The Unlovely Truth

Red Flags in Relationships Part 1: The Murder of Michelle Young

What would you think if your significant other asked to have a relationship with another person “on the side”? I think most of us would see that as a huge red flag, but Michelle Young didn’t. Maybe she was so used to her husband’s immaturity and callous disregard for her feelings that it seemed like business as usual. If only she’d taken another look and seen the man she married for who he really was, maybe she could have escaped what he planned for her.
Welcome to another episode of The Unlovely Truth. I’m your host, private investigator Lori Morrison. Join me for another captivating true crime story, where physical, spiritual, and emotional safety takeaways are waiting for us. If you are listening, I believe you have a unique calling—to become a different kind of PI, not a typical private investigator, but a person of impact! Discover how you can easily step into this role and make a profound difference in someone's life. This is Season 4, Episode 24. Our book this week is “Murder on Birchleaf Drive: The True Story of the Michelle Young Murder Case”. Our guest this week is the host of Murder Shelf Book Club Podcast, my friend Jill McCracken. Let’s dive into our story at the intersection of faith and true crime!
This week I want to talk a bit about 2 Timothy 3:1-5 from the Contemporary English Version:
You can be certain that in the last days there will be some very hard times. People will love only themselves and money. They will be proud, stuck-up, rude, and disobedient to their parents. They will also be ungrateful, godless, heartless, and hateful. Their words will be cruel, and they will have no self-control or pity. These people will hate everything good. They will be sneaky, reckless, and puffed up with pride. Instead of loving God, they will love pleasure. Even though they will make a show of being religious, their religion won't be real. Don't have anything to do with such people.
Sometimes we have trouble reading people because no one is 100 percent good or 100 percent bad. But Paul is teaching us in this passage the red flags we need to be on the lookout for. Jason Young certainly exhibited a lot of the behaviors from this passage. He certainly showed by his actions that he loved himself and money more than he loved Michelle. He made rude and hateful comments to her in front of others on a regular basis. Everyone who knew him saw his reckless and impulsive side.
For our own safety, Paul tells us very plainly to have nothing to do with people like this! Of course, I’m not blaming Michelle. No one ever deserves to be treated the way Jason treated her. My hope is that we can all find takeaways in her story to apply to our own lives, and to share with people we love. Even if we aren’t in the kind of physical danger that Michelle was, we still don’t want someone with such negative traits to influence our behavior or our children’s. Our emotional and spiritual safety is too precious to let them be under constant attack. If you need some help in this area, please reach out to me privately and I’ll help you get connected to resources that can help you.
If you liked this episode, be sure to check out some earlier ones. I’ve had so many amazing guests and you won’t want to miss their insights. You can also help someone else begin their journey as a different kind of PI - a person of impact, when you share the episode, and when you subscribe, give me a five star rating and a nice review.
Please visit my website to access more episodes, read my blog posts, or check out ways you can financially support the podcast so that together we can impact more people, more families, and more communities.
If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting and investigative services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.
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Season 4, Episode 23: Rescued for a Reason Update

Today's episode is crazy special. We get to be updated on an amazing story from last season. Larry and Connie Van Oosten were looking forward to a quiet retirement in the small, peaceful town of Erie, Illinois. They’d worked hard and planned well. Little did they know that a man had spent over a year and a half working hard on a plan to kidnap and terrorize them to get to their hard-earned retirement savings. They had an unshakable faith in God that helped them survive the ordeal, but would it be enough to help them stay strong once they realized the kidnapper was someone they knew?
This is Season 4, Episode 23. Our book this week is Rescued For a Reason and our guests are Connie and Larry VanOosten. I’m going to quickly recap their story but you can listen more in depth by following these links to listen to the two part episode that describes their story more in depth:
Season 3, Episode 21: Where is Your God Now, Part 1: The Kidnapping
Season 3, Episode 22: Where is Your God Now, Part 2: The Aftermath
We all want to believe that we are safe in our home, and usually we are. The problem is that we don’t always get a warning when that is going to change. That's why I wrote “In God We Trust, Everyone Else Gets a Background Check”. It will be available on June 27th and I’ve packed it full of practical tips, bible verses, and encouragement. Make sure you listen to next week’s episode when I’ll read a short passage so you can get a taste of what it’s all about.
“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Matthew 6:14-15 NLT
I know this sounds Pretty straightforward, but of course, this is hyperbole. I’m not suggesting that we can lose our salvation if we are struggling to forgive someone. But I am suggesting that we consider how harboring a spirit of unforgiveness puts distance between us and God. It strains our relationship. Forgiveness is a lot of things but first and foremost it is an act of obedience. We often think it is a feeling that must develop before we can apply it. I know I’ve been guilty of that myself.
Multiple researchers have shown that smiling, even when we don’t feel like it, can make a difference in our physical well-being. Just Google “research about how smiling makes you happy” to see it all. The act influences the feeling just as much as the feeling influences the act. That’s how we should approach forgiveness in really tough situations. If we forgive even when we don’t feel like it, that conscious act of obedience will soften our hearts and allow God to minister to us even more deeply.
Please visit my website to access more episodes, read my blog posts, or check out ways you can financially support the podcast so that together we can impact more people, more families, and more communities.
If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting and investigative services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.
Buy Rescued for a Reason
Email Larry and Connie
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S4E22: Murderous Mom: A Story of Betrayal

