Honesty and openness in the conversation of suffering...it's what we need! Naomi, in the book of Ruth, expresses her pain openly, and feels no pressure to put on a face of pretense. Naomi saw and felt the reality of her suffering, and even more importantly, she saw...
Healing
From Pain To Purpose
“…but no one could heal her.” ( Luke 8:43) NIV Have you ever been in a place of painful uncertainty, desperate for answers? I have. And I have desperately wanted to be in a much different place. Uncertainty can be such a lonely place, but isn’t it a space...
Creating A Safe Space for Others
On the podcast this week, my friend Robin Blumenthal tells a story of being on a boat with friends when she was asked to drop the anchor. So, she did. Not being an experienced boater, she let the anchor down into the water without first checking to see if it was tied...
The Tension Between What is Seen and Unseen
A few years ago, I was living a double life. The “seen” Valerie was a leader in ministry, friendly, engaging, and seemed to have it all together. Then there was the “unseen” Valerie who was acting out in fits of rage toward her family; battling anxiety,...
Trapped By Your Past?
For most of my adult life, I have felt that my story was my enemy. My story was heavy, like chains that shackled me to shame, denial, and fear. If I could just hide from it or outrun it, then I could live the life that I longed to live. So I kept striving, running...
The Healing Power of Community
Reclaimed Story exists to help women get unstuck from things in their past that hold them back from living the life they were created to live. Through a vibrant life with Christ, Biblical teaching, and honest community, our passion is to bring hope and inspire...
I Thought I Saw You
Lately, I have found my heart to be very heavy. There is so much fear, hatred, and division in the world. Some days I try to ignore it, other days it is too heavy to carry and my knees and my heart buckle under the pressure of its weight. Maybe you have...
Days That Shape History
My hope is that as we share a few moments today, we respect each other’s point of view, even if it differs from our own, as we take a look at January’s of the past and the present. One year ago, January 22, 2019 I texted my dad and asked if my mom had ever...
Have You Ever Wanted Power and Control?
From when I was 16 to 19 years old, there are things that happened during that time I am not proud of. In fact, I have spent years trying to forget them. We had a family friend that had been in my life from when I was 8 to 19 years old. By the age of 16, I trusted him...