Category: church

July 23, 2017 belief, broken, Christ, Christian, church, church closing, death, doubt, dreams, dreams. disappointment, faith, grief, hope, johnnyswim, let it matter, loss, seasons, worship

Let it Matter

The best way over’s through…
Johnnyswim//Let it Matter
This line from a favorite song seemed to be on repeat in my mind last Sunday. While it primarily references the heartbreak and grief that come in loss of a relationship, it seems applicable. Because honestly, grief is grief. And, unfortunately, the only way over is through.
I laughed when I looked  up the rest of the rest of the lyrics–
Escape is a waste ain’t no use in hiding you know the best way over’s through If it matters let it matter If your heart’s breaking let it ache Catch those pieces as they scatter Know your hurt is not in vain Don’t hide yourself from the horror Hurt today here tomorrow If it’s fragile and it shatters Let it matter, let it matter


The irony of these lyrics paired with my day was not lost on me. You see, I spent the morning hiding in a church bathroom.
Because my heart is breaking.
Today was the first Sunday after our church’s final service. If you know me, you know that I’m a church girl through and through. So, I promised myself and Jesus that I’d be in a back pew somewhere this Sunday. I promised to show up through the pain. And I did.
But y’all. It was not easy.
A little vulnerability here– I was one traffic light away from the church about 15 minutes before service was going to start. I had high hopes of sneaking in and out of service unseen, unknown. I should have know what a lofty goal this was. First off, I’m a pastor’s kid. I don’t know how to be late for church. Unless, of course I am late, in which case I skip and go to the next service altogether because ain’t nobody got patience for the pastor’s daughter who can’t get to church on time. So, while 15 minutes early seemed late to me (surely chairs need to be set up and tech will need troubleshooting…it’s a hard habit to break y’all), this is in fact early, not late. Upon this realization, I naturally pulled in to the nearest parking lot and sat aimlessly for 12 minutes because every good church girl knows there is no such thing as sitting unseen in a church parking lot in the South. Nice try, honey… I naively assumed that leaving myself only 2 minutes before service would allow me to walk in through an empty hallway because clearly everyone would be seated. Bless. I made it to the church steps before the first person greeted me by name. By the time I had escaped to hide in a corner of the bathroom stall, I had been greeted exactly three times by name. Let me insert something here– this is exactly what church should be like. People should be all kinds of precious and hug and greet one another, remembering names and faces. In any other scenario, it would have been perfect. However, I was dead set on hiding, on remaining unseen. I didn’t think I could answer one more question about church and family and life. The small town encounters over lunch and in grocery store aisles that unintentionally forced me to explain our situation had drained my very last ounce of desire for conversation. So there I stood, hiding in the bathroom. Unfortunately, there is a limited time frame for which you can hide in a bathroom without incurring judgment. Especially if you happen to love shiny, easily identifiable, sparkly flip flops. Bathroom stall judgments are easily made when your shoes rat you out and I couldn’t have the woman next to me in service connecting those shoes with my face. While I didn’t want to face people, I also knew I’d reached my maximum safe time. So I stepped out, killed a few extra minutes by carefully applying chapstick in the mirror, and snuck into service.
I’m pretty aware that I haven’t grieved the loss of our church yet. The funny thing about grief is that we get absolutely zero control over the timetable. That’s why the tears streaming down my face during worship this morning caught me off guard. I wasn’t expecting them, but I couldn’t escape them as we sang words like “when there’s pain in the offering, blessed be your name.” Sometimes the offering, the showing up, it hurts like hell. But we show up anyways, even if it means we hide in the bathroom first.
I’ve grieved a lot of things in my short 23 years. Loss has sought to write its legacy all over my life, but Jesus has won. At times I’ve grieved well and at times my grief has looked like empty tequila bottles and razor blades to my wrist. So you could say, maybe, that I have a bit of street cred when it comes to grief. Here’s what I know to be true though. Johnnyswim was onto something… The only way over is through. So when the tears come, we push through. When we feel worn, we show up. When we’re not enough, the only one who ever could be comes through on our behalf.

July 12, 2017 church, church closing, doubt, dreams. disappointment, faithfulness, God, grief, Job, loss, redemption

When God Seems Silent

Every now and then I like to hand over the pen and feature a guest writer. Today’s post is written by a sweet, sweet college friend. She knows how deeply important words are to me and understood that in the trenches of grief, they might not be easy for me to write. The way she speaks both to and seemingly from my heart is a gift. These are the words that have been tumbling around in my heart and brain. Em puts them so beautifully on paper in a way that cherishes my story and warms my heart. Friends who can listen to Jesus and then write like this on your behalf are a wild, precious treasure. 
What happens when it all falls apart? What then?
Most of us wouldn’t admit that we believe faithfulness produces prosperity.
But I think we do.
Somewhere deep in our hidden theology, the presuppositions we can’t articulate, we believe that if we do our part, God will do His. God will be faithful to bless and grow and flourish whatever it is that we are working for this side of heaven. That could be a job. A ministry. A marriage. A friendship.
If we do our best, God will do His best. Right?
My sweet friend Hannah is the epitome of a church girl. Church is her jam. God has given her an incredible ability to handle large amounts of responsibility while being able to be passionate and intentional in each area of ministry she invests in. One of my favorite times in our friendship is when I get to watch her love people because of her love for Jesus. I love to watch her host brunches and serve families by loving their children. I love to see her organize events and work endless hours to ensure that the environment is cultivated in such a way that it will invite women in to worship. I love watching her talk with people, pursue people, mentor people. I love watching her worship. I love watching her pray her heart out for the people God has placed in her life.
My friend and I met on my first day at college. She helped me move in and she has been helping me lift the hard stuff in life ever since. My friend is just that kind of woman.
This past year I’ve seen my friend go through the unimaginable. The heart wrenching. The hurt.
But I’ve also seen her rise again. I’ve seen her run to Jesus and not away. I’ve seen her heal. And I’ve seen her use it as fuel to press through the hard parts of the race.
There are few things my friend loves more than her church.
She has spent thousands of hours within its walls. Almost her entire life, she has been a part of her God’s work within her family building that church.
And today, she announced that her church has made the painful decision to close its doors.
My friend did her part.
Did God do His?
I’m no stranger to loss. And when I’ve been on that side of things I am tempted to ask this question.
If you’re not familiar with Job’s story, it is one of my favorites. Job was a faithful man of God. He was loved by the Lord and everything Job touched seemed to prosper..
And then one day, he lost everything.
Job lost his family. His home. His career. His health. And His security in the goodness of God.
In Job 10 (MSG), Job has so many questions for God. He did his part. He was faithful! At this point in the story he had reached his end.
“I can’t stand my life- I hate it! I’m putting it all out on the table, all the bitterness of my life- I’m holding back nothing.” Job prayed, “Here’s what I want to say: Don’t, God, bring in a verdict of guilty without letting me know the changes you are bringing. How does this fit into what you call good?”
Later on in chapter 10 Job says, 

