Helpful Resources

Here you will find materials that I recommend and that have been influencial in both mine and my husband's life.

ABUSE AND RECOVERY 

The Wounded Heart: Hope for Adult Victims of Childhood Sexual Abuse
by Dan Allender

Almost everyone knows a victim of childhood sexual abuse; it has no religious or social boundaries. And sexual abuse is probably the most ''soul-deadening'' trauma there is. For adult victims, here is a way out of the rage, fear, and confusion. For their spouses, families, friends, and counselors, here are specific ways you can help the healing process. With Christ, there is indeed hope for the wounded heart.

Changes That Heal: How to Understand the Past to Ensure a Healthier Future
by Henry Cloud

Originally published as When Your World Makes No Sense, this best-selling self-help book points people who feel "stuck" toward emotional and spiritual healing. They'll discover how to bond to God and to others, establish appropriate personal boundaries, sort out issues of good and bad, and accept full responsibility for their lives as believers!

The Wounded Spirit
By Frank Peretti

From the best-selling author ofThis Present Darknesscomes a page-turner packed with the stuff of spiritual warfare---but this time, it isn't fiction. It's fact! Sharing the passionate story of his own traumatic childhood, Peretti reveals his personal hurts and challenges believers to become "wounded healers," protecting those weaker than themselves.

Attachments: Why You Love, Feel, and Act the Way You Do
by Drs. Tim Clinton & Gary Sibcy

Why is it so difficult to connect with, or even get along with, certain people especially the ones you care about the most?
You can't seem to put your finger on it, but something is getting in the way. You've invested yourself in relationships time and again and time and again you've been disappointed, discouraged, or deeply hurt. Yet you know what you want: a fulfilling, safe, loving relationship with your spouse, your child, your parents, your siblings, your friends. 
So how do you create satisfying relationships? Where do you begin? 
Drs. Tim Clinton and Gary Sibcy believe that, for each of us, our present relationships are influenced by our first "attachments" or bonds with people in early childhood. Consequently, understanding your pattern of relating to others what the authors call your "attachment style" is the cornerstone for building satisfying relationships with the people you love. 
In this book, Clinton and Sibcy help you identify and define your first attachments. They then lead you to discover...

- how to get free from the mistakes of the past
- guidance for connecting with those closest to you 
- practical tools to help you avoid negative patterns of relating
- what kind of people best nurture your soul
- your personal pathway to healthy bonding with God and others

Life is short. Attachments will take you on a journey of self-discovery. A journey toward learning to love others in godly, selfless ways. A journey that will, in turn, help you receive the love you've always dreamed of.

Toxic Faith
by Stephen Arterburn & Jack Felton

If you know people who believe they are serving God but are driven by despair, guilt, and legalism, they may be suffering from toxic faith. Arterburn and Felton discuss the warning signs of this problem, outline a 12-step program for healing, and describe how parents can foster healthy faith in their children.

Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, The: Recognizing and Escaping Spiritual Manipulation and False Spiritual Authority Within the Church
By David Johnson & Jeff VanVonderen / Bethany House Publishers

No one should leave church feeling manipulated, controlled, shamed, or condemned. But places of shelter and encouragement can become abusive if spiritual leaders begin to use their authority to meet their needs for importance, power, or spiritual gratification. Here you'll discover how to identify an abusive church and also how to break free from its destructive legalism. Topics covered include:

• How spiritual abuse develops--and why those under its grip often don't see it

• The subtle ways that leaders and systems "hook" and control believers, robbing them of their joy in Christ

• Scriptural help in recognizing healthy spiritual relationships

• Effective strategies for escaping abusive situations

Insightful, practical, and solidly grounded in Scripture, this book has what you need to recover a grace-filled relationship with God and His church.

The Lies We Believe
by Dr Chris Thurman

This newly repackaged edition examines the lies people tell themselves that damage emotional health, relationships, and spiritual life. Psychologist Dr. Chris Thurman guides the reader through part one that identifies the different areas of self-lies, religious lies, marital lies, distortion lies, and worldly lies. Part Two delves into the issues of what is truth, and Part Three deals with how to live the truth, ultimately revealing the freedom that can only come from one thing-believing and telling themselves the truth. An extremely easy-to-follow guide filled with comprehensive workbook exercises, this edition is a way to help people experience the emotional health, intimate relationships, and spiritual fulfillment they are seeking.