Being loved is a hard concept to grasp when our dreams lie shattered around us, and the God whom we thought loved us, has let them shatter.
Vaneetha Risner
If the title of this blog gave the impression that I have the answer to this question, I want to let you know up front that I don't. I am still in the trenches and I wrestle with this often. I wondered if someone else might too, so I decided to talk about it. Faith is such a personal journey, so I can only offer what has been my experience, and in no way do I assume others will necessarily see or feel it the same way. Maybe this conversation can validate your experience if this is an area in which you have struggled, or are still struggling. Maybe you have figured it out and can share a comment...
Here is a quick audio version of the song: A Husband's Prayer
As husbands, we have the unique privilege of covering our wives in prayer. Whether they are the hurt spouse, the unfaithful one, or even both - they need someone fighting for the good of their heart, soul, and mind. And make no mistake about it, all wives need prayer, including yours. Today we offer up a prayer in song petitioning God for their blessing and healing. We also pray for God to teach us to love them as Christ loves His bride, the Church. He modeled His love when He gave His life for her on an old rugged cross. True love requires sacrifice - blood, sweat, and tears. With this love, according to Ephesians 5 and 1 Peter 3, we learn to dwell with them and honor them as the precious gifts from God that they are. Because of our inherent sinfulness and selfishness,...
Trying to heal from your partner's affair, or your own, can seem like an impossible task. But what about when there is a child from an affair? What if they are a sex addict? What if you don't feel like you even love your partner now? While all hard-hitting, complicated questions, I am happy to tell you there are answers. Oftentimes, we believe people who have actually healed from seemingly impossible pain and trauma are better answers than mere words. Today you'll meet heroes of ours at affairrecovery.com: Mickey and Stephanie. We are confident that after hearing just some of their story and seeing the palpable joy in both their hearts, that there is hope for your own healing and restoration.
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This isn't another light...
November 2021
On a road trip across Texas over Thanksgiving I was listening to the song Come Alive (Dry Bones) by Lauren Daigle, which reminded me of one of my favorite stories in the Bible. Some of you may know the story of Ezekiel and the valley of dry bones...
For me, road trips are notorious for bringing up old thoughts, on the long stretch of quiet highway miles. Some good thoughts - worth dwelling on - that give me time of praise with God; some not so good - where God will bring things to light that need to be given up and surrendered, and thus healed.
As the song on my playlist played over my speakers, I relived a time when this story spoke volumes to me - a time that was one of loneliest times in my life, and one of grave desperation. A time when I desperately needed some hope.
Five years ago.
Before I retell the Bible story, as it was spoken to my heart, I want to...
Here's a quick link to the audio version of the song: "When You Are Triggered"
For today's episode, we will sing a song we wrote to help with triggers. Because triggers can be so volatile; we understand it may or may not work for everyone in every situation. But even if not, the message of the song is still so very potent because it includes lessons we learn from the EMS curriculum.
Following the earthquake of infidelity and trauma, there are always triggers. They show up without warning, armed with painful reminders of life's most challenging hardships, and can sometimes have us acting outside of our best selves. Well, today we present a song to soothe the savage beast wreaking havoc in your mind. As David played music for King Saul, the evil spirit departed. That's our prayer for this song. We want to...
Transforming our betrayal and relationship trauma is no easy task. It can feel impossible to keep our heads above water at times, not to mention the fact that life happening around you never stops to make your healing easier. Quite frankly, we don't always feel like doing the hard work of recovery, and we'd rather just shut down and hide from everyone and everything. Today, Samuel shares four game-changing solutions to provide a framework to healing our own betrayal and relationship trauma. In a world where cynicism and sarcasm seem to be the go-to coping skills for those who are hurting, today you will hear four refreshing and life-changing strategies on how to not only heal, but get your life back, after betrayal trauma.
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Our...
Beloved reader,
I wanted to continue my story and provide an update on our lives since the last blog entry, which was written about 3.5 years after D-day.
It's now been another 6 months (so 4 years after D-day) and so many thoughts of praise are coming to my mind I'm not sure where to begin. Though there is so much suffering around right now with the pandemic, I can't help but be thankful for God's provision during this time. Quarantine time (Spring 2020) - was well, chaotic and loud and crazy, and proved very hard to work; however, it was a blessing to have the kids home for such an extended time, as well as my husband being more available (with new restrictions in his job) and being able to spend more time with all of us. Certainly, God has been working for a long time, but it became humanly obvious to us that our hearts were opening and softening towards one another around the...
When a couple feels stuck, both parties are exhausted, frustrated, and often wondering if there is any hope that things will ever get better. It's as if even mere communication about everyday life can be triggering, and any conversation ends up with a fight about tone, intent, and who hurt who more. The good news is, while this type of paralysis is normal, couples and individuals don't have to remain stuck. There are proven tools that can help one or both spouses care for themselves and their partner, while also creating new momentum for the future of their relationship. Today you'll hear about five tools that can be used by either partner to bring clarity, compassion, and understanding into everyday communication.
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Designed specifically for...
God knows that the mended heart will be much more stunning and substantially stronger than the unscathed soul.
Sharon Jaynes, author
I have never put much stock in New Year’s resolutions, and have even rolled my eyes at people claiming “words” for the upcoming year. It seemed artificial to me. However, now that I find myself in a reality that I really want to change, it seems perhaps assigning a word may provide a targeted reminder of where I want to be. So, since I have already done a lot of work on myself and in our marriage, my word for this New Year is RECLAIM.
I intend to reclaim not just places and scenarios associated with my husband’s affair, but also friendships, activities, and doing things for myself - and being able to actually feel like I deserve to do them...
Our message in this episode is really best stated in Lamentations 3:22-24. It says:
"Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'Therefore I hope in Him!'"
We simply want to sing over you today and continue to infuse hope in you through the song Great is Thy Faithfulness.
In a world plagued by unfaithfulness, to extract an ounce of hope in God's faithfulness is nothing short of a miracle. Where mercy, forgiveness, compassion and empathy are lacking, God gives us a daily dose of His unfailing mercy that helps us go on another day, until we need filling again. Let this song...
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