Podcast appearances and mentions of mark sowersby

Diana revisits a former interview with the late Dave Ebert, who went to be with Jesus in July 2024. His wife, Bobbie Ebert, joins the conversation to discuss their unique ministry. The couple uses improv comedy as a tool to help survivors of sex trafficking rediscover their voice, improve communication, and build confidence. Bobby shares her personal story of overcoming abuse and finding faith, while Dave discusses their journey into full-time ministry and their goal of creating a residential facility to support survivors. The episode also touches on the importance of laughter and joy in the healing process and provides details on how listeners can support their mission. 00:00 Introduction: Comedy and Sex Trafficking? 00:23 Sponsor Message: 7 5 3 Academy 01:11 Welcome to The Wounds of the Faithful Podcast 01:42 Introducing Dave and Bobby Ebert 02:12 The Power of Improv Comedy in Healing 04:48 Dave's Ministry Journey 07:50 Bobby's Testimony and Healing Journey 15:38 How Dave and Bobby Met 24:16 A Surprise Proposal 25:29 The Significance of the Ring 26:07 Life After Marriage 27:11 Transition to Full-Time Ministry 28:11 Using Comedy to Heal Trauma 29:24 The Missionary Journey 32:16 Fundraising and Support 32:48 Future Plans and Goals 35:06 The Power of Laughter 41:17 Final Thoughts and Call to Action The website is still up after his passing. Bobbie may be keeping the ministry going in his place. www.gifts4glory.com   Website: https://dswministries.org Subscribe to the podcast: https://dswministries.org/subscribe-to-podcast/ Social media links: Join our Private Wounds of the Faithful FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1603903730020136 Twitter: https://twitter.com/DswMinistries YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxgIpWVQCmjqog0PMK4khDw/playlists Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dswministries/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DSW-Ministries-230135337033879 Keep in touch with me! Email subscribe to get my handpicked list of the best resources for abuse survivors! https://thoughtful-composer-4268.ck.page #abuse #trauma Affiliate links: Our Sponsor: 753 Academy: https://www.753academy.com/ Can't travel to The Holy Land right now? The next best thing is Walking The Bible Lands! Get a free video sample of the Bible lands here! https://www.walkingthebiblelands.com/a/18410/hN8u6LQP An easy way to help my ministry: https://dswministries.org/product/buy-me-a-cup-of-tea/ A donation link: https://dswministries.org/donate/   Dave and Bobbie Ebert [00:00:00] What does comedy and sex trafficking have to do with each other? It's not what you think. We have my guest, Dave Ebert on the show again from the first season of the show to talk to us about his ministry once again. So find out the answer to my question next on The Wounds of the Faithful podcast. Special thanks to 7 5 3 Academy for sponsoring this episode. No matter where you are in your fitness and health journey, they've got you covered. They specialize in helping you exceed your health and fitness goals, whether that is losing body fat, gaining muscle, or nutritional coaching to match your fitness levels. They do it all with a written guarantee for results so you don't waste time and money on a program that doesn't exceed your goals. There are martial arts programs. Specialize in anti-bullying programs for kids to combat proven Filipino martial arts. They [00:01:00] take a holistic, fun, and innovative approach that simply works. Sign up for your free class now. It's 7 5 3 academy.com. Find the link in the show notes. Welcome to the Wounds of the Faithful Podcast, brought to you by DSW Ministries. Your host is singer songwriter, speaker and domestic violence advocate, Diana . She is passionate about helping survivors in the church heal from domestic violence and abuse and trauma. This podcast is not a substitute for professional counseling or qualified medical help. Now here is Diana. Hello friends. Welcome back to the podcast. I'm so glad to be here with you. We have a great show for you. More Dave Ebert. If you didn't hear Dave's first interview, please go back and listen to it. It was excellent. He told his personal [00:02:00] story and then how he started his ministry. He's gonna bring his wife tonight because they're doing this together. So you wanted to get the answer to the question that I posed in the beginning. The power of improv comedy in healing and growth. Reverends Dave and Bobby Ebert are on a unique mission to minister to survivors of sex trafficking using the power of improv comedy. With their help survivors find their voice, tap into their creativity, improve communication, and rediscover confidence as US missionaries. They use their unique calling to help those in need and bring light to the darkest of situations. So there areas of focus on their webpage here. Use comedy to break down walls and find the good soil for the seeds of God's word to be [00:03:00] planted. Rebuild confidence through fun, creative games and challenges. So these survivors are better prepared to reenter society. Provide a needed respite from the challenges of healing and recovery by creating a safe, fun, and laughter rich environment. Demonstrate the love of the father and share the redeeming power of Christ to encourage forgiveness of those who inflicted the unimaginable trauma. So I think you're gonna really enjoy Dave and Bobby. I mean, what, what could go wrong with comedians, right? I know that you're going to be blessed with their stories and their vision to help sex Traffick victims to heal. So without delay. Here's my conversation with Dave and Bobby Ebert. Please welcome back to the [00:04:00] show, Dave Ebert, and we also have his wife Bobby, on the show with us tonight. Welcome both of you guys. Thank you, Diana, for having us back or having me back. And then first time guest, long time listener. Bobby, thanks for having us. This is gonna be great having, uh, comedians on the show again, and you're on episode 12 of season one. So I definitely wanna see what you've been up to since then and you have some updates for us today. Yeah, absolutely. Did you want us to start? There's, there's a lot to cover. Yeah. Just remind the folks what you do, and then I'll have Bobby tell the folks a little bit about herself and what role she plays in the ministry you have there. Awesome. So for the last, decade, I've, run an improv ministry based here in Chicago where we sp spring the, light of Christ into various rooms using comedy to bring people together. [00:05:00] Most of our shows have been either ministry to the homeless or it's been fundraisers where we've raised funds for everything from animal care shelters to people who lost part of their home in a fire. To camps for foster kids, and it's all about bringing people together and uniting them in laughter. 'cause I truly believe that laughter is a gift from God because he knew that things would get stressful and science bears out that laughter is such a stress reliever, such a healthy benefit for the body that there's no way that happened by accident. God designed laughter as a gift to help us, kind of deal with, the things that are stressful and help us forget the things that really aren't our burdens to carry. And part of that ministry included for the last four and a half years have been working at Salt and Light Coalition in Chicago, working with survivors of sex trafficking, using improv as a way to kind of break down the walls that they've had to put up to just to survive because mm-hmm. Frankly, they've [00:06:00] been through hell on earth. And to survive you've gotta develop some calluses and around their heart, around in inside, there's just so many calluses and walls that are up and the gift of laughter kind of unlocks that and allows them to really advance in their healing. Mm-hmm. I'm such a big supporter of what you do, Dave, and, um, when you talk about. Oh, God created humor. I, I really wished in scripture there was more of like Jesus laughing or Jesus telling jokes, don't you? Yeah, I would think that the human experience would tell you that you get 13 men just camping out, walking the water in wilderness. They're gonna crack some jokes. They're gonna make some funny things like James and John teased Peter, oh, help me Lord, I'm drowning. Help me. And he would fire back, Hey, at least I got out of the boat. And the whole, the verse where, Jesus is talking about is easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle. To me, that's. [00:07:00] That could be taken as a sarcastic moment, like just Jesus in front of everybody, just like making this comment, which is so ludicrous. It could easily be interpreted as being of a funny comment. Like, I mean, camel obviously can't pass through a needle. So I think that there are moments you can find in scripture that, that are funny. It wasn't his focus. Mm-hmm. But. Proverbs 17:22 says, Lightheart is like good medicine. Some translations say laughter is like good medicine. So I think mm-hmm. If it's covered at least once, then we can stick to it. 'cause the Bible is true from front to back. But yeah, it would be kind of fun to hear like open night in Jerusalem, open mike night. Yeah. That's awesome. So Bobby, why don't you tell the folks about your background and how you met the Lord maybe, and how you met Dave. Yeah, so [00:08:00] I am Bobby Ebert, Dave's wife. We've been married for eight years and. My testimony starts in my childhood is through a series of abuse growing up all the way from junior high all the way through high school. Um, it became pretty serious. The police ended up being, getting involved and just a wide variety of things that happened with. All of that and being severe trauma, the Lord revealed to me in a vision, my sinful nature. And so how that happened was I was in a counseling session at a crisis center, and it was in the middle of that crisis center session that. The Lord gave me this vision of a Santa Claus list where it has one size, all naughty and then a nice, but instead of it being naughty and nice and who's on that list, and it was all of my sins and I could read [00:09:00] them and I just remember like staring off in this what would look to other people as if a day I was in a daydream and I was just feeling mortified. About myself and the counselor had no idea what was going on. I was just looking off and the car ride home, I was just very silent. I was staying with my best friend and her family, and so they were my transportation, obviously, and I would just start repenting and just like asking Jesus to forgive me for salvation and. So one thing that I had a hard time wrapping my mind around was how does the blood of Jesus actually cleanse us? That is a dirty substance. How does that actually cleanse us? And I could not wrap my mind around that until that moment of [00:10:00] salvation and that veil was, it came right off and I just had like this instant understanding. So that was pretty amazing. And fast forward through. A few more years of going through like hope and healing and some other counseling sessions like the Lord did a really huge work in my heart and in my spirit, and even in my mind, like just completely renewed me and healed me. There is one Wednesday night I went to a church service where I was attending at that time. Happened to be at the back of the subdivision where I grew up and my dad still lived. In our childhood home at that time and on the way to church that Wednesday night, the Lord convicted me and told me three times, forgive your father. Mm-hmm. And I said, no, I am not. And after that third time I said, fine Lord. I will forgive him [00:11:00] if I drive by his house. I see the lights are on and he is up and awake. So after service, I drove by and I pulled in front of the house, and of course all the lights are on, doors are open, windows are open. He is watching tv. So I'm like, Ugh. So I arrived unannounced. And he let me in and we chatted and I had no idea why I was there. And finally I get up to excuse myself so I can travel home. It was a 45 minute ride to where I was living 'cause I had since moved in with another family member. And as I'm walking out the door. I literally have my body half in and half out of the door. And I turned and I said, I forgive you. And I was walking out that door and he says, hold on a minute. You get back in here there bubble. [00:12:00] And he says, what is this a 12 step program you're going through? So I came back and I sat back down and I just told him I could give you everything that has ever happened in my childhood, everything that you've ever done, and all the, I went on and he is like it created this special moment where he opened up and started talking about his childhood and the trauma and different things that he experienced, and he was still very unrepentant. Still is to this day, still denies everything that has. Ever taken place mostly 'cause he is protecting himself and from being vulnerable and having to actually repent. But it created this beautiful moment that had I disobeyed God, my dad to this day would [00:13:00] not be open. To hearing about Jesus. He doesn't always wanna hear it from me, but he'll ask me questions. He'll ask me questions, and he'll ask Dave questions and Dave has his. Unique way of being able to create this bond with my dad, where my dad's more open to speak with him versus me. And that's okay. Yeah. Uh, because he's still gonna get the gospel. Totally. So I'm glad that he's open and he's been. Open for 15 years now, and now he is just starting to do a Bible study with a friend. So God will use anybody and it doesn't have to be me. I planted, I watered seeds, but God gives an increase and he'll use anybody and I just pray, Lord. I don't care who it is, I just pray for his salvation. Mm-hmm. And he's, really into the chosen. And the chosen brings the word to life in a way that ma most people [00:14:00] haven't even thought of before. And so the chosen has been really powerful and getting him closer and closer to taking that final step and like, yes, Lord, I'm yours. So it's been really exciting to see over the last eight years to see, her dad really grow in that way. And, get closer and closer. He's in a crockpot right now. Yes. And a few more hours he'll be ready. Wow. I've talked about the chosen on the show before and some of the guests, and I don't necessarily like some of the liberties they take with some of it, who am I? If the show is getting people to get in the Bible? Mm-hmm. To come to church or to start asking questions. Or renew their relationship with Jesus. So I just let God do what God does, right? Yes. And I think that's a healthy place to be, is that you don't have to think that they're getting everything perfect or doing it right. I, and you know, there are times that we've looked at each [00:15:00] other like, maybe they could have done it differently, but like you said, it is getting people excited about the word and prayerfully people are not forming their entire doctrine and faith based on a TV show, but at least getting their appetite wet for more of the living word. Yes. Awesome. I really just love your story, Bobby, and that you are obedient to what God had called you to do, even though it maybe you were a little afraid to approach your father, but it looks like God's blessing you in that way, and even the healing from the trauma that you've gone through, that's a journey too. Now, how did you meet Dave? I was previously engaged and after that engagement broke off, I was like, Lord, like it's just you and me. And some of that was just a couple years of healing and being able to move on from that previous engagement. [00:16:00] 'cause it was a long-term relationship. We were together for over five years, so. I've been told by a counselor in the past that when you have something happen, you count how many years you've experienced that, divide it in half, and that's about how long it takes to like be able to move on from that, to heal from that. And it was probably about that halfway mark that I really felt like I was ready to move on and I. The Lord was blessing me to move on and to be open to dating again. And there's a few people who presented themselves, and Christians and non-Christians and the non-Christians. I was like, well, you're gonna be wasting your time and you're gonna be wasting my time. Mm-hmm. Yeah. But. Even the Christians who presented themselves, they weren't, they still weren't the right ones that God wanted for me.[00:17:00] And I am grateful because the Lord really showed me to be more discerning. So fast forward, I one day was like, I've always been against. Online dating, meeting people through dating websites and stuff. But I was like done. I was tired of being single and crying my eyes out in my pillow every night and I said, Lord, I don't care I doing this. So I signed up for Christian Mingle that night, and the next day I met a friend of Dave's and we got together and. We kinda. Tested things out for a couple of months and it wasn't a right fit to. But during that time I met Dave. He was actually dating somebody else that he had met, ChristianMingle. And actually I met her on Plenty of Fish. [00:18:00] Oh, sorry. Free site. Well, you were on Christian Mingle though, so the free version. I paid. Alright anyway, so we would all hang out as a group of friends and his relationship ended. My relationship ended with his friend and. Fast forward about three, four months. It's December, and the guy I was dating, he was having a Mark Schultz concert at his church and he needed help and I was like, you need some help. So I'm like, I volunteered to help as concert because he really. Volunteers. And so it was when we were there that Dave in showed interest in me and inquired like, so what is going on between the two of you? And he gave his blessing for Dave to make his move. And whoa, Dave and I [00:19:00] was, he friended me on Facebook along with some other people I met at the church that night. So I was like, okay, whatever. It's just people that I've met. Friending me on Facebook. But then we would start chatting on Messenger for hours on end, and he would try flirting with me. And I was like, Dave, stop. You're like, you're flirting with me. Stop. And I would use his cheesy line, be like, Hey, I can't help it. I'm a Libra, I'm a hopeless romantic. What would you say, Dave? Give us one of your best lines here. I would just say she had a nice smile, just simple, flirty stuff, trying to make her laugh through Facebook Messenger. Yeah. I don't really even remember any of my deadlines. I honestly don't remember either. But fast forward, come March, he asks me to go to a concert. Oh, he is asking me out on a date, and I wasn't for that. And so I assume like a bunch of your guy friends are going and he is like, well, actually mm-hmm. [00:20:00] It's just one friend of mine, my sister, and I'm asking you, and I was like, crap. So I agreed to go and it was so awkward. How do I connect with these people? His sister ended up not going, so it was just me and his friend that he had started to improv the group with. And finally after the concert, his friend started talking about. Moody Radio, moody Church here in Chicago. Okay, here's a point of connection. Here's something to strike up a conversation. And so we started to converse about that and Dave was freaking out thinking, oh no, they're connecting, but we really weren't connecting like that. So he walks me to the train after I protested. 'cause the train was literally right across the street. I could walk myself and. It is Chicago is late at night. At night, [00:21:00] and you're not letting her walk by herself to the train. Mm-hmm. No. I've been to Chicago, but I'm not afraid of the city. So I've had plenty of experiences on my own and as a young kid in the city in some rough neighborhoods. So I am pretty confident. But anyway, I let him walk me to the train, and I have this anxiety about making sure I'm on the trains right away. And so I'm not missing my trains. So I get on this train and he's literally like, what? No hug. All right. So for context, I walked her all the way to the platform of the train. We're talking, and as soon as the doors opened, like literally as soon as they came apart, she was gone. No. So the lamest of lame ploys, I'm like. What, no hug. So she came back out, gave me the side bro hug, and then came back to the train. And here I am leaving this date thinking like, [00:22:00] man, I am in the friend zone. And then know what the friend zone is. So the next day we are talking on the phone and we're talking about this. Concert and what happened, and so to give some back info, the movie Courageous, if everyone has seen that at the end, they're doing the Father's Day speech and they're listing off all the I will declarations that they will do as fathers and men of the home and husbands. When that movie came out and I saw it, I was like, okay, Lord, whoever I marry really has to follow all of those declarations. And so we're on the phone discussing this date and at the, towards the end of the conversation, he starts saying all of these declarations. And he had never seen the movie. And so it was like literally God [00:23:00] was slapping me upside the head and I literally was on my couch like. Oh my. This is my husband. Well, okay Lord. So then it went from there. We dated for seven months, got engaged and got married seven months after our engagement. And now here we are eight years later. I propose at the end of church service. Yes, I had coordinated with, our pastor and I asked him to say, set it up as like a testimony stay. 'Cause it was two weeks before Thanksgiving, set it up as like, do you have any Thanksgiving testimonies? So a couple people shared and then when I realized that nobody was gonna go after, go next, I, that's when I started my testimony and then stood up to the platform and proposed and I was like, wow. Yeah, so, but it's funny though, because he stood up in his seat, well, not on his seat, from his seat, [00:24:00] and started to talk to the congregation, introducing himself and stuff. Okay. But then when he moved up to the front of the church, oh my gosh, Dave, this is not one of your comedy shows. You don't have to stand in front of everybody. You had no clue, huh? Yeah. And so one of the men in the church, he kind of thought it was funny too, and he is like, well, what is this? Like some kind of proposal happening. And as soon as he said that, I started backing up. 'cause I'm on the platform as part of the worship team. I interpreted. The worship in ASL. So I literally was backing up to the wall as far as I could go, and he starts his proposal and you hear the gasps and stuff, and I'm like, oh my goodness, because I'm not. Usually comfortable being center of attention and all [00:25:00] eyes were on me and I was no pressure freaking out. Were you happy that he proposed? Yes. And he will tell everybody that when he. I asked, will you marry me? That I never said yes, but I did several times with my head buried into his shoulder and in his ears. But what is true, I did not give her the ring. She snatched it out of the box. I did. But this is what is really cool. And so God ordained is the ring that he proposed with is his mom's ring. But it also happens to be the same exact ring that I used to look at in the old Sears and service merchandise catalogs when I was a kid. When I was a kid. Mm-hmm. So it was a sign that, yes, this really is of God and this, it really is your [00:26:00] husband. I've never heard that before. That is, yeah. That is something else. Yes. Wow. Years later, and I don't remember. You don't have any children, right? Not yet. Not yet. Not yet. Okay. We're working on it. Not right now though. Yeah. That'll drive up the ratings, the tmmi ratings, because it's been a few years. I didn't wanna assume, but sorry. No, we just go with it here. Yeah. And yeah, I can't make this stuff up. Right, right. Now you were doing the comedy, the improv, like part-time, right? And you were pastoring, weren't you, Dave? We were co children's pastors and have been together basically since we got married. And so that was, that's part-time unpaid volunteer here. [00:27:00] 'cause we've been at small churches. Mm-hmm. And building up rewards in heaven. Yes. Yeah. The economy was part-time and we get paid every once in a while, but it was never an income generator. So I've had a few different jobs that paid the bills, but what's different now is in October of 22, I got laid off and the Lord showed us through several circumstances that it was time to get into full-time ministry. And so this September we went through missions training and we are now a US missionary candidate. And we'll be doing what I've been doing in salt and light full time, which is working with survivors of trauma, using comedy and improv to unlock their creativity and their communication skills and remind them that it's okay to laugh, it's okay to, mm-hmm. Let your guard down and find joy in life. Yeah. So we've been working with specifically trafficking survivors, and the need is [00:28:00] they need to know that. There's hope for them and there is a future for them, and that their hope is in Jesus and that their future is in Jesus as well. So through the comedy, what we do is like the improv workshops with them, and through that we're able to break down the walls in their hearts and turn stone hearts into hearts of clay, and we're able to share the love of Jesus with them. And what's really awesome and was the unwritten benefit and the unwritten aspect is that I, I am a man coming in with these women who survived being abused and just put through literal hell on earth by men. So they're getting a chance to see that, number one, there are. Healthy men that you can trust. Mm-hmm. And also because we're married, Bobby's been able to come to a few of the workshops now, and they're [00:29:00] able to see that there is a possibility of a healthy marriage. And we get to model those things while we're also having fun and seeing God really break down a lot of walls. You lost your job in 2020. I lost my job in 2022 also. It's just amazing how God moves us in a different direction and it's definitely changed my life. And you might remember from our first conversation, Dave, that I was a missionary for 13 years Baptist ary as a church planter. Now that process of becoming a church planter, it's probably different than the process that you're going through to become missionaries, or you just went through candidate school and what does that look like? So it started in January with the application very in depth, had to find 10 references, which to me was like they're serious because especially for guys, we don't have that many close people. We're [00:30:00] just like, we have, Jesus had like really three close people. Mm-hmm. Then he had the 12 disciples, but he had three. And it's like, how am I supposed to have three times as many friends as Jesus, but we got the re re it calling people. Right? And this is Dave, um, Dave Ebert? Yeah. Yeah. The comedian. Oh no. Yeah, that, that's me. And so it was kind like trying to find a groomsman for the wedding. Calling up people from third grade, Hey, uh, what are you doing this weekend? What's your dad doing this? I heard from him for 10 years. Right. And usually when you hear somebody out of the blue after 10 years and they talk really friendly, usually they're trying to get you in some MLM. Right, right. Hey, hey, you wanna buy my tell you about what I'm doing? Yeah, exactly. Yeah. doTERRA unto others as you would have doTERRA unto you. But, so there's application [00:31:00] process and there were interviews with the head of missions, then interviews with the people who would be over my specific department. Several testing a lot of forms that fill out Yeah. Psych tests. Psych tests, psych tests, and then, yeah. Yeah. Make sure that. We can at least lie well enough to, no, I'm kidding. No, to make sure that we're ready because Yeah. When you walk out into full-time ministry, especially with missions where you're responsible for your own fundraising and support raising. It takes a toll and you have to be healthy. You have to be in a good position also. You have to be in a place where you're not like escaping the world to say, oh, I'm just gonna be a missionary and get away from stuff. Mm-hmm. So they do a very good job of vetting and making sure that you're healthy and ready. Yes. And then the candidate school, the orientation was six, 10 hour days of. Learning about fundraising, about how to, honor the [00:32:00] gifts that people give, and also the different rules and regulations that we have to follow because we are accountable to our home church, to our home district as well as to the national assemblies. So a lot of training, a lot of prep, a lot of numbers. And now we're hitting the road calling every pastor we know. The churches that we visited for fundraising with the comedy team, we're connecting with them and just asking them for support. Because what we're gonna do is we're serving organizations that don't have a budget to hire an improv coach. So we wanna go and serve them free of charge and just rely on the body of Christ to make sure that our cats don't go homeless. The goal is to also eventually open our own facility. Wow. So like a home, like a residential home? Yeah, like a residential facility for survivors, men, women and children. And to offer [00:33:00] them a comprehensive therapy as well as job training skills and things to get them on their feet so that once they're on the, in this place where they're ready to start over. If they're ready to start over and start building a life, instead of many trafficking victims when they come out of trafficking, unless they have an organization that walks in hand in hand, they either fall back into drugs, they fall back into that lifestyle again. Or worse, they fall into depression and impossible suicide because. They end up escaping, but they have a record. Yeah, because they're, they've probably been picked up by the police several times. They've also probably got a drug record because either the people that they were quote unquote working for or by their own desire to survive, they. End up on drugs, just trying to cope. Mm-hmm. In many cases, and courts really don't care why you're being arrested for being intoxicated or on drugs. [00:34:00] They just know that you are. And so that makes their lives really hard once they escape, because who's gonna help them? They've got a rap sheet, they've probably got no place decent to stay. Mm-hmm. They might have kids that are now in the system, so they have a lot stacked against them when they get out. We want to be another or be an organization that gives them all the tools they need to not only escape and survive, but to actually start to thrive. Mm-hmm. They can leave their past behind and it will be just a beautiful testimony to share of God's goodness that no matter what you're going through, God can redeem it and heal it. And, we wanna do our own facility here in Illinois and we also wanna reproduce what we're doing because. We believe it's valuable and it's unique, and it helps kind of fill in some of the gaps that traditional therapy might leave. Mm-hmm. Because a lot of the times these survivors have felt betrayed or felt like they can't trust people, [00:35:00] and so traditional therapy doesn't always work. It doesn't always help them free themselves from their past. Yeah. So when comedy is entered into the picture. We can kind of till that soil a little bit so that now therapy is a little bit easier because now the, some of the calluses and the walls are torn down. Yeah. So then you open doors for other types of healing methods once you get through that big block wall. Right. It's been amazing 'cause we've seen women open up publicly for the first time and share their stories where. Traditional therapies may not have worked in that way, if that makes sense. They find more freedom when they start to laugh. When you laugh in a room with other people, there's like this bond that happens where you feel safe because now you have all admitted something about yourselves. If you go to a comedy show and you hear a group of 500 strangers laughing, they're not strangers when they leave that comedy show because in the midst of that, [00:36:00] they laughed and admit they have something in common. And when you admit that you have something in common with 500 other people, now you don't feel alone. Now you feel a little bit of safety and we've seen these women, , find that they are, feel safe enough to share their story for the first time in any kind of a public setting. And as once you shed light on your pain and shed light on what you're struggling with, it doesn't seem quite as big and as daunting and shedding light on it allows you to give it to God and let him finish the healing. Like you say, the laughter is so powerful because it makes you feel good, and then the laughter makes you feel better because all those endorphins and the serotonin levels are. Where they're supposed to be. And you look on the world in a different perspective. It's crazy. Like I, 10 minutes ago I was depressed and now I think I'm gonna make it. And here's something I like to talk about is. When you laugh, when you have like a deep [00:37:00] laugh and you're like truly just enjoying the moment, you naturally lift your head up and automatically your eyes are lifting up. Mm-hmm. It's almost like it's a form of worship when you have a good laugh. Wow. Because you're looking up to where your help comes from. Wow. And. It's just a beautiful sign because when you're laughing you just, you're letting this energy go, whether it's stress or it's just, you're even fatigue. When you let it go, suddenly your shoulders lift up. Suddenly your blood pressure drops and you're reminded that there's more than what's here right in front of you. You lift your eyes up and you realize there's so much more, and that's just a beautiful thing to see. Let's also think about it. God is our father, and what good father doesn't take joy in laughing with his kids. And when you see a healthy father and child relationship, they have moments of giggles and cackles and tickle fights. So [00:38:00] what Good father him doesn't take joy in laughing and enjoying the presence of his kids. So I think that when we laugh. In those moments of where it's pure and it's just joy. He laughs with us. And I think that those, like I said, are moments of worship in a way because we're reminded of his goodness. Yes. God give us a gift. I think that. People outside the Christian community, they, they view us as fuddy daddies and stuffed shirts and that we don't ever have any fun. And we're serious all the time and we're about reading our Bibles and praying all the time and that we don't have any fun. But I like your perspective. Of showing the world that it is a gift from God. And we do have fun. And like I said earlier, talking about Jesus and the 12 disciples, you get a group of guys together that they're gonna goof off, they're gonna laugh. And the adoration that the disciples have for Jesus less Judas is [00:39:00] scar, the adoration. That does not happen when it's just a militant leader saying, thou shalt, there has to be moments of levity, moments of bonding, and pure joy. That's more than just. A rabbi teaching his students the love that they had, the love that they felt for him to be willing to die for him for his name. That doesn't happen in a military setting that happens in relationship where there's moments of levity and laughter, and I can't wait to eventually be and be in heaven and hear Jesus tell some jokes. That'd be amazing. Like why did you really call them Sons of Thunder? Right. Probably farting around the campfire. Ah, yes, exactly. Jesus. Pull my finger. Some people have like checked out at this point. Oh [00:40:00] man. Love it. I'm so glad you're gonna create a center as a goal in the future after the show, I definitely wanna give you some folks to connect with that. I know I've got a lot of connections, but we have the Dream Center here in Phoenix. Okay. And I've gone to a few of their fundraisers and they're an incredible place. They have this center for trafficked women and. And men, and we're very close to Mexico, so we get a lot of trafficked people here in Phoenix. And there'd be somebody to connect with for sure. 'cause they could show you how to create the facility and what not to do, and what to do and what they've learned. They create like apartments for these girls. They're like designer rooms. They're not just like bunks and dorms and stuff. I've seen these rooms. They're incredible. They treat the girls like they're princesses. It's really. Wonderful. And they do teach the skills of how not to go back on the streets and finding your worth in Jesus and your [00:41:00] value. You're not just a piece of meat to be used, you are a daughter of the king. And so yeah, I'll definitely give you their contact information. Do you know Mark Sowersby? Oh yeah. Mark. He's, he's been, uh, on my podcast before. He's a survivor. Yeah. Big time. So. I know that we talked about a lot of different things. Was there anything that we didn't cover today that you wanted to share with the audience? Yeah. So if the Lord is leading you and you feel like, feel like the Lord's saying, support this ministry and uh, give us the opportunity and the tools to go out and reach more survivors of trafficking. 'cause we're working in Chicago right now. And there, there's a plenty of harvest there, but there's also other places that we want to serve as well. Yes. You can go to, partners.gifts fork glory.com and that'll take you right to the, ag website where our, page is. And you can log in and, or you can sign in as a donor. And if you can do one time gift, [00:42:00] if you can do a monthly gift, or if you wanna do the faith promise, which is just your promise between you and the Lord of what you're. Willing to commit to support us. Anything is gonna help us get there. The website is partners.gifts for glory.com and whatever the Lord puts on your heart is gonna be, well appreciated and is gonna be used to serve many survivors. And you know, part of what we're doing is also doing podcasts. 'cause we wanna raise awareness that this is an issue. Mm-hmm. And we are hoping that between working with survivors. Doing advocacy by going, on podcasts or media that eventually we'll work ourselves out of a job and that there will be no more trafficking, there'll be no more slavery. That would be the biggest blessing of all is if we could work hard enough and the Lord would move enough that we would see an end to it. Mm, amen. Yeah. Even if you don't have the money right now to support. Dave and Bobby, you can definitely share this episode. Tell your friends [00:43:00] about the ministry. I definitely have that in the show notes, and we're gonna share the podcast episode like crazy and anything else you wanted to share. If you're listening or watching, be sure to subscribe to the wounds of the Faithful. Check every episode out and I'll go back and see how much I've changed in the last two years since the first time I was on. Yeah, I'm gonna put the episode of Dave's testimony, his story in the show notes, so you guys can just click on that and listen to that. This was great. Had a lot of fun and laughter and learn some things, and you guys are always welcome to come back on the show and give us an update. Absolutely. To see how you're doing and when you open your center up in the future someday. Then I'm gonna come and cut the ribbon. Absolutely. I've been in Chicago a few times. It's a nice city, so God bless you guys, and we wish you the very best. Thank you so much for having [00:44:00] us. Yes, Diana, thank you so much for having us. We love you and we love the show. Love you guys too. Thank you for listening to the Wounds of the Faithful Podcast. If this episode has been helpful to you, please hit the subscribe button and tell a friend you could connect with us at DSW Ministries dot org. Where you'll find our blog, along with our Facebook, Twitter, and our YouTube channel links. Hope to see you next week.    

