The Two Witnesses

 

The Two Witnesses – Messianic Jews and the Gentile Church in Unified Power

Revelation 11:3-4 (KJV) “And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.”

The Two Witnesses represent one of the most powerful expressions of God’s end-time witness. In this booklet’s understanding, the Two Witnesses, the Two Olive Trees, and the Two Lampstands (candlesticks) all describe the same unified reality: the collaborative prophetic ministry of Messianic Jews who have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ and embraced the full Pauline revelation, working together with the Gentile Church in the last days.

This unified witness stands as a bold testimony amid the activity of the Four Horsemen, demonstrating that the Book of Revelation is the Revelation of Jesus Christ — the Lamb who empowers His Church even in the darkest hour.

God grants supernatural power to “my two witnesses” who prophesy for 1,260 days (3½ years) clothed in sackcloth, symbolizing mourning, repentance, and prophetic authority. They are explicitly identified as:

·  The Two Olive Trees speak of anointing and covenant (Zechariah 4:11-14) — the natural olive tree (Israel/Messianic Jews) and the wild olive tree grafted in (Gentile believers, Romans 11).

·  The Two Lampstands symbolize the churches bearing light (Revelation 1:20). One represents the Messianic Jewish remnant that has embraced Jesus as Messiah and the full Pauline revelation; the other represents the maturing Gentile Church.

·  These are not two isolated individuals but a corporate, unified prophetic company functioning as God’s witnesses. They work together in the last days, combining the strength of Jewish roots with the global reach of the Gentile Church to confront deception and proclaim the Gospel with signs and wonders.

The Messianic Jewish witness embodies the restored Jewish roots of the faith, embracing Jesus as Messiah and the full Pauline revelation of grace, the mystery of the Church, and the one new man (Ephesians 2:14-16). The Gentile Church brings its global reach, diverse gifts, and historical momentum. Together, they form a single, powerful prophetic company standing before the God of the earth.

This is not primarily two isolated individuals but a corporate, unified end-time witness — the maturing expression of the victorious super Church.

Nature and Practices 

Empowered by God, this unified witness will:

· Prophesy with boldness against the deception of the White Horse, the violence of the Red Horse, the economic bondage of the Black Horse, and the culture of death of the Pale/Green Horse.

· Exercise miraculous authority — shutting heaven from rain, turning waters to blood, and releasing plagues as often as needed (Revelation 11:5-6).

· Confront the systems of the Antichrist and call the world to repentance.

· Operate in the anointing of the “oil” (Holy Spirit) and the joy of the “wine,” modeling the protected provision discussed in Chapter 3.

Their ministry is marked by unity, authority, and sacrificial testimony, perfectly fulfilling Jesus’ prayer in John 17:21 that His people “may be one.”

Timeline: Pre-Wrath Ministry 

The Two Witnesses appear and minister during the pre-wrath period — overlapping with the intensified activity of the seals and the Four Horsemen, but before the full wrath of God is poured out through the later trumpets and bowls. Their 1,260-day ministry concludes with their temporary defeat by the beast, followed by resurrection after 3½ days and ascension to heaven. This dramatic public event serves as a powerful sign to the nations and transitions into the final stages of judgment. But before the full wrath of God is poured out in the later trumpets and bowls.

· They confront the systems represented by the Four Horsemen: exposing religious deception (White Horse), resisting violence and persecution (Red Horse), declaring freedom from economic bondage (Black Horse), and shining light against the culture of death (Pale/Green Horse).

· Their powerful ministry — shutting heaven, turning waters to blood, and releasing plagues as needed — demonstrates the authority of the unified Church operating in the Spirit’s power.

· At the end of their testimony, the beast overcomes them temporarily, but God resurrects them after 3½ days, and they ascend to heaven. This public resurrection powerfully testifies to the nations and precedes the final wrath.

In contrast, the 144,000 (Revelation 7:1-8 and 14:1-5) are a distinct group of sealed Jewish believers (12,000 from each tribe). They function as special witnesses primarily during the Great Tribulation period, protected by God for a unique evangelistic and worship role amid the height of the Antichrist’s persecution and the outpouring of wrath.

Connection to the Victorious End-Time Church 

The unified ministry of Messianic Jews and the Gentile Church is a direct fulfillment of the glorious Church prophesied in Isaiah 60. As gross darkness covers the earth through the Horsemen, this combined witness arises and shines with the glory of the Lord. It demonstrates supernatural power, draws a great harvest, and reveals the beauty of Jew and Gentile becoming “one new man” in Christ.

This partnership is the super Church in action — sealed for protection, resourced through the wealth transfer, and empowered to complete its assignment before the return of the Lord.

This unified witness of Messianic Jews and Gentile believers fulfills the prayer of Jesus in John 17:21 — “that they all may be one.” It is the glorious Church of Isaiah 60 arising in unity and power. As the Horsemen ride, this combined witness:

· Proclaims the full Gospel with boldness.

· Demonstrates supernatural authority.

· Prepares the way for a great harvest.

· Reveals the glory of God through the Church before the return of the Lord.

The temporary “death” of the witnesses reminds us that apparent defeat is never final in God’s story. Resurrection and ascension confirm the ultimate victory of Christ and His people.

God’s Perspective and Hope Even when the beast appears to overcome the witnesses, God has the final word: resurrection and ascension. This reminds every believer that apparent defeat is never the end. The unified witness of Messianic Jews and Gentile Christians will shine brightly, exposing darkness and proclaiming the Gospel with unprecedented authority.

Believers today are called to pursue this unity now — bridging Jew and Gentile in love, prayer, and mission. As we do, we position ourselves as part of this powerful company that will glorify God in the last days.

Messianic Jewish Unity with the Gentile Church

One of the most beautiful and strategic realities of the end-time Church is the growing unity between Messianic Jews (Jewish believers in Jesus/Yeshua as Messiah) and the Gentile Church. This unity is not optional but central to God’s plan for the glorious Church of Isaiah 60 and the powerful witness of the Two Witnesses described in Revelation 11.

Biblical Foundation The New Testament strongly emphasizes this unity:

· Ephesians 2:14-16 (KJV): “For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us… to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace.” Jesus’ death created “one new man” — a unified Body where Jew and Gentile are reconciled in Him.

