Stephen Venable

Living for the glory of Jesus and the hope of His Day, husband of Karli the beautiful, father of two amazing sons.

[Stephen Venable @stephenvenable]

We are so profoundly grateful for all the love and generosity during this difficult time 😭 So close to the finish line now! https://t.co/ZMSFEDonhP

[Stephen Venable @stephenvenable]

@kristenscoggan I am so sorry Kristen

[Equal Justice Initiative @eji_org]

On this day in 1847, Missouri passed an act that prohibited Black people from learning to read and write and assembling freely for worship services. The act also forbade free Black people from migrating to the state. https://t.co/UhEdv8IkeT

[Stephen Venable @stephenvenable]

Please read this - they are important words. There is a very real sense in which the deluge of pain being expressed is self-authenticating. We have lost the plot and strayed into the margins if we don’t reckon with this. #ihopkc

[Karli Venable @venablefour]

Pain has to be reckoned with. One of the things that has been excruciating to many of us who know Jane Doe and have been walking with her for the last many months is that while we are grateful for the potential internal shift that has come from the brave disclosures of Tammy and TH this last week, we don’t understand why she wasn’t fully believed or acknowledged from the beginning. Not only that… she was maligned and marginalized, the abuse she suffered minimized, and the institution prioritized. There is simply no excuse for this, and to say that she deserves sincere apologies and repentance from several is a massive understatement.

But she is not alone. It has now been revealed that a husband begged for help because his family and another were being torn apart (the full story is horrible). Several advocates and friends brought this to the ELT years ago, and were ignored, some even ostracized for their efforts. Gracia came forward with something no human should ever experience, and she was silenced time and time again. She was also slandered, lied to & about, shunned, and even threatened in the end. Again, she is not alone. Neither of these were isolated incidents.

We now know that there are several other testimonies of individuals who came forward with sexual assault, sexual abuse, physical violence, and/or threats, who were not believed or taken seriously, weren’t properly cared for, and were even silenced (told not to report). Additionally, while certainly all of us who were at #ihopkc were horrifically manipulated and spiritually abused by Mike and the culture he created, many individuals have raised their voices long before now concerning emotional and spiritual abuse they experienced there. And I know there is even more beyond the things I mentioned above. No words suffice.

The pain of so many, the ways in which they were wounded and set aside, is important and deserves accountability. We must lament and grieve for and with them. They should not and cannot be forgotten or ignored.

*That is why there needs to be a third party investigation not only of Mike Bickle, but of all of ihopkc.* Every voice should be heard.

I live with chronic pain. I have had pain in my body in one form or another my entire life. That pain exists because my own DNA is working against me — destroying and inflaming cartilage, bones, and joints, which in turn affects muscle, nerves, & other organs/tissue. It screams its distress because parts of my body are injured and deteriorating. And here is what I know… you cannot ignore that kind of pain. You can try… you can try to push past it and keep moving, but eventually it will scream louder and louder that something is very wrong until suddenly your whole body is immobilized and paying the price.

The Bible says the church is a body. Every member of the body matters and has unconditional worth. When one member suffers, even the most invisible or ignoble (in our estimation anyway), the whole body either pays attention and gives care to that member, or the whole body eventually becomes paralyzed and dysfunctional. How much greater is that cost when *MANY* members are wounded and crying out?

Pain matters. It is a warning that something is wrong, and to pay attention. We must listen to our brothers and sisters when they cry out. We have to lean in as empathetic witnesses and recognize the reality of their suffering, weeping with them and bandaging their wounds. Their injuries must be treated. They cannot be ignored any longer, and just to add, they never should’ve been ignored to begin with. Pain must be acknowledged and reckoned with, or believe me when I tell you, the whole body will pay the price.

[Karli Venable @venablefour]

Pain has to be reckoned with. One of the things that has been excruciating to many of us who know Jane Doe and have been walking with her for the last many months is that while we are grateful for the potential internal shift that has come from the brave disclosures of Tammy and TH this last week, we don’t understand why she wasn’t fully believed or acknowledged from the beginning. Not only that… she was maligned and marginalized, the abuse she suffered minimized, and the institution prioritized. There is simply no excuse for this, and to say that she deserves sincere apologies and repentance from several is a massive understatement.

But she is not alone. It has now been revealed that a husband begged for help because his family and another were being torn apart (the full story is horrible). Several advocates and friends brought this to the ELT years ago, and were ignored, some even ostracized for their efforts. Gracia came forward with something no human should ever experience, and she was silenced time and time again. She was also slandered, lied to & about, shunned, and even threatened in the end. Again, she is not alone. Neither of these were isolated incidents.

