I am Belinda Perez McDanel. Pastor turned writer. I write about trauma and healing, especially as it pertains to Pastors. I have a Psychology degree, a seminary degree and I am a Certified Life Coach. Welcome.
So my litmus tests would look more like
· Humble servanthood
· Humble peace and joy
· Humble inner life
· Humble reverence for scriptures
· Humble thirst for God’s presence
· Humble awe at the movements and miracles of God
· Humble stories about experiences with the Divine … More I Want Jesus, Not Religion
…and a fresh perspective on healing. — Read on iamsteveaustin.substack.com/p/problem-with-miracles Thank you Steve for these insights about adversity. Please check out Steve Austin’s blog. So good.
Feeling overwhelmed? Hint: The busier you are, the MORE you need some commitment-free time. How to Stop Feeling So Overwhelmed. (This is a repost from the awesome Steve Austin.)
I’ve been silent on my blog for a few months because I struggle to be honest with myself. I struggle to admit that I’m feeling sick. Because I’m fine. Really I’m fine. I struggle to confess that I’m hurting because. I’m fine. Really. I’ll be fine. I struggle to enter into my grief because I’m … More Transparency is not my strength
The most fascinating part of writing my memoir is seeing how much God loved me through all the adversity. Here I thought God wouldn’t love a person like me. How wonderful to discover I was wrong. … More Memoir Book Trailer
How would you like to navigate adversity and come out stronger on the other side? … More Explore how to come out stronger on the other side of adversity
Have Christians taken the Bible too far? That is, is the Bible above Jesus? If so, let’s put it in its rightful place. The word of God is servant not master.
Jesus is master.
Jesus is Lord.
Jesus holds all authority.
Why do these three statement sound radical? They’re not radical statements. It’s normal Christianity. … More When the Authority of the Bible Goes Too Far (re-post)
Change can happen fast, compared to transition which can take months or years. Transition is hard because it is painful and internal. … More It’s not the Change that gets you – It’s the Transition
This site is designed to help you: let go of old thinking that holds you back and embrace new thinking. If you are like most people, you don’t like change. But the world is changing at lightning speed and the Christian church is adapting at a snail’s pace. The Christian church wants to bring transformation … More Fear and Change
Sometimes we preach a distorted Gospel that has no resemblance to the good news that heals the broken hearted and sets the captive free. Here is a satirical piece about Christian mindset of fighting. … More Change Old Mindsets – Part 2 Christian Identity, Role and Destiny
Christians, you come across as mean-spirited. Here are two things to do to make sure that doesn’t happen with you. … More Change Old Mindsets – Part 1 (Re-blog)
Harriet Beecher Stowe started by connecting to the broken heart of mothers who were separated from their children due to slavery. … More Harriet Beecher Stowe: Courage to go Against the Grain
I love that Joni is open about her inner world. She doesn’t hide that she was mad at God and even wanted to kill herself at one point. But how do you kill yourself if your arms and legs don’t work? … More Joni Eareckson Tada: A Resilient Story
Ever get that dreaded phone call? The one that makes your stomach drop. The one that says something major is changing in your life and it’s not good. It’s hard to find words in a moment like this. Like the moment you hear that we are going to war, or we bombed a city, or … More Elie Wiesel: Sitting Honestly in the Mess of Life
Change the way you look at adversity. The simple challenge is to take adversity as a test of inner strength. In adversity, you stand. You rise to the occasion. What if you gained something from adversity? … More Viktor Frankl: Adversity as a Challenge
Both Viktor Frankl and Elie Wiesel were Holocaust survivors. They recount their suffering in books. I’m moved by their honesty and courage about suffering. They were surrounded by evil but not overcome by it. We need people like that today. … More Strength of Heart
After my husband, Bruce, gets out of the shower, he often tells me, “God spoke to me while I was in the shower.” It doesn’t happen every day, but after 35 years of marriage this is commonplace. We even laugh about it when we need to make a big decision. I tell him, “Go take … More Four Ways to Connect to Your Spirit
One sign of Christian maturity is the fruit of the Spirit. Which is love, joy, peace, patience kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. … More A Prayer for Going Deeper
In the light of his holy presence the dark places in my heart are exposed. I don’t feel shame, just a tender nudge. More like an invitation to shed these things like I shed an old shabby coat. … More How to Refresh your Spirit
What’s hard for me is to come to a place where I am grateful for the time I had with them. My heart doesn’t understand this, and I hear a long existential cry from my heart.
NOOOOOOOOooooooooooooo! … More Hard Part of Letting Go
I want to be crystal clear like the beach that is so clear you see the ocean floor. The Bible points to Jesus and I don’t have to complicate or obfuscate it. … More One Simple Truth about the Bible
Hearing from God is mystical:
If it were a sound, it would be a whisper.
If it were a feeling, it would feel like a feather.
If it were a seen, it would be a glow.
If it were a movement it would be a nudge. … More Fine tune Hearing from God
I can’t get healing until I have a brutally honest conversation with myself about how I feel about myself. Story of the silver vase is me being honest with myself. … More Brave Conversations with Yourself
My parents were young and adventurous. In 1976 we lived in Guatemala and hitchhiked to the villages. The earthquake on Feb. 4, 1976, destroyed major roads and bridges. The only way to get to the villages was to first take a small plane over the destruction to a landing strip. Then take a bus to … More The Hitchhiking Family
Belinda Perez McDanel 