Amanda Diaz

  “Grief must be observed,” my therapist told me matter-of-factly.    “In order to heal, grief must be observed.”    She must have repeated herself because of the dumbfounded look on my face.    It was hard to process what she was saying because I had spent the last three decades of my life quite […]

  My morning brain fog was still thick when a phone call came in from an excited family member.    They had just seen one of my children’s faces on Fox News.    Wait. What? Why?   Fox is no small news station. I didn’t understand how this could happen without me knowing. I anxiously

  I’m a subscriber to The Roys Report, so I naturally receive articles on the latest developments in Christendom through my email multiple times a week. Sometimes, the articles offer encouraging spotlights on how the church perseveres through persecution, criticism, and various hardships. However, the clickable content is primarily related to significant moral failings by

  We all have that one friend, family member, or acquaintance that can’t seem to get over their ‘church hurt’. We’ve tried to engage with them about visiting our place of worship on a Sunday morning. However, the conversation is over before it even begins, because they have either politely or not-so-politely declined the suggestion.

  It was after 9 p.m. on a cold winter night, and my son’s basketball practice was nearly over. Freezing rain fell from the sky as I attempted to drive through one last country road to get to his school.   The roads were slick and my tires, not so great, but I was only

  Being hurt in the church is not a rare occurrence. Humans offend one another constantly, and religious organizations are not exempt from this truth.    It is a part of human nature.    These incidents can run the gamut, from small infractions to life-altering consequences. Inside the church’s double doors, we encounter times when

  “The justice wheel turns slowly…” isn’t an old proverb for no reason, but it wasn’t a saying I was familiar with until recently.   I’m very familiar with it now.   When I look back at pre-excommunication Amanda, I see a hopeful woman who trusts her church and the people inside it to submit

  Home is not just a place.   It’s a feeling. It’s a smell. It’s a vision. It’s a taste. It’s a set of sounds.   It’s wearing slippers so I can scamper around the kitchen blissfully unaware of every sticky spot or accidental drop of liquid on the hardwood floor.   It’s tripping over

In the aftermath of severe spiritual abuse, when it seems the only option is to submit to the oppression that has undoubtedly won every battle, what is a soul to do? What are the pipelines in place to pursue justice in the church?    And if they exist, is it right for a Christian to

  “…with liberty and justice for all.”   I’ve repeated these words more times than I can count. Every morning, when I was a young elementary student, we were required to stand, place our right hand over our heart, and pledge our allegiance to the American flag. Rain or shine. Sleepy or wide awake. On