Broken by past sexual abuse? I hear you. I see you. I understand. I've walked this shard-laden journey too. And I've learned a lot about the healing journey. (I still struggle, though. I don't want you to think I've "arrived.") If you're struggling to make sense of...
"Ministries that cover up sexual abuse are not ministries at all. Their silence allows evil to thrive. They do not represent Jesus." I posted this quote recently, and I received many positive comments. But one of the comments put a burr in my saddle. The person wrote:...
I can attest that one person's few minutes of predatory behavior does harm someone else--for years. Some of you have questioned whether I've healed, and some have told me to move on. Others have judged me for not coming forward immediately (not knowing that I did)....
This morning on my way to work out, I listened to an NPR story of a woman who is recovering from a stroke. She used to be in the US military in Afghanistan, and, while there, engaged with local people. She found poetry to be a beautiful entry point for understanding...
Last night I watched the Paterno movie (HBO films). While it is not a documentary, the film agonizes the watcher with every single side of the sexual abuse "debate" especially when it comes to institutional protectionism. Here's the trailer: The entire movie grieved...
"We are all sinners," people post when a sexual predator, who happens to be a Christian leader, is outed. Some other frustrating (albeit well intentioned, perhaps?) responses: "Let's not cast the first stone." "Gossip is a sin, so by posting or warning, you are...
I'm grateful for the opportunity to talk with Carol Costello of Across American on CNN where we talked about #metoo and #churchtoo. For a helpful resource page for pastors and ministry leaders, click here. And for more information about the #Forsuchatimeasthis...
While all the recent rashes of sexual abuse/crime/assault/harassment allegations against pastors (this or this or this or this or this or this) has deeply grieved me, it does not surprise me. When I had the opportunity to learn from other experts in this space, I had...
I've been meaning to write this post a long time, but as you can imagine, it's not exactly the easiest can of worms to open. I'll start with my own story, a painful one to admit, told stark on the page of my memoir, Thin Places. Early on, my father dulls me to the...
When I rallied enough gumption to tell my babysitter, a person in authority (at least over me), that teenage boys were raping me, she let me think she would take care of the problem. But the next day the boys took me away to do what they were wont to do to me that...
We love to live in a world we understand, where children are not preyed upon, where we can trust our leaders. We would rather pretend all is well than confront what is reality. I wish this was the reality: churches as safe places. While that is often true, it's not...
Jogging through my neighborhood this morning, I spied a bird's nest in a crepe myrtle only because its leaves were in the process of shedding. It made me think of exposure. I would never have noticed the nest had it not been for the advent of autumn. All that to say,...