We now know that there are several other testimonies of individuals who came forward with sexual assault, sexual abuse, physical violence, and/or threats, who were not believed or taken seriously, weren’t properly cared for, and were even silenced (told not to report). Additionally, while certainly all of us who were at #ihopkc were horrifically manipulated and spiritually abused by Mike and the culture he created, many individuals have raised their voices long before now concerning emotional and spiritual abuse they experienced there. And I know there is even more beyond the things I mentioned above. No words suffice.

The pain of so many, the ways in which they were wounded and set aside, is important and deserves accountability. We must lament and grieve for and with them. They should not and cannot be forgotten or ignored.

*That is why there needs to be a third party investigation not only of Mike Bickle, but of all of ihopkc.* Every voice should be heard.

I live with chronic pain. I have had pain in my body in one form or another my entire life. That pain exists because my own DNA is working against me — destroying and inflaming cartilage, bones, and joints, which in turn affects muscle, nerves, & other organs/tissue. It screams its distress because parts of my body are injured and deteriorating. And here is what I know… you cannot ignore that kind of pain. You can try… you can try to push past it and keep moving, but eventually it will scream louder and louder that something is very wrong until suddenly your whole body is immobilized and paying the price.

The Bible says the church is a body. Every member of the body matters and has unconditional worth. When one member suffers, even the most invisible or ignoble (in our estimation anyway), the whole body either pays attention and gives care to that member, or the whole body eventually becomes paralyzed and dysfunctional. How much greater is that cost when *MANY* members are wounded and crying out?

Pain matters. It is a warning that something is wrong, and to pay attention. We must listen to our brothers and sisters when they cry out. We have to lean in as empathetic witnesses and recognize the reality of their suffering, weeping with them and bandaging their wounds. Their injuries must be treated. They cannot be ignored any longer, and just to add, they never should’ve been ignored to begin with. Pain must be acknowledged and reckoned with, or believe me when I tell you, the whole body will pay the price.

[Robert Griffin III @RGIII]

Kids can’t go to school.
Believers can’t go to church.
Families can’t go to the grocery store.
Friends can’t go to a concert.
And now fans can’t go to a SUPER BOWL PARADE without the real fear of being a part of a mass shooting in America. WHAT ARE WE DOING?

[Dan Orlovsky @danorlovsky7]

15 is the best player I’ve ever seen

[Stephen Venable @stephenvenable]

@mat2138938243 I am so sorry Megan.

[Karli Venable @venablefour]

Love this post. As someone living with a degenerative illness who spends most of my time limited to a very small space that I require lots of help to manage, I have spent a lot of my adult life untangling myself from the burdens in much of the church and our culture for significance, production, and “radical” callings. My belovedness and worth, and yours, are not connected to a movement, mandate, ministry, or special calling. Jesus defined our significance and belovedness when He took on flesh and walked around on the earth as one of us. {That doesn’t mean that people don’t still do extraordinary things (or shouldn’t desire to), just that those things aren’t a reliable barometer of our worth, or even our joy.}

I have learned, and am still learning, the peace of contentment, and to see and enjoy the beauty of Christ in the everyday gift of the life, family, and community He’s given to me. And, oh, what a gift that is. ❤️‍🩹 Loving Jesus and loving others the best that I can, right where I am, even if I’m bedridden today, is all the “radical” I’ve got. And I’m okay with that.

[Stephen Venable @stephenvenable]

@CantorTran I am so sorry! In retrospect I deeply regret the tone in which I said certain things. Please forgive me.

[Stephen Venable @stephenvenable]

I give room for the fact that the brave testimony of Tammy Woods may have been a tipping point for some people - perhaps even for @bennettisaac and @ihopkc as a whole on some level. If this was the case, then they are acknowledging that they actually didn’t believe the courageous, credible, corroborated testimony of Jane Doe and her detailed testimony given publicly many months ago. A testimony which, by the way, included all of the predatory and abusive behaviors of MB attested to by Tammy, only more honed and refined by years of perverse practice. This acknowledgement should not result in vague statements of being “sorry” for their pain, but instead a wailing, brokenhearted contrition for their obstinacy and obfuscation through this entire process. And above all, a private and public apology to Jane Doe! - as well as the AG group, and the thousands upon thousands of hurt individuals who have bleeding and pleading for IHOPKC to actually take action.