If you feel like you could have done a better job as a mom, and I’m pretty sure we all feel that way sometimes, I’ll guarantee you you did a better job than Diane Downs. If watching an episode of Hoarders makes you feel pretty good about how clean your house actually is - listening to this episode will make you feel like Mother of the Year.
This is Season 4, Episode 22. Our book this week is Small Sacrifices by Ann Rule. We’ll also take a look at a mom who is wanted for the murder of her 5 year old son. It’s hard to imagine that a mom could ever do something so evil, but according to a 2016 article by Phillip Resnick, a professor of psychiatry at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, the United States has the highest rate of child murder among developed nations, and the most common perpetrator of child homicide is a parent. In fact, about 2.5% of all homicide arrests in the United States are for parents who have killed their children.
I know that is very disturbing, but when we look into these cases, when we hear these stories, I believe we can learn something that could help us save potential victims. It’s been too long since we’ve done an Ann Rule book and I think this is one of the most disturbing cases she covered. It’s the story of a mother who seemed so emotionally disconnected from her children that when they got in the way of the life she wanted, she decided they were expendable.
None of us wants to think about a mother hurting their children, but it happens more often than we think. We believe certain people can always be trusted - moms, police officers, teachers, coaches, pastors. That’s one big reason that I’m getting ready to release my latest book “In God We Trust - Everyone Else Gets a Background Check”. It’s a very practical look at why we trust too easily, who we trust too easily, and how we can learn to trust properly. Now let’s take a look at another mom who police say murdered her own child, and they need your help to find her.
You may remember the story from the Old Testament where the people of Israel ask the prophet Samuel to find them a king. Things had not gone so well in the era of the judges, so they decided having a king like other nations would be a good idea. So, guided by God, Samuel gives the people a tall, handsome man named Saul to be their king. Unfortunately, even though Saul looks the part of a great leader, he has some major character flaws. He disobeys God’s commands, and so God says the people must have a new king, a humble and obedient king. God tells Samuel to go to Bethlehem to find a man named Jesse.
Samuel saw Jesse’s oldest son Eliab, he assumed that this was the man destined to be Israel’s new king. But let’s read God’s response:
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by a man’s face or height, for this is not the one. I don’t make decisions the way you do! Men judge by outward appearance, but I look at a man’s thoughts and intentions.” 1 Samuel 16:7 TLB
Predators try so hard to take on the appearance of someone who is trustworthy and full of good works. They want to impress us. We have to remember that we don’t know what a person is really like from the way they look, the words they say, or how awesome they seem on social media. We need to learn to assess a person’s trustworthiness by looking, as God does, by what’s on the inside.
I know you’re probably thinking that we can’t know a person’s thoughts and intentions the way God does, and you’re right. But all of us let who we really are leak out in things we say and do. You can know what’s on my heart by watching closely what I say and what I do. Little inconsistencies aren’t to be seen as fluke things, but as my true nature leaking out! It drives me crazy when a high profile criminal is caught and the media starts interviewing neighbors. These people will say that the guy seemed so nice, there were no red flags, then they will say “but”, and describe things they explained away because they didn’t want to think the worst. Those red flags are the true nature of someone leaking out!
This is so important so I will say it again - Red flags in things people say or do are not exceptions to their character, they are expressions of their character. When someone shows you and tells you who they are, BELIEVE THEM. And if they are a caregiver for someone, please alert the authorities and have them do a welfare check. We have to look out for the vulnerable people God has placed in our community.
Please visit my website to access more episodes, read my blog posts, or check out ways you can financially support the podcast so that together we can impact more people, more families, and more communities. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting and investigative services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.
Grab a copy of Small Sacrifices
Watch the 20/20 episode
Listen to Season 3, Episode 46: The Meaning of Discernment and Keeping Kids Safe
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Season 4, Episode 21: Playing Doctor - A Offender Hiding In Plain Sight

