Dena Johnson

Emotional Abuse | Faith | Grace | Hope | marriage | Ministry | Pain and suffering | prayer | promises | Surviving Adultery and Divorce

An Open Letter to Lysa TerKeurst Revisited
January 3, 2022

On New Year’s Eve, Lysa TerKeurst, founder of Proverbs 31 ministries, announced her marriage is ending after nearly 30 years. It’s been several years since she made a similar announcement and I penned the following words to her. You see, in 2017 she announced her husband had been unfaithful and she was pursuing a legal…

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Faith | Pain and suffering

When Integrity Hurts
December 15, 2021

I’ve often heard it said that integrity is who you are when no one is watching. Sometimes, though, integrity is standing up for what you know is right even when everyone is against you. And that’s the uncomfortable situation in which I find myself today. Without giving excessive details, I am a leader in an…

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Christmas | Grace | Hope | Pain and suffering | Spiritual Growth | Surviving Adultery and Divorce

When Life Gives You Too Much
December 9, 2021

Have you ever felt completely overwhelmed with life? Felt like you were struggling just to keep your nose above water and keep breathing? Thought you simply couldn’t continue putting one foot ahead of the other? Maybe you were shattered by adultery. Perhaps the pain of infertility was ripping your heart into pieces. The death of…

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Faith | Grace | Hope | marriage | Pain and suffering | prayer | promises | Spiritual Growth

Five Reasons the Christian Life is Hard
November 29, 2021

Recently, I was reading an old blog post from when Roy and I were first married. In case you don’t know, our first couple of years were HARD…and that might be the understatement of the year! As if marriage isn’t hard enough, remarriages are even harder. When you take two people who have baggage from…

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Anger | Faith | Forgiveness | Grace | Hope | Pain and suffering | promises | Spiritual Growth | Surviving Adultery and Divorce

You Want Me to Forgive Her?
October 12, 2021

As I sat through the funeral service, I couldn’t concentrate on the words being spoken. I kept hearing a still, small voice in my head. “Extend forgiveness,” the voice urged. It was my first time back in this church building since my husband had resigned his position as pastor of the congregation nearly five months…

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Emotional Abuse | Faith | Grace | Hope | marriage | Pain and suffering | promises | Surviving Adultery and Divorce

Advice for Divorce
October 5, 2021

Divorce. The word alone strikes fear into the heart of people. Maybe you lived through your parents’ divorce. Maybe you watched friends’ marriages suffer the ultimate destruction. Maybe you’ve walked that dreaded path…or you fear your marriage is heading down that road now. I’m not sure there’s another pain in this life that compares to…

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Emotional Abuse | Faith | Grace | Guilt | Hope | marriage | Pain and suffering | Surviving Adultery and Divorce

A Tale of Two Adulterers
September 21, 2021

The more I talk with people who have walked the dark path of adultery, the more I realize not all affairs are the same. I have a dear friend who walked the dark, painful days of adultery with me. Her husband had been a pastor at a local church when he had an affair. Through…

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Emotional Abuse | Grace | Hope | marriage | Pain and suffering | Surviving Adultery and Divorce

Is Your Marriage Difficult or Destructive?
July 21, 2021

Several months ago, I wrote about the biblical story of Abigail and Nabal. You can read it here. This story has always been an intriguing one to me. I’m not sure why it has always captivated me. Maybe it is because Nabal was so cruel. Maybe it was because Abigail was such an amazing example….

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Emotional Abuse | Faith | Hope | marriage | Pain and suffering | promises | Spiritual Growth

Would I Do It Again? Part 2
July 6, 2021

Last week, I contemplated the question, “Would I do it again?” meaning would I walk through a divorce if I could go back and live my life over again. Saturday would have been my 28th wedding anniversary if I had remained married to my ex-husband and if he were still alive. I found myself contemplating…

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Emotional Abuse | Faith | fatherless | Hope | Pain and suffering | Spiritual Growth

Would I Do It Again?
June 30, 2021

Have you ever heard that divorce is taking the easy way out? As one who has walked through divorce, let me tell you that divorce is many things—but it is not the easy way out. Anyone who has been married knows that marriage can be hard, but a marriage between two people who have the…

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Emotional Abuse | Faith | Hope | marriage | Pain and suffering | promises | Surviving Adultery and Divorce

Is Your Marriage Abusive?
February 8, 2021

Abigail and Nabal represent the classic narcissistic, abusive husband and a godly, empathic wife. It’s a story that plays out over and over in society today, in churches around the world.

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Faith | Grace | Guilt | Pain and suffering | parenting

When You Feel Like a Parenting Failure
January 19, 2021

I’m not sure there has ever been a moment as heart-breaking as that one. My good intention had totally devastated my child.

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