The Unlovely Truth

Welcome to the Unlovely Truth. I'm your host church safety advocate Lori Morrison. Our churches need to be the safest places in our communities. Let's investigate the unlovely truth about real crime stories happening in real churches. I've got two new cases to explore today, so let's dive right in.    Important points from this episode include:   Safeguarding trust is essential What we call things matters Get ready for something new! Visit my website to access more episodes. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    Ways you can support the work of The Unlovely Truth:   Share the episode    Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest   Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches.    Read more about today's cases:   Church security guard not trustworthy   Fallen Pastor is using the right language for what he did

Welcome to the Unlovely Truth. I'm your host church safety advocate and coach, Lori Morrison. Physical, emotional, and spiritual safety issues exist in every church. I'm here to share real stories from real churches to foster awareness, initiate conversations, and encourage ministry leaders to take action. Our churches need to be the safest places in our communities, so I will give you actionable steps to make your house of worship a true sanctuary in your community. Let's investigate the unlovely truth about real crime stories happening in real churches. I've got three cases to explore today, so we'll dive right in.  I wish I could tell you that finding stories to report to you is really hard. The truth is, it's way too easy because they are just too common. Even if you don't have these exact problems in your church, we can learn a lot about what we need to prevent. Sometimes that means having these hard conversations first. Important points from this episode include:   No pastor is divinely ordained to beat your child When we defend horrific behavior, the world turns its back on us Accountability and transparency are vital to earn back trust   Proverbs 25: 4-5 NLT   Remove the impurities from silver, and the sterling will be ready for the silversmith. Remove the wicked from the king's court, and his reign will be made secure by justice.   Earthly kings or civil leaders need to surround themselves with advisors whose integrity is above reproach. We can see by the state our world is in the they certainly don't always do that. Shouldn't the church hold itself to an even higher standard? After all, if as believers we say that Jesus is our king, then his court, the church, should be filled with leaders whose actions demonstrate integrity. Why aren't our churches the places where justice shines the brightest? It's because we allow men and women whose actions are just plain wicked to remain in power. We make excuses and defend them. We sometimes even try to hide the truth.    That has to stop. But wicked leaders aren't going to hand over their power and influence willingly. It's up to you and me to speak out. We have to be willing to talk about hard things and make difficult decisions so we are defending the ones who have been hurt. Jesus saved his harshest criticisms for leaders in the church who had wrong motives. We have to be able to speak the truth about our own leaders who have wrong motives today. If you want to do that but you don't know what to say or where to start, please reach out. I'd love to help you. Visit my website to access more episodes. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    Ways you can support the work of The Unlovely Truth:   Buy Me a Coffee to help me continue to offer free church security advice on the podcast   Share the episode    Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest   Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches.    Read more about today's cases:   Pastor beats child   Is "well-loved" pastor a sociopath?   What are Southern Baptists hiding?   Listen to my interview with Christa Brown here

Welcome to the Unlovely Truth. I'm your host church safety advocate and coach Lori Morrison. Our churches need to be the safest places in our communities, so my mission on this podcast is to give you actionable steps to make your house of worship a true sanctuary in your community. Let's investigate the unlovely truth about real crime stories happening in real churches. I've got three cases to explore today, so let's dive right in.    Important points from this episode include:   Church and Professional Sports Working Together, But Not for Good Hall of Famer Might Also Be Hall of Shamer FCA Staffer Involved in SCAM Titus 2:7-8 NIrV   In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who  oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.   That sounds simple but not easy, right? The book of Titus has great lessons in leadership, the importance of sound doctrine, and how the Gospel should inspire us to do good to others. All of that was completely lacking in today's stories, yet each was about people who traded on their reputations, on the fact that people trusted them, to use and abuse people. Anybody can talk the talk but we have to check our leaders to see if they are truly walking the walk.  Let me know what you think of this episode! Send me an email a lori@theunlovelytruth.com or message me on social media. I love it when people are willing to have hard, but impactful conversations that strengthen physical, emotional, and spiritual safety at the intersection of faith and true crime.  Visit my website to access more episodes. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    Ways you can support the work of The Unlovely Truth:   Buy Me a Coffee to help me continue to offer free church security advice on the podcast   Share the episode    Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest   Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches.    Read more about today's cases:   Coverups by the higherups   Silencing a victim   FCA or SCAM?  

Welcome to the Unlovely Truth. I'm your host church safety advocate and coach Lori Morrison. Physical, emotional, and spiritual safety issues exist in every church. I'm here to share real stories from real churches to foster awareness, initiate conversations, and encourage ministry leaders to take action. Our churches need to be the safest places in our communities, so my mission on this podcast is to give you actionable steps to make your house of worship a true sanctuary in your community. Let's investigate the unlovely truth about real crime stories happening in real churches. I've got three cases to explore today, so let's dive right in.    Important points from this episode include:   Character matters, especially in the pulpit Tough decisions require tough evaluations It's time for a spring cleaning of sorts in our churches Proverbs 12:15 ICB A foolish person thinks he is doing right. But a wise person listens to advice.   The twelfth chapter of Proverbs has a lot to say about wisdom, and I think this verse sums up what we've talked about today very nicely. We talked about 2 times a decision should've been easy and one that has arguments on both sides. What they all have in common is that they support my argument that decisions that affect the safety of the church should always be discussed with a group of wise leaders who are willing to listen to the advice of the people who know the most about the situation.    Do you know what the decision-making process is at your church, especially where it comes to safety decisions? Are your leaders listening to the people who serve in the ministries that their decisions will affect? They need boots-on-the-ground perspectives to weigh as they make their choices. Are they attending conferences or reading books where they can get perspectives from people who study and analyze current best practices? Maybe you could take one easy step and share this podcast with them, or any other that you think gives soundly Biblical and practical advice. It starts with us in the trenches of ministry my friends. Let's speak up and improve the physical, emotional, and spiritual safety of the people God entrusted to our care.  Let me know what you think of this episode! Send me an email a lori@theunlovelytruth.com or message me on social media. I love it when people are willing to have hard, but impactful conversations. Visit my website to access more episodes. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    Ways you can support the work of The Unlovely Truth:   Buy Me a Coffee to help me continue to offer free church security advice on the podcast   Share the episode    Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest   Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches.    Read more about today's cases:   Former pastor accused of stealing hurrican relief funds   Is it ok for registered sex offenders to serve at church?   Time to evaluate your safety protocols

Welcome to the Unlovely Truth. I'm your host church safety advocate and coach Lori Morrison. Physical, emotional, and spiritual safety issues exist in every church. I'm here to share real stories from real churches to foster awareness, initiate conversations, and encourage ministry leaders to take action. Our churches need to be the safest places in our communities, so I'm going to give you actionable steps to make your house of worship a true sanctuary in your community. Let's investigate the unlovely truth about real crime stories happening in real churches. I've got three cases to explore today, so we're going to dive right in.    Important points from this episode include:   Background checks are just a first step Women can be abusers Pastors can respond to abuse in unhelpful ways Psalm 55:12-14 NLT   It is not an enemy who taunts me—I could bear that. It is not my foes who so arrogantly insult me—I could have hidden from them. Instead, it is you—my equal, my companion and close friend. What good fellowship we once enjoyed as we walked together to the house of God.   If you've read the psalms written by David, like this one, you know he had enemies. I can relate. Don't we all have at least one or two people in our lives who seem to really enjoy it when things don't go our way - or worse? I can ignore most of that nonsense. But when it comes from someone who should be in my corner, it's a lot harder to make sense of. We shouldn't be surprised that it even happens in church.   Whether it's someone in charge of finances, the well-being of children, or the spiritual growth of the congregation, we can't afford to let these people get into or stay in these positions. I know that in our first case, the offender tricked the background check process. But I'd like to know if the church also called references or had appropriate policies and procedures around how money was handled. The same can be said for the school in our second case. How well was this teacher vetted before she was hired, and what policies were in place to control her contact with students? As for John Piper, I'm sure I've made a lot of people who put too much faith in him upset. That's never my goal, but if it makes you think more critically about what he or any pastor says, then that's a good thing. These are all situations we need to talk more about. Visit my website to access more episodes. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    Ways you can support the work of The Unlovely Truth:   Buy Me a Coffee to help me continue to offer free church security advice on the podcast   Share the episode    Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest   Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches.    Read more about today's cases:   Did a church financial administrator help herself?   Christian School teacher engages in "inappropriate communications" with student   When a man says God told him to marry you Article about female sex offenders   Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment

Happy New Year and Welcome to the Unlovely Truth. I'm your host church safety advocate and coach Lori Morrison. I help ministry leaders assess and address the 12 critical safety issues that exist in every church. Our churches need to be the safest places in our communities, so my mission on this podcast is to give you actionable steps to make your house of worship a true sanctuary in your community. Let's investigate the unlovely truth about real crime stories happening in real churches. I've got three cases to explore today, so let's dive right in.    2025 is a great time to resolve to help your church increase its safety across all areas of potential concern. Since you are listening to the podcast, you're off to a promising start!   Proverbs 21:21-22 (NIV)   Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity, and honor. One who is wise can go up against the city of the mighty and pull down the stronghold in which they trust.   There is so much wisdom packed into these two short verses - it's why I love Proverbs so much. We all want life, prosperity, and honor for our churches, right? Proverbs gives us a simple recipe to create it for our congregations. We simply pursue righteousness. Of course, we can't attain complete righteousness on our own, but only through the sacrifice of Jesus. But here we are told that life, prosperity, and honor can be ours if we just pursue righteousness. I think that looks a lot like doing things the way Jesus would. And if we are wise, we can go up against those who aren't leading well and cast aside the strongholds they hold dear. So I want to ask you: what strongholds are there in your church that get in the way of truly protecting the most vulnerable among you? Point them out and help leaders deal with them so that your church becomes an even more life-giving place for all. Let me know what you think of this episode! Send me an email a lori@theunlovelytruth.com or message me on social media. I love it when people are willing to have hard, but impactful conversations that strengthen physical, emotional, and spiritual safety in our churches.   Important points from this episode include:   Making spiritual abuse against church law Avoiding confrontation is wise How to increase safety in Christian schools Visit my website to access more episodes. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker or ask about my consulting services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    Ways you can support the work of The Unlovely Truth:   Buy Me a Coffee to help me continue to offer free church security advice on the podcast   Share the episode   Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest   Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches.    Read more about today's cases:   Potential new church law   Run and hide saves the day   Christian School Safety   Subscribe to Worship Security newsletter (and read articles by me from time to time!)  

Welcome to the Unlovely Truth. I'm your host church safety advocate and coach Lori Morrison. I help ministry leaders assess and address the 12 critical safety issues that exist in every church. Our churches need to be the safest places in our communities, so my mission on this podcast is to give you actionable steps to make your house of worship a true sanctuary in your community. Let's investigate the unlovely truth about real crime stories happening in real churches. I've got three cases to explore today, so let's dive right in.    Important points from this episode include: Kung fu pastor "She's the voice of God to you" - not! Pastor speaks out and gets iced out  The Bible verse that I want to read today is Ephesians five 11.  It says in the NLT. Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness. Instead. Expose them.  That doesn't need a whole lot of exposition or explanation. Not only are we supposed to not do things that are wrong. If we see somebody. Doing evil things. We're supposed to expose them. And I know it's so easy to think. Well, I shouldn't get involved. I don't really know what's going on. But  if you see something, say something. Make sure other people are aware of what's happening, just say what, you know. I bring up your concerns. Ask for a committee to be formed, to look into things.  Now, if we're talking about anything where a minor is being harmed, you need to call the police. Any, anything that could be criminal behavior, you need to call the police and let them deal with it. But if it's somebody that's being, you know, emotionally abusive as, as a teacher of something,    You need to bring that up.  That person needs to be. Corrected. Maybe they don't realize what they're doing. And they can fix that. That'd be great. If not. And they don't need to be that type of leader. They can serve in other ways.  So as we're coming to the end of 2024. I just want to give you encouragement. Yes. We've talked about a lot of tough stuff. This season. But getting that out in the light, keeping it from being hidden, bringing it up to the proper people. That's what we're called to do. And I am here to help you. So have a Merry Christmas, a happy new year, and we'll keep on fighting the good fight in 2025.