· Romans 11:17-24: Paul uses the olive tree metaphor — Gentiles are “wild branches” grafted into the natural olive tree (Israel). Jewish and Gentile believers nourish each other, with mutual blessing and dependence.

· John 17:21: Jesus prayed that His followers “may be one,” so the world would believe. This unity between Messianic Jews and Gentile Christians is a powerful testimony.

· Ephesians 3:6: Gentiles are “fellow heirs” and “partakers of the promise” together with Israel through the Gospel.

This is the “one new man” reality — not erasing Jewish identity, but fulfilling it in Messiah, with Gentiles fully included as equal covenant partners.

Historical and Current Context 

After the early Church became predominantly Gentile, Jewish identity in Christ was often suppressed. However, since 1967 there has been a remarkable resurgence of Messianic Judaism. Tens of thousands of Jewish believers now openly follow Yeshua while retaining Jewish identity and practices. Estimates place the global number of Messianic Jews between 350,000 and higher, with significant growth in the United States, Israel, and other nations. Many Messianic congregations include both Jewish and Gentile members, reflecting practical unity.

This movement is part of God’s restoring work, preparing the Church for its end-time assignment.

Exploring Zechariah 4: The Two Olive Trees and the Golden Lampstand

Zechariah 4:1-3, 11-14 (KJV) “And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep, And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof: And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof. … Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof? And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves? And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord. Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.”

Zechariah 4 is part of a series of night visions given to the prophet Zechariah during the rebuilding of the Temple after the Babylonian exile. The central vision is a golden lampstand (menorah) with seven lamps, continuously supplied with oil from two olive trees through golden pipes.

The two olive trees (also called “two olive branches” and “two anointed ones”) are the key focus. They are not ordinary trees — they supernaturally supply golden oil directly into the lampstand, enabling it to shine without human effort. The angel explains they are “the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.” This points to divine empowerment, priestly and kingly authority, and continuous spiritual supply.

Revelation 11:3-4 directly quotes and fulfills Zechariah 4: “These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.”

In the framework of this booklet, the Two Olive Trees of Zechariah 4 and Revelation 11 represent the unified end-time witness of:

· Messianic Jews (natural olive branches who have believed in Yeshua and embraced the full Pauline revelation)

· The Gentile Church (wild olive branches grafted in, per Romans 11).

Together, they stand before the Lord of the whole earth, continuously supplied by the Holy Spirit (“golden oil”) to shine as powerful witnesses during the seals and the activity of the Four Horsemen. This unity enables the super Church of Isaiah 60 to arise and shine with supernatural power.

Theological Significance for the Last Days

1. Continuous Supply — The Church does not shine by human strength but by the constant flow of the Holy Spirit.

2. Unity of Jew and Gentile — The two trees working together picture the “one new man” (Ephesians 2).

3. Power for Witness — The olive trees empower bold prophecy, signs, and testimony even in the face of opposition (as seen when the witnesses are temporarily overcome but then resurrected).

4. Hope Amid Darkness — Just as the lampstand shines in Zechariah’s post-exile darkness, the unified Church shines amid the Horsemen’s activity.

Practical Application

· Pursue the anointing of the Holy Spirit (“oil”) so you can contribute to the unified witness.

· Actively work toward reconciliation and partnership between Messianic Jewish believers and the Gentile Church.

· Stand boldly as part of God’s lampstand, knowing the olive trees supply endless oil for the task.

Exploring Romans 11: The Olive Tree and God’s End-Time Unity

Romans 11:17-24 (KJV) “And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; Boast not against the branches… For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.”

Paul’s olive tree metaphor in Romans 11 is one of the most important passages for understanding God’s plan for Israel, the Church, and the end-time unity of Messianic Jews and Gentile believers.

Exegesis of the Olive Tree

· The Olive Tree represents the covenant people of God, rooted in the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob) and the rich spiritual nourishment of God’s promises.

· Natural Branches — The Jewish people/Israel. Some were “broken off” because of unbelief in Jesus as Messiah.

· Wild Olive Branches — Gentile believers who, by faith in Christ, are grafted into the same olive tree. They do not replace the tree but partake of its root and fatness.

· Grafting Process — A supernatural act of God’s grace. Gentiles are not a separate tree but are joined to the same living organism.

· Warning Against Arrogance — Paul strongly cautions Gentile believers not to boast against the natural branches. The root supports the branches, not the other way around.

This picture directly supports the Two Olive Trees of Revelation 11 and Zechariah 4 — the natural (Messianic Jewish) and the grafted-in (Gentile) working together as one powerful witness.

Key Doctrinal Insights

1. God Has Not Cast Away Israel (Romans 11:1-2) There has always been a faithful remnant of Jewish believers. Today’s Messianic Jewish movement is part of this continuing remnant.

2. Gentiles Are Grafted In to Provoke Israel to Jealousy (Romans 11:11) The inclusion of Gentiles was always meant to make Israel jealous for their own Messiah, ultimately leading to their restoration.

3. Future Restoration (Romans 11:25-26) “Blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved.” There is a coming fullness of Gentile harvest that will trigger a great turning of Jewish people to their Messiah.

4. One New Man The grafted wild branches and the restored natural branches together form the glorious, unified Church that fulfills Ephesians 2:14-16 — the “one new man” in Christ.

Connection to the Two Witnesses and Victorious Church 

In the framework of this booklet, the Two Olive Trees in Revelation 11 symbolize this exact reality:

· Messianic Jews (natural branches who have believed and embraced the full Pauline revelation)

· Working in unity with the Gentile Church (wild branches grafted in).

Zechariah 4, together with Romans 11 and Revelation 11, paints a magnificent picture: In the last days, the natural and grafted branches will flow together, empowered by the Spirit, to reveal God’s glory through a unified, victorious Church.

This unified witness confronts the Four Horsemen, shines in the darkness of Isaiah 60, and demonstrates to the world that the middle wall of partition has been broken down. The olive tree is not two separate entities but one tree bearing fruit for God’s glory in the last days.

Practical Application for Today

· Gentile believers: Humility, gratitude, and honor toward the Jewish roots of our faith. Avoid replacement theology. Pray for and support Messianic Jews.

· Messianic Jews: Embrace your identity in Messiah while walking in love and partnership with Gentile believers.

· Both: Pursue genuine relationship, joint prayer, and collaborative mission. Celebrate the shared root while appreciating the distinct contributions of each part of the tree.

