In this episode, Rachel shares her family’s journey through hurt and loss to starting a discipleship ministry, creating a haven in their home for people needing rest.
Rachel is the mom to three littles (ages 6, almost 4, and 1). She spends days helping her littles, doing laundry, sneaking in some reading whenever she can, listening to podcasts (of course) and seeking Jesus in all those mundane moments.
Listen
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Links
- 10 Ways To Spot Spiritual Abuse by Mary DeMuth
- The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse by David Johnson and Jeff Van Vonderen
- Known and Loved podcast episode #056
- Red Sea Road by Ellie Holcomb
- The Sparrow Company
- New Hope Uganda (the ministry we worked with on our trip)
- Feathers episode with Renee Law
Quotes
God just kept encouraging us with those little interactions along the way.
God was showing that we didn’t have to defend ourselves. He was doing it for us in the hearts of our friends.
God impressed in my heart ‘the people in their comfort need Him just as much as the people in their poverty’.
It was a challenge to live in our waiting.
Scripture
Exodus 14:14
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Thanks, Rachel! You’re so vulnerable.
I had a couple of questions about your story that I hope you’d be willing to clarify:
1. You said you and your husband were called to plant churches, but you ended by saying you are now called to discipleship ministry. Did the spiritual abuse you went through cause you to put aside your first calling to plant a church?
2. That story about the old lady giving a word to your husband on the phone (so sweet!)…I was curious, what would you have done if she said, “I feel like the Lord is telling me to say to you that you should stay in your church and encourage your leaders”?
3. What is “spiritual abuse” exactly? I’m new to that idea and you said you’ve read a lot on the topic and that your husband knows a lot about church history. Are there examples from church history you can point to to help me understand his concept? Related, when did you and your husband realize you were being spiritually abused?
4. Are those church leaders still in leadership? I mean, aren’t they disqualified from holding church office if they have been so abusive? You made it sound like that was an awful place to be!
I hope we can someday maybe go for a kayak ride together! I could use the retreat.
I have to admit I could only make it through 2/3’s of the interview. The accusation of spiritual abuse is definitely a new trend among millenials who feel under-appreciated and I have been seeing the term slung around far too carelessly. I have read some of the articles that were mentioned when I started seeing the trend, and while I think that it can be real, but it seems that far too many disagreements fall under the umbrella of “spiritual abuse”. It also seems that such allegations of spiritual abuse are typically aired in a public setting like this, sewing real division in the church (not to be taken lightly). Not to be a smart-alleck, but it is ironic that this guest spoke for an hour creating a defense and making accusations, yet the verse she clings to is “be silent and God will defend you”. It seems like a difficult situation for her, but this seems like a very unwise way to address it.