“You gave me life itself and incredible love. You watched and guarded every breath I took. But you never told me about this part. I should have known that there was more to it.”

Now depending on your view of God, you may have never had a conversation with Him quite like this one. But I’m willing to bet you’ve had these feelings at some point. I bet you’ve wondered how your broken dream, failed marriage, and biggest heartbreak fits into His goodness.
So, if you don’t know the end of the story, I would love to share it with you. God speaks to Job finally after much time passes and he asks Job a series of questions. Questions like,
Where were you when I created the earth?
Where were you when I decided on it’s size?
Who created the ocean and told the waves where they must stop?
Who brings water to unvisited fields, deserts no one ever lays eyes on?
Was it through your know how that the hawk learned to fly, soaring effortlessly on thermal updrafts?
The list goes on and on. Job and God have this back and forth conversation about the glory of God and the omniscience of His presence. Through this conversation, God in His fullness and His goodness and His sovereignty, is revealed to Job fully, unlike He has ever experienced before.
And this was Job’s response,
“I admit it. I was the one. I babbled on about things far beyond me, made small talks about wonders way over my head…..I admit I once lived by rumors of you; but now I have it all firsthand- from my own eyes and ears!I’m sorry- forgive me. I’ll never do that again, I promise! I’ll never again live on crusts of hearsay, crumbs of rumor.

During Job’s loss, God seemed quiet. And Job didn’t understand. 
But the prize, the blessing, was that through his loss, Job knew God fully. And that is always the prize. God isn’t after our happiness. He is after what is best for us. What is best for us is always to know God and be known by Him, fully.

This story ends with God redeeming what had been lost. The way He always does. In fact, scripture says that God blessed Job’s later life even more than His earlier life. It says that Job died an old man, with a full life.
Faithfulness doesn’t always equal prosperity in the way we would like it to, but faithfulness always breeds intimacy with Jesus. It is the lens through which we are able to see God’s goodness, sovereignty, and faithfulness, unlike we’ve ever known it before.
One of my favorite worship songs is “Pieces”, in it she says, “You don’t give yourself in pieces. And you don’t hide yourself to tease us.”
And friend, that is true.
That is who our God is. If he is quiet, it’s for our good.He’s not a God of deception. He is not a good of trickery. He is not a God of lies.
If you are feeling tricked. If you are feeling like you did your part of the deal and God didn’t do His. If you want to know where this fits in God’s goodness. I encourage you to take heart. If you let God work, redemption is coming. You live now on rumors of who God is, but soon friend, you will see His face.
God is too good of a God to let us live on crumbs.

Don’t give up now. 
April 4, 2016 believe, Christ, Christian, church, faith, grace, hope, justice, loved, messy grace, missions, prayer, radical, Sunday, worship

They Will Know Us by Our Love: A Prayer for the Church

The church has long held a special place in my heart. It’s never been because of her perfection, but perhaps, quite the opposite. At her best, church is simply a messy group of sinners striving to love a broken world. However, it is in her imperfect striving together that she radiates the love of Christ.

Love. That’s our real message. Let’s own it well. 

John 13:35 says in reference to the church, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

The Message translation puts it this way:
“Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.”

The premise is simple– the world will recognize God’s people by their radical love, both for each other and a hurting world around them.

I pray for a church known for our radical, selfless love. Let it be said of us… 

(adapted from 1 Corinthians 13)

May the church be known for her patience, for her kindness.
May we neither envy, nor boast; may our contentment preach to a hurting world.
God, let your church be known for her humility, rather than her pride.
May she be neither arrogant, nor rude.
Let your church not insist on her own way.
Let us reflect you well with neither irritability, nor resentment.
Rather, may we love the bride for which you laid down your life.
May we never rejoice over wrongdoing. 
Teach us to weep not just at the sins of our neighbors, but first at our own. 
God, teach us to rejoice in your truth. May we never take for granted its supreme value. 
May we bear all things in love, gladly bearing the burdens of our cities.
Together, let us come to believe your truths, find hope in all things, and endure all things in unity.

Our cities will know we were here. Our neighbors will feel our impact. 



What image of the church will be ingrained in their minds?

I pray that our communities would see a people in passionate pursuit of justice, radiating perfect love, and unfailing hope. 

Let them know us by our love.

November 9, 2015 #MerryChristmasStarbucks, adoption, Christ, Christian, Christmas, church, coffee, God, grace, human trafficking, Merry Christmas, orphan Sunday, orphans, poverty, refugees, Starbucks, Syrian refugee

5 Things Christians Care About More than the Starbucks Cup Design

Perhaps you have heard about the latest Christian “controversy.“

I refuse to give them the validation of extra viewers and site clicks so I will not be offering a link, but a post is circulating the internet claiming that Christians are “super offended“ over Starbucks’ recent Christmas cup design.

