In my last blog, I shared what happened to me when I asked my church for help when I was being abused. Then I asked the question, "Have you ever sought help from your church for domestic violence? If so, what happened?" I got many responses, all of which made me sad....
We Can Comfort Others As We’ve Been Comforted
Can any good come out of the abuse you've suffered? I believe God can bring good out of any situation, if we let him, (Romans 8:28). But in those dark days of pain, this is often hard to envision. One of the best ways God brings good from our pain is to allow us to...
A Letter to Friends of DV Victims
Today, I am reblogging an excellent blog from my new friend who writes for forget me not. Check it out! A Letter to the Family and Friends of Victims May God bless you today! Caroline
Honor DVAM by Helping a Current or Former DV Victim
This is the final installment of my series on how to honor Domestic Violence Awareness Month. In this blog, I suggest you can honor DVAM by helping a current or former DV victim. Current domestic violence victims may seem hard to understand. They may come to you in a...
Children of Domestic Violence Champion
I feel very honored to be named a Champion by the Childhood Domestic Violence Association. CDV.org is a great organization working hard to prevent childhood domestic violence, and also to empower current and former victims. I don’t often talk about the fact that in...
How Churches Can Get it Right
In my last blog, I told the story of how I asked two different pastors at my church for help when I was being abused by my first husband. In both cases, my pastors were unable to give me the help I needed. Because of their lack of knowledge about domestic violence, I...
Holidays Are Painful for the Abused
The holidays can be extra painful for victims of domestic violence. All around you are images of happy people sitting by cozy fires opening gifts together, or gathered around a table laden with wonderful food. There are parties to attend where everyone is smiling and...
Steps Friends Can Take to Help Victims of Domestic Violence
Last week I shared some ideas about what to say to a friend who was in a domestic violence relationship. Here is the link. In that blog, I focused on dealing with a friend who was unwilling to admit that she was suffering from domestic violence. This week, I share...
What to Say to a Friend in a Domestic Violence Relationship
I have several friends who have asked me what to say to a woman friend of theirs who is being abused by her partner. In all 3 cases, the victim was unwilling to leave her abuser, and my friends were feeling frustrated. Wasn’t there ANYTHING they could do to make their...
How Can Friends Help Abuse Victims?
It can be very painful to be a friend or family member of an abuse victim. Watching a friend go through abuse can make you feel frustrated and helpless. It may seem very obvious to you that your loved one should leave the abuser. You may wonder why she* won’t leave...