Welcome to the Unlovely Truth. I'm your host church safety advocate and coach Lori Morrison. I help ministry leaders assess and address the 12 critical safety issues that exist in every church. Our churches need to be the safest places in our communities, so my mission on this podcast is to give you actionable steps to make your house of worship a true sanctuary in your community. Let's investigate the unlovely truth about real crime stories happening in real churches. I've got three cases to explore today, so let's dive right in.    Important points from this episode include:   Dealing with a controlling pastor Dealing with a neglectful pastor Dealing with a deceitful pastor 1 Corinthians 5:9-13 NIV   I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.   What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.”   Paul wrote his first letter to the Corinthians to address problems he saw in the church, and one of the big ones was sexual immorality. If it happened back then, why do we think it can't happen now? Paul didn't ignore the problem, he acknowledged it so the church could fix things.    And part of his recipe for fixing things was to not associate with those in the church who were being sexually immoral. So why do we today do the exact opposite? I suppose that some of it is in the name of tolerance. We like to think we are amazing people when we overlook evil and call it loving people. Paul says that when it comes to people who call themselves Christians, that is exactly the opposite of what we should be doing.    It is so frustrating to watch churches get this wrong over and over and over. If this is a problem at your church, it's time to speak out. If you need my help, all you've got to do is ask. Let me know what you think of this episode! Send me an email a lori@theunlovelytruth.com or message me on social media. I love it when people are willing to have hard, but impactful conversations that strengthen physical, emotional, and spiritual safety in our churches. See you all next time!   Visit my website to access more episodes. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    Ways you can support the work of The Unlovely Truth:   Buy Me a Coffee to help me continue to offer free church security advice on the podcast   Share the episode    Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest   Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches.    Read more about today's cases:   Unhealthy leadership story   You should have called the police   Child abuses child  

  Welcome to the Unlovely Truth. I'm your host church safety advocate and coach Lori Morrison. I help ministry leaders assess and address the 12 critical safety issues that exist in every church. Our churches need to be the safest places in our communities, so my mission on this podcast is to give you actionable steps to make your house of worship a true sanctuary in your community. Let's investigate the unlovely truth about real crime stories happening in real churches. I've got three cases to explore today, so let's dive right in.    Important points from this episode include:   Proven character is more important than a title A ministry ban is a good way to curb spiritual abuse If you want your church to grow, don't use a taser on a worshipper   For anybody who says they're a follower of Jesus, their character should be producing such amazing fruit that we know exactly who guides their steps. And in Galatians chapter five, verses 22 and 23, it says, “But the fruit of the spirit is love. Joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.”     So if we think back over our three cases from today, we definitely didn't see any faithfulness in that first one. And the second one -- we didn't see kindness. And that third one, golly. We did not see any kind of Christian love.    And I know none of us are going to be producing all of this, all the time. But when we look at our leaders, our volunteers, the people we look up to in our spiritual lives -- we should see the fruit of the spirit in their actions.    So I want you to ask yourself. Is there anything in your church where you think that leadership is not really showing the fruit of the spirit? Maybe they need to step aside for a time, maybe they're going through a tough time. Maybe they never should have been a leader in the first place.  But things aren't going to be better unless somebody steps up. And is willing to say the hard thing and have those conversations. And if you need help with that, please, please get in touch with me.    I would love to help you with that.     Visit my website to access more episodes. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    Ways you can support the work of The Unlovely Truth:   Buy Me a Coffee to help me continue to offer free church security advice on the podcast   Share the episode    Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest   Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches.    Read more about today's cases:   Pastor murders one of his girlfriends   Spiritual abuse busted   Tasers and tambourines

Welcome to the Unlovely Truth. I'm your host church safety advocate and coach Lori Morrison. I help ministry leaders assess and address the 12 critical safety issues that exist in every church. Our churches need to be the safest places in our communities, so my mission on this podcast is to give you actionable steps to make your house of worship a true sanctuary in your community. Let's investigate the unlovely truth about real crime stories happening in real churches. I've got three cases to explore today, so let's dive right in.    I'm not a fan of horror movies. There's enough real-life stuff that scares me so why would I look for fake scary stuff. The episode proves that we've got to be on the lookout for horrific happenings even in our churches. So why do I think it's important to talk about the things I talk about on the podcast?   Numbers 21:6-9 (CSB) Then the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people, and they bit them so that many Israelites died. The people then came to Moses and said, “We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you. Intercede with the Lord so that he will take the snakes away from us.” And Moses interceded for the people.   Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake image and mount it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten looks at it, he will recover.” So Moses made a bronze snake and mounted it on a pole. Whenever someone was bitten, and he looked at the bronze snake, he recovered.   The children of Israel were whining, again, about the state they found themselves in. Never did it seem to occur to them that THEY were the reason things weren't going so good. It would get a lot worse once the snakes made their appearance. And I'm fascinated to think about the idea that God “sent” these snakes. Was it that he commanded them to go and bite the people, or that He had been restraining them to protect the people and now since they were murmuring against God, he simply got out of the way like they seemed to say they wanted?   Ouch. That hits pretty close to home doesn't it?   But God is merciful and gave the people a way out of the mess they'd created. If they would look up in their distress at the bronze snake, they would live. Let's think hard about this. They had to look at the very thing that was killing them to live.    I think that as a whole, the church has whined and grumbled about taking the protection of the vulnerable among us as seriously as we need to. We need to hear these stories, these things that have the potential to strike and wound the church, if we want the church to live and thrive.   So I want to ask you - are you willing to be a person who speaks out? Who tries to get your leaders to look at problems they don't want to look at? If you are, please reach out to me. I'd love to help you on that important journey. Let me know what you think of this episode! Send me an email at lori@theunlovelytruth.com or message me on social media. I love it when people are willing to have hard, but impactful conversations that strengthen physical, emotional, and spiritual safety   Visit my website to access more episodes. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    Ways you can support the work of The Unlovely Truth:   Buy Me a Coffee to help me continue to offer free church security advice on the podcast   Share the episode   Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest   Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches.    Read more about today's cases:   Volunteer youth pastor also a pimp   Another denomination covers up abuse   Spiritual abuse against women

Welcome to the Unlovely Truth. I'm your host church safety advocate and coach Lori Morrison. I help ministry leaders assess and address the 12 critical safety issues that exist in every church. Our churches need to be the safest places in our communities, so my mission on this podcast is to give you actionable steps to make your house of worship a true sanctuary in your community. Let's investigate the unlovely truth about real crime stories happening in real churches. I've got three cases to explore today, so let's dive right in.  Highlights from this episode include: Who fakes a church shooting? Someone who shouldn't be on your security team. Ethics for thee, none for me says a Christian ethics professor.  Doesn't everyone take guns and drugs to Vegas? Visit my website to access more episodes. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    Jeremiah 23:11 ICB Both the prophets and the priests are evil. I have seen them doing evil things  even in my own Temple,” says the Lord. Let's start off with some context. To put it simply, Jeremiah reports that the civil and religious leaders of Israel were a mess! Rather than acting as shepherds of the people, they were committing adultery, lying, and deceiving their people. Unfortunately, today's stories show that “religious” people today often aren't all that different. We have to be honest with ourselves and admit that even today people that have power in our churches often hide the side of themselves that is behaving in deeply sinful and abusive ways. That has to stop.  It's time to remove unfit leaders while still praying for them as Dr. Stephen Cady showed us by his example. If you know that your church needs to do that but you don't know how to even approach such a situation, please message or email me. I'd love to walk alongside your church and serve you the best way I know how.  Let me know what you think of this episode! Send me an email a lori@theunlovelytruth.com or message me on social media. I love it when people are willing to have hard, but impactful conversations that strengthen physical, emotional, and spiritual safety in our churches.  Ways you can support the work of The Unlovely Truth:   Buy Me a Coffee to help me continue to offer free church security advice on the podcast Share the episode  Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches.    Read more about today's cases:   Fake church shooting Christian Ethics Professor Arrested Pastor arrested with guns and drugs

I'm so glad you've joined me at the intersection of faith and true crime here at The Unlovely Truth. Does your church or ministry struggle with physical, emotional, or spiritual safety issues? I'm your host, church safety advocate Lori Morrison and I'm so glad you've joined me today. Our churches need to be the safest places in our communities, so our mission on this podcast is to find actionable steps to improve every aspect of safety in our houses of worship and beyond. We will investigate The Unlovley Truth about real crime news stories happening in real churches. I've got new cases to explore today, so let's dive right in.    Highlights from this episode include:   Is the coverup always worse than the crime? A celebrity pastor behaving badly Another Christian school, more bad behavior   Matthew 18:1-10   About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?” Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.   “And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me. But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.   “What sorrow awaits the world, because it tempts people to sin. Temptations are inevitable, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting. So if your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It's better to enter eternal life with only one hand or one foot than to be thrown into eternal fire with both of your hands and feet. And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It's better to enter eternal life with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.   “Beware that you don't look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly Father. This is not a super hard passage to understand. So let's just look at some of the really important points that stick out to me. Jesus starts out answering a question in a way that is unexpected. And he does that so many times. He doesn't just straight up answer their question. He redirects what he wants them to be focusing on. They were focused on themselves, on their deeds, and what those deeds might entitle them to. But Jesus talked about some of the most vulnerable members of any society. It's children.    And he doesn't just mention children. He calls a child to him. It has that little one stand as an equal with all these adults around him. And then he challenges those adults to be more like that. Marginalized. Powerless child.    And it's so opposite of what our leaders in today's cases did and how they failed the children around them. Having a millstone hung around your neck and being tossed in the sea is such a vivid word picture. When I directed a children's ministry many, many years ago, I wanted that to be our ministry verse and to paint it up on the wall, but they wouldn't let me. I can't imagine why not! But to me, it shows how seriously Jesus takes the protection of children. But in our society and yes, even in a lot of churches, We focus on adults. And we say that that's where the air quote real ministry happens. We let budgets distract us. We let the lack of volunteers keep us from doing what needs to be done. We let the lust for power blind us. And not because we're cutting out any offending part of us. It's not our hands, feet, and eyes that are the problem. It's our hearts. Hearts that lead us to steal, to abuse, and to neglect.    And we saw all that happening just in this episode. So, what do we do about it? Jesus had the answer as he always does. He said that we need to become humble, like children. And you might be thinking, have you met any kids? Not always so humble. Maybe not an attitude, but I think what Jesus was getting at was being humble in station. Not trying to rise above and be over people. Not stealing to acquire riches, not abusing, to feel powerful and not neglecting our obligations toward others.    If churches would all have leaders that met these criteria. I wouldn't need to produce this podcast anymore. And nothing would make me happier. Visit my website to access more episodes. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    Ways you can support the work of The Unlovely Truth:   Buy me a coffee   Share the episode    Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest   Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches.    Is the coverup always worse than the crime?   A celebrity pastor behaving badly   Another Christian school, more bad behavior

I'm so glad you've joined me at the intersection of faith and true crime here at The Unlovely Truth. Does your church or ministry struggle with physical, emotional, or spiritual safety issues? I'm your host, church safety advocate Lori Morrison and I'm so glad you've joined me today. Our churches need to be the safest places in our communities, so our mission on this podcast is to find actionable steps to improve every aspect of safety in our houses of worship and beyond. We will investigate The Unlovley Truth about real crime news stories happening in real churches. I've got new cases to explore today, so let's dive right in.    Highlights from this episode include:   Calling out bullying in disguise Are you managing your volunteers well enough? Leadership team does the right thing Phillipians 2:1-4 NIV   Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.   Rather than meaning we all have to think alike the way a high-control leader might want his followers to do, we are to simply act like Jesus. Well, simple in theory, oh-so-hard in practice. It takes a very intentional mindset that says we are willing to be uncomfortable if that makes it better for someone else.    It's hard to speak out when there may be physical, emotional, or spiritual safety issues in our church. But things won't get better until we are willing to get uncomfortable and talk about them, do something about them. Are you ready to do that?   Let me know what you think of this episode! Send me an email a lori@theunlovelytruth.com or message me on social media. I love it when people are willing to have hard, but impactful conversations that strengthen physical, emotional, and spiritual safety at the intersection of faith and true crime.   Visit my website to access more episodes. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    Ways you can support the work of The Unlovely Truth:   Share the episode   Buy Me a Coffee   Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn    Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches.    Read more about today's cases:   Church discipline, or bullying?   Really, really bad volunteer   Church network...or cult?  

I'm so glad you've joined me at the intersection of faith and true crime here at The Unlovely Truth. Does your church or ministry struggle with physical, emotional, or spiritual safety issues? I'm your host, church safety advocate Lori Morrison and I'm so glad you've joined me today. Our churches need to be the safest places in our communities, so our mission on this podcast is to find actionable steps to improve every aspect of safety in our houses of worship and beyond. We will investigate The Unlovely Truth about real crime news stories happening in real churches. I've got new cases to talk about today, so let's dive right in.    Highlights from this episode include:   A podcast sharing stories of survivors from inside a denomination gets shut down More news from troubled megachurch Gateway Houston Finally, a church that got it (mostly) right   Acts 14:1-7 The same thing happened in Iconium. Paul and Barnabas went to the Jewish synagogue and preached with such power that a great number of both Jews and Greeks became believers. Some of the Jews, however, spurned God's message and poisoned the minds of the Gentiles against Paul and Barnabas. But the apostles stayed there a long time, preaching boldly about the grace of the Lord. And the Lord proved their message was true by giving them power to do miraculous signs and wonders. But the people of the town were divided in their opinion about them. Some sided with the Jews, and some with the apostles.   Then a mob of Gentiles and Jews, along with their leaders, decided to attack and stone them. When the apostles learned of it, they fled to the region of Lycaonia—to the towns of Lystra and Derbe and the surrounding area. And there they preached the Good News.   Wow. There are so many parallels here to what we've been talking about for the last 6 months or so on the podcast. Let's break this down a little bit at a time and let me talk about where I'm seeing these parallels. So Paul and Barnabas are going in there spreading the good news they're doing what they're supposed to be doing. And they're being very effective. But some people didn't want to hear what they had to say. And that reminds me so much of, in so many churches when someone stands up. To tell the truth. People will try to shut them down.  And it even says, you know, some of the Jews, however, spurned God's message and poisoned the minds of the Gentiles against Paul and Barnabas. I know so many of you, if you haven't had this happen to you, you've seen it. Someone brings up an issue. And leadership turns around and makes them the issue. They're the problem.    The whistleblower is the problem, not the problem being the problem. Scripture tells us though that the apostles stayed there a long time. They were bold. And that, because they did that. God proved that their message was true. Now, I don't know if He's going to give any of us miraculous signs and wonders the way he did here, but you never know.   Why wouldn't God give us that same boldness that they had? Why wouldn't he allow us to have the grace of being able to boldly state what we know to be true? And having that make a change. Now, of course, the passage goes on to say that the people in the town were divided.   Some sided with the apostles and some sided with the Jews. Then a mob of Gentiles and Jews along with their leaders, decided to attack and stone them. Not everybody in leadership is doing the right thing and we have to be able to call those people out.    The apostles knew what was going to happen. They found out, and so they fled.  Sometimes we have to leave. When they fled, they still spoke what they knew to be true. And that's what we all have to do, too.   Let me know what you think of this episode! Send me an email a lori@theunlovelytruth.com or message me on social media. I love it when people are willing to have hard, but impactful conversations that strengthen physical, emotional, and spiritual safety   Visit my website to access more episodes. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    Ways you can support the work of The Unlovely Truth:   Share the episode    Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn    Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches.    "Wall of Silence" podcast almost silenced - listen to it here   Here we go again with Gateway Church   A church that didn't totally mess up