[Stephen Venable @stephenvenable]

@joshjrainwater i hear you, and appreciate your anger and your pain. And I am deeply sorry for the ways that I was in any way complicit in the toxic ministry culture of IHOPKC when I was there many years ago. I was young and naive and did not discern it. Please forgive me.

[Stephen Venable @stephenvenable]

Read the entire 🧵

[Stephen Venable @stephenvenable]

@BriaZyniewicz i’m really sorry 😢

[Stephen Venable @stephenvenable]

co-sign on this 💯 time is up ⌛️ no more excuses

[Karli Venable @venablefour]

This👇🏼 Whole. Entire. Families… groomed, divided (some even torn apart), so that he could isolate and abuse young women, including a 14 and 19 year old, all while using (and ultimately defaming) the name of Jesus to do so 🤢😡

If there’s anyone left who has any questions as to the true nature and root system of #ihopkc, the lies and manipulation, the systemic abuse, everything that this predator - *the most calculated man* I’ve ever known - built and why he built it the way he did… here it is. It’s all been written out in black and white for us now by two unbelievably brave survivors.

What more could anyone possibly need to see the truth? The lights are on. No more fumbling through the dark with monsters and calling them saints.

Oh and, by the way, there are more victims. The advocates were never lying or exaggerating... they were desperately pleading.💔 There needs to be a legitimate and thorough third party investigation, not only of Mike, but of all of #ihopkc, and perhaps some criminal charges too. 🙏🏽

[Karli Venable @venablefour]

Dear Church: can we please put a permanent moratorium on calling women “witches” and “Jezebels” from the platform? It is really offensive and dishonoring of women, and quite honestly, it makes many of us feel unsafe and unloved in the church.

So please, sincerely, let’s STOP saying that about any woman, anywhere… *even* if you don’t agree with her politics or life choices.

But let’s especially not accuse a woman of “witchcraft” when she courageously finds her voice, bares her deepest wounds, and says “yeah, so someone raped me too” or “I’ve never shared this before because I was too ashamed and scared, but someone sexually abused me too.” That is just plain cruel, it’s absurd, and it’s about as far from the heart of Jesus as you can possibly get.

[Stephen Venable @stephenvenable]

this is so important. we desperately need authentic repentance and systemic change

[Karli Venable @venablefour]

I don’t even know what to say today about #ihopkc (or #sbc et al). Except for this: it shouldn’t be this hard.

Is it too much to ask as a woman (or a child or *anyone*) to want to feel safe? Is it really too much to want to be free from harassment, abuse, assault, and violence?

And when these things do happen, is it then too much to hope that we will be heard, believed, acknowledged, respected, helped, and treated with compassion and concern? Is it really that outrageous that we’d want the assailants or abusers to be held to account and somehow stopped so that no one else is hurt?

We are mothers, sisters, daughters, wives, brothers, sons, co-laborers, and friends… not to mention image bearers and children of God.

Please just try to consider this when someone, anyone at all, comes forward with a testimony of abuse, rape, harassment, and/or domestic violence. #survivors

[nick wright @getnickwright]

THEY SAID KC-MIA WOULD BE CLOSE… THEN KC BLEW THEM OUT & THEY BLAMED IT ON THE COLD.

THEY PICKED BUFFALO TO WIN… THEN SAID BUFFALO HAD NO CHANCE DUE TO INJURIES.

THEY ALL CALLED FOR AN EASY RAVENS WIN… WHAT WILL THEY SAY TOMORROW???

[Stephen Venable @stephenvenable]

@erinkellyherner great perspective - thank you

[Stephen Venable @stephenvenable]

The average person in the West (and more and more the entire world) has ease of access to a truly unprecedented volume of information - even exponentially beyond several decades ago. And yet increasingly there seems to be a widespread inability to think in an informed and nuanced way. Ideas, and the ensuing rhetoric, are becoming so desperately narrow and polarized. Misinformation is real, but it is too simplistic to blame the problem entirely on the echo chambers of our algorithms. To me, at least, the issue goes beyond exposure - it seems so systemic that it is shaping our actual capacity for deep, clear reflection. Our opulence in data exists in tandem with a bankruptcy of real knowledge. What accounts for this disparity? Genuine question…

[Stephen Venable @stephenvenable]

@itsjohnny_pd @itsjohnny_pd really good thoughts! thank you for taking the time to respond