In this episode of the Wounds of the Faithful Podcast, host Diana Winkler interviews Pastor Mark Sowersby, who shares his powerful testimony of overcoming childhood abuse and finding forgiveness and healing through faith. Mark recounts his early life filled with abuse, meeting Jesus at 16, and wrestling with his identity as a victim. Through the love of his church community and personal determination, he not only found freedom but also pursued education and ministry. He also speaks about reconnecting with his birth father and how the loss of his mother catalyzed the launch of his ministry, 'Forgiving the Nightmare'. The episode serves as an inspiring account of transformation, resilience, and the power of unconditional God's love. 00:00 Introduction and Sponsor Message 00:47 Welcome to the Podcast 01:25 Introducing Pastor Mark Sowersby 01:40 Technical Difficulties and Apologies 02:17 Pastor Mark's Testimony 05:49 Childhood and Abuse 07:10 Finding Faith and Forgiveness 18:06 Weight Loss Journey and Healing 23:08 Dyslexia and Education Struggles 24:42 Writing a Book and Ministry 28:14 Reading the Bible: Audio vs. Written 28:27 A Life-Changing Christmas Story 29:20 Overcoming Illiteracy with Help 30:14 A Love Story Blossoms 30:56 College Journey and Divine Guidance 32:49 Answering the Call to Ministry 33:13 Struggles with Self-Worth 35:15 Finding Confidence in God 35:56 Weight Loss and Self-Love 40:01 Victim to Victor: A Personal Transformation 45:00 Reuniting with Birth Father 48:20 Launching Forgiving the Nightmare Ministry 54:40 Final Thoughts and Prayer   website: www.forgivingthenightmare.com email: mark@forgivingthenightmare.com    Bio:  Reverend Mark Sowersby has been married to his wonderful wife Jennifer for 17 years and is the father of four children. Mark has been an ordained minister with Assembly of God for over 25 years and is currently the Pastor of Christian Assembly of Schuyler in beautiful upstate New York. Pastor Mark holds a BA in theology from Zion Bible College/Northpoint Bible College. In 2019 Pastor Mark went through a time of great healing. He began speaking about the experiences of his past and God's grace and the transformational work of forgiveness in his life. He now speaks about his story through his ministry, Forgiving The Nightmare. When he isn't serving his congregation and his community through ministry, teaching, and support, you can find him on all the trails and lakes in Upstate New York, spending time with his family.   Website: https://dswministries.org Subscribe to the podcast: https://dswministries.org/subscribe-to-podcast/ Social media links: Join our Private Wounds of the Faithful FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1603903730020136 Twitter: https://twitter.com/DswMinistries YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxgIpWVQCmjqog0PMK4khDw/playlists Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dswministries/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DSW-Ministries-230135337033879 Keep in touch with me! Email subscribe to get my handpicked list of the best resources for abuse survivors! https://thoughtful-composer-4268.ck.page #abuse #trauma Affiliate links: Our Sponsor: 753 Academy: https://www.753academy.com/ Can't travel to The Holy Land right now? The next best thing is Walking The Bible Lands! Get a free video sample of the Bible lands here! https://www.walkingthebiblelands.com/a/18410/hN8u6LQP An easy way to help my ministry: https://dswministries.org/product/buy-me-a-cup-of-tea/ A donation link: https://dswministries.org/donate/ Transcript: [00:00:00] Special thanks to 7 5 3 Academy for sponsoring this episode. No matter where you are in your fitness and health journey, they've got you covered. They specialize in helping you exceed your health and fitness goals, whether that is losing body fat, gaining muscle, or nutritional coaching to match your fitness levels. They do it all with a written guarantee for results so you don't waste time and money on a program that doesn't exceed your goals. There are martial arts programs. Specialize in anti-bullying programs for kids to combat proven Filipino martial arts. They take a holistic, fun, and innovative approach that simply works. Sign up for your free class now. It's 7 5 3 academy.com. Find the link in the show notes. Welcome to the Wounds of the Faithful Podcast, brought to you by DSW Ministries. Your host is singer songwriter, speaker and domestic violence advocate, [00:01:00] Diana Winkler. She is passionate about helping survivors in the church heal from domestic violence and abuse and trauma. This podcast is not a substitute for professional counseling or qualified medical help. Now here is Diana. Welcome back. You made it well. I have a great guest for you today. I told you about him last week. Pastor Mark Sowersby and he has knocked this interview out of the park, and we had an amazing time. We did not have an amazing time with the Zoom platform. I could not hear him, but he could hear me, and it was a half an hour of back and forth trying to get it to work. So I wound up having to record this episode on our phones with the earbuds. So I don't normally do [00:02:00] that. I usually have my $300 studio microphone. So if it doesn't sound as good, I apologize. But this content is so great that I think you'll forgive me, but I'll try to do some, post-production, to make it sound better. So without further ado. Here is Pastor Mark. Yeah. Nice. Nice to meet you. Yes, nice to meet you also. And I saw your wife there too, so, and I think you saw my husband's beard anyway. Yes. And my wife is the strength and the brains of this operation around us. I'm blessed. I'm a blessed man there. Amen. Thank you. Yes. So we got the, um, the technical, uh, demons outta the way. Well, I appreciate that. We tried two computers and my Apple phone. And I have to tell you, I am a novice at computers at best, so Yeah, me too. So we're kindred spirits for sure. Amen. Amen. And I read your testimony about your [00:03:00] website and your faith and your podcast and everything. What a beautiful testimony you have. Oh, thank you so much. So you, you're in Arizona, is that correct? Yes. Wow. Wow. Well, I have to tell you of one of my bucket lists because I'm a northeast guy. I'm a New England, New York. We have snow. It's freezing. They're saying we could have a possible blizzard tomorrow. Uh, I love that. Go to the Grand Canyon. That's my, on my bucket list. My, my family. Hear me speak about that all the time. I've never seen it. But I long to, let me tell you, it's more breathtaking than you can imagine. The pictures don't do it justice. I've been there many, many times, of course. And yes, you should come as soon as you're allowed to travel. I would be over here. Yeah. There's so much more to see. We long to go. We really want to see it. You know, if somebody said, you really see the significance when you look at that great canyon and you see how [00:04:00] small you are, it humbles you and reminds you of what a great big God we serve. So, you know, we just, uh, amen. Thank you for hearing my story and my testimony, and it's an honor to be here with you and celebrate the victories that we have in Christ. Amen, brother. We're gonna get to know you a bit here for my listeners. So why don't you tell the, listeners a little bit about yourself. My name is Mark Sowerby. I'm a husband, a father, a friend. I'm a sports fan. I eat too much. I talk too much, but I'm a pastor and a servant of Jesus Christ. I was looking at all your pictures and stuff, and I saw your progression of your weight loss. That is so amazing. Thank you. Thank you. And my weight loss journey is really just a symptom. Or result of the greater healing that's taken place in my life. Uh, I'm very proud of it. It's something [00:05:00] I have to work hard for and be very disciplined in. So yes, there's a work towards it, but really it's the sub to the main plot. The main plot is what Jesus did in my heart to help me forgive and help me heal the abuses and the pains. And as that began to fill my life, this weight loss journey with the discipline and that burning good habits and exercising, and I'm up to running, uh, six miles a day on the treadmill. So, wow. Six miles. Yeah. So well, remember, we're not in Arizona heat, so it's not hot, well, I have a treadmill. That's usually what I exercise on. I have an exercise room, I don't run unless somebody's chasing me or the laxative has started working. Those are good reasons to run. so let's start at the beginning. So what was your childhood like? Well, unfortunately I have a story of brokenness, pain, and sorrow. I was born from an affair. Uh, so my [00:06:00] father never really had a relationship with him. I am assuming that as soon as he, uh, got the news, he, he left. So I was raised by my mom. I have two siblings that my mom had from a prior marriage. So the three of us kind of lived together at my grandmother's house, and that's what I knew. That was what life was. I was seven years old. A young man came into our family, and that young man eventually married my mom 20 years, her younger, and when he came into our home, he brought abuse and pain. He brought death and destruction. He brought lies and poison. And as any abuser, those abusers have touched many people. And as not only did he abuse my mom in a and. With just vulgarness and pain, but he also abused me and with sexual abuse and physical abuse and emotional abuse. And it was just a very difficult time in my life. So from seven to 14, that's kind of the world I knew. Not only did he abuse my body, not only did he steal from [00:07:00] me, my dignity, my value. Not only did he try to control me, but he also sold me for other men to abuse me. Mm-hmm. Other men to take my body. He stabbed me and beat me and burnt me. And at 16, I was invited to church, I ran into a youth group. And, uh, there's a whole story in that. But let me tell you, I ran into youth group and I ran into Jesus. Jesus was Amen loving. Amen. Jesus's loving arms. He wrapped him around me and started me on the journey, journey of forgiveness. And it's been a journey up. I just turned 50. We just lost my mom earlier this year. Wow. They say a flu. Some say COVID, but we lost her earlier this year and it was really kind of a season for me to walk through some even deeper, deeper healing. We have a lot in common. 'cause I just lost my brother this week. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry for your loss. Yeah. So we both have losses today. Yes. Yes. I'm so [00:08:00] sorry for your loss. You as well. Thank you. Your mother was a believer? She was at the end of her life. As we say, the 11th hour of Thief on the cross remember me. Mm-hmm. My mom did have one of those kind of conversions. Unfortunately, she never, the last few years of her life, she came to understand Jesus, but she never forgave herself or forgave. Her pain. She lived with the regrets and the shames and the guilt of her pains. She knew the love of Christ, and I believe that when she closed her eyes on this earth, she opened her eyes there because of what Christ did for her. But she carried this burden of shame and guilt and hurt. But I forgave her, not because I'm special, not because I'm better. I forgave her because Christ forgave me. And in that journey of learning with to forgive people say to me, how could you forgive such a great thing? I just forgave what was in front of me. That's it. Step by step, precept by precept. That's how I forgave. I [00:09:00] couldn't think about the whole journey all at it was too hard. What's in front of you? Well, we'll definitely get into, your process of forgiveness. Would it be okay to, circle back to your stepfather coming into your life? Now it sounded like it was a very violent to way he treated you. Did he do any grooming of you to start the abuse or was it violent right away? I believe there was grooming, again, being so young and, uh, being so, uh, naive. I probably didn't recognize it, but I'm sure there was grooming you know, there was this natural longing. From a child without a father to find a father figure. Mm-hmm. Um, being so young, not understanding the process of that, and any person that would gimme attention, I would run to them to try to find somebody who would govern me or lead me or [00:10:00] guide me or accept me. So I'm sure there was some manipulation in that, as I became more groomed or broken or became more pliable, if you would, because of my young immaturity. He began to have more of his way on it, just so you know. And I always refer to him as my mother's husband. Never as my stepfather? Yes. Oh, I'm sorry. Yeah. Oh, no, you didn't offend. No, I have forgiven him. I think in forgiveness, it's okay to have, uh, some boundaries. Sure. I think that, to have some healthy boundaries, I've forgiven him. I've put him in the hands of God, and I pray the grace of God will meet him and his pain and his sorrow, and only God can reach him. Uh, but again, there's some healthy boundaries around my life and my families. So what was your relationship with God when you were going through all this abuse? We grew up in a very religious home. I was a New England Protestant, so most of New England are [00:11:00] Irish Catholic, Italian Catholic, Polish Catholic, French Catholic. But I was the rare Protestant. And I remember saying to my grandfather one day, I asked him, I said I, well, let me back up and say, I always knew what I wasn't. I knew I wasn't a Catholic, but I didn't know what I was. So, grandpa used to tell us we weren't Catholic. He announced that pretty clearly. But one day I asked him, I said, then if we're not Catholic, what religion are we? And all he said was, go ask your mother. So, you know, we didn't really grow up in any kind of. Formal faith-based community, uh, you know, sometimes went to Christmas Eve service, you know, those kind of what we call Sea Easter and Christmas. The CE. The CE crowd. That's right. But it really wasn't, a church was not a part of my life. We knew God was there, be good and you go to heaven, be nice to people, you go to heaven. But there really wasn't a faith-based situation. I'll be honest with you, uh, the [00:12:00] only religion I got, or the only faith I got was the one album that was played in our home. It's not a Christian album, it was Jesus Christ Superstar. I'm a kid of the seventies. Yes, I'm very familiar with that. Yeah. And but God's name is so powerful now as a Bible college graduate, as a pastor, I could see all the holes of the theology in that and how it was really written, dragged down the gospel. They say Jesus Christ, and as a child, that name is so powerful. So, I mean, I didn't know anything. So here I was, I, I remember seven years old with a big headset on sitting in front of the speakers and listening to Jesus Christ Superstar. And, and now I realize what a mockery it was. But then just the name has power. Yeah, there was no resurrection in that movie. No, no, no. You know, when you have Mary Magdalene sing to, to him and say, you're just a man, [00:13:00] only a man. I mean, it's such a mockery. But again, at eight years old, 10 years old, I thank God that all truth belongs to God. Amen. And his name is so, amen, powerful. Amen. That every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. And as that name, Jesus was smoking, it pierced my darkness. Now, I didn't know about crying out. I didn't know about prayer, but God was preparing me for such a time. And at 16 the lifeguard at the apartment complex invited me to church. She was a pretty girl, and I didn't wanna say no. Uh, she invited she invited me and picked me up with her boyfriend. Oops. We went, yeah, we went to church that night and there began my journey into meeting Christ, knowing his mercy and grace into my faith walk and it's been a journey ever since. So is that when you, met the Lord for real [00:14:00] and got saved? Exactly, I was 16 years old. It was the early part of the summer and I went to that youth group and everybody told me that. To throw away my rock and roll music and to cut my hair and take my earring out. And everybody wanted to hug me and I didn't wanna be hugged by anybody. It's an evangelical Pentecostal church. And I was like, I don't, yeah. But come to find out, the youth pastor lived in the same apartment complex I did. I had a ride to church anytime it was open. So, later on that summer, mid-August, I remember a man inviting me, a young man from the youth group. It was raining. He was giving me a ride home. We got into his car and he asked me right there, uh, mark, do you wanna ask Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior? And we prayed right there the sinner's prayer. And I recognized the grace of God and the mercy of God and the Spirit of God. And at 16 years old, I asked Jesus Christ to be my Lord. And I thank him that he was calling me at such a time. So, and then I [00:15:00] had to grow up. Wow. And then I had to grow. I was still 16 with a messed up background and, still was spilling life all over myself. But that church loved me. They hugged me and kicked me in the can at the same time. Now were you out of your mom's house? Away from your abuser? Well. When the abuse first became, and I don't wanna say public, but when it became outside of the family when I meant the first person I confessed it to or, or shared it with, was my uncle. And I think that people have to remember my abuse happened from 19 7 7 to 1984. And the awareness and the advocacy that's out there today wasn't there then. And things like this happen behind closed doors. And I think culturally, not everybody, but culturally in most families said, we keep that stuff behind closed doors. We don't share it. We handle it as families. I told my uncle at [00:16:00] 14 years old. He was the first person I confessed to, and I ended up living with my uncle for about a year. He became my defender. So from about 14 to about 15 and a half, I lived with my uncle, and about 15 and a half I moved back with my mom. And yes, her husband was still there. But he, uh, he was very sickly at this time. So, he wasn't able to hurt me physically anymore. And I was strong enough to not allow anybody to hurt me anymore. So Now you said the word confess. Well, you didn't do anything wrong. Thank you. I, yeah, I just meant, I told. You shared your story, your abuse, uh, your victimization. So yeah. You don't have to apologize for anything. Amen. Thank you. That's right. It was probably a poor choice of words. I was just reading. I announced to my uncle, or I, I shared out, I took it out. I took it outta that simple family unit that I would tell my mom, [00:17:00] my mom having so much hurt and pain in her life, didn't know how to handle that. And just would say, well, he promises not to do it again. And he promised not to do it. And of course, so in a lot of ways I felt like my mom was a victim. And, and. Even though I've had to learn to forgive my mom because of what she allowed to happen, but in some ways, not that I justify it, but I've begun to understand it. Because she was abused by her first husband who broke her heart because, uh, just pain who had many affairs on her, and she was so broken down, so hurting and she did not understand love. I think she, um, interpreted love in a very, uh, trying to think of the word here you know, an enabling way. My mom was more of an enabler and I think she interpreted her love in enabling. So she enabled people. I mean, it sounds like [00:18:00] codependency. Was that the word you're looking for? Yes. Okay. Yeah. Thanks. So you struggled with your weight for years. Was that a symptom of your. Abuse your childhood? I, I think it was, you know, I'm, I'm not a psychologist or, a social worker. I'm a preacher, but you know, I think what I was trying to find in food was comfort, friendship. It always accepted me, uh, it comforted me when I was having a bad day and it rewarded me when I was having a good one. But like any drug, if you would, it lies to you. And it says, Hey, is everything will be okay. Just have a little bit more, have a little bit more, and, it just is. So for me, food became my drug of choice. Mm-hmm. Uh, it became where I found comfort, found peace, found acceptance. I punished myself with it. Boy, I'm no good. I'm going to eat ice cream. Oh, I'm having a great day. I'm gonna eat [00:19:00] ice cream. So, you know, it was one of those things. Uh, what I tell people is that I wish I could say to you that, that God has taken away all the hurt, all the pain, all the sorrow. It's still there in my life. It's still a familiar. Familiar pain that continues to call to me. But what God did is he became bigger. He became bigger than the pain. He became bigger than the shame. He became bigger than the hurt. So is it still there? Sure. And the flesh wants to run to it. And the psyche wants to run to it because I know it, it's comfortable. I, I know my role there. I, I understand what my protection and my manipulation that I can find there. But God became bigger. God became bigger. You know, I was telling a friend today, and I climbed a mountain after I lost about 50 pounds. I climbed a mountain. And it was about a half a mile long. And to me it was Everest. It was the biggest mountain in the world. And it took me hours [00:20:00] to go up and I had blisters on my feet and bruises on my toe. I was very proud that I climbed it. But after I lost about a hundred pounds, I climbed the biggest mountain in the state of New York called Mount Marcy. And what was the difference between those two mountains? One was bigger and I think that's the same thing. What happened to me is that even though that sometimes the enemy wants to try to bring me back to those familiar pains, those familiar insecurities, those familiar foes, God became bigger. His word, his spirit his love all became bigger. And I have to hold onto that and I have to claim, not claim it, but I have to run into it. You know, I have to run into that every day. So. Oh, you would love the mountains here. We have so many mountains to climb. So yeah. If you come to Phoenix, then we'll have to go hiking together. Yes. I wanna see that Grand Canyon. I wanna come to Phoenix. I am a New Englander, but it's cold [00:21:00] all the time here. But I hear that you guys leave for the summer and go back in the winter. We leave for the winter to warm places because it's so hot in Phoenix in the summer. Yeah. We're not snowbirds. We are here all year. Now we get to 110 every year. That's, that's normal. It gets to 120 here every summer. But this year it was 55 days of 110 degrees. Wow. Which, um, that killed all my plants and, uh, two of my trees, so Wow. Yeah, it's 70 degrees outside now, but in the summertime it's brutal. Wow. Don't come in the summer. Come in the winter. Okay. I, um, I did get to do a mission chip for Juarez, Mexico, which is obviously south of you guys and a little east, but at the same time, I got a touch of hot weather and I have done a lot of missions trips to Central America and the Caribbean, but they do have a different climate because of the sea and the water. So it's not that dry heat. [00:22:00] It's, definitely that, more moist, heat. Yeah, I think you'll do fine. Like I said, I looked forward to it. We were just in Israel in, November November, 2019, and it was 85 degrees. In Jerusalem and I roasted, I had such a hard time because the elevation was different and the humidity from the from the sea. Yeah. I don't know if you've been to Israel, I have not. Another, another bucket list, yeah yes, definitely recommend that for sure. Thank you. My wife and I, we love to travel. You know, we, we have four children, so right now our kids are in the ages of 15 to seven, so we are right in the midst of it. You know, we're, we're mom and dad, taxi and, and we homeschool. So my wife is going a hundred miles an hour all the time. Pastor wife. Homeschool mom and she's taking care of [00:23:00] me. So, I mean, this is, God bless her. If there's a hero in this story, it's my wife. Your wife's a homeschooler. Um, you had said in your story that you had dyslexia growing up. What was that like? Well, you know, I think that I still have it. Uh, God hasn't, hasn't healed me from it. So what happens is, is I tell people when the way I was raised, I survived my childhood. I wasn't raised, you know, I didn't have parents that, that looked out for me. I didn't have somebody who wanted to govern my experiences or, or was an advocate for me. So I, I really just kind of survived my childhood and one of the casualties of that. Was my education. Uh, it was the early seventies, so I think there was a lot going on with sight reading and some different kind of philosophies of teaching. So here I was in a broken home with a learning disability. I [00:24:00] was being bullied at school because the way I felt about myself and, you know, so yeah, reading has always been a chore for me. It still is a chore today. But again, the lord, he helps and he, he brings me through and he gave me a brilliant wife. Uh, she is a, a teacher by education. And my children love to read. My son will walk into walls. He reads books this thick. I mean, and I remember holding him the moment he was born, praying, Lord, give him just a heart for reading. And he does. I mean, my son 15 says, dad, can we go to the library? Love the library. Oh, he, yeah, we're friends with the librarian. Uh, if they need somebody to help him out, move books and they call him. But yes, reading has always been a chore and I, believe it or not, I'm in the midst of writing a book. Oh, I was just gonna ask that if you had a book out or not. We are just started to speak to a publisher, it's self-publishing company. Uh, so we're definitely in [00:25:00] conversations. We have written, just kind of let it pour out of me. It's been there for 50 years, so just kind of. And, uh, now we've kind of put it in front of people who really know what they're doing. I tell everybody, I wrote it my ways, I handed it to my wife and she interpreted it and made it legible. And, uh, we have some local friends who have done some basic editing, so they're kind of editing for us, and now we're sending it to the publisher who knows how to edit in a professional way. So, so, you know, the Lord told me years ago that this testimony would be written down. I remember I chuckled when he told me that because I said, Lord, I can barely read or write. And I remember saying to the Lord, Lord, if you want this written down, what am I gonna call it? He said, you'll call it Forgiving the Nightmare. So that's why the name of the ministry, the name of the book, the name of the website is called Forgiving the Nightmare. I think everybody uh, regardless of [00:26:00] how one came, you know, yours and I came in by probably hands of other people's, but sometimes nightmares come in by all different ways. Loss, regrets pains, hurts. And we all have to kind of say, Lord, how do we go through that? And I know as Christians, we want it instant, you know, we wanna stand on the word, we wanna claim it, we wanna save. Lord, give it to me. But I think sometimes we have to, uh, go through the process. I think of Jacob and how he wrestled with God, or he wrestled with the angel and they wrestled all night long. And, and God, the angel touched his hip and then he said, what do you want? And Jacob said, I want a new. And he became Israel, the promise. Mm-hmm. So he left deceiver, as you know, and he became Israel promise. And I think sometimes in that journey of forgiveness as much as Christians and people, we want it and we want it so true and so earnestly, [00:27:00] but sometimes we have to wrestle. We have to wrestle with the past. We have to wrestle with ourselves, we have to wrestle with the fears, and wrestling doesn't make us bad, doesn't make us sinners, doesn't mean God has left us. I think God's working with us, the process as a pastor, I've seen so many people who are unwilling to go through the process. And they get stuck. They get stuck in the cycle, in the the hurts and the pains of life. Just kind of build up on them. And I know God wants to set 'em free, but again, it, you have to learn to die to self crucify the old man, you know, tame the tongue. And it's hard. It's hard, especially when everything in the, especially when everything in the world tells you you're okay to have that. It's okay for you to hate. It's okay for you to be angry. It's okay for you to, when God says, for us to let him go first, let Him lead us. And God is, if we forgive those who trespass against us, he'll be faithful and just to forgive us. [00:28:00] And that scripture boy haunted me for a long time because I said, Lord, I'm not ready to begin. I'm sorry I'm preaching. No, you're awesome. I'm enjoying this. Um, I'm curious how you read your Bible. Do you use an audio bible or do you, um, do use an actual written Bible? Well, I do read Bible. I like the ESV, I like the NIV, I like those verses. I do read it. I do listen to audio at times. What happened was, is about 20, I was in my early twenties and a woman at church asked me to read the Christmas story out of Luke in front of the youth group. Now, when I say youth group, we had about a hundred youth in our youth group, maybe even 150. It was a large youth group and she was the kind of woman who would not take no for an answer. You know, the church lady? Yeah. I think every church has one of those. Yeah. And you know, I tried to give her every excuse in the [00:29:00] book, I lost my glasses. I was too embarrassed to say that I couldn't read. So I got up in front of the youth group and I read out of Luke chapter two and I. Stumbled over my words and I read slowly and I read broken up. And people were very kind to me that day. The youth pastor and the youth group, they were not cruel. And after service, that woman came back to me and said that she homeschooled her children and she would like to homeschool me if I'd want to. Now I was, I was a grownup. I was 23 and I went back to her house and there I sat with her 6-year-old, five-year old as she was teaching her 5-year-old, 6-year-old how to read. She was also teaching me phonics. I never learned phonics. I tell everybody, when I learned TION and Sean and not ion, it changed my life. Unbeknownst to me that church lady had an older daughter [00:30:00] and that older daughter watched me. Watch me struggle over my words, watch me go to the house and sit with her five-year-old sister and learn ae IOU and learn the rules of bowels and phonics. Well, years later, that older daughter would become my wife. Oh. Oh. So, yep. So, you know, she told me that she fell in love with me and she watched me there. And so that, that's a little bit of our love story. But yeah, she watched me from afar and, and now today we have four kids together and she still helps me read. So I do read. I a much stronger reader than I ever was. Uh mm-hmm. So I, I can read a much better than I could then. Well, I certainly can see looking back that you had so many people in your corner to that God sent to help you, and what a blessing. Now, did you go to college? I did. I [00:31:00] graduated from what's now called North Point Bible College. At the time, it was called Zion Bible College. It was in Barrington, Rhode Island. It was a very focused school for ministry only. Uh, so I did go there. I didn't wanna go there. I'm a New Englander. I knew about the school. It was in my backyard. I wanted to go to Southeastern to Florida. I wanted to go to pennsylvania and go to Valley Forge. Uh, those doors were not open to me. I remember saying, the Lord, I'm done. Lord, I've tried. Everybody's rejecting me because of my education. And he said, go to Zion. I went in and I met with the Dean of students. In that meeting, the dean of students said to me, mark, do you have a call? I said, yes, I believe I do have a call. He got up from his desk and he went to a big picture window, a woman who was walking in front of his picture window, and he tapped onto the window and he called this woman in. As she came [00:32:00] into his office, he introduced me to a woman named Jan Kruger. He let me know that Jan was led by God to go to school, to go to Zion the week earlier than me to start a learning center. And Jan and I became our first student in the learning center and we worked hard. The first year, most of my, classes were uncredited 'cause I had to learn how to be a student. I didn't know what a syllabi was. I didn't know how to take tests. Uh, we sat in that learning center. I cried, I complained. She was a mom. She hugged me sometimes and she told me to. To suck it up sometimes. And, uh, that was the best advice I could get. So yeah, i'm a proud graduate of Zion Bible College, and I'm ordained with the Assembly of God. So when did you get called into the ministry? Well, pretty much after, it was about my 17th year, 16 years old, I got saved and 17 years old, I was [00:33:00] at a Youth convention, and I pretty much felt like the Lord called me then. Now, I ran from that call for a long time because of my insecurities, my fears, my inabilities. See, when I walked into the room, I always felt like I was junk. Like I was dirt. Like I could offer nobody, nothing. And I was, no, you know, I, that's how I felt about myself. So who would let me be that pastor? What do I have to offer? I could barely read. Look what happened to me. So. For many years I wrestled with it and about 24, 25 years old, I had a brand new truck, little S 10 pickup truck. They called it Bernie because it was purple. I was listening to Petra, remember a Petra? I love Petra. And I was, I was listening to Petra from the seventies not the nineties. Petra and I remember I was listening to Petra and the Holy Spirit filled with the cab of that car and that truck I had to [00:34:00] pull over. I was on old post road. I'll never forget tears coming down my face. The Holy Spirit spoke to my heart and said, mark, choose this day whom you'll serve. I've called you and I will equip you. And I said, God, I want you. That's when the journey of. Colleges, and I wish I could tell you it was all roses and cherries after that. It wasn't, you know, there's still a lot of growing up and a lot of overcoming, and a lot of dying to self. And, and there still is. But yeah, that's how I got called and I went to that school and they loved me. They were honest to me. You sound like you had a lot , in coming with Moses with his speech impediment. He was, exiled to be a goat and a sheep herder. They're not gonna listen to me, Lord. You know? Did you feel like that? Oh, sure. I sure did. Like I said, I, for most of my life, I felt like what can I offer? So what I did is I put a facade on myself or I, I lived up to the role that I [00:35:00] thought people wanted from me, or a role to, to find acceptance or protection. So, if I had to be the clown, I was the clown. If I had to be the fool, I was the fool. If I had to be the weak, I was the weak because I felt those things about me. Recently in this weight loss journey and this giving, God has given me confidence. And I say that with much humility because I know it's not my confidence, it's confidence in him. But I've never had confidence before. I feel like a carpenter with a new tool. I feel like, you know, a businessman with a new suit that I've never had confidence before. Now again, it's not confidence in what I have. Because I'm still weak, but it's a confidence going, my Abba father makes a way for me. My Abba father heals me and, and goes before me. So it's, it's a kind of a new season for me to be confident and say, you know what? I can live a healthy life. People ask me why I lost the weight. [00:36:00] And I remember I was reading the scripture, and you're probably familiar with it, is when the Pharisee comes to the Lord or it says to him, Lord, how does one enter the kingdom of heaven? And the Lord says, well, what is written? He says, Lord, love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your strength, and with all your spirit, and love your neighbor as yourself. I've read that a million times. I've preached on it. I've studied it. One day I was reading it, he said, Lord, I know you love me, mark, but you don't love your neighbor, and you don't love yourself, so you can't love your neighbor. And I realized because I didn't love myself, I wasn't taking care of myself. I love my children. I love my wife. I wanna take care of 'em. They don't need me. I wife can, but I want to. I wanna do things for, I wanna take care of 'em. I wanna help 'em be better and stronger and smarter and wiser, and love the Lord. And I realized I didn't love myself. So the weight loss journey, forgiving the nightmare, forgiving my mom, forgiving the abusers, forgiving those [00:37:00] who betrayed me as a child, helped me begin to love myself again. No visions of grander. I'm still a just a normal guy saved by grace. Uh, I still put my big foot in my mouth, my wife can come in and tell you all the stories, but, uh, but you know, I started to love myself and. It sounds like, you found your self worth in the Lord Jesus because Jesus sees you as his child. You are a child of God, and that's where your worth is. So it sounds like your healing journey brought you to that place. Yeah. It's not self-confidence like the world says it is. It's how God sees you. You're precious and you're loved. Amen. And you're valuable. He died for you. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. You're gonna get me going now. Hallelujah. Hallelujah, hallelujah. I want others to [00:38:00] experience this. You know, I, my whole ministry, I've been surrounded by hurting people and hurting churches. I've worked with people that have had major traumas in their life. Not that I ever sought it. I can't. I think the Lord just led me to it. And as I've worked with people, people say that I've been able to bring comfort. I'm easy to talk to. I thought, well, okay, Lord. And I want people to find that freedom that I have. I understand being shackled to pain in the past. I understand allowing those things to form the way you think about and believe about yourself, and never truly being set free. Waking up with that numbing feeling of brokenness all the time. All the time, just constantly. But God truly set me free. He set me free. And because he set me free, I'm nobody special. And being a pastor, I see so many people that have a [00:39:00] form of this and they don't. They haven't gone through it. So they're still living with a confession in Christ, but still the hurts of the past. Blame them. I don't, I'm not putting fingers, I'm not taking the log out on my own eye before I take the twig from their eye. But I'm saying the freedom that God has for his people. Uh, and again, do we still stumble? Yeah. Do we still need refining? Sure. Are we still the clay? And he's still the potter of court, but there's a freedom that we find as a pastor. I've just met so many people who will say, pastor, I'm killed. I'm delivered. And you realize it's, it's only an inch deep. It's, you know, as soon as they get tested, as soon as they get, get bothered, it just spills out. It pulls out of them in, in a defense or in, in a rejection or in a way they, they have a self view of the world or of themselves. Now God's consent is free. God can set [00:40:00] us free. So, what's the difference between being a victim and being victorious? Hallelujah. Well, in my humble opinion, a victim is somebody who always sees themselves broken, sees themselves in a way that, that that allows them to stay in their victimhood. For a long time, my victimhood became my identity. I remember one day when the Lord brought me to the altar and he said those words to me. He said, mark, I want you to give this up. And I literally said, in an audible voice, Lord, if I'm not a victim, then what am I? Because all I knew was the, the role of being a victim. Oh, my victimhood was good. I could manipulate with it. I could win every argument with it. Oh, when I was 16 years old, my mom, who was a single mom with not much money she bought me a car. I had a phone in my room. I had cable on my own [00:41:00] tv. She made me breakfast in bed. Why she owed that to me. Why? Because I was a victim. And I got to see how I could win every argument at school. I could put my head down and I could lift up my head and go, well, who here else was molested? I was, and no one would say anything. And the Lord rebuked me at that and said, said, yeah, that's what victims do. At least that's what I did. He said, I wanna make you victorious. And I remember him saying, me saying to the Lord, if I'm not a victim, what am I? And he said, you're victorious in me. I had to learn what it meant to be victorious. Amen. I had to learn to let that facade go. Let that personality go, let that old man die and let the new man of Christ rise up inside him. That is awesome. I just love that. I've never heard anybody describe it like that. Now, I prefer the, word survivor instead of victim. But I think you took [00:42:00] it up another notch. We are, victorious in the Lord. Well, my victimhood, you know, as much as I was a victim, but I used it for my own gain. Mm-hmm. Which made me just as not guilty of what happened to me, but made me not a healthy place. It put me in a Right. But it's all I knew, you know, I could manipulate, I could win the argument. Right. I was the guy. Who else here was stabbed and burnt and abused? I could show you my scars where they stabbed me. I could show you the burn marks. I was prostituted for other men to abuse me. Boy, you know, I could really win the, the argument. But that was wrong. Yeah, it was wrong. It was wrong to put that on my mother, it's wrong to put that on my family. It was wrong to put that on others. And the Lord had to rebuke me and, uh, wow. And he did, because he loves, he rebukes the ones he loves, so he rebuked you. I just so appreciate your raw [00:43:00] and honest, telling of your story. Because, you've heard stories where they just put the fluff or they put the stuff that's gonna, bring up the ratings or whatever. But you really, kept it real. And I think you're a great pastor because people see that you're a real person. You're not some fake up there that can't relate to your congregation's problems, do you feel that way? Oh, definitely. You know, my congregation, as you know, like we talked earlier, I wrestle with dyslexia and every once in a while I'll stumble over a word while I'm reading the Bible and in front of my congregation. And, and that really bothered me for a long time. My Lord, I'm a pastor. How can I not read this and now. When I stumble over a word, my congregation yells it up to me. So I'll be on the platform. And you know what? They'll see me stumbling and you know, they'll yell it up to me and it's just a term of endearment. [00:44:00] It's not been one of rejection or shame, and I say, you know what? I'm doing that just to make sure you're in the Bible. That's what I tell 'em. But I'll be reading the scripture and, and my dyslexia kick in, or, or the word will be all scrambled. And, and they're the kind voices. Oh, pastor, that's, that means this. And, and it's kind of a nice direction. I tell people the church I pastor is a real church with real people serving a real God. Wow. So, wow. Fancy fluff. Church don't come to us because, you know, we're real and we cry together, we do life together. We step on each other's toes. We don't always agree, but we always love God. That is so awesome. Pastor of Christian is Alia Scott. That's right. I didn't announce your church name. I wanted to ask you to tell another story about. You said that you met your birth father at one point. What happened during that reunion Union? [00:45:00] Well, I was 45 years old and I wanted to reach, I wanted to know, I tell people my birth father and I met at the right place in life. I think if I would've met him younger, I would've still been angry. Rejected Kyle, but I was 45. I was the father of four. I've made my own mistakes, my own problems. I learned to mature a little bit. To be really frank, my father's wife passed on, so he was more ready to meet me. So his wife that he had the affair on to si me, if you would, she passed. So he was more open to meet me and uh, I just didn't meet him, but the whole family met him together. We met in a restaurant, we met in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and the family came in and the kids instantly. Started to call him grandpa. I thought, I don't know if I'm okay with that. And he never rejected it. So the last few years of [00:46:00] life, we just lost him. I, I had him for about four years. It wasn't warm and fuzzy, daddy and son, but it was something, we had a relationship. We'd talk about sports, we'd talk about life. He was a snowbird from Massachusetts to Florida and he just kind of let me know. So I'm very thankful for the four years I had. Again, it wasn't, Hey buddy, I'm proud of you kind of moment, but I got to find out a little bit about. Who my dad was and who some of my relatives are on my father's side. I got to learn about some of the health conditions of, of my father. And you know, he said he was pretty, he made it to 84. He liked to drink and he liked ladies, I like Jesus, I like one lady, Wow. That's an incredible story. I tell people it was the right time. Again, if I would've met him at 25, I would've been angry. I would've said, you know, why did you abandon me? 45 was a good time because. You know what, by that [00:47:00] time I, I stepped in enough life of my own to, to not, to be slow to judge, oh, God does have the perfect timing. I haven't spoken much about my story at all on here, but my husband and I talk about, boy, I wish that we had met, long time ago, you know, and skipped all the pain because we were both victims of abuse from our previous spouses. I'm sorry. And, um, but we thought about it and we thought we were different people. If we met at that time, I don't think I would've been interested in you and you wouldn't have been interested in me. And, I think that God brought us together this time of our life. No, we've been married 11 years. Congratulations. Thank you. So, God brought us together at our time of life because that was the perfect time and Sure. We're best friends. We never even have had a real fight. We didn't disagree, of course, but now you should write a book [00:48:00] about that. Okay. I mean, we disagree and, um, get on each other's nerves, but the Lord has just, you're normal. Just blessed us. Yeah, we're definitely normal. Um, especially during pandemic. It's like you learn about your spouse when you're stuck with them 24 7. Right? That's true. That's true. Yeah, we had to make some adjustments. Amen. And, um, we still love each other, and that it's great when you're talking about times of life, you know, for such a time as this, and I think for me, the Lord spoke to me years ago about forgiving the nightmare ministry. He actually spoke to me when I was in college about this. I didn't know it was gonna, uh, blossom or what it was gonna look like, but he spoke to me years ago about writing it down and it was always inside me. And I kept, my wife knew about it. We would always think, how's the, what's the Lord gonna do with this? Is it distant inside me to guide me through life? Is it more for others? Is it, Lord, how's it, how's it [00:49:00] gonna? Blossom if you would manifest. And we lost my mom and I have to tell you that, not immediately, but pretty quick. After losing my mom, I felt like this ministry could just launch. And it has launched. God has brought, brought a web designer into our life. He's brought some, um, producers into our life to help me tell the story. We're talking with a, an editor and a publisher. All this has happened fairly quickly. And I think, Lord, why now? And I think, to be honest with you, and this is just my opinion, I, I don't know if I have chapter and verse to back this up, but my mom was so embarrassed. She was so full of shame because of my upbringing every time for the last 20 years of my life, every time me and my mom were alone together, she would just apologize. And I don't just mean say, sorry. She would grovel and I would say, mom, I forgive you. I forgive you, [00:50:00] Marky. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. And if my mom knew that I was speaking to podcasts or writing a book, she would've been so, so embarrassed. So she may, it would've just troubled her so much. So I think outta the grace of God, and again, don't have chapter and verse, but I think upon her passing released me to be able to share this story, to be able to bring others into it, to just think God was being merciful to my mom on her journey. And again, it was almost pretty instant after her, uh, her own passing that I remember being on the treadmill one morning and the Lord just kind of. Just impressing upon me by giving the nightmare. Remember those words? I spoke to you. This is where it's gonna take place. And since then, we've made a couple videos, uh, we've launched a website. I'm talking to wonderful people like yourself and just trying to get the [00:51:00] story out of forgiving the Nightmare and trying to say to people whatever that nightmare was. Was it physical and sexual abuse like mine? Was it a tragedy in your life? Is it regrets? Is it fears? Is it the loss of a child or a loved one? Whatever that pain is that your nightmare. I want you to know that God can help you forgive it and overcome it and break the shackles so we don't have to be the man or the person. The hurt tried to make us. We no longer have to be Jacob. We can become Israel. Your mom would be so proud of you. And I think that, thank you. If, the Lord's probably told her, you know, the good things that have come out of a terrible situation, she said she had, you said she had some shame. Oh. I think if she was looking down at you now that, that shame would be gone. [00:52:00] That shame is no longer there. Look how God's using my son, my, my wonderful son to spread the gospel and to help people. And so Well, thank you. I'm so thankful for you, brother. Thank you for saying those words, sister. It's very kind of you. I used to say to my mom, even up to her last days, I would say, mom, who's your favorite? And she would say, I love you all, all the same. And I'd say, mom, stop lying to my siblings. I'm the youngest of three. My older brother and my older sister never made me feel like a step or a half brother. Uh, we just kind of always lived in the same house. We got real family problems and just life, but they've never left, never met me, felt, never let me feel like I was less than even to today. So I'm very thankful. My oldest sister, who is, a second mom to me, my oldest sister, she is my second mom and I'm thankful for her. So. Wow. Well, we [00:53:00] just had just a great time tonight. When your book comes out, please contact me. I would love to have you on the show again, to promote your book because obviously you, your story is so powerful and we wanna get it out to as many people as we can. So, tell the folks how to connect with you. Well, the best way to connect with me is@forgivingthenightmare.com. Forgiving the nightmare.com. Forgiving the nightmare.com is the best way to connect with me. If you go there, you'll find a email, it's called mark@forgivingthenightmare.com. That comes directly to me, right on my phone. So that's the best way to connect with me. Also you can go to our Facebook page called, forgiving the Nightmare. For giving Nightmare Facebook page. I try to put up pictures and little devotions there and stories there. So that's the two. Best way through Facebook, after Giving the Nightmare, after giving the Nightmare do [00:54:00] com, those are the best ways to connect with me. And I hope to get so Arizona someday. You have an open invitation. Wow. I'll be a tour guide for you. I know that Arizona like the back of my hand. Wow. Wow. Now my children could hear you in the background, so they're gonna be pretty excited about that invitation. There's so much stuff for, for their Edge group as well. So, we will hook you guys up. So thanks for being patient with the tech stuff and I'm glad we pushed through and didn't let the devil get the victory tonight. We found a way to get you on here. That's right. May I pray for you as we close. Oh yes, please. Thank you. Father God, we just come to you tonight and we thank you again for your son, Jesus Christ. Lord, we thank you for the sacrifice that he gave to us upon the cross, Lord. And we pay the price we could not pray, Lord. And we thank you for the gift of life [00:55:00] and life more abundant. Lord, we thank you for the promises. It says in this life there will be many troubles, but fear not because you are with us always. And Lord, tonight I pray for my sister. Father, I thank you that you're using her Lord. To spread the gospel to share, hope to be a light and a dark place. But Father, now, I pray that you come beside her father as she's shared that she's lost her brother this week, Lord. And I pray you comfort her. Lord, you said you had to go so the comforter could come. I pray, the comfort of the Holy Spirit will come beside my sister and be with her and her family as they grieve their loved one, their family member, their friend, Lord. So Lord I pray peace upon my sister. I pray Lord that you use her, continue to bless her. I thank you for the testimony of her and her husband, 11 years that you've brought together for such a time as this. I pray, Lord God, that they grow closer to you so they can grow closer to each other. And Lord, we thank you tonight [00:56:00] that Lord, we're no longer Jacob. You've made us Israel Father, no longer do we have to be shaped by our past, but now we can hold on to the promises. Lord, no longer does, we have to be shackled by somebody else's abuse, and we can be set free by your word. So, Lord, I pray that you fill us. You lead us, and may we be the light and may we be the salt, and may we lift up your name. We pray for a unity across our nation. We pray for a healing across our land, and we pray, Lord, for a revival of your salvation to come to our our country again, in Jesus name, amen. Thank you so much, brother. God bless, sister. Thank you. Take care yourself. Bye now. Bye. Thank you for listening to the Wounds of the Faithful Podcast. If this episode has been helpful to you, please hit the subscribe button and tell a friend. You could connect with us at [00:57:00] DSW Ministries dot org where you'll find our blog, along with our Facebook, Twitter, and our YouTube channel links. Hope to see you next week.

