Susan Deborah Schiller Note: This letter is written not to one specific reader, but is addressed to several different readers who wrote to me this past weekend, who have asked many of the same questions. Dear Friend, You have a good heart and it's not our fault you trusted a […]
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Soaking in Nature's Healing Power By: Susan Deborah Schiller aka Tender Lily When you've lived in the war zone of domestic and spiritual violence… a place where sharp, cutting words have torn and shredded your spirit like shrapnel. When explosive actions, like grenades, have ripped your gut in half, choking off your air supply, you […]
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Heaven is Only a Whisper Away By: Susan Deborah Schiller If living with a sociopath has made worn you down, depressed, and sickened your body, mind, and spirit it's time to turn the tables. Today I'm going to introduce strategies that will make your enemy sick and tired – even depressed – until he runs. I want to […]
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Flesh-eating Christians and the Pearl of Great Price By: Susan Deborah Schiller From the series, "Love from Papa" where I try to listen to God's heartbeat while asking Him the tough questions on my heart. God, why don't you stop this wicked person? Why do you see him torturing me day after day, and do […]
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Seeing Beyond the Betrayal By: Susan Deborah Schiller Betrayal is the worst kind of pain, because it usually blindsides us. We don't expect to be abandoned in such a hurtful way from the ones that pledged to love, honor, and cherish us no matter what. It seems impossible to ever trust again, to be whole […]
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Fully Alive, Fully Human, Fully Me By: Susan Deborah Schiller Can we pick and choose which parts of the life of Christ we want to manifest in our lives? Can we choose the miracles, walk on water, still storms, and heal people without the betrayal, abandonment, and rejection? In short, can we eliminate the stress […]
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What Do You Want? By: White Dove What if a simple question, "What do you want?" were to reset your compass needle? What if following your dream is a God-given mandate that you not only deserve but are required to pursue? It certainly helps to know your destination! As an abuse survivor, I discovered that […]
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