You see, last year Starbucks’ Christmas cups featured pine trees and winter scenes, a surefire sign that Starbucks supported all things baby Jesus. 

This year, the cups are simply red, a less than convincing show of the corporation’s Christmas spirit.

And, according to mainstream media, Christians are “outraged.“

Are they though?
Are Christians truly outraged?
Does it honestly surprise us that a secular company does not plan to plaster manger scenes on their $7 cups of coffee?

Do we find it that surprising when the world acts like the world?

Most of us do not.
There is, I’m sure, a handful of Christians who are truly upset over this.
For the most part, however, I’d argue that my friend Kristin sums it up pretty well:

“Christians aren’t super offended by this. Bored people are offended by this. Christians are offended by sexual trafficking and people dying because of the water shortage.“

While I could surely think of hundreds, let’s take a look at five things the Christians I know and love care about more than the Starbucks cup design.

1. The Syrian Refugees- The image of a young boy’s lifeless body washed ashore in his attempts to flee to safety has not left my mind in weeks. We must enter in and be a safe place. We must take a stand that says our love for our fellow humanity will always supersede our fear of it. The care of our fellow human cannot be left to the government, but should instead be led by the church. May we be the first ones to welcome refugees. 

2. Orphan Care- Today just so happens to be orphan Sunday. The statistics surrounding the orphan crisis are shocking. If only 7% of the world’s Christians cared for just one orphan, the crisis would be resolved. This is not a statistic we can respond to with apathy. On top of it, we have hundreds of adoptive parents whose children are being held in limbo because of government holds on international adoptions. Red tape and ineffective policy is keeping these orphans out of the homes of their loving parents. They’ve long ago taken occupancy in their hearts and their parents financially provide for their living expenses, but are broken over an inability to hold their babies and bring them home. We have to care. We have to speak up, to advocate. 

3. Caring for the Poor-1 in 6 Americans are facing hunger. Thousands are sleeping on our streets tonight. Our neighbors and their babies are literally starving in front of us. Jesus was pretty clear on the requirement for His followers to meet the needs of the poor. If His love is in us, we will not ignore their needs (1 John 3:17-18). 

4. Human Trafficking- 600,000-800,000 people are trafficked across borders every single year. Research suggests that 50% of these are children. Local and global efforts to fight trafficking are growing rapidly. The church of this generation has the unique opportunity to end human trafficking in our lifetime.  

5. Loving our lost neighbors- Jesus’ ultimate calling on the life of every Christian is to make disciples (Matthew 28:16-20). Rather than yelling at the world for acting like the world, perhaps we could enter their lives with grace and a true desire to build relationships. We will only overcome darkness with light. We must push back in this way. We must fill our places with the light rather than adding hate and indignation to the equation. 

I would argue that each of these things is far more worthy of our attention and concern than bullying a coffee chain into wishing us all a Merry Christmas. Should you feel so convicted by the cup design change that you reduce your consumption of overpriced coffee, perhaps these causes would be a worthy recipient of the money you save.

A popular blogger has even called on Christians to use Merry Christmas as the name for their order, thereby forcing employees to write the phrase on cups.

Can I beg you to use more civility, grace, and discernment than this?

Perhaps, our best response to Starbucks (and everyone with whom we find ourselves in disagreement) would be grace and love– the unrelenting, freely given grace and love that the Jesus we want celebrated so regularly exhibited.

Next time, as you sip your Starbucks, ask the barista, or the mom in line behind you, about their Christmas plans and traditions. Listen. Then, if the door is open, lovingly share your own Christmas beliefs and traditions. Give freely as the season approaches and all year-round. Lavish the joy of our Savior and of this season on every person you encounter.

Perhaps we could then contribute to a truly Merry Christmas for us all.

photo credit: <a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/27917561@N00/3322018222″>Starbucks</a> via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a> <a href=”https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/”>(license)</a>

October 5, 2015 abuse, abuse on college campuses, beauty from ashes, brokenness, Christ, Christian, church, date rape, finding healing from sexual abuse, forgiveness, grace, rape, redeemed, redemption, relationships, sexual abuse

On Being Broken (And Brave)

A few months ago I started, She Matters: The Mended Heart Project, a project to bring awareness to stories of overcoming sexual abuse through grace and redemption and an attempt to give survivors a voice. My amazing friends got really brave and poured out their hearts and their stories. And me? Well, I hid. I applauded their bravery and avoided sharing my story at all costs. But now it’s time. It’s time to be brave. So here it is friends…
 To check out more on this project, see the original post here.

I was three years old the first time I learned not to trust men.
Three the first time I learned that my body was not mine alone.
Three years old the first time someone I loved and trusted deeply betrayed that trust.
Three the first time I learned that my “no” was insignificant.

Three years old. A sassy, spunky, three year old who loved baby dolls, dress up, and Bible stories.
I wish I could say that was the last time.
It wasn’t.
It stopped when I was seven and I thought I might finally breathe again.
But it wasn’t over.
My teenage years reminded me of that hard truth in other ways. Men are not to be trusted.
The message resounded in so many ways at the hands of men I should have been able to trust.
Then, I went to college.
I thought surely being surrounded by Christians would change the pattern.
I fought to trust again. I fought to rewrite the narrative over my life.

I was 20 when a stranger slipped something into my soda at a party.
The lies that Satan had whispered over my life forever now felt like they were being shouted.
“You are the common denominator here. It has to be your fault”
I spent hours, months, years, wondering. Was I too much, or not enough? What had I said/done, or not said/done?

I dealt with my pain in a lot of ways. We all do really. Sometimes the pain is so big it just has to find a way out. We find subtle ways to run away, to hide. Or we choose to be numb.

