Beyond the Book - Ask the Author
Wendy alsup
When forgiveness feels impossible!
“I forgive you.” Simple words, and liberating ones – but hard, too. You may think the betrayal you have experienced is in the realm of the unforgivable. Wendy Alsup understands. She experienced severe church conflict while serving in the women’s ministry at Mars Hill Church, followed by an unwanted divorce. The losses of betrayal eventually forced her to move from her home in Seattle, leaving behind deep friendships and everything familiar to her two sons. Her understanding of forgiveness did not come easily for her so she does not sugarcoat the struggles she experienced.
In this special Help & Hope Podcast, Wendy joins us for our summer Beyond the Book – Ask the Author series. Invited guests submitted questions for Wendy, and her answers reveal deep wisdom and understanding for those struggling with the concept of forgiveness. Some of the questions Wendy answers:
· How do you get past the astonishment, hurt, and dislike for a person you cared for, had a relationship with, and enjoyed when they have repeatedly turned against you?
· How do you "move on" in forgiveness when you still have to interact with people who hurt you?
· After you left Mars Hill, lots of your friends stayed. Did you pursue them to tell them your story, your reasons for leaving in an attempt to get them to leave, too? How do you let go of the need to protect your reputation or do you?
· When someone asks you to forgive them for an offense, does it mean that you will never bring up the offense again?
· Through conflict our church leadership mishandled, a lot of friends and I lost our strong church family – none of us feels as though we will ever find such a loving community again. How do you venture back into church life when you feel so cynical?
· How does understanding ambiguous loss help us better understand our own grief over broken relationships, especially when we are powerless to effect any change in the circumstances?
· And many more.
Listen and please pass on this important conversation.
You can also listen to these Help & Hope podcasts with Wendy:
Wendy Alsup is the author of Practical Theology for Women, Companions in Suffering, and The Gospel-centered Woman. She began her public ministry as a deacon of women’s theology and teaching at her church in Seattle, but she now lives on an old family farm in South Carolina, where she teaches math at a local community college and is a mother to her two boys. She is a member of a local church in the Low Country Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church in America.
