Hello and happy New Year!

I'm looking forward to seeing you on the evening of the 17th at 7:00 EST, if you can make it. I hope so.

Here is the link for that: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9019963716 (It's the same link every month.)

A quick story that you can totally skip:

Recently a person who is local to me found me via my interview with Sheila Gregoire of Bare Marriage. That person wrote me an innocent and enthusiastic email talking about his church and asking me where I go to church.

In my reply I didn't mention that the church he was so enthusiastic about was one that several survivors of church abuse had spoken to me about.

I replied, "My primary fellowship is with the Bible study group that meets at our house [I didn't mention that it's two sisters, but what does that matter?] and the online group I lead." That's you!

(Then I added that my husband and I attend a certain local church. We went there on Christmas Eve, and we might at some point go again since it's where my sister goes, so I figured it could suffice for an answer to this questioner in order to end the conversation.)

That's my little sidetrack to say that I appreciate you and everyone in this group very much.

Our first topic of discussion when we started this Zoom Live group was creating discussion guides for my Untwisting Scriptures books. This group was a huge help! I finished ALL OF THEM late on New Year's Eve, and the email for them went out yesterday morning, January 1st. (Here's the page where you can request them.)

After working on the discussion guides, in this group we talked some about the disease that has infected modern evangelical churches to make them unhealthy and even unsafe places. This is a very important topic.

I also know from hard experience that if we continue to focus only on the negative, our group will not thrive. While not ignoring the darkness, we need to focus on the light.

With that in mind, for this month's meeting I'd like to ask for volunteers to tell your story to the group. I'm asking you, in the midst of the hard and darkness, to show us how the light of the Lord has been shining for you.

I'm also asking you to actually prepare your talk, not only to avoid rambling, but also to spend some time thinking and praying through what your story actually IS.

The length doesn't matter as much as the focus (except I guess I'll add that the research behind TED talks have shown us that about 10-18 minutes is optimal).

If you'd like to be one of the ones to speak this month, please reply to this email to let me know. I'll be making a list.

Very much looking forward to seeing you,

Rebecca

P.S. I'd also like to get feedback from you as to whether to make a private Facebook group for us, for further interaction that's more decentralized. So let me know what you think about that too.