Publisher's Synopsis
Rising Up Like a Lioness is a personal reflection on the grueling and intensive inner journey required to fully develop a 'faith response' to the never-ending awfulness of 'family dysfunction and toxic love'; and is a moral and spiritual guide to the necessary inner work of actively receiving faith's accompanying healing and deliverance.
Its specifically referred to as a Spiritual Memoir [and not just a Memoir] because the focus is strictly 'spiritual' [not 'social' and not 'religious'], and the work is done for the sole purpose of authentic faith development -- the faith that's described and defined by Christ Himself [and not by 'civil religion' or by any particular 'religious tradition as doctrine' or by 'family dysfunction and toxic love']. Because if we allow it, 'family dysfunction and toxic love' can and will destroy the very soul of us. If we underestimate its moral and spiritual impact, it will quietly but surely destroy our chances for salvation through Christ. This Spiritual Memoir isn't about people; it isn't focused on engaging and entertaining through the famous art of storytelling. Its written for those God-fearing souls, who have deep and abiding faith and confidence in the actual 'promises' of God, and that just want out of the lifelong and never-ending cycle and life prison of 'family dysfunction.' It addresses Christian faith in a way that church life and organized religion never addresses or covers. This book is written for deep personal reflection, on the need to fully engage in spiritual washing and cleansing and purification -- even purging and going through the refiner's fire. This book is for the God-fearing soul that has no desire for or interest in the demands and distractions of religion and religious life and religious teachings, but still desperately wants real 'faith' in God and Christ. The author details the very real inner struggle to discard and change old mental and emotional habits 'inherited' from family dysfunction and toxic love, as well as those 'taken on' as an arsenal of defense mechanisms -- that is, to support the never-ending struggle to survive and coexist with them; and to work hard to take on new mental and emotional habits, that are in complete alignment with the commands of God and the teachings of Christ -- for the specific purpose of getting 'spiritually qualified' to receive the promises of God and the promised blessings of the covenant. The core message of this Spiritual Memoir is threefold: 1) that 'Family Is Not Everything'; 2) that 'Love Is Not A Prison'; and 3) that Christ came to invite His own to 'Skip the Religion, and Focus Exclusively on the Faith.' While the goal of this book is to help the reader learn how to spiritually remove layers and layers of 'bad teachings' [not matter how well-intentioned] and 'false teachings' on family and on love and on forgiveness, to return to the basics of the faith -- focusing strictly on learning nothing but the truth of the Gospel. In essence, this book is for the nonreligious pursuit of faith in God and Christ.I write these things to you concerning those who would deceive you. As for you, the anointing that you received from Him abides in you, and so you don't need anyone to teach you. But as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and isn't a lie, and just as it's taught you, abide in Him.1 John 2:26-2, NRSVThis is the covenant that I'll make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I'll put My laws in their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I'll be their God, and they shall be My people. And they shall not teach one another or say to each other, 'Know the Lord, ' for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest. Hebrews 8:10-11, NRSV
