Do I Need To Forgive My Abuser?

By Desert Stream
March 27, 2014
My failure to forgive my stepfather for all the abuse and humiliation he inflicted upon me acted as a barrier to greater healing within me. For years I was consumed with anger, hatred and bitterness toward him. The years of beatings with belts, electrical cords, wooden spoons an...

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Breaking Down Walls of Self-Protection

By Desert Stream
March 27, 2014
I spent most of my life living behind a wall of self-protection. If I was just big enough, strong enough, smart enough or angry enough, I might be able to keep people away, especially those who had power to hurt me. I came to know Jesus as a young child, but assumed He was on th...

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Learning To Live With Chastity

By Desert Stream
March 26, 2014
My journey in chastity as a single person has had its up and downs. As a young child growing up in the Catholic Church I learned that sex before marriage was a sin. I loved God and didn’t want to do anything that would make Him sad. I grew up in a small town with a father...

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A Journey Towards Wholeness

By Desert Stream
March 26, 2014
A journey often leads to unexpected places, as did my time attending Living Waters. One evening a man shared his story; while I listened I grew increasingly uncomfortable, fidgeting and becoming agitated. The violation he experienced seemed rather small to me, and I didn’t ...

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Overcoming Sexual Abuse

By Desert Stream
March 26, 2014
In my early twenties I found the courage to face my attraction to the same sex. After a couple of years of secular counseling, I was able to acknowledge my sexual confusion. Even though I was able to understand more about it, I was getting more confused and the masculinity of oth...

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Finding Name and Identity

By Desert Stream
February 26, 2014
“I hate you!” It was the first time I actually said it out loud to my dad. I was scared. He knew it, and lashed out at me. There was no return volley from me. I recoiled back to my familiar place in relation to my dad. I had no authority; he had it all. He abused it: ...

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