Here’s the thing about life and pain– You don’t always get to write the plot line, but you can always choose a new ending.

I could write for days on the ways I sought to numb the pain. Maybe one day I will, but tonight you need to know this.

I was 20 years old when my story changed.
God began writing a new narrative on my life. I spent the next year learning a new truth:
There is ONE Man who can be trusted. In every season, with everything.

You see, when I finally gave my heart, in all its shattered pieces, completely to Him, He gave me the grace to open it again. He gave me fresh eyes. He rebuilt my view of men.

It happened in coffee shops, in living rooms, on long car rides, and on trips around the world. He showed me another side. He rebutted Satan’s lies with truth.

It happened as I watched Godly men love their wives well.

It happened as I stood on the other side of the world and watched a man wash prisoner’s feet and cry over babies with AIDS.

It happened in a coffee shop when a friend’s husband looked me in the eyes, listened hard through my tears, and said to me the most healing words– “You do know that being a bratty teenager never excuses the inappropriate behavior of an adult, right? Don’t you ever apologize for that.”

It happened when I saw the righteous anger of a man over injustice.

One by one, moments taught me to trust again, to believe again.
God used the men right in front of me to remind me of His character.
He took the ashes of my life and painted beauty.
Here’s what I know—I would not trade one moment of sorrow for the beauty that has risen out of it.
A lot of tears, scripture, and counseling later and I’ve regained the joy of that spunky 3 year old.



A friend shared this quote with me a few years ago—
“The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.” –Kahlil Gibran
The depths of my sorrow have become the heights of my joy.

I’ve learned to run hard into the pain because we have to feel it as deeply as we desire to feel joy on the other side.

But my God is good and He is faithful. He not only redeems every hurt for my good (Romans 8:28), but He teaches me to dance again. 

“You have turned my morning into dancing” Psalm 30:11

I think we’re all a little broken. But, perhaps we are all a little brave too. 
June 27, 2015 abuse, beauty, beauty from ashes, brokenness, Christ, Christian, church, fear, forgiveness, God, grace, healing, heart, loved, messy grace, rape, redeemed, redemption, sexual abuse, trust

She Matters: Anonymous Guest

This post is a part of She Matters: The Mended Heart Project, a project to bring awareness to stories of overcoming sexual abuse through grace and redemption and an attempt to give survivors a voice. To check out more on this project, see the original post here.




Today’s She Matters story is particularly special. Unlike the other posts, today’s writer is an anonymous contributor for a variety of reasons. While you may not know her, I do. Let me tell you, she is everything this project is about. She is brave beyond belief. She is fighting for herself and other women in her life in courageous, meaningful ways and I am proud to know her. While her name will remain anonymous, I will be sharing the comments with her so please encourage her and let her know what her words and vulnerability mean to you. Let’s cheer on her bravery! 


I swallowed hard in a futile attempt to dislodge the golf ball sized lump that had formed in my throat almost instantaneously upon hearing the voice on the other end of the phone. With some effort, I managed to squeeze the word “okay” out before sinking to the bed to catch my breath. Why, after all of these years, was he calling me now? It’s not like he ever completely left my thoughts, the flashbacks ensured that, but the years of no contact had lessened them. That was undone with a simple hello that day. I battled hard to stuff everything that was beginning to surface back down as I struggled to listen to what he was saying. Someone was making allegations that he had been inappropriate…wanted to be clear on our relationship…could be questioned… My thoughts swirled as the memories of the past collided with the conversation of the present in a violent, yet unseen tornado in my mind. I caught bits and pieces of what he said before hanging up the phone and being swept away by the storm. Closing my eyes as I fought back tears, I drifted away to the time almost ten years prior when I worked for him.

The job had started innocently enough and, at the time, seemed like a blessing in disguise. I wanted a car of my own and it would provide some income. The hours were flexible, which allowed me to continue my involvement in extracurricular activities, and the field was one I was considering as a possible college major. Besides that, I had always been a bit of a computer geek and the work I would be doing would allow me the opportunity to further develop my skills in that area. He wasn’t always there at the office when I worked, but when he was we would chat. He was pretty easy to get along with and seemed down to earth. A short time later, I began experiencing some pain in my leg. He offered to look at it since his area of work was along those lines. Nothing remotely inappropriate had happened or been suggested at that point, so I didn’t think twice about agreeing. What happened next caught me completely off guard and would change me and my life for years to come.

I became concerned when I felt his hand moving up the inside of my right thigh. He responded to my demand to stop by explaining that there were pressure points or something he had to check. Any desire to believe him went out the window when I felt him slip his fingers first inside of my underwear and then inside of me. My second plea for him to stop went unheard and shortly after I felt his mouth following the path his fingers had left. I was 17. I went home that night feeling so sick and so confused about what had happened. I threw up that night, but told everyone it was the flu. I couldn’t talk about it. I wouldn’t have known where to start at the time even if I thought I could have. The next day I went to work planning to quit quietly. He was there waiting and told me he knew I was quitting, along with a lot of reasons I couldn’t/shouldn’t. The manipulations began there and the excuses that existed during the first exploit soon faded away. What happened the evening before became a regular occurrence.

One day, shortly after my 18 birthday, it went further than that when he pinned me to the living room couch and raped me. It was virtually no holds barred from there as the touching, intercourse, forced oral sex, and other things continued for nearly two years. No meant nothing so, after a while, I quit saying it. I still didn’t tell anyone. What would people think? He was twice my age after all. Surely they would blame me. The lies, manipulations, and confusion ensured my silence. Then, just as it had begun, it was over. I didn’t hear from him for years prior to that phone call and never heard from him after it. I have no idea what became of him or the allegations that were being made at that time. I do know that I wasn’t the only one.  

