I highly recommend Annie and her ministry to you. You will find her to be a capable and warm-hearted woman who will speak the truth into difficult situations.
Annie’s devotional series for survivors of abuse, with reflections on recovery, faith, and forgiveness.
Readings
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Bathsheba: Tale of an Abused Woman
Annie retells Bathsheba’s story, then reflects on what it meant to see a woman who had been abused become part of the family line of Jesus. She connects Bathsheba’s losses and renewed hope to her own recovery.
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Joseph: A Story of Recovery
Joseph survives betrayal by his brothers, slavery, and imprisonment. Annie follows him through those losses to his reunion with his family, where he can see a larger purpose and choose forgiveness.
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Rescued: A Touching Story of Love
A stranger rescues a child from a burning house. Annie reflects on why the rescuer’s scarred hands matter to the girl and what they tell her about Christ’s love and the courage to trust again.
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Getting to Know You
Starting with Paul’s prayer in Ephesians, Annie describes how getting to know Christ helped her understand herself. She recalls a conversation and prayer with a former pastor that helped her see past shame and believe she was loved.
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Facing the Giants: Joshua & Caleb
Annie compares the Israelites’ fear of the giants in Canaan with Joshua and Caleb’s trust in God. She includes questions and exercises for survivors facing fears and choices of their own.
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Forgiveness: Christ's Way
Written for Annie’s Bible study groups for survivors, this reading explores what Jesus taught about forgiving enemies, addressing wrongdoing, and letting go of revenge. It draws on Scripture and the parable of the unforgiving servant.
Original workbook session outline
The full workbook and recordings are missing from the backup.
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Pressing On
In this first segment, Through My Eyes, takes a look at what it means to press forward...that "forgetting what lies behind" does not mean ignoring our past and failing to confront the issues of our past.
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Bathsheba: Tale of a Disgraced Woman
Beginning to Press On, you will then look at the life of Bathsheba. A woman who was abused by the King's authority, and whose husband was killed by the King...and yet through all of this, God bestowed his grace upon Bathsheba.
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Shame & Grace: God's Shame Busters
While God may bestow his grace to us and bless our lives...we will very likely still struggle with shame. So this session takes a look at how you can overcome the shame of the things that have happened to you.
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At the Foot of the Cross: Don't Take It Lightly
Have you ever thought about the fact that Jesus asked "Why have you forsaken me?" This session will take a look at the journey that Christ faced and bring some insight into his final hours. This should give you a deeper understanding about what he went through...for you.
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Abba Father: The Father Heart of God
So many survivors shudder at the thought of God being a "father," because of the example of their father who abused them. The hurts and disappointments of our earthly father can leave emptiness, pain, and fear in our life, especially if our father was abusive. However, this takes a look at the Father Heart of God, and will help you to see him as the perfect and safe heavenly father that you can trust.
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The Lord is My Shepherd
Now, take a walk with annie as she goes through the 23rd Psalm and shares some of her life with you--from the early days of her recovery. You may never look at this Psalm the same again.
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God's Great Love: The Obstacles
This session takes a look at what keeps us from believing that God really loves us just as you are, and takes a look at some of the obstacles that often stand in the way of our understand this. This open that door to believing in--and accepting--God's love for you.
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Joseph: The Bigger Picture
Joseph went from being the most beloved son of his father to being a slave in Egypt...did God forget about him, or did God see the bigger picture.
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The Power of Forgiveness
Forgiveness is a powerful act within relationships, but we too often forget our model for forgiveness. Too many have made forgiveness out to be a denial of the things that happened, and people get trapped in bondage to the idea of "forgive and forget," and don't deal with the past. So, let's look at how and why we are to forgive. Discover the obstacles to forgiveness in a survivor's life. I guarantee, you won't be afraid of this subject as a survivor any more.
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Facing the Giants
A survivor is left with many "giants" that need to be faced in order to be truly free. Do you know what yours are? Hear a story about some giants that held God's people back from the promised land, and how one man went back and conquered them. You'll have a chance to discover and work through some of the giants in your life.
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Why Bad Things Happen to Good People
This is a special message presented by annie's son, Kevin K. Nelson, wordsofhealing.org. Take a look at why pain exists in the world, and how, contrary to the way we often think, it is actually God's love that keeps him from ridding the world of pain. Included is the song, Jehovah ElRoi, sung by annie.
Each session includes homework assignments to help you work through the issues in your own life. Also included is my "Relationship Chart" that can aid you in identifying the root of some of your distorted beliefs about yourself and others--and help you begin to tell yourself the truth.