Your Daily Disconnect

If you’ve been online much over the last year or so, you’ve likely seen the rise of AI technology in platforms like Chatgpt or Google Gemini. It’s amazing technology that can basically digitally create anything and everything you can think or imagine. It’s quite impressive. And kinda creepy at times!  Even though there are warnings galore about the dangers of AI technology, I believe God can and is already using it for good. I know because He’s done it for me. You see, I’ve had this specific message on my heart for the past couple of years after hearing countless stories of Christian women over the years, who have or are experiencing abuse from their husbands — husbands who also claim to be Christians. Husbands who are church members, church leaders, teachers of the doctrine that teaches us that love does no harm to a neighbor, while simultaneously harming the neighbor they should be loving most — their wives.  I’ve sat down to try to write on this topic so many times, but I j...

I was driving home earlier today and saw a little box turtle crossing the road. As I was driving past it, it curled up inside its little shell, attempting to hide from the oncoming danger — a defense mechanism that God created turtles with to help keep them safe. As I was driving past the turtle and thinking about how cool it is that God designed turtles with their own protective shell to retreat into, I saw a pick-up truck coming towards it in the other lane, and I thought, “That poor turtle’s shell doesn’t stand a chance against a truck!” 

How can you tend to a wound you can't see? And how do you know if you have trauma lingering in your mind that needs a healing touch from those who are equipped and qualified in helping treat it?

 Here is a list of books that have been super helpful for me as I've navigated the process of healing from my own past trauma. Some of these books aren't written from a Christian perspective, but they're still very informative and helpful in understanding the way our minds work: ——————————————————————— Good Boundaries and Goodbyes - Lysa TerKeurst The Best of You - Dr. Alison Cook CPTSD: From Surviving to Thriving - Pete Walker The Body Keeps the Score - Bessel Van Der Kolk Restoring the Shattered Self - Heather Gingrich Healing the Wounded Heart - Dan Allender Boundaries - Dr. John Townsend, Henry Cloud The Highly Sensitive Person - Dr. Elaine Aron Coping With Trauma-Related Dissociation - Suzette Boon, Kathy Steele, Onno Van Der Hart Psychology, Theology, and Spirituality in Counseling - Mark McMinn ——————————————————————— I will continue adding to this list as I read and learn more through this healing journey, but I am praying for the Lord to guide you to the resources ...

Trauma.  There seems to be a lot of hype around this word these days, but what is it exactly? With a quick search on the internet, you can find article after article basically describing trauma as the aftereffect of going through an extremely stressful, painful, terrifying, or distressing situation. 

“Never heard them say a word.” For a shy and quiet teenage girl who had grown accustomed to feeling invisible to most of the people around me, this superlative,  which happened to have been voted on by the entire senior class at my high school,  was a pretty accurate depiction of who I was at that time in my life – though I would’ve preferred for one of my strengths to have been cemented in people’s minds as they looked back through their high school yearbook, and not one of my greatest weaknesses .