IN THE ASHES

                        STORY BEHIND THE BOOK

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BEAUTY IN BROKENNESS

In Japan, there is a curious form of art called kintsugi, the art of mending broken pottery with liquid gold.

Kintsugi is the very definition of contradiction.

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Broken pottery, by itself, would quickly be thrown in the garbage. It is worthless and unappealing, especially to an art enthusiast. Gold is just the opposite. It is valuable and alluring–even worth fighting for. How curious it is to blend the worthless and the priceless into one piece of pottery. Instead of discarding the broken pottery or simply repairing it, this 400-year-old technique highlights the "scars” with gold.In kintsugi, the pottery becomes valuable BECAUSE it was broken.

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Did you know that in your brokenness, God can create something exquisite and resilient? Like the pottery used in kintsugi, we have all experienced brokenness in one way or another. We all have scars. Many of us have tried to hide our scars, hoping no one will see them and some of have denied our scars by pretending everything is fine. None of us want the cracks, but the cracks are what makes the masterpiece. Your beauty lies in your brokenness.

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My own life is marked by broken pieces and deep scars. If it had been up to me, I would have thrown out every busted piece of my pot until none of it remained. I tried for years to ignore or hide my brokenness, but those pesky cracks were inescapable. I’m so thankful God had other plans. He picked up each hopeless, shattered part and lovingly mended me, piece by piece, with His love and grace.

 

TRIUMPH IN VULNERABILITY

I am convinced that the only way to truly know and love someone is to understand the mess they have experienced in their life. To understand the mess helps us fully appreciate and celebrate the victories. For you to fathom how bound I was by shame and fear (and many other things), you must first understand the mess I was delivered from. So, in my new book, I am inviting you into my mess.

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 I am a survivor of Satanic Ritual Abuse (SRA). Sadly, SRA is something that exists on the periphery of our society but is often ignored. It is completely understandable why no one wants to talk about it. SRA is the very definition of messy. Horrifying, actually.

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Most of my readers will not have experienced, or perhaps even heard of, this specific kind of abuse, and that is okay. This book is still for you, and my message is for anyone who wants freedom, especially from the bondage of trauma.

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I pray that as you read each chapter, that your roots would strengthen, growing deep into the soil of God’s love for you. Anything is possible with God.

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I share many of my own personal reflections throughout this book, many which are painful. You will not relate to all my experiences, but I pray that as you reflect, that you will encounter the love of God, whose glory shines into the darkest places. As we journey through this book together, may the living God restore the ashes of your life into living embers of His glory – a living testimony of His goodness.

 

Included at the end of each chapter:

• Reflection/discussion questions

• An empowering prayer of repentance and declaration

• Some chapters include a “Spiritual Toolbox,” which teach you how to demolish spiritual strongholds.

• Some chapters also include a “Weapon of God” section, which are key strategies to fortify your spiritual freedom.