An Update

Hi all!

Life has been very busy for us over the past couple months. For those who don’t know, our first child was born earlier this month! As a result, it has been a very exciting but also challenging time of little sleep, lots of diapers, and, unfortunately, little time for writing!

Our labradoodle, Debbie, has been a great older sister to Amelia, our newborn daughter!

I also finished a summer internship last month with a local chapter of National Alliance for Mental Illness. I am grateful to the team there for allowing me to learn and contribute to removing stigmas against mental illness and extending resources for mental health in local communities. Starting this fall, I will be serving as a seminary intern at a local Presbyterian church and I am excited to come alongside the good work there.

Because of the activities this summer, I have not been able to write the next segment of the spiritual abuse series, BUT I plan to in the next few weeks. I continue to be passionate about church ministry and mental health, particularly in response to issues of abuse in the church.

I sincerely thank those of you who have been reaching out to me to share your stories and feedback on the series. I hope that my writing can continue to be a resource for both those who have suffered spiritual abuse and those in ministry who want to address, prevent, and expose abuse.

In the meantime, if you are looking for resources, I highly recommend the new book In the House of Friends by advocate and spiritual abuse survivor Ken Garrett, who hosts the Spiritual Abuse Forum for Education (SAFE) in Portland, OR. Ken’s book is honest, well-researched, and a source for healing to those who have been through the ringer in abusive spiritual communities and is especially insightful for those who have experienced spiritual abuse in Christian settings. Highly recommended for survivors and clergy alike.

Grace and Peace to you, friends. Stay safe and healthy!