As the Horsemen ride, the olive tree is being healed and strengthened. The natural and grafted branches are drawing closer, preparing the way for the great harvest and the revelation of God’s glory through His unified Church.

Hopeful Conclusion The olive tree stands as a living promise: God is faithful to both Israel and the Church. The grafting in of Gentiles was never the end of the story — it is preparation for the restoration of the natural branches and the full maturity of the glorious end-time Church.

 

The Role in the Two Witnesses and Victorious Church 

In the framework of this booklet, the unified witness of Messianic Jews (who embrace the full Pauline revelation) and the Gentile Church forms the powerful Two Witnesses / Two Olive Trees / Two Lampstands. This partnership:

· Combines Jewish roots with global Gentile outreach.

· Demonstrates the “one new man” to a divided world.

· Confronts the Horsemen with a credible, authoritative Gospel.

· Fulfills Isaiah 60 by shining God’s glory amid darkness, drawing nations to the light.

Mutual blessing flows: Messianic Jews help the broader Church recover biblical roots, while the Gentile Church provides love, support, and partnership in reaching the Jewish people and the world.

Practical Steps Toward Greater Unity

1. Prayer and Relationship — Pray for Messianic congregations and Jewish believers. Build genuine friendships across Jewish and Gentile lines.

2. Mutual Honor — Gentile believers honor Jewish roots without legalism; Messianic Jews welcome Gentiles as full co-heirs without requiring them to become Jewish.

3. Joint Mission — Collaborate in evangelism, especially to Jewish people and unreached nations.

4. Study Romans 11 — Understand God’s ongoing plan for Israel and the Church’s role in provoking Israel to jealousy (Romans 11:11).

5. Celebrate Together — Share in biblical feasts and holy days as expressions of unity and remembrance.

Hope for the Last Days As the Horsemen ride, Messianic Jewish and Gentile unity will shine as a beacon. This is the glorious Church of Isaiah 60 arising — not in uniformity, but in beautiful diversity unified in Messiah. The world will see the love of Christ through this oneness, leading to a great harvest before His return.

This unity glorifies Jesus and demonstrates that the middle wall of partition has truly been broken down. Let us pursue it with humility and love.

The Four Horsemen

 

The Four Horsemen: Unveiling End-Time Powers and God’s Provision for His People

Introduction

The Book of Revelation is “the Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass” (Revelation 1:1, KJV). It is not primarily a revelation of the enemy, the Antichrist, or doom, but of the victorious Lamb who is worthy to open the seals. Even the judgments reveal His sovereignty, mercy, and ultimate glory.

In Revelation 6, as the Lamb opens the first four seals, four horses and their riders are released upon the earth. These are not random forces of chaos but controlled powers that fulfill God’s prophetic timeline. Drawing from the pattern in Zechariah 6:1-8 (four chariots/horses as “the four spirits of the heavens” going forth into the earth), many interpreters — including Irvin Baxter Jr. — see these as major global “winds” or ideological/spiritual forces active in the last days.

Framework of This Booklet This study presents a clear, scripturally grounded interpretation aligned with Baxter’s teaching and the convictions outlined throughout:

• White Horse: A powerful religious leader/system promoting global deception and false unity.
• Red Horse: Communism and godless ideologies that remove peace and bring bloodshed.
• Black Horse: Global economic control, manipulation, inflation, and famine — yet with divine protection for God’s people as the “oil and the wine.”
• Pale/Green Horse: Global Islamic expansion and a culture of death.

These forces operate on a massive scale today and will intensify, yet they do not have the final word. Running parallel to their activity is God’s magnificent provision for His people: supernatural protection, the end-time wealth transfer, and the rise of a glorious, unified, victorious super Church that fulfills Isaiah 60.

Core Themes

• Revelation of Jesus Christ: Every seal, every horse, every judgment points to the Lamb on the throne.
• Victorious End-Time Church: Amid gross darkness, the glory of the Lord rises upon His people (Isaiah 60:1-3).
• Unity: Messianic Jews and the Gentile Church working together as the Two Witnesses / Two Olive Trees.
• Hope and Preparation: Believers are called to arise, shine, steward resources faithfully, and participate in the final great harvest.

This booklet exegetes the text, examines historical patterns and current developments (up to 2026), and proclaims practical hope for survival, provision, and victory. The Horsemen ride, but the Lamb reigns. The darkness is real, yet the Church is called to shine brighter than ever before.

How to Use This Booklet Read it prayerfully. Discuss the questions in the Appendix. Apply the stewardship principles. Position yourself now as part of the glorious end-time Church that will reveal God’s glory to the nations.

The King is coming. Arise and shine!

Form and Substance in Christian Practice

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INTRODUCTION

Have you ever received a beautifully wrapped gift only to discover that the box was empty?

The wrapping was attractive. The ribbon was perfectly tied. Everything about the package looked valuable—until it was opened.

Now imagine the opposite. Suppose someone handed you a priceless diamond wrapped in dirty newspaper. The treasure would still have value, but few people would recognize it because of its poor presentation.

These two pictures illustrate one of the greatest problems facing Christianity today.

Some believers possess beautiful forms but very little spiritual reality. Their Christianity consists of church attendance, worship services, rituals, theological vocabulary, and religious habits, yet Christ has little influence over the way they think, love, forgive, or obey.

Others claim to possess spiritual reality while rejecting doctrine, biblical order, church fellowship, and the ordinances Christ Himself established. They insist that "all that matters is the heart," forgetting that the Lord who changes the heart also commands His people how to live.

Both errors grieve God.

The Bible never asks us to choose between form and substance.

Verse

Luke 12:15-21 “And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.”

Saturday, 18 July 2026

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Defining Form and Substance

Form

The word form refers to the external structure, visible expression, pattern, ceremony, or practice by which spiritual truth is communicated.

Examples include:

• Baptism
• The Lord's Supper
• Church government
• Worship services
• Prayer posture
• Tithes and offerings
• Liturgy
• Creeds
• Doctrinal statements
• Religious traditions

Form answers the question:

“How is truth expressed?”

Substance

Substance refers to the spiritual reality, meaning, essence, purpose, and life behind the outward form.

Examples include:

• Faith
• Love
• Holiness
• Repentance
• Union with Christ
• New Birth
• Obedience
• Communion with God
• Transformation by the Holy Spirit

Substance answers the question:

“What is the reality being expressed?”

