Family & Children’s Ministry

Yes, there are storms in our lives that are caused by wrong choices, tough circumstances, etc. Just as Jonah needed to repent for his disobedience and agree to obey God before the storm stopped, there are times we are called to pray to our heavenly Father for forgiveness, wisdom, strategy, and mercy. There are other times when we simply need to take authority over circumstances or storms. God does not cause disease. He is the healer. He does not cause confusion. He is the good shepherd. I think we all need to be reminded of what we have through Jesus our Savior. All the resources of Heaven are available to us! We have authority through Jesus. We have tools the Holy Spirit has equipped us with to lead us through to the other side of any storm.

When we’re in a season of plenty or peace, let’s tuck the truths of who God is and what He can do in our memory bank. Then let’s draw on those experiences when we are in the midst of a storm and are afraid and tempted to forget that God is God. We can trust Him with our lives and believe the Words He has spoken to us. Let us live unafraid.

FAMILY @ GRACE Healing Trauma and Betrayal Conference

Family @ Grace recently hosted the Healing Trauma and Betrayal Conference. Over 90 people attended from all over Washington, Oregon, as well as some from British Columbia. Our speaker, Yvonne Martinez, a clinical trauma specialist from California, taught in a way that was not just informative, but also transformative. For me, it changed how I will help deal with the effects of trauma.

For example, someone in the audience asked Yvonne what to do if someone shares a traumatic experience with you and you are unsure about the truthfulness of the story. She said, “I believe every story. I believe every story because it costs me nothing to believe them, but if I don’t believe them, it costs them everything.” Wow.

Yvonne went on to explain that it really doesn’t matter if something happened exactly as someone tells us, because the person’s perception makes it real to them. She taught us how to go about building up strengths, rather than focusing on the trauma. Yvonne talked about many topics that day, including abuse, poly-victimization, addiction, self-harm, and the effects of betrayal. I wished we had more time!

Each conference attendee received Yvonne’s book, Trauma, Sexual Exploitation, and Addictive Self-Harm.

If anyone would like to purchase one of the books, let me know, and I can tell you how to order it.