by Mary V. Growing up, I tried to be good enough. My mother traveled often, or at least, to a little kid, it seemed like she was gone a lot. I was supposed to be "acting mom" when she was gone. I cleaned and cooked, and tried very hard to make sure she was pleased and surprised upon her return. But if I made the mistake of leaving even one spatula in the sink, she knew immediately what I had … [Read more...] about Enough
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Spiritual Abuse in the Pulpit and the Pew
by Dale O. Wolery Pastors should be the last people to perpetrate abuse. The idea is disconcerting and repulsive, but God’s people sometimes do God’s work in destructive ways. Surely not every clergyperson is an abuser, and yet many thoughtful observers believe that spiritual abuse, intentional or not, has become the norm for modern pastors. Any ministerial behavior, mine or someone else’s, … [Read more...] about Spiritual Abuse in the Pulpit and the Pew
When Religion Goes Bad: Part 2 — Religious Addiction
by Dale S. Ryan and Jeff VanVonderen In the first part of this series we introduced the idea that religion can “go bad.” This might not be a difficult or threatening topic for some people. If our experiences with religion have been neutral or positive, we may even find it difficult to imagine that religion can ever go bad. Many of us, however, have been exposed to environments where “religion … [Read more...] about When Religion Goes Bad: Part 2 — Religious Addiction
Soul Loss
by Dale Wolery You probably know that the word "co-dependence" is used in several different ways. At first, it was used to refer to a specific illness common among the spouses and family members of addicts. The characteristics of codependency, however, fit so many of us–and they fit so well–that it has provided a helpful way of talking about a much more common … [Read more...] about Soul Loss
The Christian Recovery Movement: a Brief Introduction
by Dale Ryan This is an edited transcript of a talk presented by Dale Ryan at the ISAAC convention in Madrid, Spain in May, 2003. It is intended to provide a general overview of the Christian recovery movement in the US for people working in other parts of the world. … [Read more...] about The Christian Recovery Movement: a Brief Introduction
Protected: Regional Workshop: Shrewsbury, PA
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Acknowledging our Need of God’s Provision as Prayer
Give us this day our daily bread. Luke 11:3 Prayer is acknowledging our need of God’s help. We tend to dislike our needs. We tend to want to meet our needs by ourselves. We may even feel ashamed of our needs. As a result, we are often afraid to rely on anyone else to help us, even God. But as we move away from self-reliance and begin to rely more and more on God, we begin to see how great our … [Read more...] about Acknowledging our Need of God’s Provision as Prayer
Going to the Doctor as Prayer
While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and “sinners” came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and “sinners”? On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice. For I … [Read more...] about Going to the Doctor as Prayer
Protected: RM101 Week 6
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Having a Broken and Contrite Heart as Prayer
You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it, you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Psalm 51:16-17 Prayer is being broken-hearted and contrite before God. The more we become aware of our shortcomings and character flaws, the more our hearts open in empathy and sorrow for those we … [Read more...] about Having a Broken and Contrite Heart as Prayer