In this episode, host Diana updates listeners on her trauma therapy before welcoming returning guest Mark Sowersby along with his wife, Jennifer. The couple discusses their new book, 'Letters to the Weary,' a 21-day devotional aimed at helping readers find rest and support through God's word. They share their personal journey of marriage and healing, offering insights for dealing with trauma within faith. Additionally, Mark talks about their award-winning short film based on his life and his involvement with the TCT Network's show 'Ask the Pastor.' The episode concludes with a heartfelt prayer for listeners.   00:00 Introduction and Host's Update 02:23 Introducing Today's Guest: Mark Sowersby 03:46 Mark and Jennifer's New Book: Letters to the Weary 05:22 Mark and Jennifer's Personal Stories 11:29 Navigating Marriage and Healing Together 16:50 Writing and Publishing Letters to the Weary 19:07 Interactive Devotional Experience 20:07 Connecting with God Through Devotion 21:14 Personal Reflections and Genuine Writing 24:18 Film Project: Forgiving The Nightmare 26:01 Future Plans and Community Engagement 30:41 Final Thoughts and Prayer   https://www.amazon.com/Letters-Weary-Mark-Sowersby/dp/1951475399 Bio: Mark and Jennifer have been married for over 20 years and have four beautiful children. Mark is a Lead Pastor and graduate of Northpoint Bible College. He is the author of Forgiving the Nightmare and has shared his testimony across the country in churches, seminars, and a variety of media platforms, including The 700 Club, Fox Digital, TCT Ask The Pastor, CTN, God TV, Cornerstone Network, and over 350 podcasts across the globe. https://forgivingthenightmare.com/   Website: https://dswministries.org Email: diana@dswministries.org Subscribe to the podcast: https://dswministries.org/subscribe-to-podcast/ Social media links: Join our Private Wounds of the Faithful FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1603903730020136 Twitter: https://twitter.com/DswMinistries YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxgIpWVQCmjqog0PMK4khDw/playlists Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dswministries/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DSW-Ministries-230135337033879 Keep in touch with me! Email subscribe to get my handpicked list of the best resources for abuse survivors! https://thoughtful-composer-4268.ck.page #abuse #trauma Affiliate links: Our Sponsor: 753 Academy: https://www.753academy.com/ Can't travel to The Holy Land right now? The next best thing is Walking The Bible Lands! Get a free video sample of the Bible lands here! https://www.walkingthebiblelands.com/a/18410/hN8u6LQP An easy way to help my ministry: https://dswministries.org/product/buy-me-a-cup-of-tea/ A donation link: https://dswministries.org/donate/ Transcript: Mark and Jennifer Sowersby [00:00:00] Welcome to the Wounds of the Faithful Podcast, brought to you by DSW Ministries. Your host is singer songwriter, speaker and domestic violence advocate, Diana Winkler. She is passionate about helping survivors in the church heal from domestic violence and abuse and trauma. This podcast is not a substitute for professional counseling or qualified medical help. Now here is Diana. Hey everyone. Welcome to the podcast. So excited that you're here with me today. We have a great show for you today. I hope you're doing well. A little update on my trauma therapy that I mentioned to you. I don't remember which episode that was, but I'm on like session five. And things are going well. We are still in the [00:01:00] process of me telling my story. we haven't done a whole lot of unpacking. Mostly touching base with me as to how am I feeling, while I'm sharing with her all these things that I went through. Now I'm being more detailed telling her my life story then when I was telling my story on the podcast, and even when I tell my story in my Mending the Soul groups. There's a reason of course for that so she has a complete picture and able to pick the correct treatment plan to help me. So, uh, today I got a bill from my insurance company, for a hundred dollars. And up to this point, my invoices have been zero, which I'm assuming mental health with my insurance has been covered a hundred percent. So I was kinda like, what's going on? I sure hope that I don't owe a hundred bucks every time I go see her, because I would not be able to afford that. [00:02:00] So I will be investigating about why I got an invoice, but again, don't be afraid to reach out to a trauma therapist, somebody that is licensed where you live, the state you live in, the country you live in. If you need help, send me a message. I'll do my best to help you find something in your area. So, Now onto our podcast and our guest today. I'm really excited because I have a returning guest today, a friend of the podcast, Mark S owersby. He's been on the show twice so far. And I really want you to go back and listen to his previous episodes because he is probably in my top five guests that I've had on the show in the last five years, the life of my podcast. That's why he's back on because he is excellent and, Mark is bringing his wife, [00:03:00] Jennifer, today, which will be fun. Mark was on the show on season one and that was episode 11. So he tells his story, I guess as much as you can tell your story on a podcast in an hour. and he's had this book, Forgiving The Nightmare is excellent. That is about his story. He's been on a lot of very prominent podcasts and he even has a movie about his life that he has film this past year. The second time, he was part of our Bible series. How can I trust the Bible when I've been abused? So please go back and listen to those. They are excellent. You'll be blessed. He is on the show again because him and his wife have written another book just as recently called Letters to the Weary. Of course I am wanting to know all [00:04:00] about it. But let me read you a little bit of the synopsis on the back of this book. Life is filled with moments of confusion, doubt, and uncertainty. These struggles combined with everyday life can feel impossible to overcome. Do you find yourself feeling weak and tired at the end of each day instead of fulfilled? Do you complain more than express gratitude? Have you lost hope that things can actually change? Letters to the weary is a devotional that will inspire and encourage you to find a place of rest, support and understanding. Understanding your situation is not enough. We want to show you a way out. Letters to the weary is filled with testimonies, scripture, and encouragement bringing the reader to a [00:05:00] place of peace. It has been said that habits can be broken in 21 days. That may or may not be true, but we do believe if you wholeheartedly commit to prayer and pursuing God for 21 days, our life will be forever changed. That sounds pretty good, doesn't it? I'm always looking for really good devotional. So Mark, individual bio is Mark Sowersby is a speaker, writer, pastor. In 2019, pastor Mark went through a time of great healing. He began speaking about the nightmare of abuse and years of suffering he experienced in his childhood, and how condemnation, shame, and guilt were replaced with forgiveness, joy, and life in abundance. He now speaks about his story and testimony of healing, forgiveness, and freedom. Through his ministry Forgiving the Nightmare. So on his website, he is got a lot [00:06:00] of videos, his video testimonies on there. I'll let you watch that. But you really are in for a treat. You're gonna love Mark. I hope that you enjoy my conversation with Mark and Jennifer S Alright, we have back to the show today, Mark Sowersby, and for the first time we have his lovely wife, Jennifer, on the show. Welcome. Thank you. Thank you. It's to be so much good to be with you. Yeah, this is number three. I mean, you're just like a friend of the podcast, a regular here on the show, Mark. Well, it's always a blessing to be with you and be able to share. The testimonies and stories and the victories of the Lord with you and your audience. So thank you so much for having me on, and I'm really excited that my wife could join me. Uh, I'm really great. That's really a blessing. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. Yeah, this is gonna be fun. [00:07:00] And of course we all know about Forgiving the Nightmare and your story. Mark, we heard your story and then you were back. That was episode 11 was your story. That was season one. Wow. Thank you for being on my first season when I was starting out. I'm on year number five now, and then you run episode 100, you did our Bible series. How can I trust the Bible? Yes. Amen. I remember that. Yep. That was a great series. So you're back on the show to talk about your new book, Letters to the Weary. That sounds awesome. There it is. Yeah. There's a picture. There you go. There you go. Gotta get the angle right. Letters to the, we, our new book, A 21 day devotional. It's, we're really excited about it. I wrote it with my wife Jennifer, and, we're really blessed to be able to have this, just published and released. Oh, just a few, about a month ago. [00:08:00] It's brand new right out there. It's. It's a little different from the first book I wrote, and that was testimonial with some scripture references and kind of a how to and a hold on to God. And this is just, I got to put my pastor hat on and kind of share a little bit. So Jen and I were really excited to be able to write this devotional together. What do you think, Hon? Yes, it was a good time to be able to do it together and to collaborate and I'm honored to write something like this with my husband. So, Jennifer, tell us about your story, your background. 'cause we haven't met you on the podcast before. Well, I came to know the Lord when I was five years old. My kindergarten teacher led me to the Lord and I've been following Jesus ever since. And he's kept me from things. I don't have the testimony where I did things and then I , you know, recovered from them. I have the testimony that God kept me from ever doing them. Absolutely. [00:09:00] Some people feel bad that they don't have this, well, I did drugs or I was a rebel or something. I really appreciate the stories that, I lived a faithful Christian walk my whole life. That means that it is possible. It is, it is, it is possible. Like that God can use you and, you can live a holy life. Now how did you and Mark meet? I was the three to five year olds coordinator at church. And he was the children's pastor when I was old enough to meet. We've known each other for a long time, but he is seven years older than I am. So when he realized who I was, I was an adult by that point, and he was like, oh. We were friends. And then when I was in my twenties, I went off to finish college and he realized he missed me. And he was praying about [00:10:00] who the Lord would lead to him to marry. And he's like, God, I need this type of person. I need that type of person. And he said he felt like the Lord was saying, Hey, McFly, there's a girl down in Florida. She'd be the right one. Right. I knew Jen so long that, you know, I, I knew her parents and when I first got saved her, uh, mom and dad were involved as youth group leaders and like anything else, you go over people's houses for cookouts and pizza parties. And, and Jen was there, but she was always the kid, you know, she was just the kid of the youth leaders, youth directors, youth helpers, and never really on the radar. And when I finished Bible college, I came back and Jen was our three to 5-year-old director, but she was as, as I say, she was all grown up. You know, she was all grown up and, but really she wasn't like, I never saw her that way until one day in the prayer, prayer closet, the Lord said, Hey, McFly, uh, you know, she's right in front of you, you know? So, uh, we. We started a relationship, and I remember when I went to the lead pastor of the church, I, when [00:11:00] Jen and I were getting serious and we started to date, I, I went into the senior pastor's office just to kind of let him know. And I, and I said to him, Hey Pastor, I want you to know Jen and I are gonna date. And he started to laugh and he said, you are the last two to know this. Everybody has known this. The whole church knew that you two were gonna date, you're the last two. So, uh, we started to date and then. The rest, as they say, is history with four kids. And we're getting ready to celebrate 22 years of marriage. Wow. Amen. I love that story. And, I know your story really well, Mark, and the suffering and the abuse that you went through. I know Jennifer had to be, a huge, huge support through all of the recovery and raising a family. So tell us, Jennifer, what was it like, supporting him in that way with his past and such? I think we just, we just live life and I'm naturally, I think I'm a nurturer, so I think I, helped in that way. But, God had [00:12:00] already done a huge amount of healing before we were together because he's seven years older than me. When we got together, I was 25, so he was, almost 33 by the time we got married. So God had already done a lot in his life. Even when you're healed of things, there's still scars. Like after you've had surgery. Like I had carpal tunnel surgery, many years ago. And even though the site healed for over a year, I couldn't put weight on that wrist without pain because the scar tissue was there. And I think the same thing happens when you're healed. Emotionally or from other things, you know, traumas that have happened to you, you still have scars. That doesn't mean you're not healed. It just means that there's scar tissue there and. So we had to walk through that. Amen. Amen. I think that's a good way to put it. Yeah. You know what, you don't know what you don't know, you know? So, of course a lot of my [00:13:00] trauma and hurts, pains, wounds, I brought to the altar. I dealt with my counselor coaches, pastors and friends, but that I've never married, I never had that closeness of a wife, the intimacy of a marriage. You know that connection that you have. So I didn't know what I was gonna carry in there because I didn't know what marriage was like, and I didn't know how to, prepare myself or warn her or say here. I, we just kind of grew into this marriage together. We both brought our baggage in. My baggage was obviously loud and big, but we both carried our pain as people do. And what we learned is we had to go to the altar of God. Uh, we had to go and lay our, our marriage down, our hopes down our family down. We laid all those moments, and it didn't mean that it was always easy. There were moments of tears and prayers and challenges and trials and blessings, but as we learned to trust the Lord, you'll hear me say all and each other and each other because we had to communicate. I mean, there were, we had to have some frank conversations about things and [00:14:00] mm-hmm. You know, where we, where I expressed where I was hurt in our relationship in the beginning and, and then that left its own scars. Not that I was hurt because he did something wrong, just the pain of going through feeling like I had done something wrong because I happened to touch one of his scars, you know, where it brought pain to him. So he handled it the way he did and then I handled it the way I did. 'cause again, neither one of us had been married before. Neither one of us had, dealt with things together. So we've had to deal with things, by communicating and working through things and god has the victory. Amen. Amen. And that's true. You know, like I, I'll have to say, if you come to our church, I'll pray for couples at our altar. I'll say, Lord, help us grow closer to you so we can grow closer to each other. And I would say those early [00:15:00] years of marriage, as many early years of marriage as you're trying to figure it out. Uh, you could have, uh, perfect backgrounds or you could have broken backgrounds, but you're trying to figure it out. Uh, time, money, communication, family, uh, re intimacy, intimacy, responsibility, all those things that, uh, you're trying to figure out. And, and just like anybody else, we had our ups and downs, but we had the altar to hold onto. We had the word of God to guide us and we had friends that would hug us and love us through it. But 22 years we've done pretty good. When there were times where it was difficult, that's when you run to God, because he's the one who fixes everything. He's the ultimate healer. So when I didn't understand what was going on or when we were having, um, troubles and learning to communicate and learning to walk, navigate through these things, that's when I would spend time with God and I would just cry out to him. Amen. And that's why I'm [00:16:00] so glad now that we've been able to. You'll come together and, and work together and parent together and have a home together and a ministry together. And it's blessing that my wife has beside me. So that's what's really excited that we published this book together. These 21 Devotions. Uh, we both poured ourselves into 'em. Jen wrote some independently. I wrote some independently. Most of them we collaborated on. She knew a better word than I knew. I thought it about this way, she thought it about that way. And it was just a wonderful collaboration of a a 21 day devotional to pour everything that we're talking about you into these pages, to talk about communication and, and trust and ups and downs and lefts and rights, and, and how all God gets the glory. And that's what we wanted to give in this, uh, new, our new book called Letters to the Weary. So I see that it's on Amazon. Did you self-publish this or do you have the same publishers Forgiving Nightmare? We publish. Yeah. Yep. We work with the same [00:17:00] publisher. He is, uh, our publisher's been a blessing to us. He is really helped us hold, holds our hand. He is been my friend. He has been my writing coach. He is just kind of been everything to help me write these books , and him and his, team has been behind me a hundred percent. They were amazing. So you have testimony, scripture, encouragement. Can you give us an example of one of them? Well, I'll tell you what I have, which, like the format. So, so we wanted to write it like a letter and Yes, what happened is I wanted somebody able to go in and read it and have enough of the day, you know, and somebody said, why 21 days? Why not 30 days? Why not 90 days? Why not 365 days? And I can just tell you Jen and I, the church we grew up in, it was very common for in January, people would do a 21 Day Daniel Fast. It was kind of a tradition. It was just something that our church we grew up in, they would celebrate, the New Year by con doing a Daniel Fast. There's a book called The Daniel [00:18:00] Fast has to do with dieting and things like that. So whenever I thought about fasting or devotion, I always thought 21 days. It is one of those things that got caught in my head. So, because that was in my spirit, in my head, we wrote this 21 day devotion, but we wanted 'em to be independently. We wanted 'em to standalone. Like, uh, the reader is reading a letter in my first book, forgive the Nightmare. We talked about the trauma. We talked about the hard times. We talked about the big picture, the, but I wanted to say, okay, you've laid your trauma at the altar, you've given it to Jesus. Now what. Now how do I wake up Monday and Tuesday, and now what do I do? And we hope to put in the pages. Of letters to the weary. The next part, what do I do Now? I've given the big part to Jesus. I've walked in victory. I've claimed it. I've confessed it. I believe it. I stand on the word, but now I gotta get up Monday and go to work. So we hope this, uh, this devotion in which again is filled with scriptures and testimonies and as you heard, real, real trials and ups and downs and victories that have poured [00:19:00] out of the. The valley and out of the grace of God, we've tried to pour into this book and let God, uh, be blessed and honored by it. I hope that when you read it, it feels like you're sitting down reading a letter from a friend and, and that's pointing to Christ and that's why we put the entire scripture in. We don't just put the references is what we write, we fill out the entire scripture and that way ultimately you're pointed to the Bible, which. God's word and it is amazing. If you're not reading the Bible, you should be. A spot, they're asked questions or reflections. Mm-hmm. And we, we put something in our devotion called the big question. So every, after every one of them, after every 21 of these devotions we have the big question. We left space in the book to journal, to write, to put your thoughts down. So again, we wanted to be interactive. We just didn't want it to stand on the shelf. We [00:20:00] picture people a big old cup of coffee, the word of God, and our devotion, and they go in their prayer closet and, and serve the Lord that way. Yeah, I think that it's a, a smaller book, then you can actually finish it and, get the process starting of connecting with God. Maybe you don't know where to start with reading the Bible or prayer. You're a new Christian, or you've been away from the Lord because of, of course, trauma and abuse. You know, we're on the couch with God. We, don't understand why he allowed this to happen. This looks like it'd be a great transition into connecting with the Lord, just a short 21 days. With some of my background, not only the trauma of abuse, but the trauma of academia being a dyslexic, you know? Yeah. In both of my books, I thought, well, what would I wanna read? I wouldn't wanna read this. 607. Now my wife may wanna read the big books, but I read something you could [00:21:00] read in a plane. I think I would've been too intimidated if somebody handed me this. For me, I wanted to be able to read it, digested it, and then move forward. So I tell people my books aren't huge. They're not big books, but they're full reads. Right. Uh, so that's how I always identify 'em. We really hope that it pierces the heart. We hope the scriptures fill the soul and confession of praise comes out of one's mouth. And they're written to be something you can do even when life is crazy busy. Yeah. So I, I'm a mom, the other thing, and so we wrote it in between life, so. We wrote it, you know, I would work on it when I was dropping the kids off at school. I'd be sitting in the car and, on the computer or, in between making dinner. And so it was written with life going on around us. And so I hope that, he ministers to each person who reads it. Both of my books. I've always wanted to be really genuine. I. Really genuine [00:22:00] to the reader. And we tried to be genuine in this book. We tried to be as genuine and forgiven the nightmare just to say, look, we're real people. We love an awesome God. We got ups and downs, lefts and rights. We got bills we're trying to pay. Uh, we got cars that are trying to fix. Life isn't always beautiful and there's hard days and tough days, but God is always good. And we wanted to share that in. In our books, and we wanna share that in this devotional letters to the weary. Again, hopes it challenges you, makes you think, it makes you praise. We wrote it not only for the individual, but we think it would work good in a group too. Yeah, A bible study, a a men's group, a women's group, a grieving group, uh, a counseling group, a so we figure it has, it covers a wide variety of topics. Anywhere from hearing God's voice to knowing you're loved, when you're having sleepless moments, when you're feeling like you just wanna blend in and hide just all different, topics. When you're not sure you wanna follow God, there's even a topic [00:23:00] on that. Yeah. When you're not sure where you wanna go. But God is faithful and he loves us and he is there for us. He's there. 24 7, 365. It says in the Psalms, where can I go from your presence? If I made my bed, in the depths, who are there if I, up to the heavens are there. So no matter where you go, God is there. Yes. Like I love that scripture. We, we've been in the pits before, haven't we? Yep. Yeah, we have. We have. Yeah. But once you get out of the pit, it's an amazing view when you're out of it. Yeah. It is amazing when you get out. But it's nice to look back and see. When I was in the pit, God was still there with me, even though I couldn't sense him there. Yep. Yeah. Yep. Even though I walked through the valley, I shadow death. I shall fear no evil. Yes. Yeah. Amen to that. Now Amazon, is that the main place that we can find the book or is there other spots? Well, that's probably the easiest and [00:24:00] biggest place to find the book on Amazon, but it is on Barnes and you can go barn, Walmart. You can go to any search engine where they sell books. You go to our website and you can, connect there with the books. But really, if you want worldwide distribution and you want everybody to find it, Amazon is king in that world. I hear you're this big movie star now. You have a short film about your life, Mark. Let's hear about that. Yeah, well, thanks. It's a great project. I don't know if I'm a big movie star, I might be big, but I'm not a movie star. So, what happened was a few years ago I connected with a great young director and he and I got ahold of my book and, we started to discuss what to do. Well, it's a full book and in that there's so many twists and turns, ups and downs. It's about a life. It's about victory, it's about challenges. So we kind of had to take a snapshot of one scene of the whole book. And, uh, we made a 20 minute movie and. We had a set and he had a cast and [00:25:00] we had the lights and we had the DP director of, we had it all. We had editors and, and, this young director, he was just ready to go. Tru Vine, studios, Tru Vine Pictures, a great young guy named Henry Kay. And he has just been my partner and my blessing. So, so it took us about a year to make it from the moment we filmed it till I went through editing and sound and all the things that needed to be done. And then we started putting in film festivals. And, before you'd know it, we were nominated for many film festivals, all Christian film festivals, and there's one called The Crown, a Crown Film Festivals, which they tell Crown. Mm-hmm. Crown Sports. And which they tell me is, uh. Kind of one of the most prestigious, or one of the most, recognized one in the Christian circles. And we were nominated for the best short film, at the beginning of this month. And we walked away with a bronze. So they give a bronze of silver and a gold, and. And we won the bronze in the best short film category for the Crown's awards. And so we're [00:26:00] excited about what God's doing with that. We hope to do a feature film, that's our prayer, that Lord, we could do a 90 minute, two hour feature film where we get to tell the whole story. But for Forgiving The Nightmare Short film, we call it Forgiving Nightmare film. You can actually go online. There's a website called Forgiving the Nightmare Film, and you can find a little, blurb or a little preview of the film there. And on your website you can see a clip of the film as well. Yeah, you can see a clip there@forgivingthenightmare.com. But, again, it's 20 minutes long. We don't have the whole thing online yet because we're still in festival season. And so when that's done, we'll be releasing it online, but. Yeah we're excited that we walked away with that bronze award and now people are saying, let your people call my people. We don't know what God's gonna do next, but we believe it's all in God's hands. Well, that sounds really exciting. It probably cost a lot of money to do that. Well, there was a budget for it. You're right. And I have to be honest, when you say make films, I wrote the story. It was about my life. But really my [00:27:00] director and his team put it together. I have to, tip my hat. Yes, it was my story. Yes. He gave me room to collaborate, but it was really his eye and his art that, brought this film together. There was a budget, I think we did ours for about, 14 to $17,000. It was a commitment to doing it, but most films are done for much more than that, so. Oh, yeah. Yeah. So we're, we, were blessed to have a good team, a lot of volunteers, but we were given free access to a hospital area. The main scene is being filmed in like a hospital room and it's so hard to find hospital space, because they're always being used and you find when they're very costly to rent for the day. But God just gave us favor with a school and they, allowed us to film at this place. So a lot of stories where God just gave us favor. We're blessed. It's out there. We hope to continue to, move forward to see what God's gonna do with it. Ultimately, our prayer is [00:28:00] to make a feature film. I thought about Matt Damon playing me. What do you think? I was just gonna say if I, you had somebody in mind, who would you want to play you? Well, I think it's, first I thought about Arnold Schwartzenegger. What do you think? Me and Arnold? Matt Dammon, Mark Walberg. Yeah. Mark. Mark. I dunno. But no, I'm just happy to have our story told. Who could play my wife? What supermodel will play her, so? Yes. When it comes out where we can all watch the film, that's gonna be a great day. Has anybody come up to you yet and given you any feedback from the festivals? Yeah, yeah, this really changed my life, or. We've heard how people have been touched by it. We've heard how people have been ministered to it. We've heard how people have said they have felt the Holy Spirit through it and in it. Mm. Uh, we've heard a lot of great comments. Again, we are in this film festival season, but from what I understand [00:29:00] is the plan right now is to release it on probably YouTube or something of that way. Probably, late summer, early fall. When the seasons are over. So we'll kind of release it that way. So keep looking for us and we'll keep, continue to promote it. I'm sure when it's released on YouTube or one of these social networks, we'll be able to promote a lot of it and let people know it's out. We do wanna bring lots of eyeballs to it because we believe the story. The story's not about abuse. The story's about forgiveness. The story's about how to overcome that trauma, and we tried to tell that in Forgiving The Nightmare. And we try to share that in Letters To The Weary. We don't wanna just talk about the pain, we wanna talk the victory, right? We wanna be honest, right Jen? We've always wanted to be honest, but we also wanna say, listen. We got a hold of Jesus. As much as those early years , were trials sometimes and learning to communicate and learning to walk through. I think today we could say, we're about ready to have a 20-year-old, Jennifer. Wow. You are gonna be a mom [00:30:00] of a 20-year-old. Our daughter's Just 17, 12, 15, 17 and 20. They're all teenagers. Woo. We have, two of them driving. So, we talk about the early years where I brought in my mess. She brought in her life and, but there's so many victories today, where God has moved. And, my wife is now teaching a women's group. She's counseling with women. She's writing, these books. So I've just seen God bless my wife and help her grow. And I know that I'm growing and together the Holy Spirit's moving us forward with Forgiving the nightmare film, Forgiving Nightmare Books, and all the different expressions that God lets us do. Yeah. Amen. So you've shared so much today, much about your relationship, your marriage, and the stuff the Lord's blessed you with to minister to others. Anything you want to leave our listeners with, if you both want to, give your last piece of love and [00:31:00] advice to them. Well, Jesus says to come to him, all you who are weary and heavy burdened and he will give you rest and that's why we wrote this book. So you have a chance to pause and take some time and come to the father who loves you. With an everlasting love. Amen. And spend time with him. Amen. Pain, trauma loves to isolate people. Loves to, make us feel we're all alone. We're no good, we're bad. No one will ever understand. And like my wife said, God wants us to come to him and to have that moment of Selah where we just pause and we hope that when you pause, you pause with the word of God. And if either of our writings, our ministry letters to the weary, Forgiving the nightmare can help you in that journey. Let us just come to the Lord no matter who we are. Let's come and let God touch us and heal us, and we love God. And thank you so much for having us on. Thank you so much. I appreciate it. Yes, this has been great. And [00:32:00] having you, Jennifer. On the third time that Mark's been here. You guys are always welcome to come back. If you do another book, another movie, you can just come on and I'll definitely, look forward to that. You guys are gonna probably do more stuff down the pike for sure. However the Lord leads. We're really blessed. Hey, I just want you to know on Mondays you can find me on the TCT network. I'm on a part of, I'm on a show called Ask the Pastor. So, you may have it in your market. But if not, you can go, always go online, on Facebook, on Instagram, go to TCT and it's a wonderful network. They have a program called Ask the Pastor, and at 2:30, every Monday, I'm a part of a panel. I'm not the host, I'm just one of the voices of the panel. But if anybody wants to catch me, see my ugly mug, uh, you know, just turn to, to ask the pastor on TCT Network. Oh, and we can ask questions? [00:33:00] You can, you can. You can do it in and stump the pastor? I think some people think it's called that, but it's really called Ask the Pastor. Oh, absolutely. I'll put everything in the show notes for you listeners. And I don't remember if I asked you this before, Mark. Can you say a short prayer for our listeners before you go? I would be honored. I'd be honored to. Father. God, we just thank you so much for your goodness and grace. Lord, we thank you that you love us, that you're still the lifter of our head. You're still the lover of our soul Lord, and the empty tube still matters and the cross where you died for our sin still has power. But Father your word still goes forth and it wants to heal, deliver and set free. So I pray for everyone, with a heavy heart today. Lord, I pray the lie of the enemy that isolates and robs from them their dignity, their value. Lord, I just pray that those words fall short and Father, we hear the word of God. It reminds us that we are delivered, made [00:34:00] new and set free. And Father, I thank you for our host today. I pray you bless her. I pray you bless this show. I pray, Lord God, that you go before us and touch us. In Jesus' name. Amen and amen. Thank you guys. Love you guys. Thank you. Thank you for listening to the Wounds of the Faithful Podcast. If this episode has been helpful to you, please hit the subscribe button and tell a friend. You could connect with us@dswministries.org where you'll find our blog, along with our Facebook, Twitter, and our YouTube channel links. Hope to see you next week.  