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Biblical Principle

The Bible never teaches that form is evil. Neither does it teach that substance alone is enough. Instead,

God designed forms to reveal substance.

When form loses substance, it becomes empty religion. When someone claims substance while rejecting every biblical form, Christianity becomes subjective mysticism.

The Bible rejects both extremes.

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Exegesis of Key Biblical Passages

1. Isaiah 29:13

“This people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me...”

• Form: Lips, Worship, Religious activity
• Substance: Heart, Love, Genuine devotion

Israel possessed the form but lacked the substance. God rejected their worship.

2. Matthew 23:23

Jesus rebuked the Pharisees:

“Ye pay tithe... and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith...”

Jesus did not condemn tithing. He said, “...these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.”

• Form: Tithing
• Substance: Mercy, Justice, Faith

The problem was imbalance.

3. Matthew 15:8–9

“...they worship me with their lips...”

External worship without internal surrender. Religious form without spiritual substance.

4. Romans 2:28-29

Paul distinguishes physical circumcision from spiritual circumcision.

• Form: Physical circumcision
• Substance: Circumcision of the heart

Its purpose pointed toward a deeper reality.

5. Colossians 2:16-17

“...which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.”

Old Covenant ceremonies were forms. Christ is the Substance. The shadow prepared people for the Reality.

6. James 2

“Faith without works is dead.”

• Substance: Faith
• Form: Works

Invisible faith becomes visible through obedience. Works reveal faith.

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Doctrine: Form and Substance

Doctrine itself has both.

Form: Statements, Creeds, Systematic theology, Confessions, Catechisms, Definitions. Substance: The truth they express.

Paul commands: “Hold fast the form of sound words...” (2 Timothy 1:13). The form must communicate living truth.

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Worship

Jesus said,

“They that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24)

• Spirit = Substance
• Truth = Objective revealed form

Emotion without truth becomes fanaticism. Truth without spirit becomes cold religion.

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Baptism

• Form: Water baptism
• Substance: Identification with Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection (Romans 6)

Both belong together. Refusing the form while claiming the substance neglects Christ’s command.

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Communion

• Form: Bread, Cup, Gathering, Words of institution
• Substance: Participation in Christ, Remembrance, Proclamation, Unity, Self-examination

Without faith, it becomes ritual. Without the ordinance, remembrance is neglected.

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Prayer

Form: Words, Posture, Time, Discipline Substance: Communion, Dependence, Love, Faith

Jesus condemned repetitive prayer without heart but practiced disciplined prayer Himself.

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Church

The New Testament church has forms: Elders, Deacons, Baptism, Communion, Preaching, Corporate worship, Giving, Discipline.

Rejecting all organization rejects biblical form. Preserving traditions without spiritual life preserves empty form.

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Christian Living

Substance	Form
Love	Serving others
Faith	Obedience
Holiness	Moral conduct
Humility	Submission
Forgiveness	Reconciliation
Grace	Generosity
Hope	Perseverance

The inward always becomes outward.

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Two Dangerous Errors

Error 1: Formalism

Values ritual, rules, tradition, and ceremony while neglecting love, faith, holiness, and mercy. Examples: The Pharisees, dead orthodoxy, nominal Christianity.

Error 2: Anti-form Spirituality

“I only care about relationship.” “I don’t need doctrine/church/baptism/biblical order.” This claims substance while rejecting God’s appointed means.

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THE CROSS IS THE GREATEST EXAMPLE OF FORM AND SUBSTANCE

The crucifixion was a visible historical event.

Roman nails.

Wooden cross.

Pierced hands.

Flowing blood.

These were visible forms.

But behind those visible events stood invisible realities.

Justice was satisfied.

Sin was judged.

Wrath was exhausted.

Mercy triumphed.

Grace was offered.

Satan was defeated.

Death was conquered.

Human eyes saw a dying Man.

Heaven saw the Lamb of God taking away the sin of the world.

The outward event revealed the inward accomplishment.

The form revealed the substance.

The Biblical Balance

Scripture presents a beautiful harmony:

Substance gives life to form. Without substance, form becomes hypocrisy. Form protects and expresses substance. Without form, substance becomes vague and vulnerable to error.

Christianity is the life of Christ manifested through divinely appointed forms. Form without substance is lifeless religion; substance without form lacks biblical expression.

God’s design is that truth be believed, experienced, confessed, and lived—the inward reality continually expressed through faithful outward obedience. This harmony reflects the incarnation: “the Word was made flesh” (John 1:14).

HPM Week 2 - Chapter 2: SUFFERING ALONE

35

2

SUF FERING ALONE

How Loneliness Grows a Wound

Trauma is not what happens to us, but what we hold inside in the absence of

an empathetic witness.

G AB O R M ATÉ

PIERCE SITS ACROSS FROM ME

on the edge of the couch, his foot anxiously

tapping, his eyes scanning my office. I’m his pastor, and he’s come to ask

for advice about his brother.

Chase, his twin, is a thirtysomething marijuana and opioid user who

also attends the church, but who often arrives disheveled and, at times,

high. He struggles to keep jobs, sometimes teetering on the edge of

homelessness.

Pierce, on the other hand, shows up at church early each Sunday, a

bright and charming full participant who seems to be adored by everyone.

He dresses well and always appears cheerful.

I don’t know either man well, so Pierce tells me a bit of their backstory.

They grew up in a wealthy community in the South Bay, their father a high

powered lawyer for top Silicon Valley tech companies. “Dad’s affairs and

Mom’s depression wrecked Chase,” Pierce tells me. “It’s sad to see him

suffer while I’ve managed to navigate it all so well.”

Pierce’s comment provokes curiosity, so I ask him about successfully

managing these challenges. “Be strong,” he says. “People will let you

down, but you can always count on yourself!” For Pierce, to be a real man

is to never ever need someone. This is the lesson he learned from his father.

As I spend time with Pierce, the fuller picture begins to develop. While

Chase’s substance use seemed to sabotage any forward progress in career or

relationships, Pierce took a different route. He followed his father into law,his new wealth funding an extravagant lifestyle. That included consensual

hookups, Pierce admitted. Early on, one son began coping with substances

while the other chased success and sex.

But each was running from a painful wound.

