The Lord Is My Courage: Stepping Through the Shadows of Fear Toward the Voice of Love

Description

Walking through Psalm 23 phrase by phrase, therapist and author K.J. Ramsey explores the landscape of our fear, trauma, and faith. When she stepped through her own wilderness of spiritual abuse and religious trauma, K.J. discovered that courage is not the absence of anxiety but the practice of trusting we will be held and loved no matter what. How can we cultivate courage when fear overshadows our lives How do we hear the Voice of Love when hate and harm shout loud This book offers an honest path to finding that there is still a Good Shepherd who is always following you. Braiding contemplative storytelling, theological reflection, and practical neuroscience, Ramsey reveals a route into connection and joy that begins right where you are. The Lord is My Courage is for the deconstructing and the dreamers, the afraid and the amazed, for those whose fear has not been fully shepherded but who can't seem to stop listening for their Good Shepherd's Voice.

K.J. Ramsey (MA, Denver Seminary) is a therapist, writer, and recovering idealist who believes sorrow and joy are necessary friends. Her writings has appeared in Christianity Today, RELEVANT, The Huffington Post, Health Central, Fathom Magazine, The Mighty, and Introvert, Dear. This Too Shall Last is her first book.

'In this beautiful book, K.J. Ramsey teaches us what it means to transform, rather than transmit, the pain in our lives. She chooses what is familiar, the Twenty-Third Psalm, to offer us the greatest possible form of hospitality in sharing the stories that make up her life. With warmth and wisdom, Ramsey chooses vulnerability over comfort in an effort to connect with all of us in ways that are both manageable and meaningful. This book is inviting and accessible, and a must-read for all who are trying to move forward with less anger and more grace, with less fear and more hope, and with fewer regrets and greater understanding. On every page, while demonstrating an abundance of faith, she shows us the path toward transformation.' * Suzanne Stabile, author, The Path between Us and The Journey toward Wholeness * 'The message those who suffer hear most often is self-heal, self-love, and self-help, which only adds shame, guilt, and a suffocating sense of powerlessness. When we are desperate, we need not advice to act on but a promise from God that he will be with us no matter what. If you have ever felt like darkness is your only companion, you won't find yourself blamed in this book. You'll find yourself pursued and embraced by the patient and compassionate love of a God who meets you in your pain. God does not command, 'Heal thyself!' but declares, 'You will be healed!'' * Justin S. Holcomb, minister; seminary professor; author, God with Us: 365 Devotions on the Person and Work of Christ * 'I trust people who have suffered to speak the deepest wisdom. K.J. Ramsey is such a person. In The Lord Is My Courage, Ramsey comes to us as a therapist with acute pastoral sensibilities who does not mince words about the destruction self-centered, power-hungry undershepherds unleash on individual parishioners and the wider church. But she does not stop there. She gently leads us through Psalm 23 and showcases God's love for and delight in us--our belovedness--as revealed throughout the psalm. As we wind our way through Psalm 23, Ramsey offers us grace and direction as we seek to become whole, especially when we are dealing with pain and shame related to abusive shepherds and churches. Ramsey deftly demonstrates that God is our good and beautiful shepherd seeking our flourishing, and not some tyrant feigning godliness who merely uses and abuses people for personal gain. Listen to her.' * Marlena Graves, author, The Way Up Is Down: Becoming Yourself by Forgetting Yourself * 'The Lord Is My Courage is a love letter to all of us. With gentle and compassionate words, K.J. Ramsey reintroduces us to God as a true protector, an empathetic redeemer, and a powerful presence who offers hope without fear. For doubters, believers, and those of us in between, this book is like balm for the soul.' * Matthew Paul Turner, New York Times bestselling author * 'K.J. Ramsey invites us to take an inward journey 'to listen to the syllables of our senses,' as she so beautifully describes in her new book, The Lord Is My Courage. With a powerful exploration of both Psalm 23 and the human body, Ramsey walks us through the depths of the human experience so that we may encounter the Good Shepherd, who holds us in our brokenness. This book is a pathway toward our healing.' * Kat Armas, author, Abuelita Faith; host, The Protagonistas podcast * 'K.J. has given the world a generous and desperately needed gift. She has given us not trite answers or pious platitudes but the kind of wisdom, compassion, and tender faith often borne out of suffering. I needed this book when I was in the immediate aftermath of church trauma, and I continue to need it now. I am thankful that The Lord Is My Courage is a book I can wholeheartedly recommend to suffering people with the confidence that K.J.'s words will comfort, guide, and point to Jesus.' * Kaitlyn Schiess, author, The Liturgy of Politics * 'Tender, fierce, and committed to the unvarnished truth, The Lord Is My Courage holds our hand at whatever cliff's edge we find ourselves and reminds us we're not alone. Combining honest storytelling, incisive leadership, and therapeutic credentials, Ramsey shines a light on what it means to be more fully, freely human, through the courage of Christ. This one is for all of us who are struggling to trust our way through the dark.' * Shannan Martin, author, The Ministry of Ordinary Places and Falling Free * 'Ramsey writes as one who has both torn back the roof and been lowered through it. A prophetic voice, born of pain, she draws the brutalized back to their belovedness again. She fearlessly fords the sorrow-sodden swampland of spiritual abuse that shreds the soul of sojourners, and with crippled hands knits us together again.' * Lori Anne Thompson, RKin, MA CHAD; survivor; storyteller; student * 'K.J. Ramsey's unique and incisive approach is both prophetic and poetic, providing a beautiful and compelling model for confronting hypocrisy and injustice as well as for healing the pain of betrayal and rejection, especially within the church. With clarity and grace, this book offers us a stunning invitation to care for the broken parts of ourselves with compassion and to be agents of healing and hope to the wounded along our path.' * Ruth Malhotra, whistleblower and advocate *