I'm so glad you've joined me at the intersection of faith and true crime here at The Unlovely Truth. Does your church or ministry struggle with physical, emotional, or spiritual safety issues? I'm your host, church safety advocate Lori Morrison and I'm so glad you've joined me today. Our churches need to be the safest places in our communities, so our mission on this podcast is to find actionable steps to improve every aspect of safety in our houses of worship and beyond. We're going to do that by investigating The Unlovely Truth about real crime news stories that are happening in real churches. I've got new cases for us to investigate today, so let's dive right in.    Highlights from this episode include:   One more Gateway pastor is gone Did this pastor have a vision or was he a fraud? Church money is stolen and they didn't notice Let's look now at a passage of Scripture that's right in line with that and has lessons for us about all of today's cases.    2 Corinthians 8:16-21 from the NIV   Thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same concern I have for you. For Titus not only welcomed our appeal, but he is coming to you with much enthusiasm and on his own initiative. And we are sending along with him the brother who is praised by all the churches for his service to the gospel. What is more, he was chosen by the churches to accompany us as we carry the offering, which we administer in order to honor the Lord himself and to show our eagerness to help. We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord  but also in the eyes of man.   Paul has collected money from fellow believers to help a struggling church. Since they didn't have Venmo back then, someone had to actually take the money where it needed to go. Paul made sure he chose someone who was widely known for his service, not his charisma or public speaking abilities. He was also sent with someone else. And what was the offering for? Not to build a Christian Disneyland but “to honor the Lord himself and to show our eagerness to help.” And notice how Paul says he wants to avoid criticism of how they are doing things. He doesn't do that by hiding what is going on, but by putting safeguards in place and using trusted people.    I think that the last sentence in this passage applies to not only financial matters, but to everything we do in church. “For we are taking pains to do what is right not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of man”. Paul knew that being a church of high integrity is necessary to spread the gospel! We don't try to have a good reputation by hiding what we are doing, but by doing the right thing. There is a huge difference there. I so I want to end with a question that will hopefully make us all think. What is OUR church's reputation based on?   Let me know what you think of this episode! Send me an email a lori@theunlovelytruth.com or message me on social media. I love it when people are willing to have hard, but impactful conversations that strengthen physical, emotional, and spiritual safety at the intersection of faith and true crime.   Visit my website to access more episodes. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    Ways you can support the work of The Unlovely Truth:   Support this work financially with a one-time gift   Share the episode   Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn    Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches.    Another Gateway pastor sent packing   Was this pastor a failed businessman - or a con artist?   When money gets stolen and your church doesn't notice  

I'm so glad you've joined me at the intersection of faith and true crime here at The Unlovely Truth. Does your church or ministry struggle with physical, emotional, or spiritual safety issues? I'm your host, church safety advocate Lori Morrison and I'm so glad you've joined me today. Our churches need to be the safest places in our communities, so our mission on this podcast is to find actionable steps to improve every aspect of safety in our houses of worship and beyond. We're going to do that by investigating The Unlovley Truth about real crime news stories that are happening in real churches. I've got new cases for us to investigate today, so let's dive right in.    Highlights from this episode include:   “The Money Doctor” turns out to be “The Money Thief” Another Texas megachurch does terrible PR job Former pastor, longtime criminal   2 Peter 1:3-8   His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.   For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is an excellent blueprint for living a holy and mature life AND it can help us recognize who around us is doing the same and who maybe needs to not be in a leadership position   First, let's notice that we get these attributes through God's holy power. It's not about our awesomeness, which means we must be humble. And we need to look for humble leaders.    Peter explains why things can go sideways - we give in to evil desires. One way to avoid that is to be accountable to people. Allow them to speak into your life when they see areas of weakness or sin. And for goodness sake, let's stop following leaders who refuse to be accountable. If anyone says something like you can't hold leaders responsible because the Bible says “do not touch my anointed ones - they are taking that Scripture completely out of context. It's about the patriarchs in the Old Testament. It's not a license to refuse to be held accountable today.   Moving on - start with faith, add goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection, and love. If your leaders aren't displaying these traits in increasing measure - it's time for new leaders.  Visit my website to access more episodes. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    Ways you can support the work of The Unlovely Truth:   Share the episode   Support The Unlovely Truth with a one-time gift   Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn    Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches.    “The Money Doctor” turns out to be “The Money Thief"   Another Texas megachurch does terrible PR job   Former pastor, longtime criminal

I'm so glad you've joined me at the intersection of faith and true crime here at The Unlovely Truth. Does your church or ministry struggle with physical, emotional, or spiritual safety issues? I'm your host, church safety advocate Lori Morrison and I'm so glad you've joined me today. Our churches need to be the safest places in our communities, so our mission on this podcast is to find actionable steps to improve every aspect of safety in our houses of worship and beyond. We're going to do that by investigating The Unlovley Truth about real crime news stories happening in real churches. I've got new cases to investigate today, so let's dive right in.    Unlovely Truths from this episode include:   Church daycare site of alleged physical abuse Church shields inappropriate youth pastor and gets sued Church pastor preaches one thing, does another 1 Corinthians 10:1-6   For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters,  that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them,  and that rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them;  their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. Now these things occurred as examples  to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did.   When Paul wrote this letter to the church, there were some issues about idol worship. Paul reminded the people how that worked out for the children of Israel after God delivered them out of slavery in Egypt. He took care of their every need, and they betrayed him. They made something else more important to them than their holiness.   We still do that today, whether it's with money, or status, or sex. I think in all three of our cases today it was about power. It was disguised as both physical, emotional and spiritual abuse - but each of our perps wanted to exert whatever power they could over someone weaker so they could get what they wanted.    My safety tips for you today apply equally well in your personal life as they do in our churches. Avoid people who are controlling. You don't need to be in a relationship with controlling people and you certainly should hire them to hold any role associated with your church. It sounds like I'm trying to control you by saying that, but you get what I mean. High-control people and groups aren't healthy, and you and our churches deserve better!   Let me know what you think of this episode! Send me an email at lori@theunlovelytruth.com or message me on social media. I love it when people are willing to have hard, but impactful conversations that strengthen physical, emotional, and spiritual safety at the intersection of faith and true crime.   Visit my website to access more episodes. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker or ask about my consulting services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    Ways you can support the work of The Unlovely Truth:   Buy me a coffee so I can keep helping churches be the safest place in their communities   Share the episode    Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn    Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches.    Church Daycare worker allegedly abuses child   Did this church ignore horrible behavior by a staff member?   Did this pastor solicit a prostitute?

I'm so glad you've joined me at the intersection of faith and true crime here at The Unlovely Truth. Does your church or ministry struggle with physical, emotional, or spiritual safety issues? I'm your host, church safety advocate Lori Morrison and I'm so glad you've joined me today. Our churches need to be the safest places in our communities, so our mission on this podcast is to find actionable steps to improve every aspect of safety in our houses of worship and beyond. We're going to do that by investigating The Unlovley Truth about real crime news stories happening in real churches. I've got new cases to investigate together, so let's dive right in.    Big Questions from this episode include:   What kind of abuser is worse - a priest who sexually abused children, or the priests who knew, and did nothing? Why are more than 500 people asking Father Barry Stechschulte of St. Susanna Church in Mason, Ohio to resign? Labor trafficking doesn't happen in faith communities…does it?   James 4:17 NLT   Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it. Avoiding doing evil is obviously a very good thing. But James takes things a step further here. He says very clearly that avoiding doing good is a very bad thing. Those are some pretty tough words, but all of us who are believers need to take them to heart!    In one sense, the book of James is a call to action. He tells us to be doers of the word and not just hearers (James 1:22). James also says that we should take action to meet people's needs (James 2:16) as well as being sure to humble ourselves (James 4:10).   This may upset some of you, but I have to say that I think that our churches, and of course that includes the people in them, need a healthy dose of humility. Pride can keep us from recognizing problems and taking steps to fix them. Let's not ever get so protective of the reputation of our church that we protect it at the expense of the safety of our people.    Let me know what you think of this episode! Send me an email at lori@theunlovelytruth.com or message me on social media. I love it when people are willing to have hard, but impactful conversations that strengthen physical, emotional, and spiritual safety at the intersection of faith and true crime.   Visit my website to access more episodes. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker or ask about my coaching services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    Ways you can support the work of The Unlovely Truth:   Share the episode    Support my work at Buy Me a Coffee   Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn    Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches.    How predators silence their victims The priest who destroyed evidence What happens when people look the other way  

I'm so glad you've joined me at the intersection of faith and true crime here at The Unlovely Truth. Does your church or ministry struggle with physical, emotional, or spiritual safety issues? I'm your host, church safety advocate Lori Morrison and I'm so glad you've joined me today. Our churches need to be the safest places in our communities, so our mission on this podcast is to find actionable steps to improve every aspect of safety in our houses of worship and beyond. We're going to do that by investigating The Unlovley Truth about real crime news stories that are happening in real churches. I've got new cases for us to investigate today, so let's dive right in.    Highlights from this episode include: Pastoral counseling crosses the line into spiritual abuse When the pastor is the victim A church that handled a tough situation right - mostly Ezekiel 34:7-10 NLT “Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, you abandoned my flock and left them to be attacked by every wild animal. And though you were my shepherds, you didn't search for my sheep when they were lost. You took care of yourselves and left the sheep to starve. Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I now consider these shepherds my enemies, and I will hold them responsible for what has happened to my flock. I will take away their right to feed the flock, and I will stop them from feeding themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths; the sheep will no longer be their prey.   Even if shepherds lose their sense of responsibility to their flock - God does not. It's bad enough when a neglectful pastor allows their congregation to be vulnerable to predators. It's worse when those pastors themselves are the ones harming those they are meant to serve. God is very upfront in his assessment of pastors like this. He calls them His enemies. If you see a pastor abusing anyone in any way, please, let god work through you by speaking up. I know that can be scary and if you'll reach out to me I will help you.    On the flip side, if we see one of our pastors suffering, we need to stand up for them as well. No of us should abandon anyone when we have a chance to help them stay safe.    Visit my website to access more episodes. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker or ask about my consulting services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    Ways you can support the work of The Unlovely Truth:   Share the episode    Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn    Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches.  Was this spiritual abuse? Pastor confronts gunman Should sex offenders be pastors?

I'm so glad you've joined me at the intersection of faith and true crime here at The Unlovely Truth. Security issues are hiding in every church - do you know where to look for them? I'm your host, church safety advocate Lori Morrison. Our churches need to be the safest places in our communities, so our mission here is to find actionable steps that will make our churches sanctuaries of physical, emotional, and spiritual safety. To give you tools to help make that happen in your church, we're going to investigate real crime stories from real churches. I've got three cases for us to investigate today, so let's dive right in.    Highlights from this episode include:   Shots were fired at Grace New Covenant Church in Bellefontaine Neighbors, Missouri. Why did the shooter pick that church? Two sets of rules for handling money is a sure fire way to have money mis-handled. Arson isn't the answer to disagreements    Let's look at James 3:3-6 from the HCSB:   Now when we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we also guide the whole animal. And consider ships: Though very large and driven by fierce winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So too, though the tongue is a small part of the body, it boasts great things. Consider how large a forest a small fire ignites. And the tongue is a fire. The tongue, a world of unrighteousness, is placed among the parts of our bodies. It pollutes the whole body, sets the course of life on fire, and is set on fire by hell.   That is very strong language! But I think it's good for us to remember. What damage we can do with our words. We can shame people. We can blame people. We can tear them down. But we can also do the exact opposite. If horses can be made to obey with a small bit in their mouth, if a ship can be guided where the pilot wants it to go with a small rudder, we can use that small part of our bodies, our mouth, our tongue, to use good words to build people up. To bridge gaps.  And to help those who need us.   Let me know what you thought of this episode! Send me an email a lori@theunlovelytruth.com or message me on social media. I love it when people are willing to have hard, but impactful conversations that strengthen physical, emotional, and spiritual safety at the intersection of faith and true crime.   Visit my website to access more episodes. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my coaching services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    Ways you can support the work of The Unlovely Truth:   Share the episode   Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn    Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches.    Shots fired at a Missouri church   Pastor says he didn't mis-use church funds   Church arsons said to be over theological issue  

I'm so glad you've joined me at the intersection of faith and true crime here at The Unlovely Truth. Security issues are hiding in every church - do you know where to look for them? I'm your host, church safety coach Lori Morrison. Our churches need to be the safest places in our communities, so our mission here is to find actionable steps that will make our churches sanctuaries of physical, emotional, and spiritual safety. To give you tools to help make that happen in your church, we're going to investigate real crime stories from real churches. I've got three cases for us to investigate today, so let's dive right in.    Highlights from this episode include:   Woman stalked by a man from church Gateway Church allegedly covered up other abuse Man facing charges after spraying water on protesters at his church   Proverbs 27:12 GNT   Sensible people will see trouble coming and avoid it,  but an unthinking person will walk right into it and regret it later.   I'm not doing any victim-blaming here. I just love quoting Proverbs because they state things in such a memorable way. There are so many verses in the Bible that show God's compassion for people who have been taken advantage of by others. He doesn't blame them and neither do I. But I do want us to think about being proactive rather than reactive when it comes to safety in our churches.   How many times does a man have to behave inappropriately in a church setting before we say enough is enough? I've heard plenty of stories about confronting women for how they dress, or actions from their past but what about confronting inappropriately aggressive behavior in men? I'm also not slamming men. Some of the Godliest people I know are faithful and upright men. But the vast majority of the time they are the perpetrators in the cases we discuss. Let's be more sensible like Proverbs says and avoid the trouble they cause by confronting the behavior they display.    It's time to stop making excuses. It's time to elevate the protection of innocents. It's time to speak up and it has to start with the people in the pews. We've given decades to the people in positions of power to get it right, and too many of them have failed us. We need true shepherds, not shifty influencers. Not flashy speakers. Not charming snakes. Are you ready to demand that leaders in your church be true shepherds?   Let me know what you think of this episode! Send me an email at lori@theunlovelytruth.com or message me on social media. I love it when people are willing to have hard, but impactful conversations that strengthen physical, emotional, and spiritual safety at the intersection of faith and true crime.   Visit my website to access more episodes. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker or ask about my consulting services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    Ways you can support the work of The Unlovely Truth:   Share the episode    Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn    Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches.    Church stalker   More trouble for Gateway Church   Man assaulted protesters