Personally, I tried and for a while was very successful at stuffing it all down.  It wasn’t until after a near breakdown, almost killing myself, and some counseling that I finally, admitted to anyone anything that had happened during that time. Nearly twenty years of keeping a secret I never should have had in the first place almost killed me and did take a toll in a lot of ways. If it hadn’t been for Jesus, a skilled counselor who specialized in trauma, supportive friends, caring family, and a few “Only God” moments, I wouldn’t be here now to be writing this and, possibly for the first time since that day as a teenager, actually enjoying my life instead of simply trying to get through it. There are still some struggles and may always be, but the lies that defined me for so long have finally lost their grip and power. I know who I am and, more importantly, I know Whose I am.

Current statistics show that at least 1 in 6 women will be a victim of sexual assault. If you are currently experiencing any type of sexual abuse, please don’t believe the lies that you are alone, unwanted or unloved. It isn’t your fault. You do matter. If you’ve experienced an assault or abuse in the past, please know that you don’t have to spend your life hiding it, trying to cope on your own, or ashamed. It wasn’t your fault. You are worth it.

There is hope. There is help.


The writer asked that I include a link to Matthew West’s song, Mended, as it so appropriately relates to the project and her story. 

“When you see broken beyond repair
I see healing beyond belief
When you see too far gone
I see one step away from home
When you see nothing but damaged goods
I see something good in the making
I’m not finished yet

When you see wounded, I see mended”
June 17, 2015 abuse, Christ, Christian, church, dating, faith, fear, forgiveness, God, grace, loved, rape, redeemed, redemption, relationships, rescued, sex, sexual abuse, trust, women

She Matters: J’Layne’s Story

This post is a part of She Matters: The Mended Heart Project, a project to bring awareness to stories of overcoming sexual abuse through grace and redemption and an attempt to give survivors a voice. To check out more on this project, see the original post here. 

I am so privileged to introduce J’Layne to you. Her story speaks volumes to the widespread impact of rape and abuse and to the redemptive power of the church. As I have briefly gotten to know J’Layne via the internet over the last few months, I can assure you that she is funny, wise, and passionate. She has overcome in incredible ways. I am so grateful for her willingness to share her story and I pray you’ll be encouraged by it. If you’d like to read more of J’Layne’s work, check out her blog, J’Layne Changed. Feel free to send her some encouragement in the comments. Let’s cheer on her bravery! 

Meet J’Layne:

This is the story of the sexual abuse I suffered ten years ago. I still can’t believe that this kind of thing happened to me- the girl who grew up so sheltered, waited so long to date, to have her first kiss, whose worst fear was disappointing her parents.

He was a friend of my friends. He was in their Christian worship band. He liked me from the very start of joining our friend group. He was tall, muscular, broad, and handsome. Very funny and witty. In fact, he knew all the right words to say. He took me around his family; his kind and loving mom and his spunky and extroverted fifteen year old sister. His dad was in and out, because he worked overseas. Being with him and around his family was so easy, so comfortable. It felt so right. After six months of dating, I knew he was going to be my husband, someday soon- just as soon as my student teaching was over, and I was a college graduate.

One evening, after a family celebration dinner- his dad was home for a while from his assignment- his parents went to bed. We were in their living room watching a movie. He began kissing me, which I naturally didn’t mind him doing at all. Things progressed pretty quickly, and I began to feel uncomfortable. I told him to stop, but he just held me down, and continued to do as he pleased with my body. It was so confusing because I knew where boundaries were being crossed, and they were not what I believed were healthy before marriage. Yet, these physiological impulses being forced on me felt very pleasurable. The disconnect between my mind, spirit, and body was so loud, clamoring from every shadow of my being. I began to cry. I asked him repeatedly to stop, but he continued to use brute strength to keep me pinned where he wanted me. In the next breath, he was kissing me on the mouth again- it nauseated me. He just laid on top of me while I cried and cried, gasping for breath and struggling to break free.

Through my tears, I asked him, “Why did you stop when I told you no? I wasn’t ready for that.” He simply replied, “You know, you’re cleaner down there than any other girl I know.” It was as if my reality had torn wide open into a sinkhole the size of the Grand Canyon. Who was this man, sitting on this couch with me? The one who professed to be a believer, a worshipper of Christ, a virgin? He then casually said, “Don’t bother telling anyone, my parents still think I’m waiting for marriage.”

The fallout from that single evening had a monumental effect on me. Not only did I most certainly tell my mom, I broke up with him as soon as I could muster up the courage to do so. His mother called me and accused me of cheating on him- that I must have found someone better if I was breaking up with him. It was horrifying. I could not bring myself to tell his mother about his sins against me- it wasn’t my place- but it really hurt to know that she believed I was capable of the thing she was accusing me of.

I became instantly distrustful of everyone outside my immediate family, withdrew from friend groups and just wanted to be alone all the time. The guilt and shame I felt were overwhelming and heartbreaking. I just knew I could never be loved or called lovely ever again- especially because of the way my body betrayed my emotions that night. How could I have physically felt pleasure when emotionally I was terrified and disgusted?

I lost all of my friends.

I spent the next year with just my mom and dad, and sometimes my brother. I didn’t want to be around anyone, didn’t want to talk to anyone. I just wanted to be isolated and safe. After a year, I began going to a biblical counselor.

A few months later, a girl from church invited me to “Sunday Lunch” at her friend’s apartment. I was terrified to go, but at the strong urging of my counselor, I pushed through and went anyway. And guess what? People were kind, friendly, relaxed, shared their stories with me, and let me sit and eat quietly and talk to hardly anyone. Every week, I went to that Sunday Lunch group. For over 2 years, I went, until it got so big that we had to start hanging out in smaller groups, because no one’s house was big enough to fit all of us! The Lord used his body to heal mine. Community with the commonality of Christ is what rescued me from fear of man and the desire to isolate and defend. Being with like minded individuals, and sharing our lives with one another, and ways the Lord revealed his character to us, the attributes of who he is- that made all the difference.

