Victim – the Church

I’ve heard from several former FCCF members who were stunned and hurt by the events of 2014-2016. This quote from the book pretty well sums it up. Feel free to comment if you relate. Some of those who left the church never went back to church. Some went through years of counseling and still struggle….

Read the rest of this entry

Prayer for Today

Father God, thank you for the example in Ruth of our Kinsman Redeemer. I am grateful to be under His care and protection. Keep me mindful of all that you do for me. Grant me grace for the rhythms of today. I pray in the name and authority of Jesus, according to your good and…

Read the rest of this entry

Joy in Verse Encouragement for 20220630

Today is a beautiful day, because God has the power to cleanse us and change our hearts, “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I…

Read the rest of this entry

The Elder Exodus

My last post described the manipulation of the elders. The result was devastating and seemed to me to portend the decline in the church as a whole. When the church shifted to the industrial complex church governance model, six of the thirteen elders resigned. There was no notification of their leaving their positions by church…

Read the rest of this entry

Prayer for Today

Lord, let me be known as one who shows up for the cause of others in as much as I am able by your grace, mercy and provision. Thank you for bringing me this far in my walk through life this side of glory. I pray in your precious name and powerful authority, according to…

Read the rest of this entry

Joy in Verse Encouragement for 20220629

Today is a beautiful day, because God promised to gather His people from the nations and coastlands far away, “With weeping they shall come, and with pleas for mercy I will lead them back, I will make them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble, for I…

Read the rest of this entry

The Manipulated

Chapter 7 discusses four categories of damaged souls that I saw in analyzing the situation at FCCF: the elders, the church, the whistleblowers and most of all the victims. I found an excellent description of the manipulative personality in Martha Stout’s book, The Sociopath Next Door. Are you doubting your sense of reality? Can you…

Read the rest of this entry

Prayer for Today

Father in Heaven, give me grace for this day and strength for the tasks at hand. May I continue what you set out for me from early morning through the day. Honor my prayers at night and when I rise for your glory and praise. I ask in the name and authority of Jesus, according…

Read the rest of this entry

Joy in Verse Encouragement for 20220628

Today is a beautiful day, because the LORD is a fountain of living water, “O LORD, the hope of Israel, all who forsake you shall be put to shame; those who turn away from you shall be written in the earth, for they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living water.” (Jeremiah 17:13 ESV)…

Read the rest of this entry

The Lesson

Cannot churches learn from this advice? Oh, that they would all be willing to submit to a third-party review of policies and practices as outlined in this article: https://tcpca.org/rice-report. There is hope and healing for the wounded church and for the abused victims. Abuse cannot be shrugged off. “Pastor Jimmy turned this information into a…

Read the rest of this entry