The Shelley Series

I had arrived! Having completed my master’s degree in theology, I was ready to take the next step. A church selected me as their new pastor. With the diploma on my wall, Bible knowledge in my head, and a shepherd's heart, I’d been aiming for this since God “called me to [...]

For more than two decades, I have had the sacred privilege of serving as pastor to Dr. Morris Isara and his family. Pastors often say they walk with people “from the cradle to the grave,” but what we really mean is that we walk with them through the peaks and valleys [...]

I heard God ask me, “Melissa, will you trust Me?” I answered, “Hell no, I won’t trust You!” I didn’t actually say, “Hell no,” but you get the picture. That’s how I felt. I asked, “How can You expect me to trust You when You don’t protect me?”  ~ Melissa ~ [...]

People often say you need to forgive, and they quote the Bible as though a person can simply say, ‘I forgive you,’ and move on. But people who haven’t suffered deep wounds don’t understand how difficult it is. ~ Melissa ~ Shelley’s Story, pages 95-96 "I forgive him." Those three words stunned [...]

In the previous post, we presented Dr. Marcus Warner's outline of Satan’s spiritual warfare strategy: wounds, lies, vows, and strongholds. To illustrate the steps outlined by Warner, let’s apply Satan’s strategy to Shelley’s downward path. The Wound. Although parents are responsible for protecting their children, Shelley’s father violated her body and [...]

Mary felt trapped. She vowed never to return home. That was out of the question. … But rage, bitterness, resentment, and emotional damage imprisoned her soul. ~ Tessa ~ Shelley’s Petals, page 8 “Ignorance is bliss.” This common saying suggests that a lack of knowledge leads to happiness or peace of [...]

I've always believed that God is loving, kind, and caring, but … the tragedy of losing my father at age four, the horror of being sexually abused for six years by my adoptive father beginning at age twelve, then losing Shelley at age twenty-eight felt agonizingly cruel. ~ Melissa ~ Shelley's [...]

I wouldn’t have chosen this path, but God redeemed my painful losses and deep wounds to shape me into the woman I’m becoming. ~ Melissa ~ Shelley’s Story, page 161 I’ve been living in Dallas, Texas, for nearly 40 years, which is quite a contrast to my hometown of Honolulu, Hawaii. [...]

While working in a counseling and prayer call center, I received a call from “Margie.” She described how she was sexually abused as a child, promiscuous as a teenager, and made some poor relationship decisions as an adult. She struggled with guilt, shame, and insecurity for most of her life, and [...]