As You Heal, You Will Hurt

“...What year is it?” I asked J. near the beginning of our session as I tried hard to ground myself to reality. I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe. “What year do you think it is?” He, being the therapist that he is, never gives me a straight answer; always opting for me to figure it … Continue reading As You Heal, You Will Hurt →

The Bible Does Not Promise Converts

I just read a personal account of someone who was telling of the importance of church in their life. When speaking of their daughters’ stint from church, they said this: “During the time they were out of church, we worried about them, but the Bible had promised that they would return to their faith.” (Emphasis … Continue reading The Bible Does Not Promise Converts →

Panic Attacks Make Recovery Worth It

I know how to stop myself from having a panic attack. Sometimes, it doesn't work. On the days that it does, it makes recovery seem like within the reach of my fingertips. On the days when it doesn't, on the days when I hide in my bed, under my bedsheets, hiding myself from the world, … Continue reading Panic Attacks Make Recovery Worth It →

Thoughts on the Art of Writing (and Why My Book isn’t Done Yet)

In thinking, tonight, about the art of writing and the writers who inspire me, my thoughts stop at author and friend David James Poissant. His latest book Lake Life will be released next summer, a worthy labor that took him nine years to complete. Nine years. That’s the thought that birthed this post. I still … Continue reading Thoughts on the Art of Writing (and Why My Book isn’t Done Yet) →

2 Reasons Why Writing Under a Pen Name is a Good Thing

First things first: Dylan Whittler isn't my real name. For those who have been following this blog for longer than a year, this revelation probably does not shock you. What you do not know, however, is why I chose to write under a pseudonym (translation: pen name). ~ It's not as if I hadn't considered … Continue reading 2 Reasons Why Writing Under a Pen Name is a Good Thing →

Closer Than Your Next Breath: How Self-Reliance Spits in the Face of Grace

We need never shout across the spaces to an absent God. He is nearer than our own soul, closer than our most secret thoughts. A. W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God I read those words yesterday morning and did little more than agree with them and marvel at the language Tozer uses throughout The Pursuit … Continue reading Closer Than Your Next Breath: How Self-Reliance Spits in the Face of Grace →

If I Were to Leave Christianity, This Would be Why…

There are many things in and about Christianity that don’t make sense: the sovereign mandate to kill hundreds of men, women, and children; the outlandish and outrageous commands in the Levitical law; the command the we must forgive others or our own sins won’t be forgiven—as someone who has been in abusive and traumatic situations … Continue reading If I Were to Leave Christianity, This Would be Why… →