My guest today on the Online for Authors podcast is Mark Sowersby, author of the book Forgiving the Nightmare. In 2019 Pastor Mark went through a time of great healing.  He began speaking about the nightmare of abuse and years of suffering he experienced in his childhood.  And how condemnation, shame, and guilt were replaced with forgiveness, joy, and life in abundance.     He now speaks about his story and his testimony of healing, forgiveness and freedom through his ministry, Forgiving The Nightmare.     In my book review, I stated Forgiving the Nightmare is more than an abuse memoir or Christian instruction - it's a story of grace, overcoming, and forgiveness. Mark doesn't sugarcoat the truth, whether that truth is about his childhood abuse or about his difficulty moving beyond that abuse. In fact, he is so honest that he will be the first to admit that forgiveness will be a lifelong journey.   What I loved most about this book is the hope. Each page leads the reader down a path to something better. No matter what trauma you've suffered - and haven't we all had some trauma in our life - there is light on the other side. For Mark, this comes by way Jesus Christ. And Mark shares ten trail markers to help those who are seeking to forgive the nightmares in their own lives.   Do you know what happens when you hold a nightmare to the light? It loses power. And that's exactly what Mark discovered. It's a beautiful book that will fill you with the desire to do better, be better, love better, and forgive fully.   Subscribe to Online for Authors to learn about more great books! https://www.youtube.com/@onlineforauthors?sub_confirmation=1   Join the Novels N Latte Book Club community to discuss this and other books with like-minded readers: https://www.facebook.com/groups/3576519880426290   You can follow Author Mark Sowersby https://forgivingthenightmare.com/ FB:@forgivingthenightmare IG: @forgiving_the_nightmare_/ X: @SowersbyMark LinkedIn: @Mark-Sowersby   Purchase Forgiving the Nightmare on Amazon: Paperback: https://amzn.to/41gr585 Ebook: https://amzn.to/41gr585   Teri M Brown, Author and Podcast Host: https://www.terimbrown.com FB: @TeriMBrownAuthor IG: @terimbrown_author X: @terimbrown1   #marksowersby #forgivingthenightmare #memoir #christianmemoir #terimbrownauthor #authorpodcast #onlineforauthors #characterdriven #researchjunkie #awardwinningauthor #podcasthost #podcast #readerpodcast #bookpodcast #writerpodcast #author #books #goodreads #bookclub #fiction #writer #bookreview *As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