Imagine a man who sees himself as so incredibly righteous that even the small town Baptist church that he founded might be a bit too liberal for him. That was Dr. John Huntington Story of Lovell, Wyoming. The town had a population of just under 2500 people and one traffic light. It also had a monster who molested hundreds of women and girls as young as three years old. More than 20 years after the monster was finally caged, the town is still divided on who the real monster was.
This is Season 4, Episode 21. Our book this week is “Doc: The Rape of the Town of Lovell” by legendary true crime author Jack Olsen and our guest is Beth Hoel, founder of BHG Consulting Group. She has been a member of the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers since 2017 and serves on the Governor’s Commission to Prevent Violence Against Women in Arizona. We’ll talk to her in just a bit, but first we are going to investigate this week’s case.
Just like John Story was eventually released from prison, so are the majority of people convicted of crimes. Beth is dedicated to ending generational abuse within families who have experienced the hardship and trauma resulting from sexually abusive behavior. Amazingly, she works with both victims and offenders to make communities safer for us all. I know you’ll find her work as impactful as I did.
Isaiah 59:14-15 Common English Bible says this:
Justice is pushed aside; righteousness stands far off, because truth has stumbled in the public square, and honesty can’t enter. Truth is missing; anyone turning from evil is plundered. The Lord looked and was upset at the absence of justice.
Not much has changed since Isaiah’s time has it? Justice and righteousness still seem far away at times. But this isn’t what God wants! Not everyone welcomes the truth being made known, but the truth is always worth telling. Even an Unlovely Truth. Maybe especially an Unlovely Truth. How else can we hold people accountable and get justice for hurting people? It can be very hard to share traumatic experiences we have or information about a crime. Let people know that you are someone who will listen to their story and give them no judgment or shame. If you have a story to tell and don’t think you have any safe people in your circle, please know that you can share with me.
Highlights from this episode include:
Gain tips for teaching your children what an unsafe person might say or try to do
Learn how a holistic approach to sexual abuse helps address the fact that most convicted offenders will re-enter society
Be challenged to let people know you are a safe person to disclose abuse to
If you like this episode, listen to Season 3, Episode 28: Not MY Son
Visit my website to access more episodes, read my blog posts, or check out ways you can financially support the podcast so that together we can impact more people, more families, and more communities. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting and investigative services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.
Grab your own copy of Doc
Check out Beth’s work here
Read more about sexual abuse by medical professionals
Check out Beth and Missy Talk on YouTube
Get Dr. Anna Salter’s book Predators: Pedophiles, Rapists, And Other Offenders (fair warning - I’ve read this book and while it’s extremely informative, their are some graphic portions)
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Season 4, Episode 20: Rape Statistics Don’t Tell the Whole Story: Rape Victims Do

