Summer Kinard's Blog, page 25

Bookish weekends

Two weekends past, I went to the bluegrass party and book celebration of Deborah Hining’s A Sinner in Paradise.

Author Deborah Hining signing copies of her debut inspirational romance, A Sinner in Paradise.

The next day, I had a blast talking with readers at the NC Bookmarks festival in Winston-Salem. With various people, I discussed practical spirituality, lucha libre, the new domesticity, Wuthering Heights, and how we read books differently as we age. I even met a lady who bought my book as the Kindle Daily Deal in July!

Here I am at the Bookmarks festival, ready to talk about my book, books, and miscellany. I loved meeting readers!

Last weekend, I had a day of accidental book research. At the farmer’s market, I happened across Marcia Herman selling her book, Sipping My Garden, on teas one can make from locally grown herbs. Meeting Ms. Herman was the height of serendipity, because my current manuscript, Tea and Crumples, is set in a teashop of the same name! I think I’m writing Ms. Herman into the book, since I’m learning so much from her herbal guide.

The book, Sipping My Garden, which came with a free bag of locally grown herbs. I got applemint, an herb that’s new to me. Hoping to grow it in the herb bed next season!

Then, at my critique group meeting for my local RWA chapter, I happened upon a table of men playing chess! Chess also plays a role in Tea and Crumples, and the gentlemen directed me to a website for local chess enthusiasts.

I happened across these chess players in a cafe. A chess table anchors the space in my fictional tearoom, Tea and Crumples, as well.

This weekend, alas, has been devoted to music, not writing. I had a lovely dress rehearsal this afternoon for tomorrow’s Save Our Steinways fundraiser for Durham School of the Arts. (I’m singing Dove Sono, by the way.) Lucky me, I got to hear Christine Weidinger sing Vissi d’arte today! (Link is to Christine singing Quando m’en vo, the only Puccini I could find of hers on Youtube). If you’re local, you should try to come out to Durham School of the Arts Sunday at 2pm. We’re singing with a truly atrocious 9 foot Steinway grand, badly in need of repairs. It’s my first experience raising funds by demonstrating the need so obviously. But the singers all rose to the occasion brilliantly. You should come for the curiosity of hearing Mozart sung along with diminished 5th arpeggios, if nothing else. Seriously, the singing is good, and we have an excellent (and no doubt long-suffering) accompanist.

Friday Faith Talk: To love a sinner

There’s a popular notion that one can “love the sinner but hate the sin.” If properly applied, sure, that makes sense. But is it properly applied? Not much. Here’s a good context for how to apply that bit of wisdom:

“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner.”

That’s the Jesus Prayer, an ancient prayer taken from the words of the tax collector on whom God had mercy. It has been used in prayer disciplines by Christians for centuries, for instance, along with prayer ropes. It’s used to cultivate humility.

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“Have fire within yourselves, but be at peace with one another.”

What has that got to do with anything? Well, the only time we have business judging sin is within ourselves, and then only when we’re asking for mercy. Because we only know our own sin in the light of the  love of God that calls us into fullness and makes our sins show up for what they are – paltry imitations of reality. Maybe we’re starving and started eating poison because we had grown desperate or we were just too stupid to know better. Okay. So we hate the poison. We ask for God’s help so we can eat things that are good for us instead. Maybe we want human company and connection, but in despair we turn to different types of self abuse and distorted versions of the image of God. We can hate the abuse and the distortions as sin, and accept the love and grace and wisdom of God to look and act in better directions.

What I’m saying, all too awkwardly, is that we are the sinners. I am the sinner. If I am called to hate sin, it is within myself. If I am called to love myself, it is as God loves me. I don’t love my neighbor by trying to be his or her judge.

When the desert fathers wanted to help a brother out of a sticky situation of sin, they didn’t arm themselves with the trite clause – love the sinner, hate the sin – and march off to tell their brethren what for. No, they clothed themselves in humility like their Lord, and went and confessed their weakness and the grace of God to their brother.

Let’s pretend for a moment that the phrase – love the sinner, hate the sin – is intended as a sincere approach to Christian community at all levels. How would its application look for a common sin, like, say, cussing?