   SO the broadcast from Mars was a failure and what do you do when that happens? Broadcast from Venus of course, AND you get an extra special Venusian Expert to help out with the lay of the land, a guy who KNOWS women are from Venus, BILL CLINTON!!with all that happening we have our returning guest and good friend of the show, PASTOR MARK SOWERSBY with his new movie trailer and another new book! We also discuss our current state of country and laugh at it all because we know Gods got us covered and we're wrapped in his love!And we couldn't do this as well with out MRS A'S FAMOUS SALSA BUENA, RABBITINREDRADIO.COM, & Spreaker Prime & iHeart Radio & The Colonel with THE ADVISER facebook Group and our friends at Creative Clothing/Coatings!!

Pastor Husband Father and Author Mark had been married to his wonderful wife Jennifer for 21 years and is the father of four children. Mark has been an ordained minister 26 years and is currently the Pastor of Calvary Community Church in Dudley, MA. Pastor Mark holds a BA in theology from Zion Bible College/Northpoint Bible College. IPastor Mark went through a time of great healing. He began speaking about the experiences of his past and God's grace and the transformational work of forgiveness in his life. He now speaks about his story through his ministry, Forgiving The Nightmare. When he isn't serving his congregation and his community through ministry, teaching, and support, you can find him on all the trails and lakes in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Upstate New York, spending time with his family.Mark Sowersby is a man on a mission. A mission to help people who have experienced hurt, abuse, and pain to find freedom and peace through God's love and the many facets of forgiveness. Mark's message and ministry are based on his personal healing and forgiveness after a nightmare of suffering through years of childhood sexual abuse. Today, Mark is a conference speaker, pastor of a church in Massachusetts, and a frequent guest on television talk shows, where he shares his story – from the nightmare itself, to recovery, to forgiveness and wholeness. Mark offers a range of conference topics from forgiveness, abuse recovery, and specific talks within the broader topic of childhood sexual abuse – as

WARNING: This episode may be triggering for some due to the nature of the topic. In this episode, I had a meaningful conversation with Mark Sowersby. He shares his testimony of overcoming the trauma from sexual abuse and how he was able to forgive. Here is a little bit of info about Mark Sowersby:  Pastor Husband Father and Author Reverend Mark Sowersby has been married to his wonderful wife Jennifer for 21 years and is the father of four children. Mark has been an ordained minister 26 years and is currently the Pastor of Calvary Community Church in Dudley, MA. Pastor Mark holds a BA in theology from Zion Bible College/Northpoint Bible College. Pastor Mark went through a time of great healing. He began speaking about the experiences of his past and God's grace and the transformational work of forgiveness in his life. He now speaks about his story through his ministry, Forgiving The Nightmare. When he isn't serving his congregation and his community through ministry, teaching, and support, you can find him on all the trails and lakes in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Upstate New York, spending time with his family. Click the link below to connect with Mark Sowersby and also find out more about his book, Forgiving the Nightmare: https://forgivingthenightmare.com/ Feel free to follow, leave a review/rating/comment, and share with a friend if this was helpful! You can catch up with me @beechannel27 everywhere! #newepisodealert #newepisode #faithbasedpodcasts #christianpodcasts #fromvictimhoodtovictory #marksowersby #forgivingthenightmare #trauma #abusesurvivor #testimony #gentlereminder #needtoknow #fyi #beechannel27

“The language of an abuser is lying. “ ~ Mark SowersbyOverview: Many people go through trials, or like Mark, “nightmares”. There is a process we can go through to find hope, redemption, peace, and grace in our lives. Overcoming Childhood Sexual Molestation and other horrific traumas, hurts, and wounds is possible. See how Mark did it, and you can too!Guest Bio: Pastor. Husband. Father. Reverend Mark Sowersby has been married to his wonderful wife Jennifer for 19 years and is the father of four children. Mark has been an ordained minister with Assembly of God for over 25 years and is currently the Pastor of Calvary Community Church in Dudley, MA. Pastor Mark holds a BA in theology from Zion Bible College/Northpoint Bible College. Pastor Mark went through a time of great healing. He began speaking about the experiences of his past and God's grace and the transformational work of forgiveness in his life. He now speaks about his story through his ministry, Forgiving The Nightmare. When he isn't serving his congregation and his community through ministry, teaching, and support, you can find him on all the trails and lakes in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Upstate New York, spending time with his family.SHOW NOTES: Website: https://forgivingthenightmare.com/Mark's Book, Forgiving the Nightmare: https://www.amazon.com/Forgiving-Nightmare-Mark-Sowersby/dp/1951475186 REMARKABLE LISTENER SPECIAL OFFER(S):Save 30% – 80% on EVERYTHING you order at MyPillow.com with free promo code, “REMARKABLE“. Yes, that's right! Save a ton of money on all 250+ quality, comfortable, cozy products at MyPillow.com with Free MyPillow Promo Code, “Remarkable“. Enjoy and be ready to sleep better than you ever have! CORE THEMES, KEYWORDS, & MENTIONS:Illegitimate child, rape, pedophile, homosexual pedophile, life journey, abuse at home, dyslexic, groomed by an abuser, grooming children, protecting children from abuse, raped, burned, beaten, forgiving the nightmare, forgiveness, unforgiving, stealing their innocence, sexual molestation, physical abuse, church, salvation, traSupport the Show.Want Even More?

