Author Archives: anneresler

Spiritual Abuse and Our Brain 

When we are operating out of our fear/shame/survival brain, we are operating out of the most primitive part of our brain. It’s the part of our brain that senses danger and is designed to keep us safe and alive. It … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Spiritual Abuse & Deconstruction

January is spiritual abuse awareness. This is a term that gets quite a bit of pushback. The word abuse causes many to bristle with defensiveness and say… “that is too strong a word. This is not abuse…” By definition, abuse … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Do No Harm

My head has been spinning over the last few months with so many issues of the church mishandling abuse. It is so widespread. In churches, in seminaries, in publishing, in teaching.  Why is this topic so important to me? Why … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Doorway out of Darkness

The darkness was deep; a dense fog seemed to surround me. I couldn’t see. The prison was cold and dark; the isolation was deafening. I was alone. Cut off from relationships; cut off from God. The questions swirling through my … Continue reading

Posted in bondage, Captivity, forgiveness, Freedom, gospel, healing, isolation, Jesus, judgements, wounds | Leave a comment

Hidden Destroyers

It all happened so fast, relatively unexpected and it seemed to go so smoothly until it didn’t. The first night in our “new house” my husband couldn’t sleep. It had been an extremely stressful day with some unexpected twists and … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The Accident

The doctor came to check on Grant as he made his post-op rounds. “Wiggle your fingers. Wiggle your toes. Move this. Move that.” The doctor was carefully checking his feeling and movements. He was 2 days out from his first … Continue reading

Posted in brokenness, faith, grief, healing, Identity, prayer, significance, surrender | 8 Comments

Lavish Love

The uproar of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead proved to be the last straw. Those wanting to kill Jesus rallied with fierce determination. The religious leaders were in Jerusalem a few miles away plotting his downfall. Jesus was reclining … Continue reading

Posted in crucifixion, faith, gospel, holy week, Jesus, Jesus and women, Mary of Bethany, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The Invitation

This blog was originally published on the Fellowship Women’s Blog site, http://womeninministry.tumblr.com.  I wanted to repost it here. Sitting in my counseling office, years of life written on her face. Weary. Broken. Torn. The light gone from her eyes, dark, desperate, … Continue reading

Posted in brokenness, core lies, Freedom, healing, Identity, life patterns, seeking God, significance, truth, wounds | Leave a comment

Blurred Lines

My sleep was so restless last night. Tossing and turning and even in my dreams, I felt the inner turmoil that was gripping me. How can this be happening? How can people do this? A sense of justice and vindication … Continue reading

Posted in Hypocrisy, Idolatry, Integrity | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

ROADBLOCK!

For months, I was seeking the Lord, spending time with Him, praying, doing everything I knew to do only to find myself continually hitting a roadblock.   I felt like in every attempt to connect with Him, I was hitting a … Continue reading

Posted in confession, repentance, surrender, unbelief | Leave a comment