Hello new subscribers (and longtime readers)!
I wanted to acknowledge all the new readers that found their way here from my Crosswalk.com article that was recently reposted, and welcome you.
Let me tell you a little bit about myself. I am a 44-year-old mother of two great teenagers, Sara (18) and Jack (16-1/2). We live in a sweet little town in Illinois. I’ve been writing and speaking for almost fifteen years, doing what I always wanted to do but never dreaming I could or would.
Most of my writing these days is borne out of the pain of my very difficult almost-nineteen-year marriage that ended in the summer of 2012 when my then-husband counter-filed for divorce against my filing for legal separation after a fifteen-month church-led reconciliation attempt that ended with our church leadership releasing me to separate.
I write candidly because I remember feeling so alone for almost twenty years. I remember the pain like it was yesterday. And yet, I have grappled with the grieving and the lessons learned and accepting my part in the demise of my marriage. I am now an advocate for women in difficult Christian marriages and those who find themselves walking through divorce. I get abuse of all kinds, the intricacies of addiction, and the pain of being shunned within the Church. My desire is to be a voice to those of you who are hurting and to create resources that help hurting women like you by bringing you hope.
Here are a few of those resources that I have created over the past few years:
If in a difficult marriage:
My e-book/PDF, Surviving in a Difficult Christian Marriage, came out of my almost-nineteen-year difficult marriage, available here.
My novel, World Split Open, about a woman navigating a hard Christian marriage, available here.
If walking through divorce:
My book, Unraveling: Hanging onto Faith through the End of a Christian Marriage, came out of my difficult separation and divorce, available here.
If navigating single motherhood:
My e-book, Moving On as a Christian Single Mom, is filled with reader questions and honest, practical suggestions for journey through parenting on your own, found here.
Also, I moderate a few private Facebook groups for women in your situations. So, if going through a hard marriage, figuring out how to live in a reconciling/restoring marriage, moving through divorce, or finding yourself a single mom, email me to request to be added to one of those groups.
Healing and hope and joy and second chances and grace are abundantly waiting for you, I promise! God is a God of comfort and order and love, and he is on your side.
Gratefully yours,
-Elisabeth
P.S. I’d love to speak at your women’s ministry event, so if you think I’d be a good fit for your church, please pass my name along to your adult ministries coordinator.
P.P.S. Check out my YouTube channel for a bunch of 60-second encouragement videos!
