Lifted to Hope

In today's episode, I begin a new series exploring the deep and often hidden experience of shame that can grow out of abandonment. I share parts of my own story of being abandoned by my parents and other family members, and how that loss shaped my identity, relationships, and sense of worth. The effects of abandonment can linger quietly for years, influencing how we see ourselves and God. In this...

Choosing to trust again after being wounded takes courage, yet for some, that trust is met with harm more than once. This was the painful reality for my guest, author Charlaine Martin , and her first husband, Don. After experiencing spiritual abuse in their very first church assignment, they later faced it again further along in Don's pastoral career. The repeated betrayal left deep wounds of hurt...

Many who enter full-time Christian ministry expect hardship, but few anticipate the depth of disappointment, betrayal, and criticism that can come from within the church itself. For some, the wounds go even deeper, resulting in spiritual abuse by those entrusted with oversight and care. These experiences have led many faithful servants to quietly step away from ministry, carrying grief they never...

The miracle of God's grace is that He is never hindered by the walls we build or the shame we carry. Even when our hearts feel locked away, He faithfully creates safe places for us to risk drawing near to Him. Through His Word and His presence, He reveals Himself as the God who heals, restores, and frees us from the burdens we were never meant to carry. This week, therapist and advocate Tanyka Abb...

My guest this week, Tanyka Abbott, LCSW, bravely shares how years of sexual and spiritual abuse drove her into hiding. After being date raped twice by a pastor, she carried the shame that never belonged to her. Those who violated her were relieved to let her hold the weight of their wrongdoing, and Tanyka convinced herself that staying silent was the only way to stay safe. In this episode, she beg...

One of the most damaging impacts of any kind of abuse, including spiritual abuse, is the belief that we somehow deserved it. We can become convinced that the mistreatment was our fault, that our past experiences justify it, and that those who harmed us must be right in their assessments. Spiritual abusers are skilled at exploiting insecurity. Their words can sound logical, even righteous, while qu...

This week, I'm joined by podcaster Josh Patterson , who courageously shares the first part of his story while still in the middle of the struggle. Josh has experienced spiritual abuse twice at the hands of church leadership. The first wound came as a teenager when his family was shunned from their church. Years later, it happened again while he was serving on pastoral staff. These experiences left...

This week, Dr. Ryan Mullins, lecturer at the University of Lucerne, returns to share the next chapter of his story. After years of enduring deception and manipulation from his doctoral supervisor, Ryan came to recognize the spiritual abuse that had taken place. With great courage, he reported the truth to university authorities, setting in motion a difficult process filled with consequences and pa...

It can be deeply confusing when someone in spiritual authority—especially a person who claims to follow Christ—uses that position to lie, manipulate, and control. The betrayal cuts even deeper when that person is someone you trusted to guide your growth and development. This week, Dr. Ryan Mullins , a theologian and professor at the University of Lucerne in Switzerland, shares the first part of hi...

In this week's episode, I begin a new series on spiritual abuse with a solo teaching. I talk about God's true design for spiritual authority and how He intends leaders to serve as under-shepherds who protect, guide, and love His people with humility and integrity. When that design is distorted by pride or control, the result can be deep confusion and pain. Spiritual abuse misrepresents God and can...

When the trauma of life feels too heavy to bear, where else can we go but to Jesus? He alone understands the depth of our wounds and the weight of the sins committed against us. This week, Jolie Nabigondo returns to share the extraordinary story of how Christ met her in the aftermath of unthinkable suffering. After surviving the horrors of the Congolese genocide, Jolie's faith was pushed to its br...

Most of us can only imagine the horrors of war,, but for many around the world, it is daily reality. Jolie Nabigondo, born and raised in Congo, has lived through what she calls not a war, but a genocide. Like the Holocaust of World War II, the ethnic cleansing in her homeland has taken countless innocent lives and left unimaginable trauma in its wake. In this week's episode, Jolie courageously sha...

Family estrangement is becoming more common, often born out of years of unspoken pain and unresolved hurt. When relationships within our families fracture, walking away can feel like the only option. But what does it mean to pursue reconciliation when safety, truth, and forgiveness all hang in the balance? In this episode, Blanche DiDomenico returns to share the next chapter of her story. After ex...

