My Testimony

ATTENTION!!!! If you were a victim of abuse at Victory Church, it’s not too late, please! consider joining these most recent victims who are bravely speaking up. You are not alone. The Sheriff’s Office encourages other possible victims to come forward. They may do so by calling 9-1-1 or calling the Monroe County Sheriffs office directly at (585) 753-4400.

NEW, RELATED POST: Former Sr. Pastor of Victory Church in Henrietta NY (Joe Burress Sr.) has plead guilty to sexually abusing children

Since the inception of this blog (January 2015), I have been faithfully writing on a daily basis, with blog posts written on my “good days” and scheduled in advance, to ensure seamless content being published. Unfortunately, around the beginning of Lent I started to struggle again, both emotionally and physically. It would be putting it lightly to say the last couple months, especially the month of April, have been extremely tough for me.

While I strive to be transparent in my writing, I don’t usually get too personal with my blog posts. Today’s post will break that trend. This month the Lord has put it on my heart to dig deep and share in a way that I am super uncomfortable. Even if there is only one of you out there that can identify, I know it’s worth making myself vulnerable. If you find yourself relating as you read along, this blog post was probably meant for you!

Continue reading Surviving Childhood Sexual Abuse →

“If anyone causes one of these little ones –those who believe in me– to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea.” ~Mark 9:42

“Adversity is like a strong wind. It tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that we see ourselves as we really are.” ~Arthur Golden

When I was four or five years old. My mom had me stand at the top of the stairs in our thousand square foot, split level house, and jump into her arms in an attempt to explain Faith to me. Faith that she’d catch me. Faith that there was a God who sent His son to die for me.

I’m sure her intentions were pure, but unfortunately the only thing I took away from the conversation that night was that there was this really scary place called Hell. And, if I didn’t say a special prayer to God, I was going to burn in the lake of fire for all eternity.

Continue reading We Have This Hope: My Story of Sexual Abuse & Salvation →