How do you forgive someone who has hurt you so deeply? Today on the podcast I talk with Mark Sowersby about his testimony and his book Forgiving The Nightmare. Find out more about Mark at https://forgivingthenightmare.com/

Pastor Husband Father and Author Mark had been married to his wonderful wife Jennifer for 21 years and is the father of four children. Mark has been an ordained minister 26 years and is currently the Pastor of Calvary Community Church in Dudley, MA. Pastor Mark holds a BA in theology from Zion Bible College/Northpoint Bible College. IPastor Mark went through a time of great healing. He began speaking about the experiences of his past and God's grace and the transformational work of forgiveness in his life. He now speaks about his story through his ministry, Forgiving The Nightmare. When he isn't serving his congregation and his community through ministry, teaching, and support, you can find him on all the trails and lakes in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Upstate New York, spending time with his family.Mark Sowersby is a man on a mission. A mission to help people who have experienced hurt, abuse, and pain to find freedom and peace through God's love and the many facets of forgiveness. Mark's message and ministry are based on his personal healing and forgiveness after a nightmare of suffering through years of childhood sexual abuse. Today, Mark is a conference speaker, pastor of a church in Massachusetts, and a frequent guest on television talk shows, where he shares his story – from the nightmare itself, to recovery, to forgiveness and wholeness. Mark offers a range of conference topics from forgiveness, abuse recovery, and specific talks within the broader topic of childhood sexual abuse – as well as simply sharing his personal story when invited to do so.

Today on The Rooted in Christ Podcast, we're sitting down with Mark Sowersby., a speaker, writer, and pastor. In 2019 Pastor Mark went through a time of great healing. He began speaking about the nightmare of abuse and years of suffering he experienced in his childhood, and how condemnation, shame, and guilt were replaced with forgiveness, joy, and life in abundance. We're talking to him about his journey to healing, and we hope that it can help you too! Find Mark's book and all his other info here!: https://forgivingthenightmare.com/book/ Follow Redwood: https://linktr.ee/redwoodchristianministries --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/redwood-christian-ministries/support

"Everybody's story starts with someone else's story" is how Mark began our time together. For Mark, the "someone else" was his mother, who suffered multiple heartbreaks. Mark was born out of an affair, and his mom took all the shame and blame. For his first 7-years, he lived with his mom, grandma, and siblings from his mom's first marriage. But then his mom remarried, and that's when the nightmare began. His mother's husband began abusing Mark in every conceivable way. It was ugly for 7-long years until the abuse stopped. But it left behind an identity scarred by trauma and dysfunction. At 16, faith entered Mark's story, and little by little, he started chipping away at the trauma. But a victim mentality was deeply rooted within him. But God gently, graciously, and patiently led him into healing and a victorious mentality. Mark is passionate about sharing his story to help others. Bio: Pastor. Husband. Father. Reverend Mark Sowersby has been married to his wonderful wife Jennifer for 19 years and is the father of four children. Mark has been an ordained minister with Assembly of God for over 25 years and is currently the Pastor of Calvary Community Church in Dudley, MA. Pastor Mark holds a BA in theology from Zion Bible College/Northpoint Bible College. When he isn't serving his congregation and his community through ministry, teaching, and support, you can find him on all the trails and lakes in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Upstate New York, spending time with his family. Connect with Mark: https://forgivingthenightmare.com/ Resources https://daniellebernock.com/ https://clarity.fm/daniellebernock https://www.daniellebernock.com/coaching/ Join my community https://dani-daniellebernock-com.ck.page/31bfe7d9fa Additional resources: Books: Emerging With Wings https://www.amazon.com/Emerging-Wings-True-Story-Heals/dp/0996103317/ Because You Matter https://www.amazon.com/Because-You-Matter-Ownership-Really/dp/0996103333/ Taco ‘Bout Your Value Taco ‘Bout Your Value https://www.amazon.com/Taco-Bout-Your-Value-Self-Esteem/dp/0996103376/   Socials: https://www.facebook.com/daniellebernock/ https://www.instagram.com/dbernock/ https://www.youtube.com/c/DanielleBernockLovesYou https://twitter.com/DBernock https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-bernock-6ab50467/ https://www.tiktok.com/@dbernock Listed on Feedspot: https://blog.feedspot.com/overcoming_adversity_podcasts/ Disclaimer: Opinions do not replace the advice from a qualified medical professional, and Victorious Souls might not agree with some content shared by guests.   #victimtovictorious #abuse #childhoodtrauma #affair #traumahealing #faith #littlebylittle #overcomingadversity #christ #teenagers #identity #trauma #forgiveness #nightmare #breakthrough #liveinterview #author #loveheals #godheals #godlovesyou #becauseyoumatter #daniellebernock #thatladyontheinternetwholovesyou --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/victorioussoulspodcast/message

Melissa and Amanda are thrilled to welcome the first man to the table, Pastor Mark Sowersby. Mark shares his journey of forgiveness and healing from sexual abuse. Learn more about Mark and his book "Forgiving the Nightmare" at https://forgivingthenightmare.comThank you for joining Melissa and Amanda at the Table! This has been a production of Asha Media. Please share the Tablecast with other women by leaving us a rating on your listening platform. If you enjoyed this episode, please help us share it more with other women just like you by leaving us a rating!

October is Pastor's Appreciation Month! What better way to start introducing Christian men into the mix than starting with a PHENOMENAL Pastor?!  Mark Sowersby wrote the book, Forgiving the Nightmare. A true story of abuse he suffered at the hands of his stepfather. It is amazing that Mark turned into such a devoted man of God after all he had endured growing up. Listen to Mark share his story of how he was finally able to forgive the monster that tortured him for years.  Mark Sowersby Book, Forgiving the Nightmare. Website: https://forgivingthenightmare.com Email: mark@forgivingthenightmare.com

Your nightmare may be a trauma of any kind, a story of pain, abuse, and hurt. Pastor Mark Sowersby from New England, MA shares his story for God's glory to help people find healing in Jesus Christ. He admits his journey is a messy one but one with a beautiful outcome. Tune in and be uplifted, and encouraged - know you are not alone and that healing is only found in Jesus Christ. Connect with him @ www.forgivingthenightmare.com; follow him @forgivingthenightmare or Mark Sowersby and get his book on Amazon- Forgiving the Nightmare. Do you want to be a guest on the show or connect with me? Send me an email @info@aaopcs.net To purchase book, Empowerment for you: Encouragement for your Emotional and Spiritual Wellness, visit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09JRQC2M4 and to purchase the Empowered to Empower you Reflection Workbook, visit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09MDGXRVW --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bewindi-aquilla-bobb/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bewindi-aquilla-bobb/support

Have you been the victim of abuse? Have you experienced trauma in your life? Are you finding it difficult to forgive someone who hurt you? In this episode Minister Paula talks with the Author of Forgiving The Nightmare,Pastor Mark Sowersby. Mark Sowersby is an ordained minister and has been in ministry for over 25 years. He and his wife, Jennifer have been married for seventeen years and are the parents of four children. He is currently the Pastor of Calvary Community Church in central Massachusetts. Mark and Jennifer launched Forgiving The Nightmare Ministry in 2020. Mark's testimony is not for the faint in heart. It is a testimony of forgiveness, God's grace, and overcoming in the midst of life's hurts, pains, and abuses. Although we can't change the past, by God's Grace and the power of prayer we can forgive the nightmare. Mark's testimony reminds us there is hope in Jesus! Connect with Mark Sowersby via email mark@forgivingthenightmare.com and website https://forgivingthenightmare.com/about/ To purchase book: Forgiving the Nightmare https://a.co/d/6Birgtt "God became bigger than the hate and louder than the hurt.” Mark Sowersby

Even though your past can be painful, it doesn't have to be your identity. Today's featured bonus author is father, husband, and Pastor, Mark Sowersby. Pastor Mark and I had a chat about his book, "Forgiving the Nightmare", his process of dealing with the tough memories to write it, and more!! Key Things You'll Learn: What led him to become a pastor after going through abuse as a child Three leadership lessons learned from being a pastor Mark's Site: https://forgivingthenightmare.com/ Mark's Book: https://www.amazon.com/Forgiving-Nightmare-Mark-Sowersby/dp/1951475186 You May Also Like… 290 – "The Forgiveness Solution" with Rev. Misty Tyme (@Rev_Misty_Tyme): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/290-the-forgiveness-solution-with-rev-misty-tyme-rev_misty_tyme-c2h/ Ep. 539 – "Run to the Father" with Michael Towers (@mikesbestlife): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/ep-539-run-to-the-father-with-michael-towers-mikesbestlife/ Ep. 368 – "Unfailing Grace" with Julie Carrick (@julie84602521): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/ep-368-unfailing-grace-with-julie-carrick-julie84602521/ Ep. 364 – "7 Deadly Thoughts" with Pastor Travis Hall (@PastorTHall): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/ep-364-7-deadly-thoughts-with-pastor-travis-hall-pastorthall/ Ep. 336 – "The Radical Gospel" with Jayson Derowitsch (@JaysonDerowits1): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/ep-336-the-radical-gospel-with-jayson-derowitsch-jaysonderowits1/ #HolidayBonus Ep. – "Fireproof" with David Hollenbach III (@HollenbachLEAD): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/holidaybonus-ep-fireproof-with-david-hollenbach-iii-hollenbachlead/ #Bonus Ep. – "Perfectly Flawed" with Janae Sergio (@janae_sergio): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/bonus-ep-perfectly-flawed-with-janae-sergio-janae_sergio/ Ep. 564 – "Bigger Better Braver" with Nancy Pickard (@cnancyrun): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/ep-564-bigger-better-braver-with-nancy-pickard-cnancyrun/ 229 – "Unbroken" with Tajci Cameron (@TajciCameron): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/229-unbroken-with-tajci-cameron-tajcicameron/

On this episode we have a special guest who will share his testimony. How do you forgive when you've been wounded deeply? Pastor Mark Sowersby shares his testimony with his ministry and book by the same name, Forgiving The Nightmare. If you are in an abusive situation please reach out to someone. There is a way out. https://forgivingthenightmare.com/ https://www.amazon.com/Forgiving-Nightmare-Mark-Sowersby/dp/1951475186 https://www.facebook.com/forgivingthenightmare?mibextid=LQQJ4d http://linkedin.com/in/mark-sowersby-660aa1236

Contact AmyContact Mark, Buy Forgiving The NightmareMeet Mark Sowersby.  Speaker.  Writer.  Pastor.  In 2019 Pastor Mark went through a time of great healing.  He began speaking about the nightmare of abuse and years of suffering he experienced in childhood.  And how condemnation, shame, and guilt were replaced with abundant forgiveness, joy, and life.   It is Child Abuse Awareness Month, and the Wednesdays With Watson podcast is honored to welcome Mark Sowersby to the show. Mark is the author of "Forgiving The Nightmare," his harrowing story of unspeakable abuse for seven years of his childhood. Mark walks us through his story and his journey to forgiveness. You ARE:SEEN KNOWN HEARD LOVED VALUED

The Pastor of Calvary Community Church in Dudley, MA, Mark Sowersby, discussed the childhood abuse that he suffered and the freedom he has found in Jesus Christ, a story that he relates in his book, Forgiving the Nightmare. You can find out more online at forgivingthenightmare.com. 

The Pastor of Calvary Community Church in Dudley, MA, Mark Sowersby, discussed the childhood abuse that he suffered and the freedom he has found in Jesus Christ, a story that he relates in his book, Forgiving the Nightmare. You can find out more online at forgivingthenightmare.com. 

*Trigger Warning: Graphic description of child and sexual abuse shared in this interview. Mark Sowersby's abuser left him broken, insecure, and searching for dignity and value. A mountain of pain before him, an invitation to church set him on the path to healing. While on a church youth trip, he chose Christ as his Savior. Step by step, God helped him experience healing. Eventually, he was able to write his book Forgiving the Nightmare, outlining his story and the hope one can find after abuse. Tune in to listen to this episode.

Forgiveness // S3E11 Join us for part 2 of our conversation with Mark Sowersby where we discuss these topics and more:Is forgiveness something we do to benefit ourselves or is it for the other person?Can avoiding forgiveness or deciding not to forgive someone causes more pain?Can our suffering prepare us for something greater such as ministry?How do we identify our own nightmareIf you are experiencing your own nightmare and need help be sure to check out these resources:https://forgivingthenightmare.com/https://www.forthechildren.orgConnecting forgiveness and kindness in scripture:Ephesians 4:32 “And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as god also forgave you in Christ. “Colossians 3:12-13“Therefore, as gods chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another. Just as the lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive. 

Forgiveness // S3E10 Forgiveness in the Bible is a "release" or "dismissal" of something. In this episode Mark gives us glimpse of his testimony and although it is difficult to hear about the nightmare that Mark endured, it is glorious to see the triumph God has given him, both physically and spiritually. In part 1 of our discussion Mark shares part of his testimony and a great word on a faith that can move mountains and the importance of perspective. Make sure to get a copy of Mark's book, "Forgiving the Nightmare"https://forgivingthenightmare.com/Forgiving the Nightmare (FTN) has been asked to produce a TV series. If you would like to donate to this ministry for this great cause please see the link below:https://www.givesendgo.com/FTNTV?utm_source=sharelink&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=FTNTV

In this episode, we talk with speaker, writer, and pastor Mark Sowersby about his book Forgiving The Nightmare. Mark shares details of the horrific abuse he endured for seven years at the hands of his stepfather. He shares his escape from being raped, burned, beaten, stabbed, and sold for prostitution and how God helped him to forgive the unforgivable. Do you have a topic suggestion, question, or feedback? Text or leave a voicemail on the show's hotline 24/7 at 248-301-2010. Donate to the show: paypal.me/thinkingoutloudmediaTo learn more about Mark and his ministries, please visit https://forgivingthenightmare.com/Support the show

Reverend Mark Sowersby Discusses his new book "Forgiving the Nightmare" He recounts his survival of both sexual, emotional, and physical abuse fro age 7 to 14 at the hands of his mothers husbandMeet Mark Sowersby. Speaker. Writer. Pastor. In 2019 Pastor Mark went through a time of great healing. He began speaking about the nightmare of abuse and years of suffering he experienced in his childhood. And how condemnation, shame, and guilt were replaced with forgiveness, joy, and life in abundance. He now speaks about his story and his testimony of healing, forgiveness and freedom through his ministry, Forgiving The Nightmare. . Forgivingthenightmare.comhttps://www.instagram.com/forgiving_the_nightmare_/https://twitter.com/SowersbyMarkhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKS97tXY8cSiQLfRXXBCMXwhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-sowersby-660aa1236/Book Pastor Mark to SpeakPastor Mark Sowersby has a testimony to share about how he was set free from a nightmare of abuse and years of suffering. Condemnation, shame, and guilt were replaced with forgiveness, joy, and life in abundance.Mark's ministry, Forgiving The Nightmare is on mission to help those who have experienced hurt, abuse, and pain find freedom and peace through God's love and the many facets of forgiveness.His testimony, told to live audiences, on television, and through his book, is a powerful reflection of the love of our Savior. Since 2019, he's been sharing his story around the world of how he went from hurting to health, from death to life.Transcript Link herehttps://forgivingthenightmare.com/How do you move past the pain that keeps you up at night, leaves you isolated, untrusting, and afraid? How can you possibly forgive them, especially when they don't deserve forgiveness? Pastor Mark Sowersby shares his testimony with his ministry and book by the same name, Forgiving The Nightmare.Pastor Mark Sowersby has a testimony to share about how he was set free from a nightmare of abuse and years of suffering. Condemnation, shame, and guilt were replaced with forgiveness, joy, and life in abundance.Mark's ministry, Forgiving The Nightmare is on mission to help those who have experienced hurt, abuse, and pain find freedom and peace through God's love and the many facets of forgiveness.His testimony, told to live audiences, on television, and through his book, is a powerful reflection of the love of our Savior. Since 2019, he's been sharing his story around the world of how he went from hurting to health, from death to life.Mark Sowersby·00:01John already knew that he was the Messiah. But the stress of prison, this man who lived outside that ete locust that walked everywhere, now he's confined into a prison. The stress of that started to steal his faith away. So he didn't need answer. He was there in the Jordan River with a votes for he just needed a testimony. Asked John. Does he remember? Remember? Does he remember? So I think in my sense I was in a prison of abuse, but I was free in Christ. And I had my answer that the ugliness of abuse is never what God intended for me. But I needed a testimony, not just answer. Introduction·00:44Marcus Averillius said, what we do in life echoes through eternity. What is your life echoing through eternity? Welcome to Echoes Through Eternity with Dr. Jeffrey Skinner. Our mission is to inspire, engage, and encourage leaders from across the globe to plant missional churches and be servant leaders. So join us and hear the stories of servant leaders reverberating lives as God echoes them through eternity. Brought to you by Missional church planting and leadership development and Dynamic church Planting. Dr. Jeffery D Skinner·01:15International welcome in Echoes Through Eternity. I am your host, Dr. Jeffrey D. Skinner. What is God echoing through your life today? I am joined in the studio today by Reverend Mark. Soarsby this is a pretty I just want to give a cautionary tale here. We generally deal with very G rated material and today is a very serious subject. We all recognize that we live in a fallen world and that no one is perfect except for Jesus. There's been one perfect man that has lived and we are certainly not it. And so our homes have a degree of brokenness. All of them do. And some of them have a further degree of brokenness than others. Mark has experienced some trauma and we'll be talking a little bit about that trauma today. He was sexually abused. Dr. Jeffery D Skinner·02:05And so if you have young children and are listening to this podcast, probably do not want them listening to this one. I will always give you a warning. We're not going to get explicit or anything like that, but certainly just want to give you an opportunity that if you are particularly sensitive to that topic or if you have young children, then this probably will not be the episode for you. I think it is an important conversation to have within Christian circles because we do live in a fallen world and this is prevalent in the Kingdom of God as well as outside the kingdom, unfortunately. We know people that have been abused by parents, but also people have been abused by pastors, unfortunately, and Christian leaders. Dr. Jeffery D Skinner·02:48And we're to the point that where we have to do background checks and things like that on Christian leaders today to be sure of that. So that being said, I just want to give you guys a second to check out the podcast. If you have just knowing what's coming here. Again, we will not be explicit, but I do want to offer cautionary tale to kind of let you know that today's subject matter is a little bit PG in the sense that it's very sensitive conversation here. We will not be explicit. I do want to say that beyond that, welcome in, Marcus. It's great to have you, man. Mark Sowersby·03:25Hey, thank you for having me, Dr. Jeff. It's wonderful to be with you and your audience today. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share my testimony. Dr. Jeffery D Skinner·03:33Yeah. And so Mark and I got connected through the podcast, through Echoes Through Eternity website. He reached out, said, hey, I've got a book, just wrote basically my personal story. I'd like to send it to you. You read over it, and if you feel like there's a fit for your podcast, have me on and I read it. Very good book is very personal stuff here. And as you said, it is your story, it is your journey, and it's what God has taught you through that journey. And one of the things that you say in your book is that when you go through something with God, make a record of it, record it, journal it, do something to mark that place. Dr. Jeffery D Skinner·04:12We don't build altars to God necessarily anymore as we cross over these places, but we certainly see those as times where they became milestones in the journey of leaders from the Bible times. And so today, whatever that journey is for you, that is one of the things that you encourage. So, yes, the title of the book I'll show you here is Forgiving The Nightmare. It's going to show up backwards on your screen if you're watching on video. And we will include all of Mark's contact information. He's got lots of things in the work. He's been on 700 Club. God is using his story. But anyway, it is great to have Mark in the studio today. And again, the name of the book is Forgiving The Nightmare. Mark Soresby will put all that in the show notes there. He will have a blog. Dr. Jeffery D Skinner·04:59He'll be doing a guest blog. We'll have that up for the show as well. That will be linked in the show notes. Anyway, I just want to get started here. Great having you, Mark. Thanks again, brother. Let me ask you a quick question here. So you are a danger in the Assemblies of God, right? Mark Sowersby·05:14I am. That's right, of God. Dr. Jeffery D Skinner·05:17And you and I were talking before the show. We've got a mutual connection in the Church of Nazarene. You had a former pastor who was in the Church of Nazarene coming to Assemblies of God. Mark Sowersby·05:28Yeah, I kind of grew up in a church that had a blend of assembly of God, Nazarene. So I have a soft spot for both Fellowships, both churches in my heart because I had a lot of great Nazarene people. If you would love me. And the title on the door said assembly of God. That if you walked into the church, it was definitely a blend of both fellowships, learning to come together and to love each other and to lift up the name of Jesus. So, yeah, I would say there's a lot of nazarene in this AG guy. Dr. Jeffery D Skinner·06:02Yeah, well, it's all part of the kingdom, right? And that's what we want to celebrate. And we're all lifting up here at the Kingdom of God. We can all have our opinions and interpretations, but in the end, it's all about Jesus, right? Mark Sowersby·06:13That's right. That's right. Dr. Jeffery D Skinner·06:20Well, Mark, let me get a quick question here. Who would you say this book is for? I know were talking a little bit before you said that it was really less about abuse and more about trauma. Who would you say it's for? Mark Sowersby·06:31Well, I think there's a three statement answer for this. First, when I stepped out to do this, I felt the Lord was calling me to do this. So it's the answer, the yes to the call, to allow myself to be so wid

Episode 10 told the story of how God used a casual lunch and two simple questions from a friend to change Frank Rich's life. In this bonus episode Frank talks about the ways that his changed life has lead to positive improvements in his relationships and how his faith helped him break a 20 year pornography addiction. He also gives language to a common theme in this podcast—"rock tops moments." At the end of this episode you'll hear the testimony of Mark Sowersby. Mark found about this podcast and sent us a video to play. His story is one of being abandoned and abused as a child, but it is also a story of incredible healing and forgiveness through Jesus.  "That decision of receiving that mercy of God...has been the benchmark of my life forever." Rebuilt Recovery TestimonyPodcast.comTestimony Podcast on Instagram Chad Harms on InstagramDonate to the Show

Interview with Mark Sowersby. Mark talks about the nightmare of child abuse, and, his journey of forgiveness and victory through Jesus.

