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“The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” — Proverbs 18:10 Proverbs 18:10 reveals far more than a place of protection. The name of the Lord offers a ransomed-identity in place of false-identity. For those marked by trauma, loss, addiction, or shame, that distinction matters. A ransomed-identity begins with righteousness. Many reject that immediately. "That cannot be me." Righteousness sounds like someone who never struggled, failed, or

“The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” — Proverbs 18:10 This proverb feels so clear-cut at first glance. Strong. Simple. Almost too tidy. But when I slowed down and pondered it, the layers began to unfold. I explored the meanings behind the words fortified, tower, righteous, and safe, and realized just how much God packed into one sentence. I started with the word that trips so many of us up: righteous. For a lot of us, righteousnes

There is so much in Joshua 3–5 I never noticed before. As soon as the Israelites crossed the Jordan, God told Joshua to circumcise the men. That detail went under my radar before. Now I see it as deeply intentional. They crossed the water first, with everything physically and emotionally unchanged, and only after that did God say He had “rolled away the reproach of Egypt” from them. The place was named Gilgal, a word that literally means to roll away. God did not say He washe

As spiritual leaders, whether from behind a pulpit or within our own families, it can become almost expected, if not ingrained in us, that we are somehow supposed to be above ordinary human limitations. We know those we serve, those we support, and those we might consider our flock experience dread, anxiety, physical pain, grief, loss, disappointment, and every other part of the human experience. We recognize their exhaustion. We see the weight in their eyes. We understand wh

There comes a moment when God stops asking us to be strong and starts asking us to be honest. Because I have not trusted God to speak or the knowledge He already placed in me, I found myself sitting with God, circling the same questions again. Where are these books He has placed in my heart supposed to go? What’s supposed to happen next? What does He want from me in the future? For those of us shaped by a shame-based life, hesitation feels familiar. Shame usually whispers, ra

Scripture Focus Joel 2 (with emphasis on The Voice translation) Reflection Today while reading in the book of Joel, began contemplating my ministry, Ransomed Sanctuaries. Specifically, how we walk through this book series of identity restoration and the workbooks together. Not only do we focus on healing, but also on growth and recognition through Christ. The book of Joel is short, but incredibly powerful. The Israelites lived in chaos and disobedience. Their enemies besieged

As I think back about 13 years ago, I consider how lonely I felt, how unhappy I was, how uncertain my future looked. In this time frame I was so desperate for my circumstances to change. I battled depression, fear and anxiety. I even entered Bible college, doing what I could to look for comfort and to gain knowledge about God in hopes it would illuminate a direction surrounding my circumstances. I was pursuing God with all that I had. I knew that my life depended on it. When

In life, loss may not come one piece at a time. Sometimes, it comes all at once. We witness that moment in 1 Samuel 30 . David and his Mighty Men spent months fighting battles and winning victories. Territory after territory fell into their hands. Success followed them. Momentum carried them. They were warriors on a winning streak. They returned home looking forward to seeing their wives and families, having a soft bed to sleep on, receiving revelries of celebration, and hear

Today, as I read Philippians 2:5–8, God uncovered new depths of His experience on the cross as it relates to you and me. He showed me the splintery old wood on which other men had already been crucified. Their blood had soaked into that wood long before Jesus was nailed to it. In a sense, their blood mingled with His. Whoa, what? Let’s backtrack a bit. Paul tells us in these verses to have the same mindset as Christ in our relationships with others. That statement alone is po

One of the greatest struggles of being a trauma and shame survivor are enduring the triggers. Sometimes triggers are obvious. Other times, very subtle, maybe even something you can not quite put your finger on. However, we can heal from the internal wounds caused by someone else’s actions or even our own. As I thought about the Apostle Peter, my imagination took over. The night before Jesus’ betrayal, Peter claimed he would die for Christ. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter c

What wouldn’t a father do for his child? The child He held in his hands. The child He sang to. The child He clothed and fed. He looks for His child each morning. He prepares a table for His little ones. He takes His child to His work shop. The Father never leaves His children. When a child is missing, He never stops calling. He always runs to the one who calls out to Him. His eyes search the horizon for those returning. The Father sacrificed everything for His children.