The Lifeworks Group, Inc.

By Christine Hammond, LMHC The news is out. Your Pastor did something completely out of character. Perhaps they had a physical or emotional affair, stole money or misappropriated funds, secretly abused a family member, or hid an addiction. Whatever it was, it has devastated the church, shocked the community and perhaps destroyed their family. Understandably, you will experience conflicting emotions and racing thoughts as you process what has happened. This is a normal response as you begin to grieve over the loss of your Pastor. Here are some of the possible reactions that might occur. “My Pastor couldn’t have done that.” Usually the first initial response is to disbelieve that your Pastor could have done anything like this. After all, who wants to believe that any Pastor is capable of such a thing? Nothing makes sense. The person you know and trust doesn’t match with the accusations. So, you refuse to acknowledge the evidence. This is why denial is a powerful defense mec...

  By Chris Hammond Proverbs 31 has been touted as the picture perfect ideal woman with many women trying to accomplish all that is contained in in these verses.   It is held up in churches and especially Christian women’s organizations as an example to follow, a woman to become, and instructions on how to be the perfect wife.   But these verses offer so much more the just the ideal.   They are instead reflections of deep remorse, overwhelming regret, and sadness over what could have been.   So few have actually taken time to break down the verses and understand the context in which these verses are written.   By looking at the lives of the people surrounding the verse and their life experiences, the verses come alive and invite you too to reflect on the many lessons learned about your own life.   For once you have fully understood the context of the verses, than the true meaning of the verses becomes clearer and more powerful. The Boo...

By Christine Hammond, MS, IMH Imagine for a moment what church would be like if the Pastor or Announcer began church with, “Hello my name is ___ (fill in with name) and I’m a recovering sinner of ____ (fill in the sin)”. Would he or she be so bold to admit to their church not the mildest of sins such as a white lie but the grander sins of adultery, stealing, or a pornography addiction? Or perhaps he or she would admit to a personality disorder such as narcissism, borderline, or dependant. How different would church be if everyone was expected to be honest about their past and present and not pretend to have it all together? Record numbers of youth are leaving the church for precisely this reason with some estimates as high as 70% of America’s youth who was brought up in church does not return as an adult. For the youth, they know that they do not have it all together and they do not want to go to a place that expects everyone to act as if they do have it all together. This tren...