Meet author, Mark Sowersby.  Mark is a speaker, writer, and Pastor.  In 2019 Pastor Mark went through a time of great healing.  He began speaking about the nightmare of abuse and years of suffering he experienced in his childhood.  And how condemnation, shame, and guilt were replaced with an abundance of forgiveness, joy, and life.   To find the book or learn more about Mark click the link below:https://forgivingthenightmare.com/ Support the show

Special Presentation- Forgiving the Nightmare w/ Londen from LICMC.net as your host and Mark Sowersby the author of the book. Preview this Powerful interview that will help you heal your broken heart. To get the book by Mark: https://forgivingthenightmare.com/ Watch the full presentation here: https://www.youtube.com/live/SyN8WU_2ui0?feature=share #ForgivingtheNightmare #MarkSowersby #Amazon #BrokenHearts #Healing #ValentinesDay #God #Faith #Forgiveness --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/irene-washington/message

Special Episode Trailer- Forgiving the Nightmare w/ Londen from LICMC.net as your host and Mark Sowersby the author of the book. Preview this Powerful interview that will help you heal your broken heart. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/irene-washington/message

We all have a trauma, trauma and hurt is a part of life! But you are not alone! On this weeks episode we speak with Pastor Mark Sowersby on the topic of forgiveness and how he ultimately came to the conclusion that God is bigger then his problems! Click the links below to check out Pastor Marks book forgiving the nightmare as well as a link to hit website and also a link to the called to act merch store if you feel led to support the ministry in that way! God bless! Pastor Marks book: https://www.amazon.com/Forgiving-Nightmare-Mark-Sowersby/dp/1951475186 Website: https://forgivingthenightmare.com Called to Act store: https://called-to-act-podcast.myspreadshop.com/called+to+act+podcast?idea=63487ac35d67384d00868bb9 --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Even though your past can be painful, it doesn't have to be your identity.Today's featured bonus author is father, husband, and Pastor, Mark Sowersby. Pastor Mark and I had a chat about his book, “Forgiving the Nightmare”, his process of dealing with the tough memories to write it, and more!! Key Things You'll Learn:What led him to become a pastor after going through abuse as a childThree leadership lessons learned from being a pastor Mark's Site: https://forgivingthenightmare.com/Mark's Book: https://www.amazon.com/Forgiving-Nightmare-Mark-Sowersby/dp/1951475186 You May Also Like… 290 – “The Forgiveness Solution” with Rev. Misty Tyme (@Rev_Misty_Tyme): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/290-the-forgiveness-solution-with-rev-misty-tyme-rev_misty_tyme-c2h/ Ep. 539 – “Run to the Father” with Michael Towers (@mikesbestlife): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/ep-539-run-to-the-father-with-michael-towers-mikesbestlife/ Ep. 368 – “Unfailing Grace” with Julie Carrick (@julie84602521): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/ep-368-unfailing-grace-with-julie-carrick-julie84602521/ Ep. 364 – “7 Deadly Thoughts” with Pastor Travis Hall (@PastorTHall): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/ep-364-7-deadly-thoughts-with-pastor-travis-hall-pastorthall/ Ep. 336 – “The Radical Gospel” with Jayson Derowitsch (@JaysonDerowits1): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/ep-336-the-radical-gospel-with-jayson-derowitsch-jaysonderowits1/ #HolidayBonus Ep. – “Fireproof” with David Hollenbach III (@HollenbachLEAD): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/holidaybonus-ep-fireproof-with-david-hollenbach-iii-hollenbachlead/ #Bonus Ep. – “Perfectly Flawed” with Janae Sergio (@janae_sergio): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/bonus-ep-perfectly-flawed-with-janae-sergio-janae_sergio/ Ep. 564 – “Bigger Better Braver” with Nancy Pickard (@cnancyrun): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/ep-564-bigger-better-braver-with-nancy-pickard-cnancyrun/ 229 – “Unbroken” with Tajci Cameron (@TajciCameron): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/229-unbroken-with-tajci-cameron-tajcicameron/

Mark Sowersby is an ordained minister with the Assembly of God church for over 25 years and is currently the Pastor of Calvary Community Church in Dudley, MA.  Mark is the founder of Forgiving the Nightmare ministry. He is a guest speaker as well. Pastor Mark holds a BA in theology from Zion Bible College/Northpoint Bible College. 

Forgiving the Nightmare is a testimony of forgiveness, God's grace, and overcoming in the midst of life's hurts, pains, and abuses. Mark has been rescued and restored through the power of God's Word and prayer.

Episode Summary:  How do you forgive someone who hurt you emotionally? How do you forgive someone who traumatized you? How do you forgive someone who isn't sorry? Our guest, Mark Sowersby, shares a gripping testimony of forgiveness, God's grace, and overcoming in the midst of life's hurts, pains, and abuses. Join us as we talk about how to forgive someone who has hurt you and isn't sorry. Quotables from the episode: I was an abused victim but I learned that was not my identity. My identity was a child of God. I came to realize, I'm not a victim—I'm victorious because I made it through. The first casualty of trauma is the loss of trust. When you ask God hard questions, you get hard answers, but you get the right answers for you. If you start by moving a pebble, then a stone, then a hill, eventually with faith you will move mountains. God became bigger than my mountain of pain, abuse, and trauma. Forgiveness comes through Jesus. Forgiveness does not mean reconciliation. Trusting God is where forgiveness begins. Scripture References: Psalm 10:14 NIV “But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted; you consider their grief and take it in hand. The victims commit themselves to you; you are the helper of the fatherless.”  Acts 10:34 KJV “Then Peter opened his mouth and said, ‘Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons.'”  Recommended Resources:  Forgiving the Nightmare by Mark Sowersby Trusting God Through Cancer 1 Trusting God Through Cancer 2 Revive & Thrive Women's Conference Subdue Stress and Anxiety: Fifteen Experts Offer Comprehensive Tools in Ten Minutes a Day. Use my link plus discount code BENG99 to save $90 on course (course will be $99.) Free Download: How To Fight Fearful/Anxious Thoughts and Win Breaking Anxiety's Grip: How to Reclaim the Peace God Promises by Dr. Michelle Bengtson Breaking Anxiety's Grip Free Study Guide  Free 7-Day YouVersion Bible Reading Plan for Breaking Anxiety's Grip Hope Prevails: Insights from a Doctor's Personal Journey Through Depression by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner of the Christian Literary Award Reader's Choice Award Hope Prevails Bible Study by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner of the Christian Literary Award Reader's Choice Award Social Media Links for Host and Guest: Connect with Mark Sowersby: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram /YouTube Connect with Dr. Michelle Bengtson for more hope: Order Book Breaking Anxiety's Grip / Order Book Hope Prevails  /  Website  /  Blog  /  Facebook / Twitter (@DrMBengtson)  /  LinkedIn  /  Instagram / Pinterest / YouTube Guest: Pastor.  Husband.  Father.  Reverend Mark Sowersby has been married to his wonderful wife Jennifer for 18 years and is the father of four children.  Mark has been an ordained minister with Assembly of God for over 25 years and is currently the Pastor of Calvary Community Church in Dudley, MA.  Pastor Mark holds a BA in theology from Zion Bible College/Northpoint Bible College.   In 2019 Pastor Mark went through a time of great healing.  He began speaking about the experiences of his past and God's grace and the transformational work of forgiveness in his life.  He now speaks about his story through his ministry, Forgiving The Nightmare.   When he isn't serving his congregation and his community through ministry, teaching, and support, you can find him on all the trails and lakes in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Upstate New York, spending time with his family. Hosted By: Dr. Michelle Bengtson Audio Technical Support: Bryce Bengtson

Pastor and author Mark Sowersby speaks with The Testament Podcast via Skype from Massachusetts. His testimony of Jesus finding and saving him after a rough childhood that seemed to have a hopeless future is nothing short of a miracle from the Lord. The Lord has been using him and continues to use him to share the good news of the salvation of the Lord. Don't miss this episode and when you get a chance, check out his book, Forgiving The Nightmare! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thetestament/support

Guest speaker, Pastor and author Mark Sowersby

Peak Performance Master Coach Kim Yeater speaks with MARK SOWERSBY, Survivor, Pastor & Author of the book, “Forgiving The Nightmare” and CASPAR MCCLOUD, Author, Artist, Equestrian, Minister & “The Next Jimmy Hendrix”-Atlantic Records, Caspar debuts his new album, “Walking In Authority.”This powerhouse guest lineup brings hope, inspiration, joy and help to walk in authority by forgiving the nightmare!!!LISTEN IN LIVE SATURDAY 11AM PST 96.1FM NORTH COUTNY, 1170 AM SAN DIEGO or VIA STREAMING at: https://theanswersandiego.com/radioshow/take-your-power-back   See all past shows on Rumble: https://rumble.com/v1jtcmd-exposing-the-voting-fraud-and-taking-your-power-back.htmlListen In on all Podcast Platforms:  https://www.buzzsprout.com/1134812/11304518The Take Your Power Back Show with Peak Performance Breakthrough Coach Kim Yeater is an empowering program that will encourage you to step into your power and take action in your leadership and allow your voice to be heard. Every week we will highlight freedom-loving Americans who are making a positive impact in the world by standing in truth amid adversity. Learn how to Take Your Power Back in your Freedom, In your personal & professional life, in utilizing technology & creativity, and in your Faith. Be inspired, Be encouraged, Be transformed! Together, Let's Take Your Power Back! BE A SPONSOR,SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS,HELP US HELP YOU!!!!GO TO: https://TAKEYOURPOWERBACKSHOW.COM MY PILLOWAre you tired of NOT getting a good night's sleep? Then Tap in to Patriot Mike Lindell's' Complete Mattress Sleep System!!! SAVE 66% on ALL MY Pillow products!!! Go to: https://MyPillow.com/KIM PROMO CODE: KIM and get your Complete mattress sleep system today! UNLOCK YOUR LIFEAre you a business owners, entrepreneurs or leaders who is feeling frustrated and stuck because you are not performing at the level that they know that they are capable of?Then Go to: https://UnlockYourLifeCoach.com and set a time with Coach Kim for a Strategy Session to Unlock Your Life!!!https://youtu.be/-G_85j9i94Q PEAK PERFORMANCE PATRIOT SHOPPING CLUBIf you're tired of shopping at the big Box Retailers that have no interest in your wellness, and you want to shore up your immune system and finances then make the switch to a Patriot manufacturer where products are made here in America with the best of science and nature. These products are better, safer, less expensive and SAVE 30- 50% every time you shop! Go to: https://PeakPerformancePatriotShoppingClub.com for your virtual tour today! PUBLIC SQUARE: If you are looking for the largest directory of freedom-loving businesses the nation has ever seen PublicSq is the first app to connect to freedom-loving Americans within a local community with the businesses that share your values. Go to: https://TakeYourPowerBackShow.com to download the PublicSq. app today and join other freedom loving patriots who share your values!https://publicsq.typeform.com/PSQFree#source=KimYeater259 SAN DIEGO BAY ADVENTURESSan Diego Bay Adventures is your place for fun! Jet ski rentals, kayaks & paddle boards. Located on the Big San Diego Bay.Arrive as a guest and leave as family!!! https://SanDiegoBayAdventures.com El Gringo Hot Sauce- San Diego's best Hot Sauce Fruit infused slow roasted hot sauce!!! Blackberry Jalapeño, Pineapple Habanero, and Mama's blend!!! Treat your taste buds today and order yours today at: https://ElGringoHotSauce.com

In 2019 Pastor Mark Sowersby went through a time of great healing. He began speaking about the experiences of his past abuse and God's grace and the transformational work of forgiveness in his life. He now speaks about his story through his ministry, Forgiving The Nightmare. When he isn't serving his congregation and his community through ministry, teaching, and support, you can find him on all the trails and lakes in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Upstate New York, spending time with his family. Listen Live on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 8 AM CST on 99.1 FM WOMI Owensboro 1490 AM. Keep reading...

In this episode of The On My Mind Podcast with RemyKeene, I have a fantastic conversation and interview with Pastor Mark Sowersby. He shares about overcoming Trauma from his childhood and the key to living with that hurt. His testimony is powerful and I hope it inspires you in some way, no matter the trauma that you've gone through you will be able to pull essential nuggets from the encouraging words in this conversation. The episode is a bit longer than our normal style but I encourage you to listen to the entire thing. You can find more from Mark Sowersby here: www.forgivingthenightmare.com Get the Book Forgiving The Nightmare: HERE LinkedIn: HERE Facebook: HERE Meet the Guest: Pastor. Husband. Father. Reverend Mark Sowersby has been married to his wonderful wife Jennifer for 18 years and is the father of four children. Mark has been an ordained minister with Assembly of God for over 25 years and is currently the Pastor of Calvary Community Church in Dudley, MA. Pastor Mark holds a BA in theology from Zion Bible College/Northpoint Bible College. In 2019 Pastor Mark went through a time of great healing. He began speaking about the experiences of his past and God's grace and the transformational work of forgiveness in his life. He now speaks about his story through his ministry, Forgiving The Nightmare. When he isn't serving his congregation and his community through ministry, teaching, and support, you can find him on all the trails and lakes in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Upstate New York, spending time with his family. Support The On My Mind Podcast Share this Episode with a Friend. Visit our website: https://theonmymindpodcast.com/ Podcast on Anchor: https://anchor.fm/theonmymindpodcast You can follow on social media at the following links: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OnMyMindPods TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theonmymindpodcast?lang=en Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn-0QR9Pa7UkQ7oyiWsu38w Please feel no obligation. You can support the podcast financially by clicking on the support button at the top of the page on this link through Anchor our podcast host. It is very appreciated if you do: https://anchor.fm/theonmymindpodcast ----------------------------- This show is produced, edited, and hosted by @RemyKeene Special Thanks to StreamBeats by HarrisHeller Song: Rocktune by Audionautix --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theonmymindpodcast/support

Pastor. Husband. Father. FriendReverend Mark Sowersby has been married to his wonderful wife Jennifer for 18 years and is the father of four children.  Mark has been an ordained minister with Assembly of God for over 25 years and is currently the Pastor of Calvary Community Church in Dudley, MA.  Pastor Mark holds a BA in theology from Zion Bible College/Northpoint Bible College.  In 2019 Pastor Mark went through a time of great healing.  He began speaking about the experiences of his past and God's grace and the transformational work of forgiveness in his life.  He now speaks about his story through his ministry and book Forgiving The Nightmare.  When he isn't serving his congregation and his community through ministry, teaching, and support, you can find him on all the trails and lakes in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Upstate New York, spending time with his familyhttps://forgivingthenightmare.com/?fbclid=IwAR0ai3IXbRQcnoINAsX_TQcccWoRHzCksJmSEgFv3eKXc8IoDuo3oGHm-tc

Forgiving the Nightmare  Mark Sowersby pt 2 https://amzn.to/3yTDIGT ()Forgiveness.  That's something all Christians are called to do, right? Sometimes, it is easier to say rather than do though. But for some, life is not all sunshine and roses. It's a nightmare. One that they cannot wake up from. One that drags them further and further into a deepening pit that they cannot seem to climb out of. Our guest today lived that nightmare… Suffering from physical, emotional and sexual abuse from the age of 7 until 14, in ways that most people cannot even imagine, Mark Sowersby emerged hurt, broken, resentful, rebellious and, well, the list goes on and on. Then, one day, someone asked him to go to church. He heard the message of salvation and a seed was planted. Forgiveness did not pop up like Jonah's gourd. No, it took time. Matthew tells us we need to forgive… But sometimes, there are time gaps between knowing what to do and actually doing it. Pastor Mark Sowersby is the author of a great book detailing his journey. It's titled, “https://amzn.to/3yTDIGT (Forgiving the Nightmare.”) Mark is also the lead pastor at Calvary Community Church in Dudley, MA. He is here today to discuss his book and to share his story in the hope of touching someone somewhere with that same kind of seed. The seed of forgiveness. This is the conclusion of a great, two part interview with Pastor Mark... In your book, https://amzn.to/3yTDIGT (“Forgiving the Nightmare,”) you talk about the “journey” that you are on. Can you share with us about, what you call, “forgiving at different levels?” Are there still times when something happens that brings those nightmares back and you must forgive again? Do you still have a relationship with your mother? Your personal ministry is also titled, https://amzn.to/3yTDIGT (“Forgiving the Nightmare.”) Every person has their own kind of “nightmare” which they are living with. Something that the devil has used to try and keep us in some sort of bondage and not serving the Lord the way we would like to. How do you help those like that to overcome their nightmares? Pastor, this has all been so interesting. How can someone order your book, https://amzn.to/3yTDIGT (“Forgiving the Nightmare?”) Is it available on Amazon? If someone wanted to get in touch with you, to ask a question or possibly do an interview such as this, how can they do that? How can someone get in touch with you? I'll put links to all this down in the show notes below… Folks, not everyone has gone through life carrying the burden Pastor Mark has had to carry. But each one of us has had to carry something. Jesus is big enough to handle it. Jesus can remove those burdens and help you to forgive. Forgive those who have hurt you and even to forgive yourself. If you prayed that prayer with Pastor Mark, reach out to him today, right now!  Let him know that you prayed with him. Amen! Be sure to order his book, https://amzn.to/3yTDIGT (“Forgiving the Nightmare.”) The links to get in touch with Pastor Mark and to order his book are below. Click them right now – while you are thinking about it!   CONTACT INFORMATION: https://amzn.to/3yTDIGT ()   Email:   Mark@forgivingthenightmare.com Website:   https://forgivingthenightmare.com/ (https://forgivingthenightmare.com) Book:  https://amzn.to/3yTDIGT (“Forgiving the Nightmare”) – on Amazon

Forgiving the Nightmare  Mark Sowersby pt 1 https://amzn.to/3yTDIGT ()Forgiveness.  That's something all Christians are called to do, right? Sometimes, it is easier to say rather than do though.  Don't shout me down when I'm preaching good!  You know what I'm talking about! But for some, life is not all sunshine and roses. It's a nightmare. One that they cannot wake up from. One that drags them further and further into a deepening pit that they cannot seem to climb out of. Our guest today lived that nightmare… Suffering from physical, emotional and sexual abuse from the age of 7 until 14, in ways that most people cannot even imagine, Mark Sowersby emerged hurt, broken, resentful, rebellious and, well, the list goes on and on. Then, one day, someone asked him to go to church. He heard the message of salvation and a seed was planted. Forgiveness did not pop up like Jonah's gourd. No, it took time. Matthew tells us we need to forgive… But sometimes, there are time gaps between knowing what to do and actually doing it. Pastor Mark Sowersby is the author of a great book detailing his journey. It's titled, “https://amzn.to/3yTDIGT (Forgiving the Nightmare.”) Mark is also the lead pastor at Calvary Community Church in Dudley, MA. He is here today to discuss his book and to share his story in the hope of touching someone somewhere with that same kind of seed. The seed of forgiveness. Help me welcome to the program, Pastor Mark Sowersby. Pastor, thank you for taking the time to join us today! First question, other than that brief information I just shared, can you tell us in your own words, “Who is Mark Sowersby?” Your father was absent during your upbringing and you were raised by your mother. But that does not sound like it was a nurturing relationship either. Share with us just a little of what growing up in this environment was like? Did your mother know what was happening? Did any teachers or anyone in authority ever question what was going on? Did you have any friends you confided in? You said it stopped about age 14.  How did your uncle provided the support you needed? How did you come to meet the Lord? How did you receive your calling into the ministry? Surely, the enemy tried to dissuade you from answering that calling, right? You're familiar with the story of Jacob wrestling with the angel who touched his hip and gave him a new name. The Bible says, basically, he walked with a limp the rest of his life, that's the way I see it.  But it was a continual reminder that his past was past and he now had a new name, Israel. He could never forget that the “old Jacob” was different from the man named “Israel.”  Do you see yourself relating to Jacob in that matter? Why did you write your book, https://amzn.to/3yTDIGT (“Forgiving the Nightmare”) at this point in your life? Folks, not everyone has gone through life carrying the burden Pastor Mark has had to carry. But each one of us has had to carry something. Jesus is big enough to handle it. Jesus can remove those burdens and help you to forgive. Forgive those who have hurt you and even to forgive yourself. Be sure to order his book, https://amzn.to/3yTDIGT (“Forgiving the Nightmare.”) The links to get in touch with Pastor Mark and to order his book are below. Click them right now – while you are thinking about it!   CONTACT INFORMATION: https://amzn.to/3yTDIGT ()   Email:   Mark@forgivingthenightmare.com Website:   https://forgivingthenightmare.com/ (https://forgivingthenightmare.com) Book:  https://amzn.to/3yTDIGT (“Forgiving the Nightmare”) – on Amazon

Todays Guest is Mark Sowersby and not only is he about one of the nicest guys you'll meet but, he's been a victim of abuse and survived and wrote a book on how to forgive and live! His book, Forgiving The Nightmare talks about his story and overcoming the abuse and learning to live by giving forgiveness. Mark is also a Pastor and has a great gift and we are excited to speak with him and you!We also have our Random 9 List and other fun.And of course we couldn't do this as well with out @PJsCoffee of New Orleans and our latest SELLOUT to @Spreaker Prime and @iHeart Radio!!!!

