Accepted in the Beloved

Are you struggling with fully accepting that God loves you? If you or someone you know has suffered abuse, you are not alone. Abuse of women is a global problem. One out of every four Christian women suffers from physical, emotional, spiritual, economic, or sexual abuse. Women who have suffered abuse often find it difficult to experience God's love. Accepted in the Beloved is a Bible study that will help and encourage women who desire to know and experience God's love and acceptance, and will help equip pastors or pastoral caregivers to support and assist survivors of abuse. The six-lesson journey through Accepted in the Beloved will encourage healing, growth, and transformation. Each lesson includes three different sections: Learning God's Truth, to enlighten the mind through a study of the truths in God's word and to accurately illuminate the character of our loving Creator; Experiencing God, to encourage a deeper experience of God's presence through contemplative exercises that develop heart knowledge of God's truth and foster spiritual transformation; and Sharing God's Love, to encourage women to reach out beyond themselves as they apply what they have learned from the study to their lives and relationships. With an encouraging tone and transformative content, Accepted in the Beloved will help women find healing and wholeness in the love of the crucified Lord.I have had the great privilege to work on a ministerial team with Leslie McKinney for many years. She has an exemplary heart for God and the people to whom she ministers. Anyone who ministers to suffering women can learn much from her decades of experience leading groups and counseling individuals who have suffered abuse. What she has learned through these many years and the practical approach she has developed is distilled into this book. Insight fills every page. She is herself living out the reality of its theme--accepted in the Beloved--and her mission is to help others experience such affirmation as well. Expect to be blessed and to bless others with it.--William David Spencereditor of PRISCILLA PAPERS andco-author of JOY THROUGH THE NIGHT: Biblical Resources on SufferingHow often have we longed to believe that we are loved unconditionally by God, yet we can't quite believe it's true! Dr. McKinney takes us beyond the feelings that blind us to God's truth and leads us through Scripture into the deep healing relationship with God our souls need.--Alice Mathews, Academic Dean, Gordon-Conwell Theological SeminaryLeslie Ann McKinney serves as Pastor of Community at Pilgrim Church of Beverly, Massachusetts, a union church of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) and of the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference. She specializes in women's ministry and is a spiritual director. She is a board member of Life Together International, a nonprofit ministry encouraging biblical justice, unity, and reconciliation.