Domestic abuse is a heartbreaking and very prevalent issueand, sadly, it is no stranger to Christian marriages. Though they are filled with both oppressors and oppressed, many churches have little to say on this issue. If you are being oppressed, this can leave you feeling isolated and alone . . . but you're not alone. Scripture has much to say about your experience, your safety, and God's heart for youhe does not blame you for your suffering and does not tolerate oppression. In fact, he wants to rescue you. Experienced family counselor Darby Strickland helps you to cut through confusion, speak out and find support, and then determine your next steps. God knows the suffering and wounds of oppression, and he delights in redeeming and rescuingespecially his heartbroken children.

"Providing practical tools and exercises, counselor Darby Strickland shows how anyone can recognize clues suggesting abuse, identify oppressive behavior, and work with a victim to bring clarity, help, and healing"--

Abuse in a marriage is a difficult problembut there is comfort in knowing that the Bible points the way toward answers. While it may not use the language of victims and abusers, it has plenty to say about the oppressed and their oppressors, and how much God opposes oppression. Experienced family counselor Darby Strickland shows counselors and concerned family and friends how to recognize and uncover abuse, then uses Scripture to show what is truly happening in oppressive marriages. She explains how abuse confuses the oppressed into thinking they are to blame, then equips us to be the wise, informed defenders and advocates they need. Learn how to walk patiently with victims and guide abusers toward repentance, through Strickland's concrete suggestions for comforting and protecting the oppressed while reorienting the heart of the oppressor.

In this groundbreaking book, a leading clinical psychiatrist redefines how we think about and treat victims of trauma. A "stunning achievement" that remains a "classic for our generation." (Bessel van der Kolk, M.D., author of The Body Keeps the Score). Trauma and Recovery is revered as the seminal text on understanding trauma survivors. By placing individual experience in a broader political frame, Harvard psychiatrist Judith Herman argues that psychological trauma is inseparable from its social and political context. Drawing on her own research on incest, as well as a vast literature on combat veterans and victims of political terror, she shows surprising parallels between private horrors like child abuse and public horrors like war. Hailed by the New York Times as "one of the most important psychiatry works to be published since Freud," Trauma and Recovery is essential reading for anyone who seeks to understand how we heal and are healed.

Is your church prepared to care for individuals who have experienced various forms of abuse? As we continue to learn of more individuals experiencing sexual abuse, domestic violence, and other forms of abuse, it’s clear that resources are needed to help ministries and leaders care for these individuals with love, support, and in cooperation with civil authorities. This handbook seeks to help the church take a significant step forward in its care for those who have been abused. Working in tandem with the Church Cares resources and videos, this handbook brings together leading evangelical trauma counselors, victim advocates, social workers, attorneys, batterer interventionists, and survivors to equip pastors and ministry leaders for the appropriate initial responses to a variety of abuse scenarios in churches, schools, or ministries. Though the most comprehensive training is experienced by using this handbook and the videos together, readers who may be unable to access the videos can use this handbook as a stand-alone resource.

Is it My Fault? proclaims the gospel of healing and hope to victims who know too well the depths of destruction and the overwhelming reality of domestic violence. At least one in every three women have been beaten, coerced into sex, or abused in their lifetime. The effects of domestic violence are physical, social, emotional, psychological, and spiritual, and can have long-lasting distressing consequences. It is common for victims of domestic violence to suffer from ongoing depression and recurring nightmares, self-harm, such as cutting, panic attacks, substance abuse, and more. This book exists to address the abysmal issues of domestic violence using the powerful and transforming biblical message of grace and redemption. Is It My Fault? convincingly shows that the Lord is the only one who can heal the despairing victim. It deals with this devastating problem and sin honestly and directly without hiding its prevalence today.

Domestic abuse and violence are on the rise in our culture today, and just as prevalent in the church. With an estimated one-fourth of women in the church living with abuse and violence, pastors and biblical counselors need to have the resources to offer hope and help. It is time for godly men in the church to call abusive men to repentance and accountability. Here is a valuable resource for every church leader and Christian man.

There are many complexities associated with ministering to another person. Where does a helper begin? What’s important to notice? Is there an overall ministry strategy that’s beneficial? Saints, Sufferers, and Sinners by author and counselor Michael R. Emlet outlines a model of one-another ministry based on how God sees and loves his people. Emlet helps readers use Scripture to find foundational categories for understanding and approaching one another, which serve as guideposts for wise care. Filled with everyday illustrations as well as counseling examples, Emlet demonstrates what it looks like to approach fellow believers simultaneously as saints, sufferers, and sinners. As part of CCEF's Helping the Helper series, this guide for ministry provides an overall framework for wisely helping any person, balancing all three aspects of our experience as Christians.

Being separated from my abusive husband didn’t make me a domestic violence survivor. It surely didn’t release me from the grip of his brainwashing control and the innate power he had over me. As I started putting my shattered life back together after being separated from my abuser, I still felt his compelling control shaping my every thought and action. I didn’t feel like a domestic violence survivor just because I was no longer with my abuser. In fact, I felt like a remotely-controlled, confused puppet still shaken by residual influences in my mind. In order to become a true survivor, knowing that the thoughts in my head were mine, I had to: · Identify the deeply rooted lies of my abuser that I believed were true · Extract the lies · Lean on God’s strength to defeat the lies and replace them with His word · Acknowledge that the trauma experienced from the abuse left physical and emotional scars that needed to be furthered explored Eleven years later, being a domestic violence survivor means being free and open to living again. It means I am open to making decisions, building trusting relationships again, and eventually feeling love again. It means that the thoughts in my head are mine and mine only. With the emotional abuse removed from my mind, God’s grace and love have taken over. It's a calmness and peace I never thought possible.

Offers survivors of sexual abuse spiritual help and healing. Discusses the healing process, and offers first-hand accounts from survivors.