Ten years later, as I reflect back on this community, I have to say that we’ve had some times. I’ve gone on mission trips with these people, stood up for them in their weddings, been there for the births of their babies- all because of the commonality we have of being redeemed by the shed blood of Jesus.

And here’s the thing: nothing we experience as a result of sin or this broken world is God’s fault. He can’t be anything but loving. He doesn’t lie, and His word says that he is love. He is incapable of doing anything unloving to His children. He used the heartache of the sin which was perpetrated upon me to restore me. To take me beyond my original understanding of who he is, and what the Gospel actually is. The good news of Jesus is that we have been redeemed, not by any actions we have done to earn such a redemption, but given freely by the blood of Jesus as a gift to stand in Christ’s righteousness before God. I don’t have to clean myself up or get rid of hurts before I stand before Him. Christ has got all of that mess covered. That is the good news that sets all of mankind free.

June 12, 2015 abuse, beauty from ashes, brokenness, Christ, Christian, church, faith, femininity, forgiveness, God, grace, healing, messy grace, rape, redemption, relationships, rescued, sexual abuse, trust

She Matters: Deanna’s Story

This post is a part of She Matters: The Mended Heart Project, a project to bring awareness to stories of overcoming sexual abuse through grace and redemption and an attempt to give survivors a voice. To check out more on this project, see the original post here. 


I am so very excited to share with you the story of my sweet friend, Deanna, today. Deanna is a testament to the amazing redemptive work of Christ and is both brave and vulnerable in her writing. I am so grateful for her willingness to share her story and I pray you’ll be encouraged by it. Send some love her way in the comments. Let’s cheer on her bravery! 

Meet Deanna:

I don’t remember exactly when I became aware that is was happening, I just remember that it happened.  I remember that I started sleeping in the same room with my little brother, who was 4 years younger than me because I thought if I was in there, he wouldn’t come in.  But he did.  No matter where I slept, he came in.  Mostly in the middle of the night, or when my mom was not home or first thing in the morning when everyone else slept.  My mom suffered with deep depression and was in and out of mental hospitals a lot when I was growing up, so there were times when I was left alone with him.  It stopped when I turned 13.  I have no idea why.  It just stopped.

My parents divorced when I was 15 and when they did; I got up enough nerve to tell my mother what had happened.  In the trauma of telling her this, she told me that it was okay, he was not my real father anyway.  What?  Wait, what?  Not my real father?   Had enough not happened, now this?  I completely lost my identity at that point.  She went on to tell me that she had gotten pregnant when she was 17 by a boy that would not marry her.  She was also seeing my father at the time and he agreed to marry her right away, knowing she was pregnant with me.  Except for the abuse, he treated me just like a daughter.  Such an odd statement.

I spent the next 25 years of my life coming unraveled.  Bad decision after bad decision.  No one to teach me the right way.  Even though I became a Christian at age 9, my entire perception of who God was, was based on who my parents were….abusive, addicts, mental disorders, just to name a few.  I can totally relate to Paul in the bible when he says that Jesus came to save sinners and I am chief among them.   I can’t even begin to say the twists and turns my life took growing up in an abusive home, sexual, physical and emotional.  However, at some point, I did reach an age of accountability.  And all the terrible things I did rested squarely on my shoulders.  I know now that I did the best I could do with what I had to work with.  I know better now and I do better now. 

I struggled over the new 25 years but eventually I realized I could not do life on my own terms.  I was messing things up.  I was hurting people I loved.  I was leaving a terrible legacy for my children and I was walking through life wounded and broken hearted, contributing nothing.

I am so grateful for a God and for godly people who never gave up on me and who loved me every step of the way.

Even though my father abused me, I stayed in contact with him.  He was my father.  He was the grandfather to my children.  It was all very dysfunctional but I had a deep desire to honor God by honoring my parents. 

When I was 41 years old, I was sitting in my father’s living room.  I had taken my youngest child there for him to see my father.  While we were sitting in the living room, completely out of the blue, he said to me that he wanted to apologize for “everything” he had ever done to hurt me.  He said he knew that he had done some terrible things and that he just could barely live with himself.  He asked me to forgive him and I forgave him on the spot.

He died four years later from complications of Agent Orange, from a tour in Viet Nam.   He died alone, an alcoholic and suffering greatly.  The pastor that counseled him in the hospital told me that he was satisfied that my father had accepted Christ as his savior before he died.  He said he would ask the pastor to read the bible to him and pray with him.

I did not have a lot of contact with him after that day in his living room.  Forgiveness is one thing.  Forgetting, well, it was never going to happen.  I forgave him for me and for him because I knew he was suffering and no matter how mad at God I have always been for letting me be abused, I always, always had a heart to honor him.

I knew that I had messed up so badly in life and I knew that I could not ask for forgiveness from God if I was not willing to give it to my father.

My father was a product of his environment.  His father abused him.  He was an alcoholic too.  His mother abandoned him when he was a young boy. 

Life hands us misery sometimes.  Sometimes, we don’t always get the happy family, with the white picket fence, and godly legacies.  Sometimes, we get abuse and neglect and addiction and pain so deep, you think you will never reach the bottom of it but I have discovered that no matter what road we are placed on, God is always at the end, waiting for us with open arms, with healing power for our broken hearts and eternal life for our broken spirits.