Can you imagine experiencing a devastating trauma, having to tell all of the hurtful details to strangers, only to face judgment, criticism and even blame? Too often, that’s what rape victims go through. It’s not just the criminal court system. What if when you tried to have criminal charges brought, your attacker sued you in civil court?
We are going to investigate a shocking true crime story to see what spiritual and safety takeaways we can find. Both our case and our guest today overcame systems that seemed stacked against them. These stories will show us ways each of us can be a different kind of PI - a person of impact. It's so much easier to do that than you might think.
Our book this week is Know My Name by Chanel Miller and our guest is Witlee Ethan. Let’s dive into this disturbing yet hopeful case. I won’t get too graphic but we will be discussing sexual assault and rape, so please use your discretion when listening to our sharing this episode.
Highlights from this episode include:
Men that the world sees as good people can still commit evil acts
Women who have less than perfect lives can still be victims
Victims of sexual assault desperately want to feel clean and a non-profit called Her Well addresses this problem with compassion, love, and practical support
Dive a little deeper into Deuteronomy 16:18-20 In Deuteronomy, Moses emphasizes the importance of making a daily choice between pursuing our own wants or obeying God's commands. Individual responsibility is critical, but we all are also part of a larger community. We have to look out for ourselves but we cannot neglect looking out for others as well. Let’s dive a little deeper into Deuteronomy 16:18-20 from the Contemporary English Version:
Moses is speaking to Israel, and he says: “After you are settled in the towns that you will receive from the Lord your God, the people in each town must appoint judges and other officers. Those of you that become judges must be completely fair when you make legal decisions, even if someone important is involved. Don't take bribes to give unfair decisions. Bribes keep people who are wise from seeing the truth and turn honest people into liars. People of Israel, if you want to enjoy a long and successful life, make sure that everyone is treated with justice in the land the Lord is giving you.”
It’s easy to look at these verses and put the responsibility for justice completely on judges. But notice that it’s the people who are appointing these judges! We have to be sure that when we support candidates in any position that we look for people of character - people who will be fair and not give in to corruption. I’m not saying that in either Chanel or Witlee’s case there were any illegal dealings, but there were certainly questionable decisions made. If you get a copy of “Know My Name”, you see how even though Brock Turner was convicted, his sentence was so light that an outraged community had him recalled as a judge. And Witlee is advocating to be sure that cases like hers are dealt with fairly as well. As a community, we have to look out for each other and hold our leaders accountable for their failures.
If you like this episode: Don’t miss Season 4, Episode 4: Surviving: Doing Whatever You Need to Do
Visit my website to access more episodes and read my blog posts. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting and investigative services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.
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Season 4, Episode 19: Drug Money - When Legal Drugs Have Deadly Consequences

For two years, twin brothers Chris and Jeff George along with their friend Derik Nolan, ran the largest pain clinic in the United States. They didn’t really care about alleviating people’s pain. They cared about the profits selling opioids could make. Florida’s laws didn’t address the fact that none of the men had any medical training to help addicts. They had no training in counseling to help addicts. They were in it because the money was big. Unfortunately, the addictions the drugs fueled were even bigger.
This week’s guest, Christina Dent, founded End It For Good out of her desire to invite others to listen to the voices directly impacted by our drug laws. She hopes that more people will explore the root causes of drug-related harm and consider a different approach. She is currently writing a book on the research and experiences that changed her mind about the best path forward to help people thrive, even in a world where harmful drugs exist.
Christiana and I had an incredible conversation, and what I learned made me think a lot about 1 Peter 5:8 from the CEV, which says:
“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
Keeping ourselves sober in the sense of being clear minded applies to us all. The enemy of our souls is actively searching for ways to destroy us like the lions we see on the Discovery Channel. They don’t chase after the strongest gazelle in the herd. They want to find one who is weak, who is apart from the support of the herd, and isn’t able to notice the danger they are in until it’s too late. Addiction to ANYTHING can cloud our judgment and make us vulnerable to the evil that is in this world.
I say this a lot when I’m giving safety information to people - criminals are looking for the easiest targets they can find. They don’t want problems, they want to give YOU problems. We have to be watchful like Scripture says, and that’s hard to do when our senses are dulled and we allow ourselves to be distracted. And yes, I said “allowed” ourselves. We can learn to focus on what we really need to and block out all of the rest, like service dogs do. I’ve put a link to a video of dogs being trained to ignore loud noises, toys, and even snacks so they can protect the person they are going to be caring for. Maybe we need the same training to become the best service people we can be! Just for fun, I’ve also put in a link to a service dog in training who we all probably look like at one time or another.
If you were intrigued by this week’s episode, be sure to listen to this one: Season 1, Episode 18: Finding Tess
You can visit my website to access more episodes or read my blog posts. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting and investigative services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.
Buy Chasing the Scream by Johann Hari
Buy In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts by Gabor Maté
Visit End It For Good and learn more about Christina
Watch Christina’s TEDx talk
Service dog training video
Service dog training fail
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Season 4, Episode 18: Is True Crime “Entertainment” Ethical?