I happen to struggle a great deal with cussing, especially when I am very sad or anxious. Ramp up the fear or grief, and I spout blue air. Now, if you decided that it was your personal job to tell me that I was a bad person for cussing in those circumstances, the only thing you would accomplish is losing my trust entirely for priggishly misunderstanding me. However, let’s say I was very sad or scared, and I dropped a bowl on my foot or just couldn’t stop crying, and one way or another, there I go, bleeping away about my circumstances or dropping colorful adjectives into my speech. And you said, “Hey, it’s going to be okay, Summer.” And when I apologized for cussing – which is sort of like stuttering for me – you would say to me, “I cuss sometimes, too. But by God’s grace, I hope to say good things.” Then you have joined me in the ranks of sinners asking for mercy and also given me an opportunity to receive grace. By coming alongside me, you would have extended the love of God; if you had stood above me to judge me, you would only have crushed me further into despair.

The only one, according to Jesus, who can convict and convince of sin is the Holy Spirit. It’s only by acting like the Paraklete – the one who comes alongside – that we stand any chance of truly loving each other or together becoming holy.

FYI: Slut-shaming is not Christian

Have you seen this article {FYI If you’re a teenage girl} making the rounds of Facebook today? A lot of my friends are sharing it because it seems in passing to be a call to modesty for teenage girls by a mother of teenage boys. I have no problem with their family practice of reviewing the social media accounts each week. What I have a problem with is that, by blocking any girls who post a picture that the boys might deem sexually tantalizing and then blaming the girls for being immodest and putting bad thoughts in the boys’ heads, they are working absolutely against the development of the Christian virtues of self-control, humility, charity, and even faith itself.

Here’s an okay response: As a teen boy, I feel sexually tempted by seeing some 13 year old in her pajamas, so I had better not look at her photos anymore TILL I GET MYSELF UNDER CONTROL! Because I apparently don’t know how to see a girl in a picture the way God sees her.

Here’s a not-okay response: Let’s blame that girl for putting sex thoughts in your mind. She obviously wants to tempt you sexually even though you can’t escape those thoughts, and she’s immodest. (Because God forbid that any teenage girl lack the discretion to think ahead about teen boys slowly going through and studying her photo stream when she’s taking a photo to show her girlfriends her new top or makeup. But this conversation is not about discretion, is it? It’s about blame.) Let’s delete her from your friends list, since she is not codependent enough to pretend that she’s in charge of your responses.

Telling a girl that a boy can’t unsee her state of undress just reinforces the idea that boys cannot control their own thoughts. (Which? Since when? Are we just going to write off all creation and say evil can have it because we can’t be bothered to make an effort?) Controlling your thoughts, by the way, is a major focus of Christian prayer disciplines. Whether you’re schooled enough to be conversant in the language of fighting the passions, or if you only know how to proof text the Bible about taking thoughts captive to Christ, if you’re a Christian who prays or studies or worships at all, you have been exposed to this idea of self-control. What you may not have been exposed to, the world being in the state that it is, is the idea of humility.

St. Mary of Egypt is a huge help if you have some struggles with pornographic thoughts. Here’s her icon so we can all be encouraged.

How so? Well, basically, humility steps into any equation and reminds us of the glory of God, which has the effect of also reminding us that we are weak. That means, in the case of self-control, that we should assume that our struggle comes from our own lack of the fullness of God. Therefore, we ask for God’s help to act and see rightly, and we work hard to discipline ourselves and follow the disciplines of our Christian community in order to fight for the control that we lack. In other words, if I were a teenage girl who felt sexually tempted by, say, a blog post filled with photos of shirtless teenage boys on the beach (you know, while the mom gets mad at me for posting a photo in my pajamas), I would try to remember first of all that God made those boys for God’s glory alone, not for me to see as objects to use. Then I would remember that it was my own weakness that I did not see them rightly, and I would work over time to change the way I see them. Eventually, I would be able to look at anyone, of any degree of attraction or revulsion, and see the grace and glory of God in them. Because that is what I as a Christian would be called to do – to love God with all my all, and my neighbor as myself, that is, the way God sees me and wants me to see them.

Then modesty would be in the mind of the beholder, which is where it ought to be cultivated in the first place.

IF for some reason we think it’s okay not only to discourage boys away from the Christian virtues of self-control, humility, and loving their neighbors as themselves, trusting that over time the way they see girls and women will be transformed into something more along the lines of respect and love rather than as objects to be used to boost one’s selfish desire for power over others, then we should realize that we are basically telling them how not to be Christians. Because the core of Christian belief and practice is the humility of God, who became human so that we might become like God. And that humility and glory of God is what we call grace and why we give thanks and why we try to do kindness, justice, and mercy in the world.

