What do road rage, knowing one’s self, and Matilda the Musical have to do with one another? Not much, other than all giving me something to think about around the same time period.
Tag: spiritual abuse
![Close-up of a red, vaguely heart-shaped leaf lying on grey pavement. Raindrops dot the leaf and pavement and magnify the veins of the leaf.](https://www.whyhavewefasted.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/IMG_2099-850x638.jpg)
When the Good Go Bad
A re-post from The Wartburg Watch, telling our story of how spiritual abuse crept in to a church we’d considered safe.
![Close-up view of a peach colored rose against a dark green background. Petals are softly curved with faint yellow highlights, and the center is a darker pink color.](https://www.whyhavewefasted.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/67DA8233-3DF2-4040-A2A3-BC81BFA6EEBA_1_201_a-850x637.jpeg)
Is It Gossip? and Other Questions We Asked Before Going Public
Questions we asked ourselves before going public. Is it gossip? Have we forgiven? Are we following Matthew 18?
![A close-up of bougainvillea plant. Pale yellow leaves surround two tiny flowers and one closed bud. Against a background of dark green leaves.](https://www.whyhavewefasted.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/101_1988_2-850x638.jpg)
Is It Any Wonder?
When mental illness is not illogical. Thoughts inspired by Disney’s Encanto.
![Close up view of a long, broad leaf. It is dark green with pink edges and a waxy finish.](https://www.whyhavewefasted.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/101_1776-850x638.jpg)
Acts 29, Your System is Rotting
A pattern is being established within the Acts 29 model at both the denominational and local church levels. It is not a good one, but it is also not insurmountable.
![A grey, cloth-bound book rests open atop a blue, cloth-bound book, which in turn rests upon a mahogany wood table. You can tell that it will smell of old books. The pages are aged and the top of the text fades into the background. The bottom two lines are decipherable: "Lord, to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost, be all honor and glory, world without end. Amen."](https://www.whyhavewefasted.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/IMG_0792-850x638.jpg)
Books of 2022 – Quarter Two
Books I read in the second quarter of 2022, with some thoughts on each. Include history, ADHD, Newberry Award, and social/political commentary.
![A green-grey book with the title "Something's Not Right - Decoding the Hidden Tactics of Abuse and Freeing Yourself from Its Power" lies with a pencil on an open notebook. A blurred image of a spiderweb is in the background of the cover.](https://www.whyhavewefasted.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/IMG_1243-850x638.jpg)
Review of “Something’s Not Right” by Wade Mullen
Review of a book that aims at “decoding the hidden tactics of abuse and freeing yourself from its power.” A thorough book that is insightful and hopeful.
![A black butterfly rests against a red flower. The butterfly's wings are translucent and partially open as its proboscis drinks nectar from the flower. The background is a smudge of green plant life.](https://www.whyhavewefasted.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/101_0755_hq-850x638.jpg)
My Faith Reconstruction Journey – How A Miscarriage Prepared Me to Endure Spiritual Abuse
How the grief and identity crisis experienced after a miscarriage grounded my faith in Jesus, preparing me to endure the shock of spiritual abuse at the hand of church leaders.
![A close-up of a round hole, encircled by brown scar tissue, in the frond of a green cactus. Nearby spines point outward.](https://www.whyhavewefasted.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/101_1766_hq-850x637.jpg)
… And Their Manipulative Response
Demonstration of how an elder manipulated documented facts to avoid accountability for his actions. And how an associate and senior pastor remained silent in the face of his lies.
![A close-up of a round hole, encircled by brown scar tissue, in the frond of a green cactus. Nearby spines point outward.](https://www.whyhavewefasted.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/101_1766_hq-850x637.jpg)
Our Resignation Letter to a Former Church…
Tracing unhealthy patterns in this local church and connecting the dots to unhealthy patterns documented at the organizations where leadership received training.
![A small bug with a red head, black thorax, six red legs, and outsized black antennae clings to the petals of a pink flower. The background is blurred strips of green and grey.](https://www.whyhavewefasted.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/101_1410_hq-850x637.jpg)
Introducing “View from the Pews” – Part 2
An attempt to pierce the echo chamber of church leadership and the ivory tower of theologians by providing a view from an ordinary pew-sitter. Wrapping up with an article on spiritual abuse by Mike Cosper and one on orthopathy by Tish Harrison Warren.
![A grey, cloth-bound book rests open atop a blue, cloth-bound book, which in turn rests upon a mahogany wood table. You can tell that it will smell of old books. The pages are aged and the top of the text fades into the background. The bottom two lines are decipherable: "Lord, to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost, be all honor and glory, world without end. Amen."](https://www.whyhavewefasted.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/IMG_0792-850x638.jpg)
Books of 2022 – Quarter One
Books I read in the first quarter of 2022, with some thoughts on each. Include scripture, fiction, non-fiction, children’s, and young adult literature.