Reconciliation, restoration, justice, mercy, compassion, grace, and love…..these are aspects of the gospel.  These are the things that Jesus so freely gives us when we call on his names.  He saves us in every facet of who we are.  He came that we might have life and that we would have it to the full….even in the face of childhood trauma….that we would have it to the full.   All glory be to God.
June 4, 2015 abuse, beauty from ashes, brokenness, Christ, Christian, church, faith, femininity, forgiveness, God, grace, healing, messy grace, rape, redemption, relationships, rescued, sexual abuse, trust

She Matters: The Mended Heart Project

You know that overly productive burst of energy you get when you are avoiding something? That “I can do anything-I’m superwoman-I will do ALL of the things in the next two hours” feeling? Well, all of the things except that one thing I’m avoiding. Yeah, that one.  That’s how my day has gone. Y’all… I stood on a folding chair (let’s stop here and acknowledge that I realize the stupidity of this. It wasn’t wise, but it was easy. I know internet… I’m not saying I’m proud of it, but it happened) and pulled wallpaper off the wall for two hours. Because even that seemed easy compared to this, compared to the unraveling that is sure to follow. 
I am currently sitting surrounded by complete mess and destruction. Since I’m in the process of renovating my bedroom, this is, quite literally, true.

However, this could just as easily be a description of the rest of my life. That’s how the last few months have felt in many ways, a beautiful undoing on some days and a destructive mess on others.

It was several months back that I first read a post entitled “He Wrote it Down” in which a fellow blogger bravely detailed the impact of the police officer who believed her story of abuse and wrote it down.

It was the next week that I sent a one-line note to my own believing advocate that simply said Thanks for writing it down. That felt like enough for the time being. 

Then came Lena Dunham’s book, detailing the abuse of her sister. 

Then came the difficult call where I had to report abuse. 

Then came the sexual abuse story of the Duggars.

Then came the church, the world, everyone, having this complicated, messy discussion about abuse. 

A discussion that offered both a healing balm and fiery darts all within one scroll of a mouse. 

A discussion that nearly made me leave the internet. But then, I remembered who I am. I’m not one to leave when things get messy. Instead I say let’s fix this, let’s do better. 

I had so many heated things to say, so many words to spew from a place of hurt. 

But then I remembered that hurt people hurt people and I refuse to add more coals to that fire.

I could not, however, ignore the fact that every time we emphasize God’s grace at the expense of His justice, we tell another victim that his or her story, his or her pain and healing, matters infinitely less than an abuser’s reputation, 

And this is not the way of our God. 

This cannot be reconciled with a God who calls us to “Act justly and love mercy” (Micah 6:8).
This is not an accurate representation of a God who “is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth, who fulfills the desires of those who fear him; who hears their cry and saves them, who watches over all who love him, but destroys the wicked.” (Psalm 145:18-20).

He balances grace and justice in a way only a perfect and loving God can. 

Our God instead comes to “rescue me because He delighted in me” (Psalm 18:19)

I truly believe the enemy badly wants a hand in this fight.

And so I prayed that we would learn to balance grace and justice in a way only those painfully aware of their own redemption are able. I prayed for Jesus to come quickly, and I dreamed, I wondered.

And I had the following conversation with God. 

“Hey, how cool would it be if this discussion didn’t disappear when the drama of the news and media did? How cool would it be if the church got this one right? Like, we need someone to be a platform, to give victims a voice. Because I really, truly, believe deep in my soul that the fiery darts come from a place of naivety and ignorance, which though not excusable, are not the same thing as malice. We can fix ignorance and naivety, right God? I mean, how can we expect society to hear from the victim’s view when no one is telling their stories?”
The conversation ended with me naively believing that God would be using my agenda and my timetable to come up with a solution. As if He actually needed the advice and plans of this 21 year old.  As if the God of the universe hadn’t already been burdened by love and placed perfectly equipped people in a position to help.

And I went about my life. 

For all of about 24 hours. 

Then, it was coming from everywhere. 

Jon Acuff was saying stuff like-

“Bravery goes viral, but one person always has to go first. When you go first with your story, your dream, and your hustle, you give everyone in the room a really powerful gift. You give them the gift of going second. It’s hard to go first. You don’t know the rules yet, you don’t know how it will be accepted, there’s no precedent. It’s easier to go second, which is why the world needs you to be brave first.”

-Jon Acuff

And then, I was on Jen Hatmaker’s book launch team (go pre-order For the Love right now, you won’t regret it) and reading words like:

“When people courageously voice a true, hard thing, they’ve already stolen some of its dark power before we offer one word to fix it.”

And all of a sudden, it was before me… plain as day. 

Hannah. Go first. Voice the true hard things. Give the gift of your story, your support.

It seems that’s the way of faith, While I’m over here saying “You know, if someone would just do something about that,” God is grinning and patiently waiting for me to figure out that perhaps there’s a reason I feel strongly about that– whatever that is. Perhaps, I am the someone. 
So, that’s where it began, how it started. 
If you made it this far, you are an angel. 

This is where I introduce you to the exciting part. 

Last week I decided to follow through. 

I was all “God I’m pretty sure you’re wrong about this (let me remind you how easy and charming I am ;). Clearly I am just the poster child for obedience, and submission and all things lovely), but just for the heck of it I’ll ask. But no one is going to jump up and want to be this scary vulnerable over the internet God, I mean I’m just saying.”

So I did it, I asked.

It went something like this:

God has been calling me out of silence over the last week to share my story on my blog. In addition, however, I feel led to offer an opportunity for your voices and your stories to be heard as well. I’d love to do a contributor series on my blog to share your stories of redemption and finding healing, of courageous strength and to open a conversation about abuse. You would have the option to contribute anonymously or with your first or first and last name, whatever your preference. Please let me know if you have a story you’d be interested in sharing!

And then it happened. Women came out of the woodwork saying things like “I’m terrified to say yes, but I think I need to” and “let’s get this ball rolling” and “can my sister/mother/friend share too?”

It was exhilarating…and terrifying all at the same time. Funny how God knows what he’s talking about, right?

And so it begins, She Matters: The Mended Heart Project. 



Last week, I wanted to punch someone. I wanted to scream at Facebook “please filter your words. Would you ever actually say those things to a survivor?”

