Healing is not linear, and there are wounds time can't heal.

There's a somber attitude in the studio today. In this episode, we discuss our personal accounts of healing from trauma caused by people we loved in our families and churches, just to name a few. Listen as we share ways our therapists and God's mercy have helped us along the way, as well as debunk myths and encourage anyone experiencing something similar to reach out for help. 💛

CREDITS:

Recommended Articles for Healing: https://annvoskamp.com/recommended-articles-for-soul-healing/

Jackie Hill Perry: "My Sexual Abuse Survivor Story" on YouTube

https://youtu.be/oK5ZziVne1A

Pressing through the Pain: https://lysaterkeurst.com/2019/07/01/pressing-through-the-pain-2/

Forgiving What You Can't Forget by Lysa Terkeurst: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0718039874/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_3CG92Q0W01BMBF4R5SAP

The Broken Way by Ann Voskamp https://www.amazon.com/dp/0310318580/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_4GQQ1KTN2DJYYVCVTVP9

A famous footnote in the story of Isaac's miraculous birth, little else is known about the Egyptian slave girl, Hagar.

Hagar was given Abram and his wife, Sarai, and later forced to bear his child when Sarai could not produce the heir that God had promised. Hagar was then labeled as "contemptuous" by her mistress, and after being treated harshly by her, fled from her masters into the wilderness, possibly fearing her unborn baby's life.

It was in her wanderings that Hagar had a life-changing encounter at a well, where the promise of the covenant was revealed to her and where she - a foreigner, woman, salve - became the only one in all sacred texts to name God.

"Hagar" cover art by Sarah Beth Baca, https://www.sarahbethart.com/

"The Well (abridged)" by Rachel Held Evans, http://wildwoodmennonite.org/images/Sermons/2019-03-10_The_Well_Hagar_Monologue.pdf

"Hagar: Midrash and Aggadah" https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/hagar-midrash-and-aggadah

Prognosis: Hopeful. ❤ Separating from a community leaves its own special wound.

Today, we break down the definition of trauma as described by medical experts, and discuss the ways we experienced trauma after leaving our church communities, and how we found healing after hope seemed lost.

RESOURCES:

Emotional & Psychological Trauma: https://www.helpguide.org/articles/ptsd-trauma/coping-with-emotional-and-psychological-trauma.htm

Finding a Therapist Who Can Help You Heal: https://www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/finding-a-therapist-who-can-help-you-heal.htm

Post-Traumatic Church Syndrome: https://time.com/3859374/losing-my-religion-americas-post-traumatic-church-syndrome/ 

When Church Leads to Trauma: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/05/well/mind/religion-trauma-lgbt-gay-depression-anxiety.html

Our series on church trauma continues with this season's book review episode on Rachel Held Evans' book, "Searching for Sunday: Loving, Leaving, and Finding the Church."

In her 2015 memoir, Rachel Held Evans shared a journey that validated the doubts of her fellow millennial peers as well as frustrated and confused others: her journey of loving, leaving, and finding the church. With her trademark witty candor and undeniable grace, "Searching for Sunday" takes us on a tour through fascinating church history and even a modern day monastery; recounts heartbreaking losses and personal testimony that led to her decision to deconstruct her faith, and where that left her relationship with Jesus.

Searching for Sunday (paperback): https://www.amazon.com/Searching-Sunday-Loving-Leaving-Finding/dp/0718022122

When all of your beliefs get blown to hell, what is left?

This week, Sarah reacquaints us with the definition of deconstruction, how it is affecting the American church today, the testimonies of those who have experienced it, and what scripture says about it all.

SEASON 2 IS HERE!

We are back and laying the groundwork for season 2 by discussing what makes a church, and how to define the universal Church. This will be a great episode to reference later when we dive into difficult topics on churches' responses to mental illness, sexual abuse, and spiritual mistreatment.

As always, we bring laughter, challenging questions, and our hearts for Jesus to the forefront of every episode. We hope you enjoy!

In our SEASON ONE finale, there is hurt, disbelief, betrayal, and uncertainty... Namely, the emotions we both felt when leaving our respective churches. Listen as we bear our souls, share our experiences, doubts, and how we learned to love the church again.

Searching for Sunday by Rachel Held Evans  https://www.amazon.com/Searching-Sunday-Loving-Leaving-Finding/dp/0718022122

Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller  https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Like-Jazz-Nonreligious-Spirituality/dp/0785263705

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It has been a wild ride over the last few months! We are incredibly grateful for the unbelievable amounts of support we have received since premiering our podcast in the summer. We can't believe season one, with all its joys and challenges, is actually over. Thank you so much, and we will be back in spring 2021!

a special THANK YOU to everyone who has contributed professionally to our podcast:

https://www.taylorraesphoto.com/

https://www.sarahbethart.com/

https://drcamden.com/

This week, we explore the world of purity culture with our own personal guide, Dr. Camden Morgante!

With her expertise, we discuss the different kinds of myths that are created within the American Church as well as dissect questions that we have personally encountered regarding marriage, sex, and the fairytales that come with them. ***Due to the long-distance nature of this call, the audio recording reflects some connectivity & sound difficulties.*** Thanks for bearing with us and we pray that this is as much an encouragement to you as it was to us! For more information on Dr. Camden: https://drcamden.com/

Dr. Camden's FREE purity culture quiz: https://drcamden.com/take-the-quiz/ Photo credit: https://www.taylorraesphoto.com/

Sarah leads us through this season's book review episode with a thorough look at Donald Miller's enlightening and controversial book, Blue Like Jazz.

Enjoy as we discuss negative views towards this work, bring up our own discoveries from its pages, and why you should never judge a book by its cover.

Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller (paperback) https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Like-Jazz-Nonreligious-Spirituality/dp/0785263705

This is the story of a woman who was part of the early Church. The story of a woman who may have listened at the feet of Jesus himself. A story that was nearly wiped from history.

This woman was revered as a symbol of faith for centuries, and in one stroke of a brush, her identity was tainted and her status questioned. Her name and gender were changed and taught as correct by men of great power in the church. 

This history is rarely acknowledged, let alone taught. The average member of the Church today will most likely not know who she was.

Her name was Junia, and she was outstanding among the apostles.

Photo credit: https://www.sarahbethart.com/

SOURCES:

Junia, a Female Apostle: An Examination of the Historical Record

https://www.cbeinternational.org/resource/article/priscilla-papers-academic-journal/junia-female-apostle-examination-historical

Blame Martin Luther for People Thinking the Bible’s Female Apostle Was Male

https://www.thedailybeast.com/blame-martin-luther-for-people-thinking-the-bibles-female-apostle-was-male?ref=scroll

Junia: The Female Apostle, Video History

https://youtu.be/kdD36zVVOb0

Who Was Junia in the Bible?

https://juniaproject.com/who-was-junia/

The Lost Apostle: Searching for the Truth about Junia by Rena Pederson

https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Apostle-Rena-Pederson-dp-0470184620/dp/0470184620/ref=mt_other?_encoding=UTF8&me=&qid=

Was Junia in Romans 16:7 a female apostle in authority?

https://carm.org/junia-apostle

Romans 16: Who was Junia? – The Text in Context

http://thetextincontext.com/romans-16-who-was-junia/