Pierce doesn’t expect what I share next. “Somewhere along the way,

you both lost track of yourselves,” I say. I tell him how sad I feel. And he

sees and feels my sadness. “You seem so very lonely, too,” I tell Pierce, my

eyes now welling with tears.

I expect him to evade or disengage, but instead he locks eyes and lets

me see him, even the emptiness behind his eyes. “I’ve been so worried

about Chase,” he says, “but I sometimes feel as lost as he is.” Hanging his

head, he finally lets the tears come. And he allows me to sit with him, no

longer alone in his pain.

All the Lonely People

Instead of catching the bus after leaving the office that day, I walk down

Van Ness Avenue to Market Street, through San Francisco’s Castro district

and uphill toward our new apartment in Noe Valley, where we moved in

hope of a bit less fog. Inspired by Pierce’s vulnerability, I walk deliberately,

making eye contact when I can with people I don’t know.

God’s first question, “Where are you?” grows as a longing within me,

for myself and for each image bearer designed for worth, belonging, and

purpose whom I pass that day.

Unlike my normal routine of walking with eyes averted and ears

covered by headphones, I try to stay present amidst a sea of lonely

strangers, each with their own story, all in a rush to get somewhere, perhaps

even to evade themselves. Continuing on, I find myself pondering the

Communion table, where I’d met Chase and Pierce time and again. Do they

know how hungry and thirsty they are? Is there any deep satisfaction in the

food and drink God offers? In their lostness, do they feel found by God

each week? Suddenly, I am overcome with the collective ache of the

hundreds of people who come to the table each Sunday with their own

stories, their unique pain, and their irrevocable inheritance of worth,

belonging, and purpose. Can they let their hearts be touched? I imagine

myself asking each one of them the same question: “Where are you?”

36Even as I ponder it, I recognize how ironic it is that I, their pastor, feel

so lost and lonely too. The truth is, so many of us are alone in our pain and

alienated from our deepest selves in God.

“Disconnection in all its guises—alienation, loneliness, loss of

meaning, and dislocation—is becoming our culture’s most plentiful

product,” addiction and trauma expert Gabor Maté observes. “No wonder

we are more addicted, chronically ill, and mentally disordered than ever

before, enfeebled as we are by such malnourishment of mind, body, and

soul.”[1] We’re literally lost without connection. We’ll go searching, to be

sure, just as Pierce and Chase did, surviving off the breadcrumbs of pseudo

connection. But it’s a recipe for painful isolation, even unhealth.

Yet it’s the recognition of this aloneness that is a necessary first step

toward reconnection with ourselves, with God, and with those we love.

Alone in our Pain

“To suffer is as human as to breathe,” the wise Hogwarts headmaster Albus

Dumbledore declares.[2] Indeed, none of us are spared from the struggles

and sufferings of life within the 1,185 chapters between creation and re

creation. What wounds the soul to its depths, however, is solitary suffering.

Here, our pain simmers unaddressed. Here, we begin to forget who we are.

And this was the case for Pierce, for me, for each of the people you’ve been

introduced to in the book thus far. The fig-leaved array we’ve created to

protect ourselves from our fear, shame, anger, and more keeps us from

being seen and known. God whispers, “Where are you?” but we are lost,

even to ourselves. Lost—and alone.

It wasn’t meant to be this way, of course. “It is not good for the man to

be alone,” God says (Genesis 2:18). God’s imagination is for a world where

humans are offered the chance of real spiritual, emotional, and physical

companionship with one another. And in the very first chapter of Scripture,

this design is described as tov meod in the Hebrew—“very good” (Genesis

1:31).[3] Even before birth, we were designed for connection, for slow

growth within a human womb, nine months in complete union with our

mothers, literally connected to them for support. This is our very first

embodied taste of Eden, of home. And when we’re ready, we’re born into

the world with indispensable, relationship-rich needs to feel safe, seen,

37soothed, and secure.[4] Connection is the most important need of any

infant, essential not just to survival but to human flourishing. Without

connection, an infant will die. Indeed, without connection, we cannot truly

live.[5] Connection is how we are equipped to navigate life’s inevitable

trials, how we can experience emotional regulation after we’re hurt, how we

gain the resilience we need for whatever comes next. Connection is our

relational home and the biggest hint of our spiritual inheritance.

But suffering is inevitable. And suffering alone is what leaves an

incalculable wound. Trauma’s best-kept secret, well-articulated by therapist

Bonnie Badenoch, is that the “essence of trauma isn’t events, but aloneness

within them.”[6] What has been called a “loneliness epidemic” is now

known to be dangerous to both our physical and emotional health. “Being

lonely, like other forms of stress, increases the risk of emotional disorders

like depression, anxiety and substance abuse,” observes John Leland. “Less

obviously, it also puts people at greater risk of physical ailments that seem

unrelated, like heart disease, cancer, stroke, hypertension, dementia and

premature death.”[7] Chronic disconnection magnifies the risks of illness

and death, mimicking the impact of smoking fifteen cigarettes a day.[8]

Humans literally wither without connection.

Think of it like the thirst your plants experience when they’re not

sunned and watered. Not long ago, my family and I returned home from

vacation to bone-dry plants, their leaves curling and wrinkling. The deep

greens had faded, and the plants appeared lifeless—until Sara fed them the

water they’d been craving. And so it goes for us in the drought of

connection. When we’re alone and go it on our own, we, too, begin to

wither and fade. In time, we may actually habituate to our dulled and

lifeless state, creating the conditions for the festering wound of trauma.

Connection is water and light to weary and withered souls.

In our suffering, we need an empathetic witness, someone to say,

“Where are you?,” someone who’ll see us as we are, someone who’ll be

with us in it. Absent this, the wound festers, it severs, it tears us up from the

inside.

The Slow Wither of Loneliness

38Pierce began to see that though he’d never arrive at church without a

companion or eat a meal by himself, he was just as lonely as his brother.

And I’d once come to realize that I was withering too. In the first years

after I lost my job, I worked hard to assure our family’s survival, my

survival. Within, I heard the voice of a cruel critic: You’re stuck here, and

no one’s coming to your rescue. Just tough it out and get through the day.

Little by little, I became like a porcupine, head down, quills out, self

protected. I let no one know how much I was struggling.

But even still, I couldn’t shake the growing sense that going it on my

own was costing me and those I loved.