I'm so glad you've joined me at the intersection of faith and true crime here at The Unlovely Truth. Security issues are hiding in every church - do you know where to look for them? I'm your host, church safety advocate Lori Morrison. Our churches need to be the safest places in our communities, so our mission here is to find actionable steps that will make our churches sanctuaries of physical, emotional, and spiritual safety. To give you tools to help make that happen in your church, we're going to investigate real crime stories from real churches. I've got three cases for us to investigate today, so let's dive right in.    Highlights from this episode include:   Watch out for what gets posted on your church's website Church employee arrested on child porn charges The Episcopal Church gets it right   Visit my website to access more episodes. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    Ways you can support the work of The Unlovely Truth:   Share the episode    Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn    Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches.    Church website publishes application for militia   Church worker arrested for possessing child porn   Go Episcopalian Church!   Hebrews 4:12-13 (CEV) God's word is alive and powerful! It is sharper than any double-edged sword.  His word can cut through our spirits and souls and through our joints and marrow,  until it discovers the desires and thoughts of our hearts. Nothing is hidden from God!  He sees through everything, and we will have to tell him the truth.   I was so happy to happy a good story to share today! Even so, it occurred to me that each of our three cases had something in common. Each one pointed to the heart condition of each of our main characters. In the first two cases, it was a heart full of evil intent disguised by an association with a religious group. In the last, it was a man with a heart bent towards justice and a willingness to actually do something.    I'd like to think that God's word is the deciding factor here. His Word itself describes the power that it has, even the power to discover what is in our hearts. We can't know for sure what is in these people's hearts, but God can, and we can certainly evaluate the fruit they are producing. If you are seeing the kind of fruit our first two cases brought to light, I hope you'll speak up. That will show amazingly good fruit being produced in your life,  Let me know what you thought of this episode! Send me an email a lori@theunlovelytruth.com or message me on social media. I love it when people are willing to have hard, but impactful conversations that strengthen physical, emotional, and spiritual safety at the intersection of faith and true crime.

I'm so glad you've joined me at the intersection of faith and true crime here at The Unlovely Truth. Security issues are hiding in every church - do you know where to look for them? I'm your host, church safety advocate Lori Morrison. Our churches need to be the safest places in our communities, so our mission here is to find actionable steps that will make our churches sanctuaries of physical, emotional, and spiritual safety. To give you tools to help make that happen in your church, we're going to investigate real crime stories from real churches. I've got three cases for us to investigate today, so let's dive right in.    Highlights from this episode include:   A very practical problem churches can encounter when they aren't doing to enough to respond to and prevent abuse by leaders and volunteers An artist behaving badly still has works displayed by Catholic Church Why was a man charged with multiple violent felonies still listed as a church staff member 5 months later?   Ephesians 5:1-3 NIrV   You are the children that God dearly loves. So follow his example. Lead a life of love, just as Christ did. He loved us. He gave himself up for us. He was a sweet-smelling offering and sacrifice to God. There should not be even a hint of sexual sin among you.  Don't do anything impure. And do not always want more and more.  These are not the things God's holy people should do.   Paul spent chapter 4 describing how Christians should live our lives. He continues this in chapter 5, and really boils it down here. God loves us enough to die for is in the person of Christ, and that should be enough to make us want to be like him. Then the first thing Paul tells us NOT to do as we try to lead this life of love is to be sure there is no sexual sin among God's people. Yet as I research crimes connected to our churches, the vast majority of cases are about sexual sins by leaders within the church   Maybe that's what the media focuses on because of its gossipy appeal, its “see, I told you they were all hypocrites” vibe - but whatever the reason, it's a self-inflicted wound. The truth is that, as a whole, churches don't screen leaders well enough. We don't confront early red flags with great enough speed or diligence. And we continue to cover up for abusers and try to make victims just go away.    I hope your church is doing everything right in this area. My concern is that most churches think they are doing a great job, only to have a scandal erupt that leaves everyone wondering “How did this happen”. Don't be afraid to ask your church leaders what policies and procedures they have in place so that your church isn't going to be mentioned on my podcast. Visit my website to access more episodes. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker or ask about my consulting services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    Ways you can support the work of The Unlovely Truth:   Share the episode    Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn    Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches.    Loss of insurance halts ministry and worship services   Should a man accused of multiple rapes have his art displayed by the Catholic church?   Tip: don't list accused pedophiles as staff members  

I'm so glad you've joined me at the intersection of faith and true crime here at The Unlovely Truth. Security issues are hiding in every church - do you know where to look for them? I'm your host, church safety coach Lori Morrison. Our churches need to be the safest places in our communities, so our mission here is to find actionable steps that will make our churches sanctuaries of physical, emotional, and spiritual safety. To give you tools to help make that happen in your church, we're going to investigate real crime stories from real churches. I've got three cases for us to investigate today, so let's dive right in.    Highlights from this episode include: Texas mega-church pastor Robert Morris's resignation Judge criticizes church over their handling of predatory volunteer A different church has a wonderful response to handling predatory pastor    Act 14:8-11 NIV   In Lystra there sat a man who was lame. He had been that way from birth  and had never walked. He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him,  saw that he had faith to be healed and called out, “Stand up on your feet!”  At that, the man jumped up and began to walk. When the crowd saw what Paul had done,  they shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!”   I'll bet most of you recognize this story, and some of you even have the kid's Sunday School song about it running through your head now. I want us to focus less on the healing and more on what the people's reactions are. They immediately wanted to worship Paul, and Barnabas who was with Paul, as gods themselves instead of praising the God Paul and Barnabas served.    Don't we still do that today? I see and share so many stories of leaders in the church who have fallen, and yet they are treated like they are the ones who are victims. They need to be held accountable. But what about us? So here is a question I think we all should ask ourselves: do we bear some responsibility when we place leaders on pedestals and refuse to believe they could commit evil and even predatory acts?    I hope you'll email me or reach out on social media to let me know what you think! I love it when people are willing to have hard, but impactful conversations that strengthen physical, emotional, and spiritual safety at the intersection of faith and true crime   Visit my website to access more episodes. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    Ways you can support the work of The Unlovley Truth:   Share the episode    Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn    Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches.    Robert Morris resigns, church leader responds   Judge takes pastor to task   Story where church get it right

I'm so glad you've joined me at the intersection of faith and true crime here at The Unlovely Truth. Security issues are hiding in every church - do you know where to look for them? I'm your host, church safety advocate Lori Morrison. Our churches need to be the safest places in our communities, so our mission here is to find actionable steps that will make our churches sanctuaries of physical, emotional, and spiritual safety. To give you tools to help make that happen in your church, we're going to investigate real crime stories from real churches. I've got three cases for us to investigate today, so let's dive right in.    Highlights from this episode include:   Former Christian School teacher arrested, charged with several kidnappings, armed robberies and a carjacking Church treasurer steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from church Pastor steals churches. Not FROM churches, but steals actual churches   Our Scripture passage for this episode:   Luke 12:1b-3   “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees—their hypocrisy. The time is coming when everything that is covered up will be revealed, and all that is secret will be made known to all. Whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be shouted from the housetops for all to hear!”   Jesus had just spent the last part of the preceding chapter reminding his disciples how Israel's  religious leader had rejected their long awaited Messiah. He pronounces several “woes” on these leaders - one being that they tithe but neglect justice. Sometimes we do the same thing, don't we? We give our money to the church but we'd rather not look to closely at things that make us uneasy. When we do that, are we being hypocrites just like the Pharisses? Will we be held to account when secrets are eventually revealed and we could've done something to stop injustice but we didn't? That's a little scary to me - no, actually it's a lot scary. Scarier than stepping up to call out injustices we see. I'm ready to speak up more - are you with me? Visit my website to access more episodes. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    Ways you can support the work of The Unlovley Truth:   Share the episode    Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn    Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches.    Former church school teacher turned felon   Church treasurer helps himself   Pastor steals churches

I'm so glad you've joined me at the intersection of faith and true crime here at The Unlovely Truth. Security issues are hiding in every church - do you know where to look for them? I'm your host, church safety coach Lori Morrison. Our churches need to be the safest places in our communities, so our mission here is to find actionable steps that will make our churches sanctuaries of physical, emotional, and spiritual safety. To give you tools to help make that happen in your church, we're going to investigate real crime stories from real churches. I've got three cases for us to investigate today, so let's dive right in.    Highlights from this episode include: How teamwork solved a church burglary A man's battle to address his clergy abusers' actions How SBC churches can more effectively combat abuse  Visit my website to access more episodes. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    Ways you can support the work of The Unlovley Truth:   Share the episode    Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn    Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches.    Teamwork solves a church burglary   Man writes a memoir about his abuse by a priest   What's up with the SBC sexual abuse task force?   Let's look at some wisdom from the Book of Proverbs this week.   Proverbs 11:14 NLT “Without wise leadership, a nation falls; there is safety in having many advisers.”   Proverbs chapter 11 has a lot to say about people who reject wisdom, and things generally don't go well for them. But those who seek righteousness gain blessings and are a blessing to others. When it comes to keeping your environment safe, whether it's an entire nation or just your congregation, it's best to have a lot of input when making policies and procedures for how you will protect your flock.   Are you including advisors of different ages, from different ministries in the church? Are you asking for help from professionals in the church safety arena? Are you working together to make decisions as a group, or does a very small number of people - or maybe even just one person - wield all of the power? If you're not sure, I hope you'll ask how your church does things and maybe even volunteer to help make it the safest place in your community.   Let me know what you think of this episode! Send me an email at lori@theunlovelytruth.com or message me on social media. I love it when people are willing to have hard, but impactful conversations that strengthen physical, emotional, and spiritual safety at the intersection of faith and true crime.

I'm so glad you've joined me at the intersection of faith and true crime here at The Unlovely Truth. Security issues are hiding in every church - do you know where to look for them? I'm your host, church safety coach Lori Morrison. Our churches need to be the safest places in our communities, so our mission here is to find actionable steps that will make our churches sanctuaries of physical, emotional, and spiritual safety. To give you tools to help make that happen in your church, we're going to investigate real crime stories from real churches. I've got three cases for us to investigate today, so let's dive right in.    Highlights from this episode include:   According to LifeWay Research, barely half of churches run background checks on staff members who work with the church's kids Leaders at a church admit that one of their staff members engaged in behavior that was “inappropriate.” Yet they have kept him on staff. A former administrator at Southwest Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas stands accused of attempting to interfere with a grand jury investigation into the Southern Baptist Convention's handling of sexual abuse Visit my website to access more episodes. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    Ways you can support the work of The Unlovley Truth:   Share the episode    Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn    Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches.  How many churches do background checks on staff and people who work woth kids?   Why is this guy still on a church staff?   Former seminary admin indicted on federal charges  

I'm so glad you've joined me at the intersection of faith and true crime here at The Unlovely Truth. Security issues are hiding in every church - do you know where to look for them? I'm your host, church safety advocate Lori Morrison. Our churches need to be the safest places in our communities, so our mission here is to find actionable steps that will make our churches sanctuaries of physical, emotional, and spiritual safety. To give you tools to help make that happen in your church, we're going to investigate real crime stories from real churches. I've got three cases for us to investigate today, so let's dive right in.  Highlights from this episode include: Churches aren't immune to being targeted by scammers Priest alledgedly used $40,000 of church's money to play online games Pastor accused of using money he obtained by fraud to remodel home Visit my website to access more episodes. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    Ways you can support the work of The Unlovley Truth:   Share the episode    Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn    Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches.    Churches face texting scam   More texting scam info   Priest accused of using church money for online gaming addiction   Pastor says he did what God told him, authorities call it fraud   More on crypto fraud case

I'm so glad you've joined me at the intersection of faith and true crime here at The Unlovely Truth. Security issues are hiding in every church - do you know where to look for them? I'm your host, church safety advocate Lori Morrison. Our churches need to be the safest places in our communities, so our mission here is to find actionable steps that will make our churches sanctuaries of physical, emotional, and spiritual safety. To give you tools to help make that happen in your church, we're going to investigate real crime stories from real churches. I've got three cases for us to investigate today, so let's dive right in.    Highlights from this episode include:   Mother's Day “gift” to churches that no one wants Pedophile priest says abuse “...wasn't a big deal in those days…” We may have made an idol out of the modern worship music machine   This week in each of our cases, someone was trying to hide something evil. The Bible is pretty clear on how well that's going to work out.   Luke 8:17 NLT   For all that is secret will eventually be brought into the open, and everything that is concealed will be brought to light and made known to all.   I know there are all kinds of reasons to try to hide what we've done individually, as a ministry, and even as an entire church. We are embarrassed, we want to escape the consequences of our actions, and sometimes it's because we want to be able to continue the behavior even though we know it's wrong.   When a church does this, the reason is often cloaked in very noble-sounding words: we don't want to harm the witness of the church. We want to keep up our reputation. We don't want to tarnigh the name of Jeus.  I'm sorry, but that's all a load of crap. I'm going to be very bold here and say that the people who are saying this are complicit in the abuse of victims. It's very spiritually abusive to act as though what a victim has gone through deserves less care that the reputation of the abuser or the church does.    I'll climb down off my soapbox now, ut I hope I've given you something to think about. Something to challenge your own church leaders about. Because the church should be working for the glory of God and for the people it serves, not the people it put into leadership positions.    Visit my website to access more episodes. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    Ways you can support the work of The Unlovley Truth:   Share the episode      Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn    Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches.    Bomb threats to churches   Priest says abuse is no big deal   Hillsong settlement falls apart

This Is Why I Have Trust Issues   I'm so glad you've joined me at the intersection of faith and true crime here at The Unlovely Truth. Security issues are hiding in every church - do you know where to look for them? I'm your host, church safety advocate Lori Morrison. Our churches need to be the safest places in our communities, so our mission here is to find actionable steps that will make our churches sanctuaries of physical, emotional, and spiritual safety. To give you tools to help make that happen in your church, we're going to investigate real crime stories from real churches. I've got three cases for us to investigate today, so let's dive right in.    Highlights from this episode include:   Church daycare faces lawsuit alleging abuse Poor communication damages a church's reputation Multiple lawsuits against church for coverup   Visit my website to access more episodes. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my coaching services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    Ways you can support the work of The Unlovley Truth:   Share the episode (w/link)   Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn    Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches.    More info on the church daycare lawsuit   FBI investigates children's pastor   Did church cover up abuse?