But! You might say, what about not wanting my son to be around temptresses? (Because there are so many of them in 9th grade?) Okay, if indeed your dear son comes across a girl who, because she has been severely abused her whole life, sees herself only as a sex toy, then it’s your job as a Christian parent to have 1) Schooled him to see her for the way God sees her, even if she doesn’t cooperate, and 2) To have taught him compassion. If he’s a Christian man, taught from an early age that he’s responsible for how he responds to people, then he should be able to speak to the girl with kindness and not lust, without playing into her own damaged self view. He should be able to say to her, as a 15 year old with crazy hormones and confused emotions, “Hey, nice job in science class!”, not  “I like your tits in that top.” If you have not managed to teach your son the difference by that age, then don’t blame the girl.

A further thought on being judgmental: Stop it. We just aren’t supposed to. It’s trendy today to make up pithy sayings to repeat (love the sinner, hate the sin), but those things are basically misguided. The best prayer is the humble one – Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. Try to live your life by that, and teach your children to do so as well, and you might find that by the time they are teenagers, that they can manage to be friends with fellow teenagers –even those who wear pajamas in Facebook photos! — without resorting to slut shaming or blaming other people for their own unruly thoughts.

FFT: In Which GitD Jesus and Uncle Snuffy Perform Wodehouse

Cast

Aunt Dahlia : Glow in the Dark Jesus

Bertie Wooster : Uncle Snuffy

I want you to go to that shop and sneer at a cow creamer.

…

Me: Wait, Uncle Snuffy! You forgot the cow creamer!

OK. Now sneer.

…

Me: Great show, guys!

***

I’m not yet at liberty to say why I have been away from the blog so much lately, but it’s a good reason. Also, writing deadlines, so two good reasons, really. I’ve got a bit of a backlog of great interviews for you when I get back on schedule in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, I hope you’ll stop by the Writer’s Online Network to hear my Freshly Booked radio interview. I read an exclusive excerpt from Can’t Buy Me Love there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interview with Writing Parent Brad LaMar

My (actually famous and amazing photographer) friend Sonia Katchian took this photo of me reading at my first Barnes & Noble bookstore event. It was fun to talk about the book, even though everyone there actually read on Nook or Kindle!

Last week, I was swamped with two opera concerts, my Speculative Fiction writer’s group, and my Barnes & Noble appearance. This week, I’m catching up with interviews by featuring one writer today and one on Thursday. But first, here’s a little sample of Sunday’s concert, where I sang the Otello love duet with tenor Bert Bridgers, accompanied by Justin Sturtz on piano:

Download: gia-della-notte-densa.mp3

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Writing Parent and Author Brad LaMar, whose next book in the Celtic Mythos Series, The Megalith Union, is due out October 24!

Today, I’m glad to feature writing parent Brad LaMar, author of the Celtic Mythos series.

How many children do you have, and what are their ages?

I have two children, Evan is 12 and Paige is 10.

How do you find time to write with children in your life?

As they have grown over the years they have had progressively improved attention spans and have increased their ability to entertain themselves.  Early on I wrote after they were in bed, but more recently I find time to write while they are doing their thing.  Obviously, I’m available any time they need me, but I have found some daytime freedom to write some.

What do your children think of your writing?

When I first started taking writing seriously, I would write “Evan and Paige” stories casting them as the main characters, so they loved that!  They loved to hear themselves on some far off adventure, so it was easy to get good reviews from them.  Now that I am a published author and they are able to read the novels that I write, they give me more feedback than before.  They are very proud of me and are always asking questions trying to find out the inside scoop of my upcoming stories, but like any author, I try to leave them wanting more.

In which genre do you write?

I write YA fiction, middle grade fiction, and picture books.  I mainly write sci-fi, fantasy, mystery, and contemporary fiction, although my wife and I are working on a nonfiction manuscript as well.

How does your writing affect your family life?

Since I have been published, we have taken trips across the state of Indiana to independent book sellers, gone to a few author fairs and conventions, and have enjoyed the family outings and time together.  I try to schedule my writing time for when my kids and wife are also doing their work/play.  My wife and I are both educators so we are always bringing homework.