An expert on stress and how our bodies hold it, Peter A. Levine writes

about how subtle the path to loneliness can be:

In short, trauma is about loss of connection—to ourselves, to our

bodies, to our families, to others, and to the world around us. This

loss of connection is often hard to recognize, because it doesn’t

happen all at once. It can happen slowly, over time, and we adapt

to these subtle changes sometimes without even noticing them.

These are the hidden effects of trauma, the ones most of us keep to

ourselves. We may simply sense that we do not feel quite right,

without ever becoming fully aware of what is taking place; that is,

the gradual undermining of our self-esteem, self-confidence,

feelings of well-being, and connection to life.[9]

Of course, things happen that throw us out of sorts temporarily. But

what Levine is describing is what happens within, a slow habituation to a

withered state where it feels like life itself is being drained from us. The

stresses of life compound, sending us into a self-protective mode, our

body’s energies shifting from life-giving connection to life-preserving

survival. In time, this withered state we’re living in may become our new

normal.

This is trauma. And more of us live here than we’re willing to admit.

Stressful things happen, to be sure, but stress can grow and

metastasize, turning a temporary state of panic into a continuous state of

overwhelm. Consider the science of stress for a moment. Therapist Aundi

Kolber writes, “A traumatic event includes anything that overwhelms a

person’s nervous system and ability to cope.”[10] In these crucial moments,

39Kolber notes that our bodies engage in automatic processes within, geared

to our survival amidst the overwhelm. No one is exempt; no one is immune.

If you’re reading this and happen to be human, you’ve got a nervous

system, and that nervous system goes haywire when your survival is

threatened in any way. Hormones such as cortisol, adrenaline, and

norepinephrine fire within your brain as your heart rate increases and your

fight-or-flight response is activated. Your brain’s control tower—the

prefrontal cortex—goes offline. Other nonessential systems shut down, and

key integrative functions cease. At worst, your brain’s hippocampus can’t

do its job of narrating what happened in conscious memory, sabotaging

your capacity to remember and process the pain.[11]

Of course, stress doesn’t always turn into trauma. Levine notes that “all

traumatic events are stressful, but not all stressful events are traumatic.”[12]

In other words, people may go through identical incidents, but what

happens within them may be vastly different. Two people may live through

the devastation of a hurricane that destroys their homes and community.

One person may find refuge with good friends, allowing her tears to flow

freely amidst the empathetic witness of beloved companions who

acknowledge her terror and loss. She may come away rattled but not

traumatized. The nervous system that jumped in to protect the woman

during the hurricane helps her come home to herself when the stress is over.

Yet another person may hunker down alone in a hotel, numbing himself

amidst the growing rage within. Rather than processing the stress, he may

do everything he can to escape it, compounding the overwhelm. One person

experiences connection while the other suffers alone.

And this is where I found myself, along with Rebekah, Pierce, Chase,

even Jeff and Johanna. None of us could have told you how the shift from

connection to survival happened, but it did. In time, we didn’t feel like

ourselves. Coping became the norm. We didn’t notice that our leaves were

curling, that our color was fading. We certainly didn’t think it was trauma.

Too often, we adapt to states of survival, of coping, of disconnection. It

doesn’t happen all at once but slowly. In time, we realize we’re far from

home, internally. This adapted state becomes our new normal, but it’s a far

cry from the flourishing we were created for.

It is not good for you and me to be alone. Toughing it out is not a

virtue. In fact, it’s a recipe for overwhelm, exhaustion, isolation, and

addiction. God’s design for interdependence, relationship, and a vulnerable

40“knowing and being known” is where we thrive. We need to be seen and

known amidst our challenges.

Say “Ouch”

One summer, I convened a support group for survivors of significant

spiritual abuse, all of whom were former members of a large church. The

stories of harm from this diverse array of folks were held in a space of

compassion and curiosity. There were beautiful moments of vulnerability,

but there was also a cautiousness that I couldn’t quite make sense of.

After some gentle prodding, someone said, “I know it’s bad, but she

had it a lot worse than I did.”

An offhand comment, but with that, the comparison game began. A few

more began to minimize their own experiences, gaslighting themselves: “I

don’t know why I’m crying.  .  .  . I only worked there for five years when

some of you worked there so much longer.” Instead of witnessing the

impact of trauma within them, they began playing a game of “who had it

worse.”

Somewhere along the way, we learned that there’s always someone

else, somewhere in the world, who has it worse than we do. And somehow,

we’ve translated this into stop complaining, it’s not that bad.

“You know, each of you has a nervous system,” I told the participants.

“And your nervous system isn’t comparing what happened. It’s coping with

the consequences, and it’s craving connection.” Each of them had suffered,

and though their stories were different, their weary and wounded nervous

systems needed tender care.

We heal when we attend to what happens within, when we see that

each of us is wounded in our own way, each of us coping, each of us often

more alone in our pain than we’d dare admit. No matter the supposed size

or scope of what happened, we all need care and presence, safety and

attunement.

Connection shifts our body out of survival mode and into a state of

calm and connectedness again. Psychologist Peter A. Levine, author of

Healing Trauma, shares a remarkable story of the power of connection

amidst acute trauma after he was hit by a car a few years back. The first

person on the scene was an off-duty paramedic who attempted to stabilize

41him, but whose reactive presence and rapid-fire questions were agitating to

Peter. His initial pulse reading was 170 bpm. Peter was succumbing to

shock. And he felt all alone.

Soon after, a woman came to help, a pediatrician who immediately

attended to him as a person. He shares what happened next:

“Please, sit by me.” And she did and she grasped my hand. And I

could feel her hand and I could smell the scent of her perfume, and

the soothingness of her voice. And all of that gave me the feeling

that, “I’m not alone,” and by having that feeling, I was able to go

into my body, into my body, and feel where the shock was locked

in my body.[13]

Levine credits her presence and care for his capacity to navigate his

body’s automatic responses. In fact, shortly after she first attended to him,

his pulse dropped to near normal levels, a sign that his body was

experiencing safety, regulating itself because another person had met him in

his suffering.

What Levine’s story tells me is that no matter how we’ve suffered, we

need attuned care and compassion amidst it. We need someone to say

“Ouch!” We need a present person who will be with us and who won’t

minimize what we’re feeling. Think of how a good parent responds to a

child whether she scrapes her knee or falls out of a tree. A good parent

shows up either way, with empathy. A good parent says “Ouch!” no matter

the size of the injury. A good parent connects.

