New Age Neglect: Rabbit’s Story

I feel like the only one that was from a secular or New Age philosophy or cult. I guess this isn’t a full story so much as a call to others.

Family was my Everything: Alida’s Story, Part One

Seven years after my first college course, I’m still struggling to find where I make sense and figure out the process of growing up.

Love Jesus, All Else Be Damned: Sophia’s Story

“This, to me, is what PHC stood for. Love Jesus, all else be damned.”

Through the Darkest Nights of My Life: Asher’s Story

“I saw more of broken, hurting, messed up humanity than I’d ever seen before… and through that anguish, I saw hope, redemption, and beauty.”

Prison: Leah’s Story

“I would sit and stare out my bedroom window for 20 or 30 minutes? Maybe it was an hour? Time seemed irrelevant, and I certainly wasn’t going anywhere.”

Memories of EXCEL: Holly’s Story, Part One

“I did not want to go. That is the first thing I remember about EXCEL, The Advanced Training Institute (ATI)’s eight-week program for teenage girls and young women, which stood for Excellence in Character, Education, and Leadership. My parents had sent me to ATI’s Indianapolis Training Center for a ten-day counseling seminar a little over a year before I went to EXCEL.”

Be Excellent To Yourself: By Rene

“It’s been four years now since I hit rock bottom and thought life would never get any better, four years since everything looked black and despairing, and now I’m pretty damn happy. I never knew it was possible to be so consistently happy and resilient — and I purposely am not using the Christianese ‘joyful’ here — I mean happy, not gritting-my-teeth-determined-to-be thankful.”

Allowing the Devil to Undress You: The Slut-Shaming of a Former Homeschooler

“A disgrace. A destructive force against families. Homeschool dropout. A rat turd. These are but a number of phrases used on HSLDA’s Facebook page in reference to Teresa Scanlan, a former homeschooler attending Patrick Henry College. These are not phrases used by HSLDA…They are coming from fans (or at least previous fans) of HSLDA.”

Sharing the Burden of the Pedestal: Renee’s Story

“Tour was not a panacea: it did not fix my self-injury problem. Nor did it eradicate my performance anxiety. What tour provided was an outlet for my energies, a chance to do what I loved in a way that mattered, to help people rather than just collect trophies, and a group of close friends who understood and could share the burden of the pedestal together with me.”

I Was A Problem To Be Ignored: Krysi Kovaka’s Story, Part Two

“I know I’ve made some mistakes, but then again, so have the responsible adults in my life. What happened on my CFC internship definitely messed with my head — I learned that nothing in life is permanent, that people will eventually abandon you, and that talking about trauma is unacceptable (and even punishable.)”