215. Hope and Healing from Church Hurt & Disappointment (with Natalie Runion)

I am so excited to have Natalie Runion on the show today, and this couldn’t have possibly happened at a better time! In the last episode, Jesse and I shared our thoughts about the docu-series Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets, and a lot of you reached out to me to say that you have lost faith in the church because of bad experiences that you had, and Natalie (completely coincidentally) is here to discuss just that!Natalie has a new book coming out very soon titled Raised to Stay: Persevering in Ministry When You Have a Million Reasons to Walk Away, and she has been involved in ministry for two decades now. Hear her story of how she was hurt by the church when she was young and how she overcame that hurt and learned to trust other Christians again.There is so much wisdom and encouragement that Natalie has to offer, so if you have experienced church hurt and are still dealing with it, then this episode is definitely for you, as is Natalie’s book. Be sure to grab yourself a copy!
In This Episode[00:35] - This episode could not have been planned more beautifully![02:08] - Natalie lets us know a little bit about herself.[03:56] - Learn how church initially hurt Natalie.[05:57] - How did Natalie hold onto God?[07:25] - Natalie explains why she allowed herself to be angry.[09:22] - Hear how Natalie eventually developed trust.[10:50] - When did Natalie return to church?[12:27] - Returning to church full-time was scary at first.[14:38] - What do we do if we have been hurt by church?[16:58] - How do we avoid being the cause of church hurt?[19:25] - Is there a difference between hurt and offense?[22:17] - Natalie clarifies what she means by asking the lord.[23:54] - Natalie offers encouragement, telling us that we are not alone.[26:10] - Abusers do not represent the heart of God.
Links & ResourcesCrystal PaineShiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets on Amazon Prime
BooksRaised to Stay: Persevering in Ministry When You Have a Million Reasons to Walk Away by Natalie Runion
Social MediaCrystal Paine on InstagramCrystal Paine on TwitterCrystal Paine on GoodreadsMoney Saving MomMoney Saving Mom on FacebookMoney Saving Mom Deal Seekers Facebook group