And this might begin for you right here as you’re reading, as you

decide that what you’re experiencing—no matter how big or small you

perceive it to be—is significant. When you’re withering, this kind of

reconnection begins to heal you.

“Where are you?” God asks, a kind move toward you amidst your self

protective, porcupine-like posture. God doesn’t want you to be alone in

your suffering. Don’t let the serpent’s lies lull you into believing that

someone has it worse, or that God has more important things to tend to than

to meet you tenderly in your pain. Don’t let the serpent convince you to go

it on your own, into a land where wandering and withering are inevitable.

With a kind “Where are you?” God is addressing you. What is the particular

42pain you carry? How have you carried it on your own? How has it cut you

off from vital connection to yourself, to others, to God? What is your

experience of it within you?

And what might be possible if you were to let yourself be fully known

in it?

The Practice of Befriending Suffering

“Embrace your grief, for there your soul will grow” noted the great

twentieth-century psychologist Carl Jung.[14] In chapter 1, I offered the

practice of coming home to yourself. Now, I suggest a second practice to

build upon it: the practice of befriending your suffering.

In inviting you to befriend suffering, I’m not imagining some

masochistic exercise. The need to suffer in masochism is yet another means

of avoiding or managing real pain. No, I’m more interested in following the

invitation of Jesus when he says, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they

will be comforted” (Matthew 5:4).

To mourn is to bring your suffering into the light before God and

others. To mourn is to refuse to suffer alone anymore. To mourn is to live in

truth, to acknowledge that you’re hurting, to seek care rather than self

soothing. As Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened,

and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Indeed, God’s credibility for

meeting us here is that he suffered in the flesh, experiencing the ache of

disconnection and feeling forsaken (Matthew 27:46). Jesus felt alone in his

suffering. And he cried out. Perhaps we can too.

God runs to you, even in your suffering, longing to reconnect with you.

Will you allow yourself to receive God’s compassionate care? Will you

allow God to see and to know not only what happened to you, but what’s

happening within you as well? To be sure, many voices will echo the

serpent, telling you to go it on your own. But you weren’t created to cope

alone. And the flourishing you’re longing for emerges only as you’re

known.

While it may sound complicated, I’ll often tell people that this practice

might just begin with a simple, “Ouch, that hurt!” Yes, it does. That thing

that happened to you hurt you. What happens within as a result wounded

you. Living life in these 1,185 chapters in between is sometimes painful.

43It’s time to name what hurts, and to name it specifically. Some will tell you

that this is a morbid or joyless way of living, but ignoring your pain only

leads to further weariness and woundedness. There is no real power in the

so-called power of positive thinking because it’s a recipe for bypassing your

pain, a self-help setup for further hurt. Befriending suffering opens the way

for reconnection and joy.

“Suffering is inevitable,” South African archbishop Desmond Tutu

once noted, “but how we respond to that suffering is our choice. .  .  .  We are

fragile creatures, and it is from this weakness, not despite it, that we

discover the possibility of true joy.”[15] This fragility isn’t simply the result

of some bad thing we did. It’s the reality of being human, limited, even

mortal, as theologian Kelly Kapic writes.[16] It is the invitation to

acknowledge our weakness, even our neediness. To acknowledge that real

strength, even joy, emerges through the embrace of our weakness (2

Corinthians 12:9).

In his lovely work on grief called The Wild Edge of Sorrow, therapist

Francis Weller muses on the practice of befriending suffering with

compassion. He warns us that when we refuse to befriend our suffering,

“we will find ourselves acting out of compulsion, reacting to scenes in our

life with the same consciousness that was traumatized in the first place.”

This is where I found myself in my second pastoral role in San Francisco,

thousands of miles from where I’d been fired but in the very same body and

with the very same consciousness that had experienced that acute pain.

However, when we come home to ourselves, centered and secure, we

can approach the pain within us and the suffering outside of us well and

wisely, with an empathetic presence. Weller continues, “What we can do is

work to maintain our adult presence, keeping it anchored and firmly rooted.

This enables us to meet our life with compassion and to receive our

suffering without judgments. This is a core piece in our apprenticeship with

sorrow.”[17]

This isn’t to say that we should overidentify with our pain. Too often

we say, “I’m depressed” or “I’m addicted” when in reality, we’re feeling sad

or struggling with addiction. This distinction makes all the difference.

Your depression, your anxiety, even your addiction, is not core to who

you are. Instead, each of these realities within you needs the balm of

reconnection, needs a witness to its pain. You bear God’s image, and you

are “hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3) and “rooted and grounded

4445 in love” (Ephesians 3:17, ESV). Anchored here at home within, you can

notice your pain within not as you, but as a part of you, perhaps an

experience you’re having or a way you’re currently coping. Anchored here

at home within, you can join the Spirit of God within you as an empathetic

witness to your own pain, a vital part of the healing process.

There is an old hymn that offers you an invitation:

Come, ye disconsolate, where’er ye languish;

Come to the mercy-seat, fervently kneel;

Here bring your wounded hearts, here tell your anguish,

Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal.[18]

You don’t have to suffer alone. Bring it into the light and let your

leaves unfurl.

RESOURCES

Amanda Held Opelt, A Hole in the World: Finding Hope in

Rituals of Grief and Healing

Dennae Pierre, Healing Prayers and Meditations to Resist a

Violent World

Curt Thompson, The Soul of Shame: Retelling the Stories We

Believe about Ourselves

Francis Weller, The Wild Edge of Sorrow: Rituals of Renewal

and the Sacred Work of Grief

Reflection

Even if we experienced great care growing up, almost

everyone has some story of suffering alone at some point.

And almost everyone can think of some message they

learned about being tough or strong or independent.1. 

Can you think of an experience from any period of your

life when you suffered alone? What was it? How did it

feel? If you were eventually met in it, how did that

help? If you weren’t, how does it feel even today

reflecting on what it was like to suffer alone?

2. How did your family talk about painful things? How

were you attended to when you were hurt? Was there a

particular mantra that was spoken or an implied

expectation about how to get over it or through it

quickly? See if you can name some of the childhood

lessons you learned about how you were supposed to

deal with pain.

3. Has suffering alone become normalized for you,

perhaps to the point that no one really knows what

you’re experiencing? If so, how might it feel to open

yourself up to God by acknowledging that it hurts? How

would it feel to share some of what you’re feeling with a

friend?