Christa Brown is a self-described Baptist clergy sex abuse survivor.  But she's so much more. Christa has devoted years of her life to shining a light on the widespread systemic problem of clergy sex abuse and church coverups in what she calls "Baptistland". That's the title of her new book, which was released earlier this week. Christa also wrote "This Little Light", and I had the honor of speaking with her so that we could let more people find ways to make their churches safer physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  "According to Child USA, a leading think tank for the rights of children, fifty-two is the average age of a person bringing forward a report of childhood sexual abuse. I was fifty-one. The mental hurdles are huge. Many child sex abuse victims wait until after the perpetrator has died, and many never disclose their childhood abuse. Many never even recognize that what they experienced was abuse." - Christa Brown Highlights from this episode include: Exploding the myth that "that doesn't happen in MY church" Why churches should not try to handle child sexual abuse issues "in-house" Should forgiveness always lead to restoration Visit my website to access more episodes. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    Ways you can support the work of The Unlovely Truth: Share the episode  Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn  Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches.  Christa's Substack site: https://christabrown.substack.com/   Christa's webpage with links to columns she's published about clergy sex abuse: https://christabrown.me/columns/   Child USA's webpage on statute of limitations reform: https://childusa.org/sol/   Christa's handle on X (formerly Twitter) is: @ChristaBrown777   Buy Christa's new book    

I'm so glad you've joined me at the intersection of faith and true crime here at The Unlovely Truth. Security issues are hiding in every church - do you know where to look for them? I'm your host, church safety advocate Lori Morrison. Our churches need to be the safest places in our communities, so our mission here is to find actionable steps that will make our churches sanctuaries of physical, emotional, and spiritual safety. To give you tools to help make that happen in your church, we're going to investigate real crime stories from real churches. I've got three cases for us to investigate today, so let's dive right in.    Highlights from this episode include:   Church lawn worker robbed and beaten  Pastor caught in murder-for-hire scheme Food ministry has delivery van stolen   Visit my website to access more episodes. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    Ways you can support the work of The Unlovley Truth:   Share the episode    Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn    Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches.    Church lawn worker robbed and beaten    Pastor caught in murder-for-hire scheme   Food ministry has delivery van stolen

I'm so glad you've joined me at the intersection of faith and true crime here at The Unlovely Truth. Security issues are hiding in every church - do you know where to look for them? I'm your host, church safety advocate Lori Morrison. Our churches need to be the safest places in our communities, so our mission here is to find actionable steps that will make our churches sanctuaries of physical, emotional, and spiritual safety. To give you tools to help make that happen in your church, we're going to investigate real crime stories from real churches. I've got three cases for us to investigate today, so let's dive right in.    Highlights from this episode include:   A female volunteer who abused a minor Pastors who abuse staff, volunteers, and congregants A staff member's financial abuse of an entire church   Visit my website to access more episodes. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my safety consulting services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    Ways you can support the work of The Unlovley Truth:   Share the episode    Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn (add pinterest when done)   Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches.    Read more about Reagan Gray   Read more about Scott Sauls   Read More about Lisa Noble here and here 

I'm so glad you've joined me at the intersection of faith and true crime here at The Unlovely Truth. Security issues are hiding in every church - do you know where to look for them? I'm your host, church safety advocate Lori Morrison. Our churches need to be the safest places in our communities, so our mission here is to find actionable steps that will make our churches sanctuaries of physical, emotional, and spiritual safety. To give you tools to help make that happen in your church, we're going to investigate real crime stories from real churches. I've got three cases for us to investigate today, so let's dive right in.    Highlights from this episode include:   Trust should be given based on character - not titles How NOT to respond to a crisis Crimes in church are bad enough - the coverup is always worse   Visit my website to access more episodes. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    Ways you can support the work of The Unlovely Truth:   Share the episode    Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn    Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches.    Car scam pastor    Social Security con pastor   Christian school teacher tries to kill husband   Priest tries to kill reporter

I'm so glad you've joined me at the intersection of faith and true crime here at The Unlovely Truth. Security issues are hiding in every church - do you know where to look for them? I'm your host, church safety advocate Lori Morrison. Our churches need to be the safest places in our communities, so our mission here is to find actionable steps that will make our churches sanctuaries of physical, emotional, and spiritual safety. To give you tools to help make that happen in your church, we're going to investigate real crime stories from real churches. I've got three cases for us to investigate today, so let's dive right in.    Highlights from this episode include:   A church treasurer and a pastor managed to embezzle tens of thousands of dollars from their respective churches due to lack of proper checks and balances in financial management. Learn how your church can avoid a similar tragedy. You'll discover a little thought about cyber-security threat and how you can protect your church from more than the loss of sensitive data. Hint: it's your public Wifi. Are controvertial comments from the pulpit a risk to half of your congregation's emotional safety - and could they even border on spiritual abuse?   James 3:9-12 speak directly to this type of communicating. I'm going to read from the International Children's Bible to make it as simple as possible so you can share it with anyone who thinks this behavior is ok.   We use our tongues to praise our Lord and Father, but then we curse people. And God made them like himself. Praises and curses come from the same mouth! My brothers, this should not happen. Do good and bad water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree make olives? Can a grapevine make figs? No! And a well full of salty water cannot give good water.   Just a few verses prior to this, in James 3:1, James says “Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” I'd say that we can extend that logic to pastors as well. Any pastor that would say such degrading things about half of the world's population has no place in leadership. Do you think that's too harsh? Would you think that if rather than being of a sermon, these words had been spoken directly to your daughter or some other woman you care deeply about? If that would be seen as abusive, then saying it from the stage should be looked at as being much, much worse   Visit my website to access more episodes. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    Ways you can support the work of The Unlovley Truth:   Share the episode (w/link)   Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn (add pinterest when done)   Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches.    Read about the pastor who embezzled from his church   Article about church treasurer turned embezzler   This is why you need to be careful with your church Wifi   The Roys Report   Read about Pastor Bobby

Security issues are hiding in every church - do you know where to look for them? I'm your host, church safety advocate Lori Morrison and I'm so glad you've joined me at the intersection of faith and true crime. Our churches need to be the safest places in our communities, so our mission here is to find actionable steps that will make our churches sanctuaries of physical, emotional, and spiritual safety. We're going to investigate The Unlovley Truth about real crime stories affecting real churches so you can help make your church a safe and secure place. I've got new cases for us to investigate today, so let's dive right in.    I don't share these stories with you because I'm wanting to bash the church. I love the church - especially when it functions in healthy and Christ-honoring ways. But it doesn't always work out like that does it?   Highlights from this episode include:   49% of adults in America say that religion is losing influence in public life Living Word Church in Midland Michigan recently had 2 leaders charged with sex crimes An Asheville, NC church found a shocking intruder hiding in their crawl space last week   Christian ministries need to keep the church building safe, and the people within. We can take what we've learned today to partner with pastors and other church leaders to enhance the safety of our flocks.   Visit my website to access more episodes. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    Ways you can support the work of The Unlovley Truth:   Share the episode    Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn    Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches.    Read the Pew Research article here   Read the LifeWay Research article here   Stats from notinourchurch.com   Investigate today's cases here, here, and here

Threats of violence didn't keep Dr. William Cook and his staff from treating the growing number of HIV-positive patients in Austin, Indiana. Their efforts were paying off with more and more people beginning treatment crucial to their short and long-term health. Then the government got involved.   Welcome to another episode of The Unlovely Truth. I'm your host. Join me for another captivating true crime story, where physical, spiritual, and emotional safety takeaways are waiting for us.    We're wrapping up our deep dive of William Cooke's fascinating book “Canary in the Coal Mine: A Forgotten Rural Community, a Hidden Epidemic, and a Lone Doctor Battling for the Life, Health, and Soul of the People”. We'll also talk about ideas for how anyone can be what I call a different kind of P.I. - not a private investigator like me but a person of impact in your community.    Decisions on how to handle the local health crisis started being driven by elected officials rather than trained medical personnel. Of course, the issue of IV drug use that fueled the spread of HIV infections was sharply debated. But the underlying poverty and hopelessness that factored in were mostly ignored. It seemed like the infection itself became the issue, not the well-being of the people who were suffering from its effects. And very little was being done to address the root causes of the epidemic - domestic violence, generational poverty, a lack of resources, and other things that led to a sense of desperation and hopelessness that fueled the sex work and drug abuse that was spreading the HIV virus. Outside entities were trying to fix a problem they didn't completely understand.  Situations like this are where local churches can and should step in to do whatever they can. Everyone was going to have to set aside egos and the desire for control to work together if things were going to get any better for the citizens of Austin.    Let's take a quick look at Parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector from Luke 18:9-14, and I'm reading from the New LIving Translation: Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer[a]: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I'm certainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.' “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.' I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” I love parables. Words from the mouth of Jesus himself that are often so much deeper than they appear at first glance. The Pharisee thought he was righteous, but his heart was exposed with the self-contered prayer that he prayed. The tax collector knew just how much he needed God's mercy, so he received it.  But it's easy to miss the very beginning of this parable - the fact that Jesus boldly told this story to people who were acting just like the Pharisse in the story. He is giving them the opportunity to see themselves in this story and hopefully re-examine the states of their hearts. He is doing the same for us today.  What traditions do we hold onto, like dressing a certain way for church, that we've allowed ourselves to believe make us more in tune with God than those who dress differently out of lack of awareness for our custom or lack of resources to dress up at all? When we tell ourselves that certain people don't measure up to our standards, we forget that without Jesus, none of us can measure up to God's standards. SFX We're going to take a break here at the Unlovley Truth for the next three weeks. A new episode will drop on April 9th, featuring a slightly different format. We're still going to talk true crime and faith, but instead of using stories that have been written about in books, we'll be checking out truly contemporary stories in the news right now.   Episodes will be shorter so they will be easy to digest and we will be focusing on crimes in and against our church families. I really believe that greater awareness of what is happening and how we can deal with it by taking proactive and practical steps is so needed in today's society. I hope you'll take what you learn and share it with YOUR church family so, working together, we can elevate physical, emotional, and spiritual safety in all our congregations.   Let me know what you think of this episode! Send me an email at lori@theunlovelytruth.com or message me on social media. I love it when people are willing to have those hard, but impactful conversations!   Visit my website to access more episodes, read my blog posts, or check out ways you can financially support the podcast so that together we can impact more people, more families, and more communities. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    Share the episode    Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn   Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches. 