What happens when the ones we long for love and safety from are also the ones who wound us? In this episode, author, podcaster, and nurse Blanche DiDomenico shares the first part of her story. As a Filipino-American, Blanche grew up with a father working overseas for most of her childhood, leaving her mother to wrestle with fears and unresolved struggles. That environment shaped an unsafe childhoo...

Unforgiveness can keep us trapped when we hold onto anger and resentment that only deepens our pain. It robs us of peace and keeps old wounds open. This week, Rhonda James Woolard returns to the podcast with a powerful reflection on the miracle of forgiveness. She shares how God gave her the freedom to release bitterness, even toward her stepfather, who never once apologized for the deep harm he c...

This week, I'm joined by author, speaker, and certified life coach Rhonda James Woolard, who courageously shares her story of betrayal and abuse. Convinced she was unworthy of love, Rhonda carried deep shame and believed she was to blame for what she endured.  But God had a different story to write. It's one of restoration, freedom, and healing. In this episode, you'll hear how Rhonda's faith carr...

This week, author Daryl Potter returns to share a powerful story of transformation. For years, he carried a "steel rod" in his heart that looked like strength but felt like anger to those around him. It wasn't until he experienced love and acceptance from his family that he began to soften—and discovered the challenge of living without that armor. Daryl also opens up about his daughter's rare gene...

This week on the podcast, I'm joined by author Daryl Potter, whose writing—both fiction and non-fiction—flows deeply from his own life story. In his latest book, Something More: Living Well in a Broken World , Daryl shares how God met him in a profound way, bringing unexpected healing to places he didn't even realize were broken. Although Daryl grew up in the church, the neglect and emotional abus...

Emma returns to continue sharing her powerful story which includes a journey marked by deep trauma, an unplanned pregnancy, and the desperate search for someone safe enough to trust with her truth. Looking back now, Emma sees how God's grace was present even in her most painful moments. It was His tender care that carried her through the season of secrecy and shame, and it's that same grace that b...

In this episode, my guest Emma shares how as a teenager, she found herself in a vulnerable situation that ended in a horrific experience of date rape. The aftermath was heavy and too much for anyone to carry alone. And yet who would believe her? Confusion, shame, and a deep sense of abandonment settled in, especially as Emma wrestled with painful questions about God's presence and care. Emma share...

In this second episode with licensed professional counselor Elly Brown, she shares her own journey of coming to know God as He truly is. With tender honesty, Elly recounts how God revealed Himself to her, bringing restoration to both body and soul. She also opens up about her path to becoming a therapist and her passion for integrating faith with the science of psychology. If you've ever struggled...

The messages we internalize in childhood, especially from trauma, rejection, and abuse, can leave lasting scars. Shame lies take root early, convincing us we're unworthy, unlovable, or beyond help. In this powerful episode, Licensed Professional Counselor Elly Brown shares her deeply personal story of childhood sexual abuse at the hands of multiple perpetrators and the heartbreaking betrayal by he...

"He drew me up from the pit of destruction... and set my feet upon a rock." (Psalm 40:2) This week, Shequan Palmer returns to share the rest of her incredible redemption story. After surviving unthinkable trauma, Shequan experienced the steady, healing hand of God lifting her out of the darkness. In this powerful follow-up episode, she reflects on how God has not only restored her life but is now...

Some stories are so powerful, they bring you to your knees—and this conversation with Shequan Palmer is one of them. In this first of a two-part series, Shequan courageously shares the heartbreaking truth of her early life. She opens up about witnessing domestic violence, surviving sexual abuse, and losing her mother to murder at just six years old. By the time she was sixteen and unexpectedly pre...

After a devastating car accident left my daughter and son-in-law seriously injured, I've been walking closely with them through the slow, painful process of healing. In this solo episode, I share more about their story and how it brought me face-to-face with the lasting effects of trauma. Trauma doesn't just touch one area of life. It impacts our emotions, our bodies, our relationships, and our ab...