Tag: trauma-informed faith

“I Believe in the Communion of Saints”

Timothy R. BermanLeave a comment

In our personal recovery journey, there needs to be a moment of clarity when one realizes they were never meant to heal alone. Isolation may have helped each one of us survive, but it is within communion and fellowship that we truly learn to thrive. A.W. Tozer poignantly expressed this truth, stating, “Men are made for each other, and this is never more apparent than in the church.” In today’s culture and society, fractures within families, persistent codependent patterns, cycles of addiction and relapse, as well as faith crises, continue to plague many. Yet, amid this turmoil, God offers something completely different: a spiritual home where wounded people can become whole.

The common narrative suggests, “the Gospel is true and perfect – but the people are not.” However, this perspective can lead individuals to believe that they do not need a community or fellowship. If one clings to this misleading notion, they are walking in deception and obeying the lies of the adversary. The truth is that our Heavenly Father fervently calls us into fellowship with one another, urging us to form a united front in our faith, all to fulfill the law of Christ as articulated in Galatians 6:2, which encourages us to bear one another’s burdens.

Anchor verse – Acts 2:42 (NRSVUE): They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

Today’s devotional delves into and explores A.W. Tozer’s conviction that the Church, as Christ’s redeemed community, stands as the most significant body on Earth. For those in recovery, the communion of saints is not a luxury; it is a prerequisite for true spiritual growth and discipleship. We grow best, heal deepest, and thrive most fully when we engage with others who, like us, are being transformed by grace. This message seeks to unpack Tozer’s profound insights, apply them to the realm of recovery, and offer a practical acrostic—S.A.I.N.T.S.—to help individuals embody the communion that God has designed for us.

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woman sitting on a sofa

When Abuse Hides Behind Faith: Why So Many Christians Carry Frozen Anger

Timothy R. BermanLeave a comment

Some stories don’t break us because of what happened in the past. They break us because of the moment we finally hear the truth spoken out loud — the moment someone confirms our deepest fear: that the people who hurt us never saw us at all. This revelation often surfaces unexpectedly, like a sudden chill in the air, a stark reminder that our pain went unnoticed and unacknowledged. It becomes a weight we carry, a haunting echo that reverberates through our memories, reminding us of the moments when our vulnerability was met with indifference. In that instant, we realize how profoundly we craved understanding and empathy, yet instead found only shadows where we hoped for light. Each word spoken unveils layers of grief, revealing that the wounds, although buried, still fester beneath the surface, waiting to be addressed, validated, and ultimately healed.

When I read her words — the moment her mother said, “It wasn’t that bad. I never broke my arm beating you” — I felt the familiar chill of frozen anger. Not outrage. Recognition.

What she described isn’t rare. It’s not an outlier. It’s the quiet, unspoken reality of countless Christians who grew up in homes where faith and harm were intertwined, a painful experience that often goes unnoticed by those outside these communities. Many individuals bear the scars of this complex relationship, where the teachings of love and forgiveness coexist with experiences of emotional and sometimes physical abuse. For them, faith becomes a double-edged sword, instilling a sense of guilt and confusion as they grapple with their beliefs amid conflicting messages about holiness and worth. The struggle to reconcile these childhood experiences with their adult spirituality can lead to a profound sense of isolation, as they seek solace and understanding in a world that often fails to acknowledge their plight.

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