Do some people deserve the suffering they are enduring? Or Should there always be room for compassion when criminal behavior regardless of why a person did what they did, ends in tragedy? If your community is struggling to find its way in a crisis you'll want to hear how Dr. William Cooke has done it in tiny Austin, Indiana.    This is Season 5, Episode 11. We're going to take a two part deep dive into Dr. William Cooke's incredible book, “Canary in the Coal Mine: a Forgotten Rural Community, a Hidden Epidemic, and a Lone Doctor Battling for the Life, Health, and Soul of the People”. We'll also talk about ideas for how anyone can be what I call a different kind of P.I. - not a private investigator like me but a person of impact in your community.    The U.S. Census Bureau says that roughly 20% of the U.S. population lives in a rural area, even though urban areas make up only 3 percent of the U.S. land area. That often means that our rural citizens may not always have direct access to things most of us take for granted. In Austin Indiana from the mid 1970's until 2004, the down had no doctor of it's own. When Dr, William Cook set up his practice he had no idea the journey he was about to take.   Not very many doctors start solo practices in impoverished areas, but Dr. Cook felt that was his calling. Some of his patients had never seen a doctor before. That's not something we expect to hear in America, is it?   Every church has physical, emotional, and spiritual safety issues. Most just don't know it. Are you going to wait for a trainwreck to occur before you address them? Helping churches be proactive about safety is why I wrote “Reclaiming Sanctuary: Enhancing Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Safety in Our Churches”. I know how hard it can be to address unpleasant issues because I've been where you are - in a leadership position needing an intentional approach customized to the needs of my unique church.    I'm offering a free 20 minute strategy call for church leaders to see if my work might be a good fit for you. Email me today at lori@theunlovelytruth.com and we'll start a conversation about your church's needs and how we can work together to create a customized plan for your church. Schedule your no risk, all reward call today!   Luke 5:31-32   Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.  I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”   The teachers of the law, the religious folk of the time, tried to trap Jesus so many times. After He called Levi to follow Him, these leaders asked why Jesus and His followers would eat and drink with people they called “sinners”.  How easy it can be to fall into that trap.    Does it remind you of the people who criticized Dr. Cooke for his work, and even threatened him? Does it remind you of anything else? Maybe something you've seen in your church? I know I've seen it in churches I've attended. I've probably even been guilty of it myself.   God can't use us when we are showing that kind of pride. Casting Crowns has a great song called “Jesus, Friend of Sinners” . One line that really makes you think is “Nobody knows what we're for, only what we're against, when we judge the wounded”. I know that using drugs isn't a good choice. Selling your body isn't a great choice. But we don't always know what has driven a person to make those choices.   Jesus would've hung out with drug addicts, and the homeless, and the sex workers. So why aren't we? And if you do, I'm really glad to hear it. If you don't, maybe it's because you just don't know how. If your church doesn't have a ministry to feed the homeless, maybe you can work with another church's ministry or a local non-profit. I don't recommend going into a homeless camp by yourself though. Criminals will target the homeless because they are so vulnerable. If that type of ministry isn't for you, consider leading a Bible study in your local jail. I've done that before and the vast majority of the women I met had drug addiction issues. Many turned to sex work to feed their habits, or after being pressured by their so called boyfriend. They need to hear that there is hope and that God still loves them. You'd be surprised how many were raised in church and have no idea that they have any worth or value.   This book that we made it halfway through today just breaks my heart.  I was raised in Indiana so a lot of the places and names are very familiar to me. But really this book could've been set just about anywhere. Every communities struggles with these issues whether we want to admit it or not.    Let me know what you thought of this episode! Send me an email a lori@theunlovelytruth.com or message me on social media. I love it when people are willing to have those hard, but impactful conversations!   Visit my website to access more episodes, read my blog posts, or check out ways you can financially support the podcast so that together we can impact more people, more families, and more communities. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting and investigative services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.  Episode about pill mills   Link to buy Canary in the Coal Mine   Share the episode    Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn   Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches. 

It's not at all unusual to know the name of a murder victim, but not the name of the killer. But today we're going to look at a case where the killer has most likely been identified while at least one of his victim's names was unknown for decades. Today I'm going to feature one of those cases, and this one has a truth-is-stranger-than-fiction backstory.   Welcome to another episode of The Unlovely Truth. I'm your host, private investigator Lori Morrison. Join me for another captivating true crime story, where physical, spiritual, and emotional safety takeaways are waiting for us.    This is Season 5, Episode 10. With thousands of unidentified murder victims just in the United States, giving a name to one can be like finding a needle in a haystack. A woman know for decades as 1985 Desoto County Jane Doe had a family and friends who needed to know what had become of her.  This case highlights how anyone can be what I call a different kind of P.I. - not a private investigator like me but a person of impact in your community.    Every church has physical, emotional, and spiritual safety issues. Most just don't know it. Are you going to wait for a trainwreck to occur before you address them? Helping churches be proactive about safety is why I wrote“Reclaiming Sanctuary: Enhancing Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Safety in Our Churches”. I know how hard it can be to address unpleasant issues because I've been where you are - in a leadership position needing an intentional approach customized to the needs of my unique church.    I'm offering a free 20 minute strategy call for church leaders to see if my work might be a good fit for you. Email me today at lori@theunlovelytruth.com and we'll start a conversation about your church's needs and how we can work together to create a customized plan for your church. Schedule your no risk, all reward call today!   1 Corinthians 3:5-8   After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God's servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. It's not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What's important is that God makes the seed grow. The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work.   It took a lot of people doing what God gifted and equipped them to do in order for a set of human remains to be identified as Lorie Ann Mealer Pennell, a woman who was more than just a victim. She had a family and friends who loved her. She had dreams and hopes for her future - just like you and I do. It took a number of people who each played a unique role to restore her identity and give her family some answers they'd been waiting for for so long   How this all came together is a lot like the Apostle Paul's ministry. He did amazing things, but he didn't do them alone.    Appollos wasn't the only person giving Paul a hand. He had quite a few traveling companions like Barnabas, Silas, John Mark, and others. He also had the support of the disciples, once they realized that God had transformed Paul from a zealous killer of Christians to an apostle of Jesus. And let's not forget the ladies! Lydia helped support Paul's work as did Priscilla and her husband Aquilla. Paul specifically mentioned Phoebe as a benefactor to him and many others. It took so many people working together for Paul to be able to accomplish all that he did.   God has wired us to work together. Moses had his siblings, Aaron and Miriam, and later his father in law Jethro. Jesus had a whole twelve man team. We just saw how Paul's team was almost too numerous to count! It should make all of us wonder - whose team am I on? What mission can I help reach more people or have a greater impact?    That's how we're going to make ourselves, our families, and our communities safer. We need to make those connections to help each other get a little further down the road. So my challenge to all of us this week is to think about something from this episode that really resonated. Maybe it was the role forensics plays in helping reclaim identities for unknown murder victims. OR maybe you really felt that check in your gut when I mentioned high school students doing incredible real world work in their classrooms. How many of you have already decided to check out that podcast, Murder 101? I did and it's fantastic! Or maybe you know someone with a missing family member or dear friend who just needs you to listen to them and now you've decided to reach out. Whatever it is, don't wait. I believe God put that on your heart, and when you join that team He's calling you to, you will see amazing things happen.   Let me know what you thought of this episode! Send me an email a lori@theunlovelytruth.com or message me on social media. I love it when people are willing to have those hard, but impactful conversations!   Visit my website to access more episodes, read my blog posts, or check out ways you can financially support the podcast so that together we can impact more people, more families, and more communities. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting and investigative services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    Learn more about the cases Othram had helped solve   News story about Carla Davis   Learn more about the unidentified missing epidemic   Listen to Murder 101   Share this episode    Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn   Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches.   

When Richie Wilder Jr. was convicted of the brutal slaying of his ex-wife Angila, his new wife Cyndi broke down in tears. “He's a good man,” she told reporters covering the case. She continued to maintain his innocence until a slip of the tongue to an old friend unraveled everything. Welcome to another episode of The Unlovely Truth. I'm your host, private investigator Lori Morrison. Join me for another captivating true crime story, where physical, spiritual, and emotional safety takeaways are waiting for us.  This is Season 5, Episode 9. Our book this week is “Wilder Intentions: Love, Lies, and Murder in North Dakota” and our guest is Dr. Mary Foley, the Executive Director at Merryman House Domestic Crisis Center in Paducah, Kentucky. We will check in with Mary after we investigate this fascinating book. We'll also talk about ideas for how anyone can be what I call a different kind of P.I. - not a private investigator like me but a person of impact in your community.  For a lot of us, the term “domestic violence” makes us think about spouses or intimate partners. But most states have expanded the definition to include former spouses and parents who share children in common. One scenario I hadn't seen before I reviewed this case was a tag-team partnership. Once Angila Wilder was in the sights of just such a pair, she never stood a chance.  In November of 2015, the busy mom of three had recently found out that baby number 4 was on the way. She had mentioned to her live-in fiancee, Christopher Jackson, that she felt like someone was watching her. She even thought that she'd heard someone rattle their door at night while he was at work. She was right.  This week I want to read a passage from Ephesians. Very often, abusive husbands who are part of a faith community will quote Ephesians 22-24 about wives submitting to their husbands. Let's talk about what follows that - the part about what Scriptures says a man's responsibilities in a marital relationship are.   Ephesians 5:25-27 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her to make her holy, cleansing her with the washing of water by the word. He did this to present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and blameless.   It sounds to me like the spouse called to a higher standard of behavior is the husband - not the wife. Husbands are called to constantly perform acts of self-sacrificial love for their wives in the very ideal of Christ himself. They don't use Scripture to subjugate us but to cleanse us. Our imperfections are lovingly washed away to make us holy.  Ladies - who wouldn't want to follow a leader like this? This is true love. Don't settle for the Hollywood version of it. Each and every one of you deserves an earthly love who is striving to love this way. And even if you don't have a man in your life who is willing and able to humble himself in submission to this Scripture right now, you do have someone who loves you and serves you like this. Jesus. You are beautiful and worthy to Him just as you are in this moment. Let me know what you thought of this episode! Send me an email a lori@theunlovelytruth.com or message me on social media. I love it when people are willing to have those hard, but impactful conversations! I want to remind you that I'm on a mission to see a revival sparked by churches genuinely safeguarding not just the physical safety, but the emotional and spiritual safety of their congregations and communities as well. I've worn multiple hats – church staffer, church security team member, domestic violence court paralegal, private investigator – and I've seen it all. Now, I want to come alongside church leaders, crafting customized safety blueprints that fit each church's unique needs and accounting for their unique resources and culture. I'm not just here to talk; I'm here to walk with church leaders. I'm in this for the long haul, attending live trainings, constantly learning, and bringing that knowledge back to my clients. If you're interested, let's chat! Set up a call today, and we will investigate your needs together. Because church safety isn't just a job for me – it's my passion. I'm looking forward to helping you make your church a true sanctuary. Visit my website to access more episodes, read my blog posts, or check out ways you can financially support the podcast so that together we can impact more people, more families, and more communities. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting and investigative services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    Share this episode    Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn   Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches.   

Secrets can destroy things. Like the home that the Overton sisters shared with their parents Frank and Nancy near Atlantic City. The fire that killed the girl's parents was ruled an arson. Could it be possible that secrets drove one of the sisters to torch their family's home?   Welcome to another episode of The Unlovely Truth. I'm your host, private investigator Lori Morrison. Join me for another captivating true crime story, where physical, spiritual, and emotional safety takeaways are waiting for us.    This is Season 5, Episode 8. Our book this week is “The Fire She Set” and our guest is Phyllis Mantelli. We will check in with Phyllis after we investigate this fascinating book. We'll also talk about ideas for how anyone can be what I call a different kind of P.I. - not a private investigator like me but a person of impact in your community.   In June of 1974, Leigh Overton Boyd was just 17 years old, the oldest of four sisters. Her world was turned upside down when the condo where her family was living caught fire in the middle of the night. She escaped, and so did her sisters, but both of Leigh's parents died in the fire.  As if that wasn't enough tragedy for them all to deal with, rumors began to swirl that one of the girls purposely set the fire. Attorneys were hired and a lie detector test was given to at least one of the sisters. No one was ever charged in Frank and Nancy's deaths. Leigh was on the brink of adulthood and ready to move into another phase of life. Years passed and the sisters rarely brought up that night. But secrets don't always stay secrets. Not when someone is determined to know the truth.   Proverbs 14:1 ICB   A wise woman strengthens her family. But a foolish woman destroys hers by what she does.   Sometimes what we call foolishness is really rebelliousness. Even accounting for the potential that Nancy was dealing with some form of mental illness, she had lucid periods where she put herself and her own desires above the needs of her children. She did have opportunities to strengthen her family to the extent she was able. When those chances were ignored too many times, tragedy followed.   But did she have the support she needed to make the most of those opportunities? The book made it pretty clear that her husband felt like he'd done what he could but it wasn't too terribly effective. Neighbors and family members knew. There's even a scene in the book where store clerks watched Nancy forget one of her kids in a store, come back drunk, and drive away with her. No one intervened.    Paul tells the church in Galatians 6:2, in the NIrV, “Carry one another's heavy loads. If you do, you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Between addiction, possible mental illness, and having several young children to raise it seems as though having someone help bear her burdens might have made quite a difference. We aren't meant to do life alone, but rather in community. Who in your community has a heavy load that you can help lighten? Your help might open a door to share Jesus with them.   Let me know what you thought of this episode! Send me an email a lori@theunlovelytruth.com or message me on social media. I love it when people are willing to have those hard, but impactful conversations!   I want to remind you that I'm on a mission to see a revival sparked by churches genuinely safeguarding not just the physical safety, but the emotional and spiritual safety of their congregations and communities as well. I've worn multiple hats – church staffer, church security team member, domestic violence court paralegal, private investigator – and I've seen it all. Now, I want to come alongside church leaders, crafting customized safety blueprints that fit each church's unique needs and accounting for their unique resources and culture. I'm not just here to talk; I'm here to walk with church leaders. I'm in this for the long haul, attending live trainings, constantly learning, and bringing that knowledge back to my clients. If you're interested, let's chat! Set up a call today, and we will investigate your needs together. Because church safety isn't just a job for me – it's my passion. I'm looking forward to helping you make your church a true sanctuary. Visit my website to access more episodes, read my blog posts, or check out ways you can financially support the podcast so that together we can impact more people, more families, and more communities. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting and investigative services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    Buy The Fire She Set   Connect with Phylis here   Share the episode    Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn   Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches. 

