The Garden of Roses: Stories of Abuse and Healing

A woman enters the house of Simon, the Pharisee, and washes Jesus’ feet with her tears and dries them with her hair while he dines.  Her story is told in the Gospel of Luke (7:36-50). Simon remarks to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who and what sort of woman is touching him, that she is a sinner.” Jesus hears Simon and rebukes him with a parable about two debtors owing money to the creditor.  The creditor forgives both debts.  Jesus asks Simon which debtor is more grateful.  Simon correctly understands that the debtor owing more money is more grateful.  The parable is normally understood to illustrate the power of God’s forgiveness of sin.  As a survivor of sexual abuse, I think there is an untold story in this Bible passage -- the story of Jesus’ feeling special compassion for the losses and pain endured by abuse survivors. Many people assume that the sinful woman is a prostitute.  Her sin of sex outside marriage makes her...

Theresa's Fund and its offspring, domesticshelters.org , are what happens when marketing executives decide to spend their spare time combatting abuse. Google  domesticshelters.org and you will find it has not only a website , but a Twitter account , a Facebook account , a Pinterest account, and an Instagram account .  Peruse the website, and you will find that they also have a You Tube account.  The domesticshelters.org , the Facebook page , and the Twitter are all updated regularly with thoughtful articles about abuse.  The website also includes a data base of domestic violence shelters and related services around the country and information domestic violence victims need to know to keep themselves safe. This media outreach to survivors, advocates, and the community at large, is the brain child of two content marketing executives -- Preston V. McMurry Jr. and his son, Chris McMurry. According to the website of the Content Marketing Institu...