What is your typical writing pace?

During the school year, I try to write a chapter a week, but in the summer I have been known to write for many hours in a day (sometimes as many as 8!).

Beginning, middle, or end? Which part of a book/story do you most like to write?

Depends on the story, but I am usually in love with the way I plan to have a story end, although, building it up to the climax is always fun, too.

Where do you write?

I write at the kitchen table.

Do you write with background music?

I can write with background noises, but I prefer silence.  The living room is next to the kitchen and that’s where the kids will play Wii or watch some kid’s show where the voices are loud and the laugh tracks make you think it’s sooooo hilarious…Nice try laugh tracks!

What inspires you?

The people and family around me, other stories I’ve read or seen, and my own imagination inspire me to write my stories.  Sometimes I’ll wake up in the middle of the night with a story on my mind and have to jot it down before I can go back to sleep.

What’s next for you?

Releases October 24, 2013

I have the second book in my Celtic Mythos series due out October 24, 2013.  I’m working on the third book in the series and look for it to come out next fall.  I’m also writing a futuristic novel, revising children’s book, and sometimes I like to begin other stories just to get a feeling for them.

What are you reading?

I am reading education books about teaching metacognition to students and a few other education related books.  At home, I just finished reading The Automatic Detective by A. Lee Martinez and a graphic novel turned prose called Civil War by Stuart Moore.

Who are some authors who inspire you?

I really like A. Lee Martinez, Larry Correia, Dennis O’Neil, Greg Cox, J.K. Rowling, Suzanne Collins, and a bunch of others.  Really, as long as the story moves my imagination, then it inspires me.

How does your teaching background play into your writing?

Much of what I write is intended for the students I teach and have taught.  I know my audience very well, having had years of interactions with my audience.  There is no one more honest about what they like or hate than teenagers!

Typing or longhand?

Typing.

Why will people love your books?

Judging from reviews and feedback from readers of all ages, I think people will love my book(s) because of the voice I give to my characters, the interesting plots, and the splash of humor that I try to write with.

Thank you, Brad! Readers, you may find Brad LaMar online at the following links:

Brad’s Website

Brad’s Page at Light Messages Publishers

Brad LaMar on Facebook

Brad’s Amazon Author Page

Visit Brad online, and don’t forget to check out The Megalith Union on October 24!

 

Print

Last week, I had the privilege of meeting Brian Allen, a local letterpress artisan. His studio was a paper-lover’s dreamworld.

Hipsters worldwide, wipe that drool off your lip! Yes, this is real, actual Helvetica!

Besides the obvious exponential leap in street cred I gained by getting to hold Helvetica (I know!), I was immersed in my very favorite sort of decision: which paper to choose? And, oh, the lore! Brian prints with a genuine 1850s cast iron letterpress. While he was showing me the process and we talked papers and inks and logos — I’ll get back to the logos in a moment — he explained the printerly provenance of upper and lower case and the phrase, “out of sorts.” To all this besides, he has massive talent and also many books filled with paper samples, letterpress and logo designs, and oh, it was just glory!

Artisan printer Brian Allen’s c. 1850s press.

Now, before you start to wonder if I’m moving to Portland and growing a beard and having my next book printed in a truly authentic way, I will tell you why I was there. My next book, Tea and Crumples, is set in a tea and stationery shop of the same name. We won’t finalize the logo till the end of the month, but suffice it to say: 1. It’s gorgeous; 2. Custom stationery was called for. Brian Allen will print the custom letterpress stationery for the store, so that each note card will be a true work of art! {Go check out Brian Allen’s work!}

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My adorable son Pip pointing out my books on display at Barnes and Noble! “Can’t Buy Me Love? What does that mean anyway?” Hint: the heroine is a freegan.

But before you go off to dream your letterpress love story, there’s news about my first book, Can’t Buy Me Love! I will be reading and signing copies this Thursday, August 15 at 7:30pm at the Southpoint Barnes and Noble in Durham, NC. Come out to meet me if you’re in the area. I would love to sign your book! Bonus: a very reliable source has hinted that there may be a small amount of opera singing tossed into the reading. Hope to see you there!

