Pulling up to the local Village Inn restaurant, my husband and I sat in the car a few moments before entering. He turned to me and said, “I don’t know why, but I feel like we’re being set up for failure.” He voiced something I was feeling but with a specific metaphor in mind. I Read More
Posts by Shannon
What Happens When You Ignore That Still Small Voice
WARNING! Rough Road Ahead … After proving to myself I could keep up with my writing goals and finally speak, I published the first of several posts I’d like to share regarding my time as “After Pastor”. It’s been twenty years of healing and recovering to speak and share what I learned. Wouldn’t you know Read More
Have You Ever Heard of the Term, “After Pastor?”
TRIGGER WARNING: This blog post might cause some emotional, or mental distress as it mentions incest, rape, spiritual abuse, and betrayal. The journey of an After Pastor is an unexpected, tumultuous, and confusing journey filled with pain, cognitive dissonance, confusion, and loneliness. At least, it was for me. The “After Pastor” position wasn’t one that Read More
Setting Boundaries with Toxic People
It is inevitable that when you serve people in a position of counselor, teacher, or pastor, that you will encounter toxic people that are not interested in growth, but instead, seeking supply. How to know the difference between a person who is healing and a person who is not can be a challenge. In every Read More
Tough Decisions: Should I Leave … or Not?
Are you or someone you know, facing a challenging church situation, a difficult work environment, or a toxic relationship? Before leaving, consider examining this decision without the emotional energy that bypasses wisdom. Regardless of where you choose to go or what you decide to do, if you want to determine the right path for yourself, Read More
The Power of Assumptions: Understanding Their Impact on Our Lives
Assumptions are a natural part of human thinking. They help us navigate the complexities of life by allowing us to make quick judgments and decisions based on previous experiences and observations. However, while assumptions can sometimes streamline our decision-making processes, they can lead to misunderstandings and misguided actions. Understanding the nature of assumptions is essential Read More
What Sacred Cow are You Entertaining Today?
Pay close attention to comments heard so often that they are no longer heard, questioned, or clarified. These comments, beliefs, phrases, or, “Sacred Cows” can subtly lead someone astray. If not questioned, a Sacred Cow phrase can undermine peace of mind, health, joy, and faith without realizing it. Because the unquestioned statement sounds pious, Read More
What IS a Sacred-Cow Belief?
It sounds holy … it sounds righteous … it is commonly heard, and rarely questioned. What is it? It’s a belief that has become a sacred cow. These beliefs effectively paralyze the faith of Believers by weighing them down with worry, fear of judgment, self-righteous indignation, indecisiveness, and stroking the ego as being “right”. This Read More
On the Subject of Prayer …
The phrase, “Please pray” is commonly used and when that request is made, people respond in a variety of ways. Are those heartfelt responses actually what the person was asking for? In this blog post, I’m going to share a few thoughts about some things I’ve noticed in my walk with the Lord and His Read More
Turn on the Light!
Several years ago, I wrote the post that is below. It’s worth repeating because this metaphoric story addresses another type of darkness that is rarely acknowledged. Pretending we aren’t seeing what we know we are seeing. Every Monday afternoon for an hour, I meet ladies online to read through books that are focused on various Read More
The Power of Listening with Your Eyes
“Listening with your eyes” refers to the concept of paying close attention to non-verbal cues such as body language, facial expressions, and gestures while someone is speaking. It involves hearing the words as they are spoken and observing the speaker’s visual cues better to understand their emotions, intentions, and overall message. This practice is critical Read More
Understanding the Complimentary Power of Logic and Creativity
As a creative individual, I have often been frustrated by logical people who demanded to know the logic behind my creativity. How do you explain something you feel and see from the inside out? At the same time, I know that my creative mind has stumped and confused those who live by logical thinking. Communication Read More