Behind Closed Doors

“He is a charismatic leader at church,” the email begins. “Everyone loves him. They believe everything he says. He has managed to turn everyone against me. But they don’t know the man he becomes behind closed doors.” I receive emails similar to this almost every day. Male and female. Young and old. Emotional abuse is […]

My Defender

“We have heard that you had multiple affairs and destroyed multiple families,” the email from my employer read. Stunned. Shocked. Mortified. Hurt. Angry. The emotions rocked me to my very core. My hands shook as I attempted to respond. Where could such a venomous attack come from? Hadn’t I suffered enough already? Yes, in the […]

Is It Time to Date?

One of the questions I am asked most frequently is, “When can I start dating after my divorce?” There are multiple variations: Can I date during the divorce process, even if my divorce isn’t final? Divorce Care says not to date for at least a year. Is that true? I have to be honest: I […]

When Your Husband Isn’t Who You Think He Is

I promise that I have heard it all. Nothing shocks me any more. But, here is a story told by a very brave survivor, one fighting for her faith and her future. Keep my sweet friend in your prayers as she walks courageously forward. ************************ I was the kid in school that everyone knew as […]

If I Were Anna Duggar

The Ashley Madison scandal has been heavy on my mind in recent days. It hits so close to home because I’ve been the spouse on the other side, the spouse horrified to discover her husband on an online dating site. I suppose we could at least point out that these spouses weren’t hiding the fact […]

Thoughts on the Ashley Madison Scandal

I rarely comment on current events. I prefer to simply stick with the basics of scripture—loving God, loving others as we love ourselves. I don’t want to be guilty of throwing gas on a fire, stirring up division in the body. But this time is somewhat different. We’ve been inundated with the hack on the […]

Survive ‘n’ Thrive Recap

Many of you are aware that I recently had the privilege of speaking at the Survive ‘n’ Thrive Single Mom Conference in Oklahoma City. I wanted to share a very brief recap of what I shared with the ladies. I should be recording my session soon, and it will be posted on the Arise Ministries […]

Lessons Learned

The message popped up on my phone. “I have a friend whose wife left him a few years back. He’s been reading your blog. Do you mind if I give him your phone number? He would like to talk to you.” I responded in the affirmative. “Sure. Go ahead. I’d be more than happy to […]

It’s Not About You

I’ll never forget the conversation I had with my then husband about the woman he was having an affair with. “It’s just exhilarating that someone like that would be interested in me,” he said. Adultery hits at the core of your being. Every ounce of self-confidence and self-respect that you carry is destroyed. You look […]

The Power of the Resurrection

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. 2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was […]