True Crime fans have done so much to bring attention to cold cases. Some just like the genre as a whole and some, like today's guest, are drawn to one particular case. But not many will spend years of their life trying to sort through the red herrings and confusion caused by people who seem determined to keep a cold case cold.  Welcome to another episode of The Unlovely Truth. I'm your host, private investigator Lori Morrison. Join me for another captivating true crime story, where physical, spiritual, and emotional safety takeaways are waiting for us.  This is Season 5, Episode 7. Our book this week is “The Girl I Never Knew: Who Killed Melissa Witt?” and our guest is its author LaDonna Humphrey. We will check in with her after we investigate this compelling case. We'll also talk about ideas for how anyone can be what I call a different kind of P.I. - not a private investigator like me but a person of impact in your community.  LaDonna Humphrey never met Melissa Witt, but she feels like she knows her. She's spent over 7 years searching for the man who killed Melissa. It started, oddly enough, because of O.J. Simpson. It was 1995 and LaDonna was tuned into an update on the Simpson case when the radio station she had on announced that a body had been found in the Ozark National Forest. Authorities thought it might be the body of a missing 19 year old woman from Fort Smith Arkansas named Melissa Witt. LaDonna wasn't just drawn in by the circumstances of Melissa death, but by the unfinished potential of her life. Acts 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.   In the twelfth chapter of Paul's letter to the Romans, he is urging believers to practice self-sacrifice, perform acts of service, and practice love in action. I believe that one of the best ways to practice love in action is summed up in verse 21, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”    It's always easy to give into our feelings and want to strike back when we see evil being done. That's our natural inclination, right? Killing Melissa was evil, spreading rumors about her was evil, and giving false leads in her case was evil.    But we aren't supposed to follow the example of the world, are we? LaDonna followed what Christ taught us - sacrificial service. She has shown such love for Melissa and her family as she continues to search for Melissa's killer and overcome the evil that he did.    Each of us can follow that same example in our own way. I want to hear what ideas you come up with! Send me an email a lori@theunlovelytruth.com or message me on social media. I love it when people are willing to have those hard, but impactful conversations! I want to remind you that I'm on a mission to see a revival sparked by churches genuinely safeguarding not just the physical safety, but the emotional and spiritual safety of their congregations and communities as well. I've worn multiple hats – church staffer, church security team member, domestic violence court paralegal, private investigator – and I've seen it all. Now, I want to come alongside church leaders, crafting customized safety blueprints that fit each church's unique needs and accounting for their unique resources and culture. I'm not just here to talk; I'm here to walk with church leaders. I'm in this for the long haul, attending live trainings, constantly learning, and bringing that knowledge back to my clients. If you're interested, let's chat! Set up a call today, and we will investigate your needs together. Because church safety isn't just a job for me – it's my passion. I'm looking forward to helping you make your church a true sanctuary. Visit my website to access more episodes, read my blog posts, or check out ways you can financially support the podcast so that together we can impact more people, more families, and more communities. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting and investigative services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    Buy The Girl I Never Knew: Who Killed Melissa Witt?   Connect with LaDonna here   Share the episode    Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn   Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches. 

Valentine's Day is almost here and that makes my snarky little heart want to talk about the kind of love that doesn't fill your soul - it drains your bank account. Have you heard of romance scams? It's when love is a crime.   Welcome to another episode of The Unlovely Truth. I'm your host, private investigator Lori Morrison. Join me for another compelling true crime story, where physical, spiritual, and emotional safety takeaways are waiting for us. Today, we're going to investigate some cases to learn the warning signs that you or maybe someone you know has an online Romeo who is really a vampire trying to suck them dry.   The first Romeo scammer we're going to look at is actually a Juliette. Just last week, a Utah court sentenced thirty-nine year old Nelly Idowu to six years in prison using fake profiles to bilk her victims out of over six million dollars. Her favorite victims? Lonely women over sixty-five. What should we do when we come across a scammer in our own lives?   Romans 5:8 NLT   But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.   This was not at all the Biblical direction I was planning to go this week. I was looking for some condemnation for the wicked. But as I was doing some research for the episode I came across a blogpost by Kevin Halloran. He was writing about scammers lurking on FaceBook Marketplace and other sites. Once he was onto them he used to tell these people that he knew they were scammers then he'd report them to FaceBook. Good plan, right?    After doing this for a while, he actually came up with a better plan. He still tells them he knows they are trying to scam him, but he asks them to pause and consider the consequences of their actions. He cites Scripture and shares the Gospel.    He still reports them, and he should! Are you thinking, “But what about grace?” Well, let's talk about that. I believe that too often as believers we give out too much cheap grace. We believe everyone who says they are sorry. Believe me - they aren't all sorry. Sometimes people just know what we want to hear. Even if they are truly repentant - not just sorry but actively pursuing a new way of behaving - their actions should still have consequences.    A great example of that from Scripture is found in the 20th chapter of Numbers. Moses is leading the people of Israel through the wilderness to the Promised Land. They're all grumbling about not having water and to make a long story short God tells Moses how to fix it but Moses gets mad at the people and does it his own way, and then tries to take the credit.  I'm going to guess that Moses was sorry afterward. He seems like that kind of guy, doesn't he? But his actions caused him to lose out on getting to enter the Promised Land. All of the ‘I'm sorries” in the world could not change the outcome. God did grant him a measure of mercy though by taking Moses up to Mount Nebo to allow him a glimpse of the land he wouldn't set his feet upon. Moses' relationship with God wasn't broken by his disobedience, but a price did have to be paid.   Visit my website to access more episodes and subscribe to my newsletter. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my church safety consulting or investigative services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    National Elder Fraud Hotline: 833-FRAUD-11 (833 372 8311)   Office for Victims of Crime   Report online fraud to the Federal Trade Commission   Romance scam in the news   Kevin Holloran's blog   Share the episode    Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn   Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches. 

When someone takes a child and meets physical and emotional needs,that child gets attached to and depended on them.  Hopefully, these people are loving parents. Too often, they are predators who sell that child for sexual services. Even when the child knows that what's happening isn't okay, they may not seek help because they are trying to fill a void. After a while, they believe that what's happening to them is simply a life they are meant to live.   This is Season 5, Episode 5. Our book this week is “Somebody's Daughter” by Julian Sher. Our guest is speaker, author, and anti-trafficking advocate BJ Garrett. We will check in with BJ after we investigate this compelling story about one daughter in particular. A young girl named Maria.   Maria was from Atlantic City, but was excited to be relocating to Las Vegas. She knew that Sin City was very aptly named in part because it was the biggest market in America for underage prostitutes. She was seventeen, and had walked the streets in many east coast cities since she was 14. Now she was in the big leagues, working the casinos. It had started when Maria ran away from home.   Authorities estimate that roughly one third of children who run away end up being exploited by sex traffickers within 48 hours of leaving their homes. Their average age? Around 12 to 14 years old. Like Maria. Maria didn't exactly grow up dreaming of being a prostitute. What she'd dreamed of becoming was a Methodist pastor.    Maria finally saw how little she really meant to this man. Working with law enforcement, Maria helped land him in jail for a long time. It wouldn't have been possible if the officer she was working with hadn't been a part of a group of officers who decided to treat child prostitutes like children first and prostitutes second.   Grab a copy of this book so you can read the whole story - it actually is very uplifting to hear about not only how police are looking at new ways to help these kids rather than just punish them for being victims. You'll also learn about groups of women who have gotten out of the life, and now devote their time to reaching out to the very young girls.   John 8:1-11 NLT   Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught  in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd.   “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?” They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.   When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn't even one of them condemn you?”   “No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.” The young girl from today's story and others like her didn't grow up wanting to prostitute themselves. Her community treated her like she deserved being stoned like the Pharisees wanted to do to this woman. But their zeal wasn't for the law, it was for trapping and discrediting Jesus. The law required both parties in an act of adultery to be stoned. Even though she was caught in the act, the man with her wasn't brought before Jesus. Maria was a child, yet for a very long time she was treated more harshly than her trafficker or the men who paid for her services.    How many of us are throwing stones without considering our own sins first? And the only one who had the moral right to, wouldn't do it. And I want us to consider his words to her, “Go, and sin no more.” in a different light than we often hear it used. He's just told her that he does not condemn her, so to me it makes so much more sense that “Go and sin no more” isn't a harsh command as much as a loving invitation. The Savior knows that when we follow him, we are joining in a life that is so much better than what we could come up with on our own.    Let's make sure that all of the women in our communities who have been forced into a life like Maria's or have just made choices like this woman brought to Jesus know that they are welcome in our lives and in our faith communities. Not one of us has the moral authority to cast any stones.    Let me know what you thought of this episode! Send me an email a lori@theunlovelytruth.com or message me on social media. I love it when people are willing to have those hard, but impactful conversations!   Visit my website to access more episodes, read my blog posts, or check out ways you can financially support the podcast so that together we can impact more people, more families, and more communities. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting and investigative services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.  Link to buy "Somebody's Daughter"   Connect with B.J.!   Share the episode    Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn   Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches.   

A Common Sense Media survey found the average age that most kids were exposed to porn is 12 years old. The author of the story we are investigating today was just three, and it was a relative who introduced her to what no child should ever see. Sexual abuse followed a couple of years later so it's no wonder that being trafficked into the adult entertainment world didn't seem very out of the ordinary.    Welcome to another episode of The Unlovely Truth. I'm your host, private investigator Lori Morrison. Join me for another captivating true crime story, where physical, spiritual, and emotional safety takeaways are waiting for us. Our book this week is Scars and Stilettos by Harmony Grillo and our guest is Jeanne Roberson. We will check in with Jeanne after we investigate this compelling book.   I'm going to guess that when most of us think of sex trafficking, we imagine the victims are mostly women from foreign countries who are lured in by the promise of legitimate jobs that will help them escape grinding poverty. For Harmony Grillo, it started with a handsome young man her mother took in when his own home life grew too chaotic. Harmony was just 15 when Derrick moved into her house. It wasn't long before they were having sex which, since he didn't force her, to Harmony meant he cared about her.    When it became clear that he only wanted to freeload off Harmony's mom, she told him if he didn't get a job, he had to move out. Harmony was devastated. As poor as she was, she gave him what little money she had saved from her summer job. She knew he needed her. Weeks later he told her he was thinking about joining the army as a way to support himself. She was terrified and told him she'd get a job and they'd get an apartment. There was no mention of him getting a job.    Life was tough for Harmony for years. Ten signed up for a ballet class. That's where she met and became friends with Tanya. They chatted before, after, and sometimes during class. Inevitably, Tanya asked what Harmony did for a living, and Harmony answered honestly. It didn't seem to phase Tanya, which impressed Harmony.   You see, she'd learned that Tanya was a Christian, and of course feared being judged and rejected if Tanya knew about the life she was living. In what was, to me, the most poignant and heartbreaking quote in the entire book was when Harmony said about Tanya, “Through her eyes, I began to see myself differently.” Did you know that we have that kind of power too? We have the power to help someone make the move from an unsafe life to a safer one just by treating them like they matter. Because they do. Today's guest, author, speaker and trafficking survivor Jeanne Roberson has a lot in common with Harmony, so let's get to my chat with her. Psalm 82:2-4 NIV   “How long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked?  Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.  Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”   God never fails in His compassion for those in need. In this Psalm, He is calling out those abusing the official power they had. But all of us have unofficial power if you think about power as the ability to influence someone. I think the same principle applies then to any of us. Who do you know that needs to hear that they are seen, that what they are going through isn't right and that they deserve better? And if that person is you, then let me speak over you that if you are being taken advantage of, God has so much more for you. I hope you'll seek out a loving church family to help you. If you don't know how to find one, send me an email and I'll do what I can to help connect you to one.   Let me know what you think of this episode! Send me an email a lori@theunlovelytruth.com or message me on social media. I love it when people are willing to have those hard, but impactful conversations!   Visit my website to access more episodes, read my blog posts, or check out ways you can financially support the podcast so that together we can impact more people, more families, and more communities. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting and investigative services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.  Link to buy Scars and Stilettos   Connect with Jeanne here   Read Jeanne's story in Chosen to Live   Share the episode    Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn   Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches. 

Hollywood seems to find obsessive love very romantic. Breakups often aren't taken well, and the stalking starts. What concerns me are the movies where obsessive love wins the day, like in “The Notebook”. I know that old Allie and Noah are amazing, but young Noah was crazy aggressive in his pursuit of Allie. And what about Edward from “Twilight”? Showing up unannounced and watching Bella sleep is just creepy. What would we do about those situations in our own lives?   Hello and welcome to another episode of The Unlovely Truth. I'm your host, private investigator Lori Morrison. Join me for another compelling true crime story, where physical, spiritual, and emotional safety takeaways are waiting for us. If you are listening, I believe you have a unique calling—to become a different kind of PI, not a typical private investigator, but a person of impact!   This is Season 4, Episode 3. Our book this week in honor of National Stalking Awareness Month is “Stalkers: True Tales of Deadly Obsessions” and our guest is Kara Werner. Kara is a temporary licensed counselor working toward licensure as an LPC-MHSP in TN. She is doing fascinating research on stalkers. We will check in with Kara after we investigate this fascinating book.   Hollywood was being good to 18 year old Rebecca Schaeffer. She had landed a big role in a new TV sitcom with veteran actress Pam Dawber. Seventeen Magazine put her on their cover. She was starting to receive fan mail. It was all very exciting and seemed to promise her a very bright future. What she didn't know was that one of her letter writers was a disturbed man named Robert Bardo. He watched her show and checked magazines for mentions of her or better still, pictures. His favorite picture was the one she had signed in response to one of the letters he'd sent her. She wasn't aware that he wrote letters that he didn't send her. Letters that even his twisted mind knew went too far.   1 Peter 5:8 NLT   Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil.  He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.   I'll bet you've never stopped to consider what Satan has in common with stalkers. I never really had either, but let's take a closer look at this passage. The devil is described as our great enemy. Can you imagine a greater enemy than a stalker who seems to know your every move, who watches you in secret, and harrasses you with attention you don't want? Aren't they prowling around, seeking prey to greedily gobble up? Each of these enemies seeks to control you and if that fails, they would just as soon see you dead. I hope that in today's episode, you learned some red flags to look out for and some best practices to protect yourself from someone who wants to draw you in with false promises but in the end is only concerned about themselves.   Let me know what you think! Send me an email a lori@theunlovelytruth.com or message me on social media. I love it when people are willing to have those hard, but impactful conversations!   Visit my website to access more episodes, read my blog posts, or check out ways you can financially support the podcast so that together we can impact more people, more families, and more communities. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting and investigative services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    Link to buy this week's book   Connect with Kara   Share the episode    Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn   Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches. 