Are the top true crime podcasts necessarily the most ethical? I read an interesting survey the other day that said that the top two reasons that people listen to podcasts are for entertainment and education. The bottom reason, kind of sadly I think, is for encouragement and inspiration. I will try to give you all of those things on my podcast! That survey made me rethink about looking at true crime podcasts as entertainment and how that made me feel. Was hosting a true crime podcast a good idea, and if it was - how do podcasters ethically share these stories? Today I want to talk about the conclusion I came to AND celebrate other podcasts who are doing it in ways I think fits into a good ethical framework.
It’s the first Tuesday of the month so it’s time to highlight an unsolved case in the hopes that someone listening knows something that will make a difference for the victim’s family. 8-month-old Amiah Robertson was reported missing on March 16, 2019, in Indianapolis, Indiana Her family said they didn’t believe she was in danger - which seems really weird to me since they said she was missing. By March 23rd, police announced that they were from that point forward investigating Amaih’s case as a homicide.
Highlights from this episode include:
• Three recommendations for highly ethical true crime podcasts
• Five ideas to easily make an impact in other’s lives
• One new unsolved case that needs your help
If you liked this episode, check out this previous episode of The Unlovely Truth: Season 3, Episode 48: Twelve Years Gone: Where Are the Skelton Brothers?
Visit my website to access even more episodes or read my blog posts.
To contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting and investigative services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.
Regional Facts and Figures North American Indigenous People
Anyone with information about Amiah’s disappearance is urged to contact the IMPD Homicide Office at 317-327-3475 or call Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-8477 (TIPS).
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Season 4, Episode 17: Teen Violence: Facing Our Fears to Make an Impact

Are you ready to learn how to turn fear into fuel if you find yourself in a sketchy situation?
This topic can positively impact every single person on the planet - I truly believe that.
My guest is Tony Blauer. Coach Blauer has been in the martial art, self-defense, defensive tactics, and combatives industry for over four decades. He founded Blauer Tactical Systems (BTS) in 1985 and it has grown into one of the world's leading consulting companies specializing in the research and development of performance psychology, personal safety, and close-quarter tactics & scenario-based training for law enforcement, military, and professional self-defense instructors.
His research on the neuroscience of fear and the startle-flinch led to the development of the SPEAR System®, a modern personal defense system based on physiology, physics, and psychology. It has been used by defensive tactics and combative trainers all over the world for over 30 years. After decades of interviewing victims of violent encounters and studying violence, he created the KNOW FEAR® program which focuses on managing fear through self-awareness, resiliency, and a 'movement' mindset. This program has also been integrated by psychologists helping Vets to deal with PTSD.
This week’s case centers on two young men who sent up plenty of red flags, but all were ignored. Even when one of them said he was planning to murder someone. Our Scripture this week is 2 Timothy 1:7-8.
Highlights from this episode include:
Learning red flags to look for in teens’ behavior
Discovering how to use fear as fuel
Finding out how to effectively spot danger
Hearing how one woman saved herself from a dangerous situation
If you found great takeaways in this episode, you’ll love this episode:
Season 4, Episode 4: Surviving: Doing Whatever You Need to Do
Please visit my website to access more episodes, read my blog posts, or check out ways you can financially support the podcast so that together we can impact more people, more families, and more communities. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting and investigative services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.
Here are some ways to learn more about Tony, and connect with him:
Free guide MAKING FRIENDS WITH FEAR
Tony’s main website
The GARAGE GYM SELF-DEFENSE - Online training with Coach Blauer
ESSENTIALS OF PERSONAL SAFETY - 2-hour LIVE online course
KNOW FEAR podcast
The "BE YOUR OWN BODYGUARD " Publication - Join Coach Blauer's community
Album on Tony’s website
Facebook albums
Instagram personal
Instagram training page
Website
Training Calendar
Bleep Sound Effect courtesy of Pixabay

Season 4, Episode 16: The Decision to Kill: A Teenage Killer and the Mother Who Loved Him by Leslie Ghiglieri

