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The Desert Sanctuary

Be Where You Are - Be Who You Are - Be at Peace

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Trauma and the Pastor’s Wife with Laura Forehand

The Desert Sanctuary ·

2024/01/03

Laura Forehand is a third-grade teacher and former pastor’s wife. She advocates for trauma-informed classrooms and is an executive board member for Whole Brain Teaching. She and her partner, Karl, formed The Desert Sanctuary, which includes a blog, a podcast, and their best-selling books. I was lucky to create a Leaning Forward conference with all these…Read more →

Something Better Than Mercy

The Desert Sanctuary ·

2024/01/02

I still remember where I was when terrorists attacked the World Trade Centers on September 11, 2001. I was a pastor at my first church and sitting in the office. Technology was not what it is today, but it was easy to find coverage and immediately I was fielding calls and trying to make sense…Read more →

Reclaiming Married Sex from Purity Culture – Megan...

The Desert Sanctuary ·

2024/01/01

Megan Benninger has survived spiritual abuse in a variety of institutional settings, including a religious cult and a Southern Baptist church. She and her partner founded Baptist Accountability, an online database that tracks abuse within Baptist churches. Megan works tirelessly to educate others about spiritual and sexual abuse within churches and religious organizations. I was…Read more →

How to Speak Women with Susan Cottrell

The Desert Sanctuary ·

2023/12/29

Susan Cottrell is an international speaker whose TEDx talk has 1.6 million views. OutSmart magazine called her “The Mother of All MamaBears.” The Advocate dubbed her “our favorite affirming matriarch.” She is a prominent voice for the LGBTQ community and their faith parents who have been featured on ABC’s 20/20, Nightline, and Good Morning America,…Read more →

Why worship is NOT Necessary

The Desert Sanctuary ·

2023/12/27

(Extracted from our book, Leaning Forward) My congregations considered the worship service primary. As you know, it included public prayer, recitation, music, and then a sermon. This was what we considered corporate worship, although we acknowledged that a person could worship anywhere. Worship was one of the big five purposes of the church. We were…Read more →

Trauma and the Black Community with NikkiG

The Desert Sanctuary ·

2023/12/25

Nikki G. is a Life Coach and Advanced Certified Trauma Recovery Coach (in training) who helps survivors recover and thrive after Narcissistic Abuse, Religious Trauma, Spiritual Abuse, and cult involvement or High Demand Groups. I was lucky to create a Leaning Forward conference with all these women and their wisdom! Leaning Forward is the title of a…Read more →

Deconstructing the Holidays

The Desert Sanctuary ·

2023/12/22

Sometime during this Christmas season, I commented on a post from one of my old friends who is a pastor when he was bragging about his Christmas production. When I first knew him, his church in a different city, produced what could only be described as a Broadway production at Christmas time. It was complete…Read more →

The Intersection of Patriarchy and Abuse with Ashley...

The Desert Sanctuary ·

2023/12/22

Ashley Easter is a trained victim advocate, an author, a founder of an internationally attended abuse survivor conference, CEO of Courage 365, a television producer, an ordained reverend, an international speaker, an empowerment coach, and Vice-President of Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests. I was lucky to create a Leaning Forward conference with all these…Read more →

New Lenses – My Story

The Desert Sanctuary ·

2023/12/19

(Extracted from our book: Leaning Forward) The first time I remember understanding something about God was when my mom took me to a large Baptist church in the Oklahoma City area. I was beyond shy most of my life, but that day, I told my mom I wanted to walk the aisle because the preacher…Read more →

As a Woman with Paula Stone Williams

The Desert Sanctuary ·

2023/12/18

Paula Stone Williams is an internationally-known speaker on issues of gender equity, LGBTQ advocacy, and religious tolerance. She has been featured in TEDWomen, TEDSummit, the New York Times, Red Table Talk, TEDxMileHigh, the Washington Post, NPR, and other media outlets. I was lucky to create a Leaning Forward conference with all these women and their wisdom!…Read more →

Advocates for Healing and Change with Janyne...

The Desert Sanctuary ·

2023/12/15

Janyne McConnaughey, Ph.D., is an award-winning author and trauma-informed advocate who lived with the effects of childhood sexual abuse from the time she was three years old until she entered therapy and began her healing journey at the age of sixty-one. Janyne McConaughey Trauma Resources I was lucky to create a Leaning Forward conference with all…Read more →

What I Learned from Women about Religious Trauma

The Desert Sanctuary ·

2023/12/13

I was a pastor for almost 20 years, and one of my deepest regrets is that I didn’t listen to the intuition of my wife, Laura. For most of my life, I have longed to understand women, but many of the systems of the world are designed to do just the opposite, and they ignore…Read more →

Tending the Wounds of Religious Trauma with Rebekah...

The Desert Sanctuary ·

2023/12/11

Rebekah Drunsta has held a global presence by devoting her efforts to various nonprofits and organizations. Her diverse background includes educational and mental health content development, international relations, and public speaking. Rebekah Drumsta Resouces I was lucky to create a Leaning Forward conference with all these women and their wisdom! Leaning Forward is the title…Read more →

The Alpha Male Grifters and What Women Want More

The Desert Sanctuary ·

2023/12/06

About two years ago, I had a stroke. Since then, I have had plenty of time to do lots of self-reflection and evaluate what my future might look like. Some days, this is overwhelming because I am forced to think about everything I can and can’t do. It’s exciting to think about what I can…Read more →

Small Men in Power

The Desert Sanctuary ·

2023/11/16

⊆ Yesterday, two fights broke out in Congress in the United States. One was when ex-Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy, assaulted another congressman by elbowing him in the kidneys. The other incident happened in the U.S. Senate when Markwane Mullin challenged a Teamsters union representative, Sean O’Brien, to throw down in the Senate hearing.…Read more →

Let Them Speak

The Desert Sanctuary ·

2023/11/12

If we are fortunate, occasionally, we have situations in our lives that provide moments of clarity. I was minimally participating in an online discussion about abuse survivors and this situation that triggered them and caused them more pain. Many of the women in the group were trying to explain why this was troubling to people…Read more →

Leaning Forward Book Release

The Desert Sanctuary ·

2023/08/10

Laura and I are releasing our second book, Leaning Forward on August 15th!! Pre-Order Now! It is a continuation of our best-selling book, Out into the Desert. Description of the Book: Many of us have been looking for clues that something new is available to discover. We surrendered the need to defend our certainty and…Read more →

Leaning Forward

The Desert Sanctuary ·

2023/07/07

Laura and I have finished our second book together!. Pre-order the Kindle or order the paperback. The official release date is August 15th. It continues where Out into the Desert left off. It highlights the following: Preorder an autographed copy by July 20th and receive a free study guide PDF. Venmo the money and be…Read more →

Beach Read for the Summer

The Desert Sanctuary ·

2023/05/24

As you are planning your vacations and adventures this summer? Don’t forget good reading material. People are loving this book and reading it one to two days because it’s so compelling! Now, we’ve reduced the price so that it is accessible to everyone. I want you to experience what I experienced when I wrote this.…Read more →

The Problem with Pastors

The Desert Sanctuary ·

2023/05/19

I was a pastor for 20 years, mostly in smaller towns. I would blend into a community and relate with them and help them rehabilitate their church. Mega Church pastors told me the struggles of pastors are the same, no matter the size of the church. I came from the business world, but I obtained…Read more →

163 results