When it comes to great philosophers, I've always said my favorite is Winnie the Pooh Pooh once said, ““How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” When today's guest Bill Gilmour last saw his niece, Jennifer Kessee, he didn't know that he would have to find a way to be able to say the same thing.  Welcome to another episode of The Unlovely Truth. I'm your host, private investigator Lori Morrison. Join me for another captivating true crime story, where physical, spiritual, and emotional safety takeaways are waiting for us. If you are listening, I believe you have a unique calling—to become a different kind of PI, not a typical private investigator, but a person of impact! This is Season 5, Episode 2. Our book this week is “Aftermath of Jennifer Kesse's Abduction: An Uncle's Quest for Understanding & Inspiring Life Lessons" and our guest is the book's author, Bill Gilmour, Jennifer's uncle.  On Tuesday, January 24, 2006 Bill Gilmour got a call from his sister telling him that his niece Jennifer Kesse was missing. Two days later the lives of every member of his family were changed forever when it became apparent that Jennifer hadn't just disappeared on her own. She'd been kidnapped.  Bill wrote this book, incredibly, to share not just Jennifer's story, but how he was able to eventually regain joy. Despite their efforts, their beloved Jennifer remains missing. Bill Gilmour has endured his own agony over the past nearly 18 years. By writing his book, he hopes to share the brokenness he used as a catalyst to change the course of his outlook on life. Now he's here to share his heartbreaking story and invite you to emerge from suffering into joy through family, community, and God.   Romans 15:13 NIV May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him,  so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Hope is always forward focused. That's one reason I think it is so important to highlight unsolved cases like Jennifer's. We can't change what's happened, but we can hold onto the hope that someday soon there will be answers for her family. In the meantime, Bill learned how to still have joy and peace in the time of hopeful waiting. Is someone that you know in a period of hopeful waiting, whether it's for answers, or healing, or the return of a prodigal. Share Bill's story with them so they can be encouraged.  And of course, as always, share this episode with your Florida friends, and ask them to share it as well. Someone out there knows what happened to Jennifer, and it's time for her family to know as well.  Let me know what you think about this episode! Send me an email a lori@theunlovelytruth.com or message me on social media. I love it when people are willing to have those hard, but impactful conversations! Visit my website to access more episodes, read my blog posts, or check out ways you can financially support the podcast so that together we can impact more people, more families, and more communities. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting and investigative services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    Buy Bill's book here   Email Bill and check out his website   Share the episode    Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn   Let me know how The Unlovely Truth has made a difference in your life.    Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches. 

What does a human trafficker look like? We might picture wealthy men whose greed has destroyed whatever decency they may have once had. But in reality, that person may look like someone you already know.    Welcome to another episode of The Unlovely Truth. I'm your host, private investigator Lori Morrison. Join me for another captivating true crime story, where physical, spiritual, and emotional safety takeaways are waiting for us. If you are listening, I believe you have a unique calling—to become a different kind of PI, not a typical private investigator, but a person of impact!   This is Season5, Episode 1. This week we are going to investigate stories from the book "In Our Backyard: Human Trafficking in America and What We Can Do to Stop It”, by Nita Belles. She began studying human trafficking while working on a master's degree and hasn't stopped since. In her book, she shares countless stories of this evil and how we might bring some light in this very dark and very often misunderstood evil.  Close your eyes for a minute, and draw a picture in your mind of what a human trafficker looks like. I'll bet you saw a man, dressed in dark clothes, very menacing looking. What if I told you that the trafficker in the first case I want to share with you was a confident and fashionable teenage girl? If your son or daughter or grandchild were being exploited, wouldn't you try to move heaven and earth to stop it? The victims whose stories I shared today and thousands of others like them are someone's son or daughter or grandchild. I hope you'll get a copy of this book to hear more stories and learn more ways you can help.   Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 NIrV   Two people are better than one. They can help each other in everything they do.  Suppose either of them falls down. Then the one can help the other one up. But suppose a person falls down and doesn't have anyone to help them up. Then feel sorry for that person!  Or suppose two people lie down together. Then they'll keep warm. But how can one person keep warm alone? One person could be overpowered. But two people can stand up for themselves. And a rope made out of three cords isn't easily broken.   We've all seen those videos where a predator approaches a herd of some sweet, innocent animals. It's so stressful to wonder which one is being targeted. Then you see it. It's the one off to the side, all by itself. If one of the other members of the herd doesn't try to help it, that animal's chances of survival are very slim.    Are we really so different? When we look out for each other, when we work together, and when we care for each other, life goes so much better for us. Predators, of course, don't like that. They prefer to isolate us, or better yet, for us to isolate each other.    Let's make 2024 the year we work together, for our good, the good of our families, and our communities. If you've been putting off getting involved in serving people who have been impacted by crime, remember that two are better than one! Convince a friend to join you so you each feel safe and confident in your new avenue of serving God by serving others. Together we can and should make a difference.    Let me know what you think! Send me an email a lori@theunlovelytruth.com or message me on social media. I love it when people are willing to have those hard, but impactful conversations! Visit my website to access more episodes, read my blog posts, or check out ways you can financially support the podcast so that together we can impact more people, more families, and more communities. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting and investigative services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    If you suspect a human trafficking situation in your community, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888. You can also text HELP to BeFree (233733) Learn more about identifying trafficking victims with information from the Polaris Project If you know someone with a porn addiction, look for helpful resources here   Share the episode Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn   Check out my Amazon Author Page to find resources on personal safety, and safety training for churches.   

We had quite a journey in Season 4 of The Unlovely Truth. Let's look back to some of the episodes that defined, inspired, and challenged us. There were blockbuster moments, unexpected plot twists, and heartwarming scenes all year long. Most of all, there were impactful takeaways to help us enhance our physical, emotional, and spiritual safety.   Welcome to another episode of The Unlovely Truth. I'm your host, private investigator Lori Morrison. Join me for another captivating true crime story, where physical, spiritual, and emotional safety takeaways are waiting for us. If you are listening, I believe you have a unique calling—to become a different kind of PI, not a typical private investigator, but a person of impact!   This is Season 4, Episode 49. We're going to review some of our episodes because as I was looking back, I was just amazed at the journeys we got to take with all of our incredible guests. It amazed me to see the strength, the dignity, and the determination to help others they shared.   Proverbs 27:17 NIV   As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.   Useful tools like scissors and knives get dull with use. To make them work well again, we have to sharpen them. That means we have to put the blade up against a hard surface and apply pressure, shaving away bits of metal to restore a proper angle that will allow the blade to cut again.    That's what I want to do with each episode of The Unlovely Truth. We're going to find clues in these tough stories that help us become sharper so that we can protect ourselves and our loved ones. The topics we cover might be a bit painful to listen to, but it's how we become useful tools in our communities.    I'm excited for season 5 starting with our next episode. Let's make 2024 a year to sharpen each other so we can each be a person of impact for someone who needs us.    Let me know what you think! Send me an email a lori@theunlovelytruth.com or message me on social media. I love it when people are willing to have those hard, but impactful conversations!   Miss any of the episodes re-visited here? I got you covered!   Deliver Us From Evil: Purging Guilt from Unsolved Murders (the Jim Duckett case) Surviving: Doing Whatever You Need to Do (Candice Reyes of Her Well)   Therapist or Sexual Predator? How Do We Learn Who We Can Trust? (Amy Nordhues)   How Coroners Use DNA to Make Bones Talk (Jeff Jellison)   Domestic Violence Statistics Don't Lie: Meet the Man Trying to Change Them (John Peace)   The Decision to Kill: A Teenage Killer and the Mother Who Loved Him (Leslie Ghiglieri)   Is There a Serial Killer Gene? (Karen Spears Zacharias)   Exposing the Truth about My Minister Father (Jimmy Hinton)   Made to Kill: Domestic Violence by Proxy (Chris Moles)   Safety Tips for Stalking Victims (Mike Kenney)   Rules or Relationship: When Does a Religious Movement Become a Cult? (Lori Prather)   Forgiving the People Who Wrongfully Sent You to Jail (joshua Kezer) Visit my website to access more episodes, read my blog posts, or check out ways you can financially support the podcast so that together we can impact more people, more families, and more communities. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my training, consulting, and investigative services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    Share the episode    Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn   Check out my Amazon Author Page

We've all had someone lie about us. But imagine that the lie is that you murdered a loved one. In today's episode,we'll untangle a mess of lies and unveil the jaw-dropping truth behind a murder that was all about revenge. Not toward the victim, but against a member of the victim's family.   Welcome to another episode of The Unlovely Truth. I'm your host, private investigator Lori Morrison. Join me for another captivating true crime story, where physical, spiritual, and emotional safety takeaways are waiting for us. If you are listening, I believe you have a unique calling—to become a different kind of PI, not a typical private investigator, but a person of impact!   This is Season 4, Episode 48. Our book this week is “We Thought We Knew You: A Terrifying True Story of Secrets, Betrayal, Deception, and Murder” by M. Williams Phelps and we're going to welcome back licensed counselor and pastor David Brannock as our guest for the next two weeks. We will check in with David again after we investigate the rest of the fascinating case of the murder of Mary Yoder.   Last week we started looking into the sudden and shocking death of Dr. Mary Yoder. The sixty-year-old chiropractor had died of colchicine poisoning and no one knew how she could have come in contact with it. If it wasn't accidental, then it was time to start looking at suspects. Of course investigators began with those closest to her. Her son Adam and his on-again-off-again girlfriend Kaitlyn, or Katie, had both worked at the clinic with Mary and her chiropractor husband William. Katie was flaky and Adam was obsessed with her, but did they have anything to gain from Mary's death.   One of Mary's own sisters called police and told them they needed to take a close look at Bill Someone else sent an anonymous letter to police telling them exactly who the letter-sender thought killed Mary. Adam, her son.   As the author of this book wrote, “There are soul-sucking humans in this world.” The question is, how do we recognize them? We'll talk a bit a that with our guest, and in our Scripture for this episode   We are back in Proverbs this week for our Bible passage because this book of the Bible is just so practical!   Proverbs 20:11 NLT   Even children are known by the way they act,  whether their conduct is pure, and whether it is right.   Do you remember me saying that when people tell you who they are by how they act - believe them!? I didn't just pull that outta thin air - it's Biblical. We can assess a person's character by the way they act. Katie could put on a good front when she wanted to, but her true character couldn;t help but leak out when she didn't get her way. She not only killed Mary, but think about the emotional damage she's done to Mary's family and friends.    Let's all take a good look at the people in our lives and those close to our loved ones. Are they leaking out any concerning actions that might signal bad character? If so, are we going to set some healthy boundaries for that person, or make excuses? Our decisions can have a tremendous impact on our physical, emotional, and even spiritual welfare.   Let me know what you think about today's episode! Send me an email a lori@theunlovelytruth.com or message me on social media. I love it when people are willing to have those hard, but impactful conversations!   Visit my website to access more episodes, read my blog posts, or check out ways you can financially support the podcast so that together we can impact more people, more families, and more communities. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting and investigative services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.    Grab your copy of “We Thought We Knew You”   Email David   Share the episode    Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn   Check out my Amazon Author Page  

The unexpected death of a loved one is devastating. How much more grief is heaped onto your mourning when you find out that your loved one was murdered? What does this type of tragedy do to a tight-knit community? Let's find out.   Welcome to another episode of The Unlovely Truth. I'm your host, private investigator Lori Morrison. Join me for another captivating true crime story, where physical, spiritual, and emotional safety takeaways are waiting for us. If you are listening, I believe you have a unique calling—to become a different kind of PI, not a typical private investigator, but a person of impact!   This is Season 4, Episode 47. Our book this week is “We Thought We Knew You: A Terrifying True Story of Secrets, Betrayal, Deception, and Murder” by M. Williams Phelps and we're going to welcome back licensed counselor and pastor David Brannock as our guest for the next two weeks. We will check in with David after we investigate the fascinating case of the murder of Mary Yoder.   Sixty-year-old Mary Yoder was a go-getter. Along with running a thriving chiropractic office with her husband Bill, she was passionate about healthy living and healthy eating. Whenever she was in a hurry at lunch, she had her go-to protein shake powder. But it was time to start slowing down. Mary and Bill were looking to sell their practice and travel. It had to be to just the right person who would care for their patients as they would. And their staff was like family - literally in one case. Their son Adam worked part time for them as he finished up his degree. He convinced his parents to also hire his girlfriend, Katie. Sounds cozy, right? It was - until the young couple's relationship went south.   Proverbs 27:4 NIV   Anger is cruel and fury overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy?   I've been overwhelmed with anger before. It's not a good time to make decisions, and not a good time to interact with others. It's too easy to want to get revenge on the person who did whatever we decided was worth losing our temper to start with. Here, the Bible teaches that as bad as that kind of situation is, how it can tempt us to act in ways we shouldn't - jealousy can get us even more bent out of shape.   We're all true crime friends here. We've all read the books and watched the shows about the terrible things people can choose to do when someone has something they want. Like the title of this week's book, We Thought We Knew You, it can be hard to recognize harmful behavior in people we admire, like, or even love. And the failure of numerous people to recognize a seriously disturbed person cost Mary Yoder her life.    Who in our lives or the lives of our loved ones needs to be looked at a little more closely? They may not be lethal, but that doesn't mean they can't do a lot of damage physically, emotionally, and even spiritually. It's ok to speak up and tell people that you are concerned about a person in their life. Did anyone know how bad Mary's killer really was? Find out next week.  Visit my website to access more episodes, read my blog posts, or check out ways you can financially support the podcast so that together we can impact more people, more families, and more communities. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting and investigative services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.  Grab your copy of “We Thought We Knew You”   Email David   Share the episode    If you need a way to securely store money and digital copies of important documents, listen to this episode   Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn