Tony's special guest for this episode is Lynn Marie Cherry.
In the early years of her marriage Lynn frequently had an intuitive sense that something was "wrong" between her and her husband David... but she didn't know what it was. She chose to deal with this nagging feeling the same way she had learned to deal with any other difficult feeling or situation in her life... DENIAL!
But then her world was turned upside down when she woke up in the middle of the night... and discovered her husband secretly watching Internet pornography in their home office. This discovery was so upsetting and disruptive to Lynn... and the marriage... that they eventually began a counseling process that would last for two years. Although this process was very difficult... it helped Lynn and David to identity and process many of the dynamics that were causing their marriage to be so unhealthy... and as they slowly worked through these issues... they came out the other side stronger... and healthier... and happier than they had ever been before.
It's an amazing story that inspires hope for all of us.
Hope... that deeply broken hearts can be healed!
Hope... that deeply broken marriages can be healed!
Hope... that sexual addiction can be healed!
Hope... that broken trust can be reestablished!
Lynn Marrie Cherry is an author and a speaker... she has two sons... she lives in Texas... she loves God... and she's written a book entitled...
Keep Walking / 40 Days to Hope and Freedom after Betrayal
Tony's special guest for this episode is a prominent therapist, author, professor, and speaker who focuses on sexual abuse and trauma recovery... among many other important issues... Dr. Dan Allender.
Dr. Allender is one of the founders and former President of The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology in Seattle, Washington... and has authored numerous books including...
* The Wounded Heart
* Bold Love
* The Cry of The Soul
* God Loves Sex
Tony... and his wife Sheri... were both introduced to Dr. Allender's books and conferences when the disaster of their marriage led them to begin their counseling process. These resources contributed to their healing journey in a significant way. Although Tony and Sheri had both been sexually abused during adolescence... neither of them understood that they had been sexually abused... or how their sexual abuse had damaged their hearts and lives... and was still damaging their ability to be sexually healthy together as a married couple. Understanding their sexual abuse... and dealing with the corresponding issues became a significant stepping stone in Tony and Sheri's healing journey.
It's a sad reality that many people... both men and women... have experienced sexual abuse at some point in their life.
Dr. Allender helps us understand what sexual abuse is... how sexual abuse profoundly harms our soul... and how to find the hope and healing that only God can offer our lives.
theallendercenter.org
Tony's special guest for this episode - and the next - is a prominent therapist, author, professor, and speaker who focuses on sexual abuse and trauma recovery... among many other important issues... Dr. Dan Allender.
Dr. Allender is one of the founders and former President of The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology in Seattle, Washington... and has authored numerous books including...
* The Wounded Heart
* Bold Love
* The Cry of The Soul
* God Loves Sex
Tony... and his wife Sheri... were both introduced to Dr. Allender's books and conferences when the disaster of their marriage led them to begin their counseling process. These resources contributed to their healing journey in a significant way. Although Tony and Sheri had both been sexually abused during adolescence... neither of them understood that they had been sexually abused... or how their sexual abuse had damaged their hearts and lives... and was still damaging their ability to be sexually healthy together as a married couple. Understanding their sexual abuse... and dealing with the corresponding issues became a significant stepping stone in Tony and Sheri's healing journey.
It's a sad reality that many people... both men and women... have experienced sexual abuse at some point in their life.
Dr. Allender helps us understand what sexual abuse is... how sexual abuse profoundly harms our soul... and how to find the hope and healing that only God can offer our lives.
theallendercenter.org
In this episode Tony presents an introduction to the topic of sexual abuse... which will be followed in the next two episodes with an interview of Dr. Dan Allender who is a nationally recognized expert on the topic of sexual abuse.
Many people struggle deeply in the attempt to manage their sexual gift in a healthy way... and many Christian people act out sexually in a variety of ways in violation of their profession of faith and their conscience. This acting out often includes Internet pornography... compulsive masturbation... phone sex... cyber sex... strip clubs... sex massages... prostitutes... fornication... and adulterous affairs... among many other things.
The reason people act out sexually in this way is typically due to a combination of a variety of influences that have come to bear in their life and soul... and one of those influences that occurs more often than many people realize is the reality of sexual abuse.
In the way of example... both Tony and his wife Sheri were sexually abused during adolescence... but neither one of them understood that they had been sexually abused until they began their therapeutic process later in life.
In this episode Tony provides a brief introduction to the topic of sexual abuse including...
* The reality that more people have been sexually abused than realize they've been sexually abused.
* The proper definition of sexual abuse.
* Eight examples of what sexual abuse can look like.
* A basic introduction of how sexual abuse follows a person into their life and affects them in greater ways than they've probably ever understood.
* A real life testimony from a person who was sexually abused as a child.
WARNING... please to NOT assume this topic does not apply to you until you hear this episode. When you understand the true definition of sexual abuse... you might just realize that what happened to you really was sexual abuse... and it might help you understand a little better why you've struggled with sex as much as you have.
iamsecond.com - Tim Ross