sheepstead

Bondservant of Christ. Wifey. Fierce Mama-Bear. Enneagram6. DYT 1/3. Home chef. Artist: watercolor, ink, pen, procreate, etc. addicted to art supplies.

[Diane Langberg, PhD @DianeLangberg]

Never assume that someone who is gifted verbally and has theological knowledge is spiritually wise and mature.

[Diane Langberg, PhD @DianeLangberg]

Power has been given to us so that the world might see something of the glory of God in the flesh—full of grace and truth. That glory is evidenced in humility, love, sacrifice, and death to anything that is not like Jesus Christ.

[Diane Langberg, PhD @DianeLangberg]

As leaders in the church, we hold a tremendous amount of verbal power, power of knowledge, position & influence. It is ALL God’s.  We are not to use that power to feed our egos, demand our rights from others, build our own little external kingdoms, and establish our reputations.

[Diane Langberg, PhD @DianeLangberg]

Note this scripture in Ezekiel. These shepherds misused their God-given power and allowed the flock to become prey. God’s response was to remove His flock from their care.

[Diane Langberg, PhD @DianeLangberg]

The body of Christ is called to be on her feet speaking the truth and opening our mouths for all victims, then we are to be on our knees before God concerning where we do not look like Him.

[Diane Langberg, PhD @DianeLangberg]

Deception seems to be a key factor in leading us to use power to take what is not ours and that which will bring death. If we give ourselves away to achieving success measured by earthly outcomes, even in the church, we are deceived.

#RedeemingPower

[Diane Langberg, PhD @DianeLangberg]

Someone who has been abusing has lost the capacity to tell him/herself the truth. Healing is only possible when the light shines relentlessly in the darkness until the offender falls down before our crucified God knowing - it is against that wounded Savior that he/she has sinned.

[Diane Langberg, PhD @DianeLangberg]

The most powerful lie of all is the lie that contains a likeness to the truth in some way. It is how we lull others and ourselves.

[Diane Langberg, PhD @DianeLangberg]

The more we practice deceit the more incapable we are of speaking or even recognizing truth. Deceit functions like a narcotic and it is ingested in order to silence guilt or empathy for others so that a deadened soul can continue its destructions.

[sheepstead @sheepstead1]

Your “successful ministry” doesn’t compensate for your abusive character. No ends justify means in which people are overpowered, mistreated, and cast aside.

[Diane Langberg, PhD @DianeLangberg]

Faith that pleases the heart of the Father reveals itself not in external measures such as growth and numbers but in character and Christlikeness.

One who follows Christ bears the fruit of the Spirit in every nook and cranny of their lives.

#RedeemingPower

[Diane Langberg, PhD @DianeLangberg]

The effects of trauma in a survivor’s life far outlast the event that caused it. As caregivers, you need to do your part well. It matters.

[Boz Tchividjian @BozT]

Why is it that abuse survivors and their family members are so often the ones whose lose their church community after disclosing abuse by a church member? The tragic truth is that loss of community is ultimately a punishment to victims for painfully bringing darkness to light.

[Diane Langberg, PhD @DianeLangberg]

Suffering people often need others to have faith and hope for them.  Admonitions to hope or trust only often result in despair; if the sufferers were able, they would do so.  It is often helpful to say, “I know you struggle to hope right now. I will hope for you.”

[Diane Langberg, PhD @DianeLangberg]

When it comes to injustice, silence is not a virtue.
Silence is a double vice compounded because it contains both indifference to the victims and complicity with the destroyers.

[Diane Langberg, PhD @DianeLangberg]

The human voice is silenced by anything that is dehumanizing. It is dehumanizing to abuse, to cover up, or to outright lie about abuse. God places value on the interior/personal voice. He created us to speak. He does not want that voice silenced or crushed.

[Diane Langberg, PhD @DianeLangberg]

When spiritual leaders silence victims of abuse, the victims assume that God is also silent. Many people have asked me through the years whether they can find help for restoring their sense of safety in the house of God. That such a question must be asked is frankly damnable.

[Diane Langberg, PhD @DianeLangberg]

Trauma brings emotional darkness and aloneness because it feels like no one cares and no one could possibly understand. When we are heard by someone who seeks to understand and feel with us, we are no longer isolated and alone in our suffering.

[Diane Langberg, PhD @DianeLangberg]

The entrance of light anywhere exposes reality. Light brings truth. It’s often not visible itself, but it illuminates all else. The person of Christ IS Light. Jesus’s light is either opposed or welcomed; its presence reveals the heart of the one on whom it is shining.

[sheepstead @sheepstead1]

textile design for rug art or bed cover #AnimalCrossing #ACNH #NintendoSwitch

[sheepstead @sheepstead1]

my new fall sweater design #AnimalCrossing #ACNH #NintendoSwitch