Friday Faith Talk: O Rest in the Lord

The rest of the world refuses to comply with my preference for six months notice for any major events. Last time I tried to take a week off, lo and behold, I had a bunch of work come down the line – an article, a sale to prepare for, new music to learn, and something else that seemed huge at the time but is already forgotten. This week, with preparations under way for two concerts next week AND preparing for my eagerly anticipated reading at my local Barnes & Noble AND planning the first couple of months of my son’s kindergarten year of homeschool, rest has been vital. When this week’s scheduled interview had a glitch, I just sighed and gave in. I needed to take the week off. I wrote a little this week, just about 750 words to fix a plot hole, and I problem solved for the second half of the book. But my manuscript is sitting quietly with its 153 pages, waiting till next weekend, when the satisfying concerts buoy my spirits and my calendar clears.

Happened upon this display when I took my little ones to the bookstore today!

Having good work to do is a gift, one for which I am grateful all day. But sleep and rest are also gifts, ones that I have a hard time remembering to accept.

I led a spiritual gifts workshop at my church several years ago that had people draw pictures in response to prompts. One woman showed her picture of a sleeping person. If she had an hour to do anything at all, it would be sleep. Was that from God?, she wondered. I knew her to be the mother of three, two of whom were toddler twins. I told her that yes, that sounded about right. God gives his beloved sleep. It’s definitely a gift!

Those words came back to me this week, and I was glad of them. Rest is good. Rest is a gift. Lord, help us find ways to accept it!

Friday Faith Talk: Making the common holy

A hand-written icon on board at one of our prayer stations. My husband wrote this one as a study for the full icon he’s completing now.

One of the best parts of being  married to an iconographer is the daily reminder of God stepping into human life and inviting us to dance. I get to watch an egg turn into an image and wine turn into wonder.

This egg tray has wells deep enough to make a large amount of paint for a consistent float.

Or, as this evening, a ceramic egg tray holding the perfect depth of wells for the float that will veil the light shining from the icon. Because while God loves us and always wants to dance, He never uses force to make us believe. The light from heaven has a curtain over it so that God can hide in plain sight and surprise our eyes when we look for Him.

The icon of the Theotokos Eleusa after third highlight, waiting for third float.

Sometime this weekend, I will get to see the icon come alive.

Waiting for the final veil and final lines.

I hope a grace light shines on you this weekend, too.

Most Fridays, I reflect on some aspect of faith life. If there’s a Christian faith topic you’d like me to write about, please leave a comment or contact me on my Facebook page.

Interview with Writing Mother Stacy Margaret Allan

Mother and Author Stacy Margaret Allan’s first book, Sorrow Dreams, is due out in October 2013.

One of my favorite parts of being a writer is the sense of community we establish across the globe. Through writing groups on Facebook, I met debut author Stacy Margaret Allan, who not only writes about realistic characters in one of my favorite genres, but happens to be from one of my favorite places in the world: Fife, Scotland. I am very glad to welcome Stacy today to talk about how she balances writing and family life. I was inspired by her determined use of time to get writing done, and I hope you are, too. Read on, and don’t forget to visit Stacy at the links below!

How many children do you have, and what are their ages?

My daughter is four years old and my stepson is nine years old. He lives with his dad so he’s under my permanent care.

How do you find time to write?

My daughter starts school this year, so I will have plenty more opportunities to sit and write! When she was at nursery for a couple of hours each weekday, I used to sit in the library or in the car and write Sorrow Dreams. For a long time I was writing on paper because I didn’t have a laptop, but I have invested in my future and bought a laptop. Now I can use Microsoft Word wherever I like, but I am so used to writing on paper than I usually write in a notebook and then type it up later. My children go to Street Dance classes so I manage to get some writing done when I’m waiting to pick them up.

What do your children think of your writing?

I write books that are only suitable for adults so they understand that they can’t read what I’ve written until they are a lot older. They’re really excited that I’m writing a book and they often check with me to see if I’ve got any more likes on my Facebook page. I told them about this interview and they were proud of me.

In which genre do you write?

I write crime fiction and my first book, Sorrow Dreams, is due for release in October 2013. It contains sex, drugs and murder so it’s only suitable for grown-ups.

How does your writing affect your family life?

I spend a lot of my time writing, and I use Facebook to promote my writing. I try not to spend too much time away from the children to write when I don’t have to because I want them to feel like I’ve been around the house for them when they need me. I’m glad that they see I’m really putting my mind to something, and I hope it inspires them. My stepson writes stories sometimes, and my daughter draws a lot of pictures. She can’t wait until she can write full sentences so she can join in with us.What is your typical writing pace?

