Embraced By Hope

Tomorrow is a day of packing, making lists, checking the lists and preparing for a week up north. Once again I'll be at SALTS - Survivors of Abuse Leadership Training. For the past 9 years I've been a co-leader, taking our participants through a personal grace group journey to understand themselves and their story better while learning to lead others through this journey of restoration.

Restoration from what? From wounding, disappointment, unmet longings, trauma and struggles with relationships and life in general.

If you are interested, check out www.ohmin.org or check out Open Hearts Ministry in Facebook. There you will get the bigger picture of what we are called to do.

Next week is a bit of a gift for me. I will be the participant looking more deeply into my dignity and my depravity. Am I afraid? No! Am I curious? Yes! Will there be tough times, tears, a fight against shame and old lies? Yes! Will I be sad and glad? Yes and maybe both at the same time! We call that ambivalence.

What will I have heard from God by Saturday morning - a week away? That remains a mystery to be revealed by Him as the week progresses.

If past experience is any measuring stick, I'll receive warm hugs, lots of smiles, hopeful words after difficult moments, and be reminded that spiritual community is often much more safe and comforting that biological family. I'm going home in some respects to revisit friends, colleagues, fellow participants -- those I can truly be myself with, knowing I'll be held in high esteem, cared for well, held accountable in truth with grace and I will grow in areas that still need growth.

If you are curious about the process, the week, or the ministry, check out www.ohmin.org or connect with me via blog or at embracedbyhope@juno.com. That's my e-mail for the ministry I direct here in Georgia. I'd love to chat with you about restoration in your own life.