I sent this earlier but several people have been having problems with broken or missing links, so here it is again for you... ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
| Hi John! I sent this newsletter earlier today but I've gotten several emails about broken and missing links, so here it is again with everything fixed for you. I'm not ready to speak about the events of this week. Maybe next week. But for now, we're talking about deconstruction and post-Church depression. Cartoon: Love when you need it most 🏳️🌈
Dad Joke: Where the nearest woods? 🌲
Post: Packing some prints 🧡
Quote: The role of culture 🎨
Artwork: Is There Consolation? ☔️
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| Love When You Need It Most |
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| Its been a bad week... really bad. I think you know why. I just want you to know that I love you without the fine print. I'm still processing, I'm sure you are too. But this is one thing I'm sure of. |
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Therapy:
1. Expensive
2. Years of hard work
3. Emotionally draining
4. Tough to find
Screaming in the woods:
1. Free
2. Immediate relief
3. Scares hunters enough to leave-therefore saving innocent animals
4. Potential to make friends with people who are also screaming in the woods |
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| I'm excited about how great these are going to look hanging alongside each other. What do you think? |
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| “The work of culture is to make suffering sufferable.” (Elaine Pagels, Why Religion?) |
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| Post-Church Depression & Recovery |
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The deconstruction of my belief started on graduation day at my seminary. I suddenly questioned the inspiration, infallibility, and inerrancy of the Bible. It was absolutely devastating.
Long story short, I spent the next 30 years in ministry trying to figure it out.
I was in denial about my shifting beliefs for quite some time and I tried to bargain with God about what I was going through.
But when that inner deconstruction came to a head, I experienced so much anger and I eventually left the church and ministry in 2010.
That journey nearly destroyed everything. All hell broke loose, the shit hit the fan, and the bomb went off in the centre of my life.
Lisa and I lost almost all of our friends, all of our support, and our sense of meaning & purpose. And we nearly lost our marriage.
After a while of wallowing in my ‘post-church depression’, Lisa sternly told me that I needed help. I wasn’t good. I was traumatized. And my method of coping was to freeze. I thought I was fine because I was feeling no pain. The truth was, there was a deep depression hiding under my indifference, and I had to deal with it.
I got help. I began my healing journey. And in 2012 I realized I wasn’t alone in what I was going through.
Many others were going through a similar “5 Stages of Deconstruction”, and were experiencing the same trauma. Yet, there was nothing out there to support them, as there was nothing for me.
In the church, you have resources galore. If you leave, you leave the resources too. Basically, you’re on your own.
That’s when I decided to launch The Lasting Supper (TLS), my private online community, to help others through the challenges of their deconstruction. I wish there had been something like that available to me, but it was just too taboo at the time.
I wanted to provide a place where anyone at any of the 5 stages of deconstruction could join to get support on their journey and have a safe space to feel valued and validated in their experience.
This is what I love most about TLS— it’s diversity of people. We have members all over the deconstruction/spiritual map and the whole spectrum of belief and non-belief. It’s a dynamic group of non-judgemental care and support where we all respect each other’s space and place, and where members receive consistent videos, letters, pdfs and more, to help find their path to spiritual independence and freedom.
This last week has been my first time talking about it publicly in quite a while and if you’re looking for support, connection or camaraderie as you navigate your deconstruction, we might be just the place you need right now. So take a peek. The doors are open for new members until next week and you can join risk-free to try it out! We'd love to have you. |
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| [FREE PDF] The 5 Stages of Deconstruction |
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| I was talking with my son recently about deconstruction and we got to talking about the 5 major stages people go through on their way to spiritual freedom and independence. He suggested I turn it into a PDF and guide for people on their journey, so that’s what I did and I’d like to give you a copy. In it, you’ll learn the 5 stages of deconstruction, discover how to identify which stage you’re in, and gain a few practical steps on how to move forward from each one, so that you can better navigate your way through. There IS light at the end of the tunnel! I know how long, lonely and depressing the process of deconstruction can be, and that’s why I created this–to help you navigate through your shifting beliefs (and the real world problems they create) and come out feeling more aligned and alive on the other side. So click the button and grab a copy now! |
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| Original Watercolor: Is There Consolation? |
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| The crow bends under the inclement weather. The driving rain pierces through to the very centre of the soul. There are good days and then there are bad. I painted this during a bad day. Today. This is how I felt. Is this how you feel? BUT... notice the bit of light that seems to shine upon the crow. Maybe that means something hopeful! |
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| We still need time to process. And then we'll need some time to heal. And soon we'll be ready to get back to work. I hope you're spending this weekend taking care of yourself. You deserve it! Much love my friend, David |
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NakedPastor Gondola Point Road Quispamsis, NB E2E 1H6 |
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