I write a few paragraphs for every chapter and I can concentrate on writing two chapters at a time before I feel a strain starting to affect my brain. I find editing much easier and I can sit for hours doing that, but the actual writing from scratch takes a lot out of me because I become so engrossed in it.Beginning, middle, or end? Which part of a book/story do you most like to write?

I like to dive straight into the middle of a story and then plan where the odds and ends go when I’m already in the middle. I started to write Sorrow Dreams by visiting lots of different scenes and then making a plan how they were all going to fit together.

Where do you write?

I write Sorrow Dreams in the car, in the library, in the café, at home in my living room or in my bedroom.

Do you write with background music? A soundtrack?

No, I don’t listen to music when I write.

What is your beverage of choice when writing?

Cold juice, usually diluted orange juice or Irn Bru Sugar-Free.What’s next for you?

I’ve already picked the title of my next book, Rainbow Screams. I haven’t planned the whole story yet but I know that it will be connected to Sorrow Dreams. It will continue to follow some of the worst villains from Sorrow Dreams and it will be set in Shinewater like the first book. Shinewater is a town that I invented. It is situated very close to where I live and it captures a lot of the customs and atmosphere of our local area. There’s a loch outside my town called Loch Gelly, which means ‘Loch of Shining Waters,’ and I use the name Shinewater to honour that. This area has lots of villages that were used for coal mining and the legacy remains here, even though the coal pits are gone.Is there a story you think ought to be written, but not by you?

I was talking to this lady once on Facebook about random story ideas and she said she’s done a lot of research into which stories haven’t been written yet. She had an idea for a story about a lesbian couple who were stuck in a prison in the Middle Ages. I have no idea if she went on to write it.

What are you reading?

Mel Sharratt’s Estate Trilogy. I read the first one over the last few days and now I’m onto the second book. I’m reading them on my Kindle and I’m hooked on this storyline.

Who are some authors who inspire you?

J.K. Rowling inspired me greatly because we share similar personal circumstances. She was a young mum living off of state benefits in Scotland, trying to make a better life for herself and her daughter. I lost my job shortly before my daughter was born so I can really relate to that. J.K. Rowling wrote as often as she could, pouring the words down on to paper in an effort to make everyone fall in love with her stories. Martina Cole was the first crime writer that I came across and I absolutely love her books. I am passionate about crime writing and I can’t imagine writing in any other way now that I’ve started writing Sorrow Dreams. Mandasue Heller, Jessie Keane, Sheila Quigley and Kimberley Chambers also write in a similar way.

What’s your background? How does it play into your writing?

From a very young age, I always loved to read books. My mum taught me how to read before I started primary school. I wrote stories and poems from the age of seven, and I used to sit on top of a garage roof with my friends and read these out. My friends starred in them too so they never got bored of listening to them! When I was about ten years old I read Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume and I realised that you can share all of your personal feelings, thoughts and emotions with other people in a book and they will feel as if you have reached out and connected with them. After I read that book I knew that I wanted to be an author, and by the time I’d reached high school I had already decided that I was serious about becoming a writer.

Why will people love your books?

Hopefully people will love my book because they will feel that it applies to them. The characters are raw and real. They go through some gritty and extreme circumstances but they also go through the same ups and downs as everyone else. They suffer from their mistakes, laugh and cry together, and they create meaningful bonds with other people. The reader gets to see why these new-found connections mean a lot to the characters.

Thank you for talking with us today! Readers can find Stacy online at her {Facebook Page}, her {Blog} and on {Twitter}.

If you are a writing parent or teacher who would like to be featured in a guest post or interview on Writing Like a Mother, contact me, Summer Kinard, on Facebook or at summerkinard {at} gmail {dot} com.

Prayer for Survivors

Today, my article, “Prayer for Survivors” posted on the Survivor Today site {Go There}. Please check it out and share. I cover several types of prayer under the categories: praying while triggered, prayers for when you wake up afraid at night, prayers that make a prior claim, prayers that make safe spaces, and prayers that by-pass guilt and shame. While the site is directed toward healing survivors of childhood sexual abuse, survivors of any major trauma may find my article helpful.There is also a Pinterest board to accompany the article: Prayer For Survivors.

I hope this article builds you up.