4. We sometimes tend to minimize our suffering through

comparison. How have you done this? What is it like to

consider that your unique struggle—no matter what it is

—is the very place where God meets you?

Practice: Befriend Your Suffering

In coming home to yourself, you learned to reconnect, to

breathe and to ground, and to attend to God’s kind “Where

are you?” Now, in this practice, you’ll learn to begin to name

the ache within.

Writing your laments

46Psalms of lament were spoken as an antidote to suffering

alone. They were pleas to God in the midst of isolating pain.

It can be helpful to write your own reflection in the spirit of

these biblical psalms. There are psalms of individual lament

—Psalm 3, 5–7, 13, 17, 22, 25–28, 32, 38, 39, 42, 43, 51,

54–57, 59, 61, 63, 64, 69–71, 86, 88, 102, 109, 120, 130,

and 140–43. There are also psalms of communal lament—

Psalm 44, 74, 79, 80, 83, and 89.[19] You can begin by

reading through some of these to see which one uses

language or a tone that resonates with your own soul or

struggle. You might then just grab a pen and a journal and

begin writing your own prayer of lament. Capture on paper

what feels faithful to your experience without trying to mimic

the psalmist too closely, recognizing that God wants to hear

your unique experience. As you listen to God’s “Where are

you?” perhaps you can honestly name what you are

experiencing.

Separating and attending

Amidst disconnection, you can slowly begin to believe that

you are your emotions, or even your addictions. Sometimes

you may be so overwhelmed by an emotion or an

experience that you can’t return to yourself in order to

approach your pain from a place of care and compassion.

In these moments, it can be helpful simply to name what’s

happening within. This exercise can help you both return to

yourself and begin to befriend and name how you’re

suffering. Practice the following exercise:

I am not my ________________ [sadness, rage, panic,

shame, etc.]. I am simply feeling _________________

[sadness, rage, panic, shame, etc.]. This isn’t me. It’s a

47part of me that needs my care and compassion. At my

core, I’m loved by God and created for worth,

belonging, and purpose.

or

I am not my ______________ [addictive tendency]. I am

simply coping right now by __________________ [name

the way you’re coping]. This isn’t who I am; it’s just the

way I am dealing with my pain right now. At my core,

I’m loved by God and created for worth, belonging, and

purpose.

In this practice, you might see if you’re able to identify

where you are feeling particular feelings or sensations in

your body. Then place your hand there (over your chest, on

your cheeks, or on your belly, for example), and breathe in

slowly, according to the exercise in chapter 1 (see pages

29–30). On the out-breath, imagine yourself breathing

compassion into this area of your body or into this particular

internal feeling or sensation.

Companionship

Practice asking for care. Practice being known. When we

struggle alone, we’re more prone to becoming

overwhelmed, even traumatized. Is there someone you can

invite into this reading and reflection with you? Perhaps

someone you can find a one-hour slot each week to

process with? Maybe even someone you can engage the

“separating and attending” exercise with? If so, begin

practicing a kind of soul companionship where you can

know and be known. Simply start with the question “Where

are you?” and see where it leads. Maybe the examples in

this chapter offer some helpful connections to your own life

and show how each of us, like Adam and Eve, wander and

48get lost. Be as honest as you’re able. And then follow this

up with another question: “Is this where I want to be?” Or

“What do I long for?” Begin here, and we’ll build on this in

the pages to come.

[1] Gabor Maté and Daniel Maté, The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic

Culture (New York: Avery, 2022), loc. 4553 of 12186, Kindle.

[2] J. K. Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (London:

Pottermore Publishing, 2017), act 4, scene 4.

[3] For a beautiful picture of tov community, particularly amidst contemporary issues of church

abuse, see Scot McKnight and Laura Barringer’s Pivot: The Priorities, Practices, and Powers

That Can Transform Your Church into a Tov Culture (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale, 2023).

[4] See Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson, who talk about the importance of feeling safe, seen,

soothed, and secure in their book The Power of Showing Up: How Parental Presence Shapes

Who Our Kids Become and How Their Brains Get Wired (New York: Ballantine Books, 2020).

[5] See Matthew D. Lieberman, Social: Why Our Brains Are Wired to Connect (New York: Crown,

2013).

[6] Bonnie Badenoch, The Heart of Trauma: Healing the Embodied Brain in the Context of

Relationships (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2018), loc. 649 of 6331, Kindle.

[7] John Leland, “How Loneliness Is Damaging Our Health,” New York Times, April 20, 2022,

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/20/nyregion/loneliness-epidemic.html.

[8] See Gabor Maté and Daniel Maté, The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic

Culture (New York: Avery, 2022), 293.

[9] Peter A. Levine, Healing Trauma (Boulder, CO: Sounds True, 2008), 3–4.

[10] Aundi Kolber, Try Softer: A Fresh Approach to Move Us out of Anxiety, Stress, and Survival

Mode—and into a Life of Connection and Joy (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale, 2020), 34.

[11] For more on this entire process, see Janina Fisher, Transforming the Living Legacy of Trauma: A

Workbook for Survivors and Therapists (Eau Claire, WI: PESI Publishing, 2021).

[12] Peter A. Levine quoted in Gabor Maté, The Myth of Normal, 24.

[13] Peter A. Levine, “Video: Dr. Peter Levine on Working through a Personal Traumatic

Experience,” PsychAlive, https://www.psychalive.org/video-dr-peter-levine-on-working

through-personal-traumatic-experience/.

[14] Quoted in Francis Weller, The Wild Edge of Sorrow: Rituals of Renewal and the Sacred Work of

Grief (Berkeley: North Atlantic Books, 2015), 11.

49[15] As quoted by Bethany Dearborn Hiser in her book From Burned Out to Beloved: Soul Care for

Wounded Healers (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2020), 162.

[16] See Kelly M. Kapic, You’re Only Human: How Your Limits Reflect God’s Design and Why

That’s Good News (Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, 2022).

[17] Francis Weller, The Wild Edge of Sorrow, 161–162.

[18] Thomas Moore, “Come, Ye Disconsolate,” 1816, first verse,

https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/684.

[19] “Psalms of Complaint—Study Guide,” Yale Bible Study,

https://yalebiblestudy.org/courses/psalms/lessons/psalms-of-complaint-study-guide/.

50