#TalkingThursday – If you don’t talk about Jesus who will?
Do you feel the church focuses on things that are far from reality? that the church preaches too much about how to prevent issues but not how to deal with them. The church should be a place of refuge for all those who have been hurt, so why do we avoid the hard questions?
Sexual abuse is something that many people shy away from because they want to forget the experience now that they are Christians, they don’t want it to define them but they forget that if they share their story, it may really help someone going through the same struggles in church with nobody to talk to.
So ladies and gentlemen, let’s connect with one another, let’s not shy away from the tough stuff. Let’s get talking about the things that are really going on in society and see how God will use us to bless the lives of others around us!
Please read this article below by Bonnie Gray of RELEVANT Magazine to gain some insights about #SexualAbuse.
Bonnie writes,
We share our stories because they are true. Church culture has become a place of theological discourse, yet, in the early days, the apostles were adding to their numbers, by sharing whatever was needed.
They gave each other belongings, shelter and food to sustain them. I believe today, what many of us desperately need, but have neglected to share because we’re afraid to risk, give away or even receiving judgement is this: Our stories. This is what churches should foster.
The Bible does reference “forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,” but Philippians 3:13 isn’t asking us to forget the past. The Apostle Paul was talking about leaving his performance-oriented life, hiding behind outward works of spirituality that was void of an honest, intimate relationship with Jesus.
The truth? We can embrace the beautiful, real stories we are living, instead of hiding behind emotionally-disconnected stories we think we ought to be living. Jesus takes bad experiences that break us and makes them beautiful, because He calls us His. He invites us to step out and offer an authentic voice.
Read the rest here:
CHURCHES NEED TO STOP AVOIDING TALKING ABOUT SEXUAL ABUSE – BONNIE GRAY
God Bless You!
The Gossip 4 Jesus Initiative 