Today, Mark Sowersby joins Janell on the podcast. Mark shares about his experience of being abused as a child, how his identity was impacted by the abuse, and how he dealt with it. He shares how he came to faith at 16 years old, meeting his biological father at 45 years old and much more.Mark and Janell chat about what it means to forgive, dealing with the desire for justice, overcoming darkness on a practical level, dealing with dry seasons of faith, and more! We hope this episode is an encouragement to you!About MarkIn 2019 Pastor Mark went through a time of great healing. He began speaking about the nightmare of abuse and years of suffering he experienced in his childhood. And how condemnation, shame, and guilt were replaced with forgiveness, joy, and life in abundance.He now speaks about his story and his testimony of healing, forgiveness and freedom through his ministry, Forgiving The Nightmare. ___________________We would love to thank our Patrons for all their amazing support! To learn more about supporting Finding Something REAL via Patreon, click here!FSR s5e22 with LekeFSR s5e23 with MabelForgivingTheNightmare.comForgiving the Nightmare - Mark SowersbyMark's InstagramBleeding Daylight Episode with Mark SowersbyThe Footprints PoemJohn 15

Mark Sowersby speaks abut healing, forgiveness and shares his life story which is the heartbeat of his book 'Forgiving the Nightmare'. A challenging and liberating discussion - listen now. Help keep this podcast on the web by simply buying me a coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/mattmcchlery Advertise on this podcast https://www.mattmcchlery.com/product-category/podcast-advertising/  Visit Mark Sowersby's website forgivingthenightmare.com Visit Matt McChlery's website mattmcchlery.com

Mark Sowersby is Pastor of Calvary Community Church in Dudley, Massachusetts. Meet Mark Sowersby.  Speaker. Writer. Pastor. In 2019 Pastor Mark went through a time of great healing. He began speaking about the nightmare of abuse and years of suffering he experienced in his childhood. And how condemnation, shame, and guilt were replaced with forgiveness, joy, and life in abundance.   He now speaks about his story and his testimony of healing, forgiveness, and freedom through his ministry, Forgiving The Nightmare.    "It's far more than just forgiving the abuse. It's walking in forgiveness. It's walking in joy. It's not allowing the things of the past to have control over the things of the future." Forgiving The Nightmare     Forging The Nightmare Website: https://forgivingthenightmare.com/about/ (https://forgivingthenightmare.com/about/)   Mark's email:  mark@forgivingthenightmare.com   To Book Mark as a Speaker:  https://forgivingthenightmare.com/contact/ (https://forgivingthenightmare.com/contact/)   Follow on Instagram:  @forgiving_the_nightmare_

Reverend Mark Sowersby is a husband, father, and an ordained pastor. Mark has been an ordained minister with Assemblies of God for over 25 years and is currently the Pastor of Calvary Community Church in Dudley, MA. Pastor Mark holds a BA in theology from Zion Bible College/Northpoint Bible College. It's a miracle and a work only God can do that brought him into and sustained him in ministry. In this conversation, learn about the story behind his book, Forgiving the Nightmare, and how God is working in and through Mark both in spite of and because of his story. Connect with our guest at forgivingthenightmare.com. Please welcome Pastor Mark Sowersby! Connect with Mark: www.forgivingthenightmare.com www.facebook.com/forgivingthenightmare / @ forgivingthenightmare www.instagram.com/forgiving_the_nightmare_ www.youtube.com/channel/UCKS97tXY8cSiQLfRXXBCMXw/ #OGHG #testimony #forgive #forgiveness #faith #healing #redemption #BloodoftheLamb

Pastor Mark Sowersby is an ordained pastor in the Assemblies of God, serving as lead pastor at Calvary Community Church in Dudley, MA. He's served in ministry for over two decades, but his journey to healing has taken over 50. Hear his powerful story and testimony of grace, forgiveness, and the power of God to heal. Connect with Mark at forgivingthenightmare.com.

       Slam the Gavel welcomes Reverend Mark Sowersby. He is a Pastor, Author, Husband and father. Pastor Sowersby has been married to his wonderful wife Jennifer for 18 years and is the father of four children.  Mark has been an ordained minister with Assembly of God for over 25 years and is currently the Pastor of Calvary Community Church in Dudley, MA.  Pastor Mark holds a BA in theology from Zion Bible College/Northpoint Bible College.       In 2019 Pastor Mark went through a time of great healing.  He began speaking about the experiences of his past and God's grace and the transformational work of forgiveness in his life.  He now speaks about his story through his ministry through his book, Forgiving The Nightmare. His  book has been recently endorsed by Mark Batterson, author of The Circle Maker.     Excellent discussion on forgiveness and how in forgiveness there is justice and peace.     When he isn't serving his congregation and his community through ministry, teaching, and support, you can find him on all the trails and lakes in State of Maine New Hampshire and  Upstate New York, spending time with his family.   To reach Pastor Mark Sowersby: mark@forgivingthenightmare.com and can be found on Forgiving the Nightmare onFacebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. https://youtu.be/W07oCKAOibkSupport the show(https://www.buymeacoffee.com/maryannpetri)http://beentheregotout.com/https://monicaszymonik.mykajabi.com/Masterclass  USE CODE SLAM THE GAVEL PODCAST FOR 10% OFF THE COURSEhttp://www.dismantlingfamilycourtcorruption.com/Music by: mictechmusic@yahoo.comSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/maryannpetri)

Slam the Gavel welcomes Reverend Mark Sowersby. He is a Pastor, Author, Husband and father. Pastor Sowersby has been married to his wonderful wife Jennifer for 18 years and is the father of four children. Mark has been an ordained minister with Assembly of God for over 25 years and is currently the Pastor of Calvary Community Church in Dudley, MA. Pastor Mark holds a BA in theology from Zion Bible College/Northpoint Bible College. In 2019 Pastor Mark went through a time of great healing. He began speaking about the experiences of his past and God's grace and the transformational work of forgiveness in his life. He now speaks about his story through his ministry through his book, Forgiving The Nightmare. His book has been recently endorsed by Mark Batterson, author of The Circle Maker. Excellent discussion on forgiveness and how in forgiveness there is justice and peace. When he isn't serving his congregation and his community through ministry, teaching, and support, you can find him on all the trails and lakes in State of Maine New Hampshire and Upstate New York, spending time with his family. To reach Pastor Mark Sowersby: mark@forgivingthenightmare.com and can be found on Forgiving the Nightmare onFacebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. https://youtu.be/W07oCKAOibk Support the show(https://www.buymeacoffee.com/maryannpetri) http://beentheregotout.com/ https://monicaszymonik.mykajabi.com/Masterclass USE CODE SLAM THE GAVEL PODCAST FOR 10% OFF THE COURSE http://www.dismantlingfamilycourtcorruption.com/ Music by: mictechmusic@yahoo.com

Mark Sowersby's story is a story of how God's abounding grace transformed his life, setting him free from a nightmare of years of childhood abuse, neglect, and suffering. Over time, condemnation, shame, and guilt were replaced with forgiveness, joy, and life in abundance. Don't miss the powerful testimony of healing, forgiveness, and freedom. Find his book, "Forgiving the Nightmare", on Amazon. https://www.hopealongthejourney.org/ https://www.facebook.com/HopeAlongTheJourney https://www.forgivingthenightmare.com/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/mark-cravens7/support

Today's special podcast deals with unforgiveness and the power we can have over it. Mark Sowersby shares his testimony of abuse in his childhood and how he found victory over unforgiveness through the power of Christ. Join David Novak as he welcomes this special guest.

WARNING MATURE CONTENT How do you forgive when you've been wounded deeply? How do you move past the pain that keeps you up at night, and leaves you isolated, untrusting, and afraid? How can you possibly forgive them, especially when they don't deserve forgiveness? My guest this week is Mark Sowersby. Mark, shares his heart with me about walking through the pain and torment of being sexually abused and molested for seven years. Join me as I walk in Mark's work boots. •To learn more about Mark click below.https://www.forgivingthenightmare.com/ •Remember when you walk in Other People's Shoes you get a different perspective!•Other People's Shoes would love your financial gift to help support the show click here•Have questions or want to give feedback call or text: 203-548-SHOE•If you enjoy the show consider subscribing on your favorite podcast platforms, so you don't miss an episode. We would also love it if you could leave us a review click here!•To hear other episodes go to:www.opspodcast.com•Social Media:**Facebook: Instagram: Twitter: ** @opspodcashow

God’s Dictionary with Mark Sowersby // E04S09 Living hope, living salvation, the living word. His word. Through it God shows us His great love for us and through this love leads us to obedience. Step by step he guides, even in the “valley of the shadow of death.” Today, author and Pastor, Mark Sowersby, joins...

Reverend Mark Sowersby has been married to his wonderful wife Jennifer for 17 years and is the father of four children. Mark has been an ordained minister with Assembly of God for over 25 years and is currently the Pastor of Calvary Community Church in Dudley, MA. Pastor Mark holds a BA in theology from Zion Bible College/Northpoint Bible College.   In 2019, Pastor Mark went through a time of great healing. He began speaking about the experiences of his past and God's grace and the transformational work of forgiveness in his life. He now speaks about his story through his ministry and book, Forgiving The Nightmare.   Reverend Mark shares his story of grief, a difficult one since he needed to heal, forgive, and grieve. Reverend Mark encourages everyone to be compassionate with their grief journey and remember that each individual grieves in a unique way.   Key Takeaways: Reverend Mark shares his grief story. Reverend Mark talks about the loss of her mother. What do you really lose when a loved one passes away? You can understand and forgive the ones who passed. Accept your loved one for who they were in order to heal and free yourself from pain. Grief is a part of being human, but don't let it become your identity. No one can tell you how to grieve. Faith is super important in your grief journey. Welcome anyone that offers to pray for you! Two totally conflicted emotions can coexist: Hope and despair, love and hate, can all live in the same space. Reverend Mark talks about what motivated him to write his book Forgiving the Nightmare. No one can live a perfect life, but we can live a forgiving life and one with purpose. The honest answer to the question “How are you?” often is “I don't know.” Grief is truel there is no right way of grieving but your own.   Resources Tendrilsofgrief.com Email Susan: susan@tendrilsofgrief.com   Meet Reverend Mark Sowersby Visit Reverend Mark's website Forgiving The Nightmare Forgiving the Nightmare, Mark Sowersby

Amber has a conversation with Mark Sowersby about being victims of childhood sexual abuse, ways they were impacted & how to choose to forgive. Check out Mark's book on his website www.forgivingthenightmare.com --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/keepingitrealwithamber/support

DO YOU know someone who NEEDS TO LEARN how to forgive? - DO YOU know someone who NEEDS healing and redemption from the effects of abuse? - THEN THIS CONVERSATION IS A MUST. - In this interview, Pastor Mark Sowersby shares the amazing journey that led him to a church that loved him towards a relationship with Jesus Christ. Little did that church youth group know, that this 16-year-old had spent more than half his life being beaten, raped, burned, and sold as a sex slave BY his stepfather. - YOU JUST NEVER KNOW what people are going through...THIS STORY PROVES THAT THE LOVE OF JESUS can save anyone!

Today we travel to Massachusetts to chat with husband, father, pastor, and now published author, Mark Sowersby. Mark shares of his horrific childhood and his journey to forgive his offenders, If you are a person today who is struggling with forgiveness, take a listen to Mark's story and check out his newly published book, Forgiving the Nightmare. Website: https://www.forgivingthenightmare.com/ Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Forgiving-Nightmare-Mark-Sowersby/dp/1951475186/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3C886EAFRYUJN&keywords=forgiving+the+nightmare&qid=1646081915&sprefix=forgiving+the+nightmare%2Caps%2C134&sr=8-1 Twitter: @sowersbymark Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/forgivingthenightmare

Today we travel to Massachusetts to chat with husband, father, pastor, and now published author, Mark Sowersby. Mark shares of his horrific childhood and his journey to forgive his offenders, If you are a person today who is struggling with forgiveness, take a listen to Mark's story and check out his newly published book, Forgiving the Nightmare. Website: https://www.forgivingthenightmare.com/ Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Forgiving-Nightmare-Mark-Sowersby/dp/1951475186/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3C886EAFRYUJN&keywords=forgiving+the+nightmare&qid=1646081915&sprefix=forgiving+the+nightmare%2Caps%2C134&sr=8-1 Twitter: @sowersbymark Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/forgivingthenightmare

Mark Sowersby shares about forgiveness and his personal testimony of overcoming years of child abuse, real steps he took through the grace of God. He is passionate about God's Word and seeing people overcome their hurts and wounds. He believes the value he brings is sharing the Gospel.  Check out his book "Forgiving the Nightmare" and Website: https://www.forgivingthenightmare.com  You can also find Forgiving the Nightmare on Facebook and Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Forgiving-Nightmare-Mark-Sowersby/dp/1951475186/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=forgiving+the+nightmare&qid=1638887043&sr=8-2Valuable Voices Podcast with MirandaAdding value to the world with amazing people who have made an impact on my life and others that I can't help but share with you!Apply to be interviewed here - https://linktr.ee/mkward7878Check us out on:Youtube - https://youtu.be/gbpxpRT64TgApple - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/valuable-voices-podcast-with-miranda-ward/id1529343260

Mark Sowersby is my guest for episode 54 of The Courage, Coaching and Counseling Podcast. In this episode, we talk about his book, Forgiving the Nightmare Book, on forgiveness and healing from childhood neglect & abuse. Mark Sowersby has been married to his wonderful wife Jennifer for 18 years and is the father of four children. Mark has been an ordained minister with the Assembly of God for over 25 years and is currently the Pastor of Calvary Community Church in Dudley, Massachusetts. Mark holds a BA in theology from Zion Bible College/Northpoint Bible College. Website: https://www.forgivingthenightmare.com/ Order Forgiving The Nightmare Book here: https://www.amazon.com/Forgiving-Nightmare-Mark-Sowersby/dp/1951475186 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/forgivingthenightmare Mark and I met through the Christian Podcasters Association Facebook group. https://www.facebook.com/groups/804999833009547 The Courage, Coaching and Counseling Podcast launched March 30th, 2021. I write more about marriage and parenting on my blog www.SovannPen.com You can get a copy of "Bridging The Gap Between Where You Are and Where You Want To Be" by subscribing to my website. http://www.sovannpen.com/welcome-to-my-website/ You can watch the show on my Youtube channel. You can watch this episode here: https://youtu.be/DE3JtzeHRxk The purpose of the show is to encourage and inspire you to be more courageous in life and to bridge the gap between where you are and where you want to be. It is for those who may be struggling with mental illness, relationship struggles, or seeking clarity and direction in life. People who are interested in personal growth, emotional and spiritual health. Moms and Dads who would like help with their marriage and/or parenting. And people who are interested in how church leaders and mental health providers can work together to care for people. You can connect with me: htps://www.instagram.com/sovannpencounseling https://www.facebook.com/CourageCoachingCounseling https://twitter.com/SovannPen http://www.sovannpen.com/

Pastor and the Author of Forgiving the Nightmare Mark Sowersby joins this episode and talks about: The 3 things he's always known and been reminded. The ways people celebrate, forms of celebration, seasons of celebration and how it impacts people.  The different expressions of life.  Having Dyslexia and writing a book. The moment God put on his heart to write a book and the person who gave him the title.  The encouragement he got to go to Bible college and the woman there who changed his life. Leading by serving.  The nightmare and the scars of his child abuse.  Coming across "religious" people who told him not to tell his story.  Wanting to feel a certain way about his abuse and abuser and feeling another.  The day the abuse stopped and the person who became his defender.  The right time in his life to meet his Biological father. What he felt after becoming a father and trusting the Lord through it.  Connect with Mark on Facebook; the Facebook group Forgiving the Nightmare and www.forgivingthenightmare.com Watch this episode on The Intentional Encourager Podcast YouTube Channel: https://youtu.be/5sPhyAQPOTY

097 – What happens when you forgive someone?For Mark Sowersby, forgiveness brings freedom.Mark is a Pentecostal preacher and shares a powerful testimony of forgiveness in this week's episode. As a child, he was abused sexually. But freedom did not come when the abuse stopped after seven years. It took decades for Mark to find true freedom and it only came as he was able to forgive his abusers.At one point Mark thought he could just forgive his abusers and it would all be over. But he has realized that forgiveness is a journey. All too often, Christians want to forgive someone because they know they're supposed to, and they say the words, but don't really deal with the deep levels of forgiveness required.We have to be willing to take this journey and trust in God's help along the way. We can't forgive someone all by ourselves. It's only with God's love and forgiveness that we can forgive others.Two things propelled Mark on this journey of forgiveness:  He was sick and tired of being sick and tired. He had hit rock bottom.  His mother passed on, which stirred a lot of emotions and feelings and caused a lot of self-reflection and praying. It caused him to turn to Christ.Mark says there are a lot of people who are hurting because of what has been done to them and they haven't been able to forgive. They don't want to go through the process because they think it's too hard or they don't want to forgive.Here are some of the points Mark makes about forgivenessDon't make excuses for going on the journey of forgivenessIt's important to find individuals and communities of people who you feel safe with that you can talk to about your feelings Forgiveness needs to start in your prayer closet. You have to be honest with God. Ask God where to start, who to talk toTo get out of the victim mentality we need to be sober about what happened to us. You can't pretend those things didn't happen. For him, God's Word, God's love, God's grace, God's voice, became louder than the voices from the past. Don't use your victimhood as a bubble to live in to protect you from having to deal with facing uncomfortable issues of the pastLetting go of identifying as a victim can be scary but it forces you to accept personal responsibility for your own actions.  When you forgive someone, they no longer have any power over you. It's not allowing them to have real estate in your mind any more. That's where the freedom comes.True forgiveness begins with getting to know God better. It's about surrendering to GodYou can't bury the hurt feelings. They have to come to the surface to be healed.James Early is a Bible teacher, speaker, and podcaster and conducts Bible workshops online and in person. His focus is on getting back to the original Christianity of Jesus by embracing the mindset of Christ in daily life. Contact him here.To register for the 10 week class, The New Testament Angels Still Speak to Us Today, go to Angel ClassSupport the show

Church Hurts And is a listener-supported podcast. Go to ChurchHurtsAnd.org to click on the DONATE button and become part of our support team. Have you ever had something happen to you which has haunted you for your entire life?  Forgiving the Nightmare with Mark Sowersby “I really don't like Bob. He's rather arrogant and aloof I think.” “Oh, he's not that bad if you get to know him.” “Well, who would want to get to him? He's a jerk.” “Well, he's been through a lot in life. Give him a break.” Who among us has not had a conversation like this? I heard it so often when I was younger I got sick of it, but it got me thinking. What is it about people who manifest unattractive relational skills which drive people away, but whom underneath can be really nice people? And since I don't have the time to get to know everybody, what should I learn about how I should behave? Now that could be a book, but let me jump to the conclusion. Every person you meet has a story. Part of that story will probably include some very vulnerable life-changing events or relationships which made an indelible imprint upon them. I am not talking about the kind of things that come up in a two-minute cocktail party introduction. “Hi. My name is John and I had an evil stepmother who defined my childhood. How are you?” That isn't how it works, is it? But then there are those rare moments, those times in life when another opens up to you in a moment of vulnerability. They wouldn't be doing this if a certain amount of trust hadn't already been built. And then it comes. You hear a bit of their nightmare. Everything changes. They wonder if you will run away, ask more questions, or be frozen by the reality of it all. Today we have someone with a real nightmare and the courage to bring it into the light. He's even discovered some life principles which others have used to get them through their own nightmares. Let's welcome Pastor Mark Sowersby to Church Hurts And. For more about Mark: https://www.forgivingthenightmare.com John Bash is a shepherd with Standing Stone, a ministry that ministers to ministers, a need as important in this time as any in our lifetime. Consider joining this support team at www.churchhurtsand.org.

Church Hurts And is a listener-supported podcast. Go to ChurchHurtsAnd.org to click on the DONATE button and become part of our support team. Have you ever had something happen to you which has haunted you for your entire life?  Forgiving the Nightmare with Mark Sowersby “I really don't like Bob. He's rather arrogant and aloof I think.” “Oh, he's not that bad if you get to know him.” “Well, who would want to get to him? He's a jerk.” “Well, he's been through a lot in life. Give him a break.” Who among us has not had a conversation like this? I heard it so often when I was younger I got sick of it, but it got me thinking. What is it about people who manifest unattractive relational skills which drive people away, but whom underneath can be really nice people? And since I don't have the time to get to know everybody, what should I learn about how I should behave? Now that could be a book, but let me jump to the conclusion. Every person you meet has a story. Part of that story will probably include some very vulnerable life-changing events or relationships which made an indelible imprint upon them. I am not talking about the kind of things that come up in a two-minute cocktail party introduction. “Hi. My name is John and I had an evil stepmother who defined my childhood. How are you?” That isn't how it works, is it? But then there are those rare moments, those times in life when another opens up to you in a moment of vulnerability. They wouldn't be doing this if a certain amount of trust hadn't already been built. And then it comes. You hear a bit of their nightmare. Everything changes. They wonder if you will run away, ask more questions, or be frozen by the reality of it all. Today we have someone with a real nightmare and the courage to bring it into the light. He's even discovered some life principles which others have used to get them through their own nightmares. Let's welcome Pastor Mark Sowersby to Church Hurts And. For more about Mark: https://www.forgivingthenightmare.com John Bash is a shepherd with Standing Stone, a ministry that ministers to ministers, a need as important in this time as any in our lifetime. Consider joining this support team at www.churchhurtsand.org.

I had an awesome time interviewing Mark and listening about his childhood and the things he's endured.  This is definitely worth your time to listen.  Stay rooted!

Pastor Mark Sowersby shares his amazing testimony to help those who have experienced hurt, abuse, and pain to find freedom and peace through God's love and the many facets of forgiveness. His remarkable journey was one where he finally was able to truly feel the love of God, by Forgiving the Nightmare. For all those who have struggled with forgiveness, this podcast will especially meaningful. Connect with us at: https://www.hopealongthejourney.org/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/mark-cravens7/support

Being with family should be the safest place in the world. For many, tragically, it isn't. Mark Sowersby survived childhood sexual abuse by someone he should have been able to trust. I've chatted before with Mark and the first thing I noticed about him was that he just radiates joy. I've asked him to share his incredibly compelling story with us, and to also talk a bit about some related issues from this week's book. The author of “Murder By Family”, Kent Whitaker, is a victim himself. We usually hear about parents who are the abusers, but in this case it was the child abusing the parents' trust in him, which eventually led to murder. What would you do if you found out that a family member wore a mask that made it seem like everything was alright, then you found out that behind the mask was someone committing horrifically evil acts? Both Mark and Kent had a choice to make. They knew God would give them the strength to forgive if they wanted it. But did they really want it? Check out these links for great resources related to today's episode: Learn more about the My Stuff Bags Foundation Advice on how to forgive an abuser Buy "Murder By Family" Mark's website Join my email list - scroll to the bottom of the homepage!