Do you ever ask yourself this: why do I watch the news anymore? TV, print media, and social media make it seem like violent crime is happening all around us, all the time. What irks me is that once the shock factor is over, so few voices are giving us information about how to respond when tragedy does land at our doorstep. Today’s guest is going to do just that.
Each of us who is a parent knows what it’s like to be in a tough season with our kids. We need the support of others who have been there and survived! For all of us who are seasoned parents, I want to challenge us to find a parent who is in a tough season right now, and see if they would be open to you helping them. Whether that’s just being someone who will listen to them when they need to talk, or being more involved - the important thing is that we work together. That’s how we will make our families, our loved ones, and our communities just a little bit safer.
I’m excited that we get to talk to the author of this week’s book, Leslie Ghiglieri. Leslie has a degree in political science and has worked on numerous political campaigns. Her interest in the criminal justice field led her to work as a 911 dispatcher in California. After moving to Oregon, she joined the Josephine County Sheriff’s Department working in the dispatch and warrants divisions for three years, then accepted a position as a field representative for a criminal justice computer system overseeing the needs of seventeen agencies. Now retired, she was able to fulfill the wish of a friend to document the story of her husband’s murder and share a surprising message of encouragement.
Today I want us to dig into a passage from Scripture about loving our enemies. It’s from Matthew 5 verses 43 through 47.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?”
It’s hard to imagine any of our precious children as enemies. But there are times that we feel like we are in a battle together, and we aren’t on the same side. Cherie wasn’t on the same side of the battle as Dwayne, yet she prayed for him. She encouraged him. She loved him. She wasn’t looking for a reward, she was just trying to be obedient.
What a great example for us! And notice what it says in the second half of verse 45; that God sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. We are all going to have tough times in life. We will probably all have tough times with our kids. What we don’t want to do is automatically assume that because they are our kids, their behavior is our responsibility - especially the older they get. We do our best, but they decide how they will behave. If anyone out there is suffering because they have a child making bad choices and they feel responsible - please only take ownership of what you did or didn’t do. Your son or daughter is responsible for the rest.
If you liked this episode, you’ll want to listen to these:
Season 3, Episode 10: Murder in the Family
Season 2, Episode 19: How do I Forgive? "Murder by Family" by Kent Whitaker
Please visit my website to access more episodes, read my blog posts, or check out ways you can financially support the podcast so that together we can impact more people, more families, and more communities. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting and investigative services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.
Buy “The Decision to Kill: A True Crime Story of a Teenage Killer and the Mother Who Loved Him” here
Connect with Leslie here

Season 4, Episode 15: Therapist or Sexual Predator? How Do We Learn Who We Can Trust?

We tend to trust people who are in positions of power, or who hold down jobs that are service oriented like a doctor, a pastor, or a therapist. Amy Nordhues trusted her therapist. Everyone in her community loved him. Her friend raved about him. He was an elder at the church she was attending. Amy didn’t know it, but he was also very, very dangerous.
Our book this week is Preyed Upon: Breaking Free from Therapist Abuse and our guest is its author, Amy Nordhues. Amy is an author and speaker who hopes to use her experience both as a new Christian and as a victim of sexual abuse by a therapist/clergy to help, support and educate others. Through the telling of her very personal story she hopes to provide insight into the following: The inner workings of the abuse process of adult victims, how past childhood abuse can make an adult vulnerable to predators and so much more.
I do want to caution everyone that while we won’t be getting graphic, we will be discussing sexual abuse, and abuse by a trusted therapist. Please use your discretion about whether this is an episode that won’t trigger anything for you.
Luke 8:16-18
“Now no one lights a lamp and then covers it with a container [to hide it], or puts it under a bed; instead, he puts it on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see the light. For there is nothing hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come out into the open. So be careful how you listen; for whoever has [a teachable heart], to him more [understanding] will be given; and whoever does not have [a longing for truth], even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him.”
There’s a lot going on here in this short parable. Jesus dives right into what the purpose of a lamp is - to give light to people. What light does is to drive out darkness.
How can we expect people to want to hear the gospel when it comes out that we are hiding and excusing sin? The news is full of stories that involve trusted members of a faith community who are abusing others in secret. Why are we shocked when the world doesn't trust us, when they call us hypocrites? We want to make our churches safe for the people in our congregations, but also for people who have been hurt and aren’t sure where they can find a safe refuge. That’s part of what author Amy Nordhues shared with us today. I hope you’ll take something you’ve learned here and help your church become a light in the darkness in your community.
Can you trust everyone in your church? Not always. Listen here for Season 3, Episode 12: Bitter Jealousy: The Murder that Shocked a Small Town Church
Please visit my website to access more episodes, read my blog posts, or check out ways you can financially support the podcast so that together we can impact more people, more families, and more communities. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting and investigative services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.
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Buy my book, How to Kick Fear to the Curb: Private Investigator Approved Personal Safety Tips with Biblical Evidence to "Fear Not", here