This week, I just want to collect their stories and share them all with you. 

Because we are strongest where we are broken. In the pain of brokenness, we find the sweetness of healing, strength and redemption. I pray that’s what this project makes you see. It truly is a sweetly broken life. 

Over the next several weeks, or months, or heck, years if it takes that long, I’ll be featuring a story or two on the blog each week.  

I cannot wait. I hope you’ll read each one, and cheer them on. 
I hope that together we will put an end to the fiery darts of ignorance or naivety. 

Finally, according to statistics, 1 out of every 4 women and 1 out of every 7 men, will be reading this and thinking “me too.”

May the stories bring hope and healing, for you, for all of us. 

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” – Maya Angelou
**Let me clearly state from the beginning that I understand that sexual violence is not a crime solely against women, that just happens to be the angle of this project. The intent is in no way to minimize the stories of male victims. 


April 15, 2015 beauty from ashes, believe, brokenness, Christ, Christian, church, faith, fear, God, grace, healing, messy grace, missions, prayer, redeemed, redemption, sacrifice, South Africa, trust, worship

When Fear and Faith Collide: And If Not, You are God, and You Are Good

Everything in my essence is naturally fearful.
I worry, I stress, I get anxious over every little thing.
I want more than anything to radically abandon fear and follow Jesus and yet, my worries overtake me.
My relationship with fear was particularly challenged when I felt called to Africa last summer. 
There, God called me far beyond my comfort zone.

I will never forget the day I printed the State Department packet. The government has a packet of information they recommend that you read specifically for each country before you travel there.

So, like any good student, I printed off my packet and got to reading.
Sharks, disease, car accidents, plane crashes, fatalities, muggings. It’s all there.
Every statistic that makes you cringe.

 None of those got me though.

Like any strong, independent woman, I had solutions, perfectly thought out explanations, for anyone who might suggest that traveling alone here might be dangerous. I just won’t swim, I thought. I’ll be walking everywhere, I won’t carry money and if I’m confronted, I’ll give them whatever I have.

Solutions, I thought,  it’s all under my control.

I flipped along through the pages with a joy that would have made you think I was naive. Until it happened, my biggest fear was written on the page right in front of me. “Johannesburg is often considered the rape capital. A woman is attacked approximately every 4 seconds according to statistics.” In a country where the HIV/AIDS crisis still runs rampant, more than 70 percent of women have been sexually assaulted.

It was the statistic that kept me up an extra hour researching, wondering, and questioning the call of God.

If you know anything about the journey God has brought me through, you’ll understand. If not, suffice it to say this stat hit way too close to home.

I ripped the back page off of the packet before handing it to my mother the next day, per her request, to read through. It wasn’t until later that she found the page I had been hiding.

It was this statistic that had my parents on their knees and forced them and me to trust God a little more than we had ever expected.

For every fear, I’d had a precaution, a solution. This was the only fear that made me feel vulnerable, exposed as a fraud, as someone who was never truly in control and had no real solutions.

There was no denying it. I am a woman through and through. More than that, I’d be a white, foreign woman with a southern accent that lingered through the air heavy as a boulder.


It was a few weeks later that I first began to openly express this fear to some of the people closest to me. Each of them reassured me, comforted me with scripture, and reminded me without a doubt that God would keep me safe. What got me, however, is that, without exception, all of them encouraged me with some essence of “that would never happen to you” or “God will protect you from things like that.” They all encouraged me to have faith by denying the possibility of the thing that I feared.

Preliminarily, this offered me a great deal of comfort. Surely, I thought, God wouldn’t call me to the other side of the world for something awful to happen. The will of God will never take you where the grace of God will not protect you. It was something I quoted to myself a hundred times during those months leading up to my trip.

Something inside of me never could get settled though. It wasn’t until the weeks right before my trip that I realized I was not exercising faith at all.

Faith is not the absence of fear.
When there is no real and present fear, no faith is required.
Faith looks fear right in the eyes and says you have no power here.

Our faith is one that can handle the hard, messy things. Faith doesn’t deny them, it looks death in the eyes and says where is your sting?

Faith does not say that will never happen.
Faith says even if. Even if  the waters come, you are still God and you are still good.
Even if every last fear is realized, even then, I will run to You.
I will cry, I will collapse, but even when I can’t run, I will fall on You God.

If You can get Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego through a fiery furnace without even smelling like the fire, then I trust that You can turn the bad for good in my life.

Because You are either all good all the time or You are not good at all. 
And oh God, I know You are good. You have proven faithful.

That’s what faith says. Faith doesn’t say God will protect me and mean He will never let the bad things happen. Faith doesn’t say God I trust you in all things and pray Keep me from all of the bad things.

Faith prays God, whatever Your will is. Even when it looks like hurt, even when it looks like pain, even if it looks like the one thing I fear the most, let it be God, let it be. Because I trust You.

I trust that You are God in the good and God in the bad.
I trust that You are the God of broken things and messy places, because You are a God that restores.
 I trust that when You are done with the brokenness, the product of redemption will look even more beautiful than the one never touched by hurt in the first place.
You are a God that makes broken things beautiful.
But you don’t stop there, you make our brokenness both beautiful and useful.

Never once did you heal someone for the simple sake of them basking in freedom and healing. Your command to every broken life restored is the same as to the man in John 5- get up and walk, for you have been made well. You make us well to walk out lives of freedom and restoration and to help others find healing.
I trust that even when the bad comes, you will make it both beautiful and useful God and I pray I would have the heart that not only allows you to, but begs you to.

I trust that you are unchanging and faithful and always, always good.
Even when my vision is too small to see or understand, may I always believe that You are good.

These days, I still pray a lot of times for things to go the way I want over the way God wants, but I’m learning to add these pivotal words to the end of my requests And if not, He is still good….

~Hannah~
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