Welcome back, so no we are going to find out, Dan we 00:00:14.09\00:00:17.85 heard a lot of what got you from childhood through your 00:00:17.88\00:00:21.35 alcoholism, to your addictions, through the sexual stuff, 00:00:21.38\00:00:25.41 and to me the only thing I can see is this incredibly 00:00:25.45\00:00:29.44 lonely child underneath all that. 00:00:29.47\00:00:32.63 So when you guys meet, he has been in recovery for 00:00:32.66\00:00:35.42 awhile, you're back in the church? 00:00:35.45\00:00:38.05 No! - so where did you meet? 00:00:38.08\00:00:41.45 I guess I'll answer, actually he was needing to go to a 00:00:43.61\00:00:46.90 training center, my job sent me to the same training 00:00:46.93\00:00:50.15 center for finalization and certification type thing. 00:00:50.19\00:00:54.02 That is where we met, I had just literally a few days 00:00:54.06\00:00:57.86 before, filed for a divorce, unfortunately after 00:00:57.89\00:01:00.78 24 years of being married. 00:01:00.82\00:01:02.03 I came to find out that my husband, I had been involved 00:01:02.07\00:01:05.55 in a cult, and God Himself revealed that to me. 00:01:05.59\00:01:08.20 Let me interrupt for a minute, because I don't know 00:01:08.23\00:01:10.81 what you mean by a cult? 00:01:10.85\00:01:12.35 Well a cult would be, it could be any kind of form. 00:01:12.39\00:01:15.95 In a Christian way of looking at it, actually any cult, 00:01:15.99\00:01:19.52 they control you in different Marriott of ways. 00:01:19.55\00:01:22.67 They will use sleep deprivation, secrets, isolating you, 00:01:22.71\00:01:27.19 - how about yours? - all of that. 00:01:27.23\00:01:29.10 In my case it was channeling, I thought it was a prophet, 00:01:29.14\00:01:33.66 God speaking through him, but actually it was channeling 00:01:33.70\00:01:38.19 and for some reason I did not know that. 00:01:38.22\00:01:40.46 Like speaking to the dead? 00:01:40.50\00:01:41.67 You know it was using your body and allowing someone, 00:01:41.71\00:01:45.49 a spirit to speak through you and you use body to give 00:01:45.53\00:01:49.14 a message, they can say they were God, or they can say 00:01:49.17\00:01:52.75 they were a spirit and giving a message from God. 00:01:52.78\00:01:56.29 Or an angel or any of those things. 00:01:56.32\00:01:58.36 - So you just wanted to run? 00:01:58.40\00:02:00.65 Actually when I realized it wasn't of God, 00:02:00.69\00:02:03.63 I wanted nothing to do with it. 00:02:03.67\00:02:05.61 So I was trying to get my husband to get to the bottom 00:02:05.64\00:02:08.57 of this because if we are not following God, we do not 00:02:08.60\00:02:11.49 want to be going down this road. 00:02:11.52\00:02:12.97 He absolutely was not going to do that. 00:02:13.00\00:02:14.72 Not only that, but God revealed to me that my husband was 00:02:14.76\00:02:18.00 having an affair with my sister. 00:02:18.03\00:02:20.04 So I was like oh my, and I confronted him with that. 00:02:20.07\00:02:23.36 He first admitted it, then a few hours later he calls 00:02:23.40\00:02:26.52 back and says, God says I can't say that because it's not 00:02:26.55\00:02:29.64 really true and he never admitted it again. 00:02:29.67\00:02:33.07 So I was the bad guy. - what did your sister say? 00:02:33.11\00:02:36.22 She denied it as well, but he was living at her house at 00:02:36.26\00:02:40.96 the time and sleeping in her huge King size bed saying, 00:02:40.99\00:02:45.66 he was a prophet of God. 00:02:45.69\00:02:46.81 I believed that if he was a man of God, he would never 00:02:46.85\00:02:49.17 do such a thing to me. 00:02:49.21\00:02:50.48 If God was leading and directing him and I have been told 00:02:50.51\00:02:53.69 through the channeling that you are never to question 00:02:53.73\00:02:56.65 your husband as one of the closest men to me on the face 00:02:56.68\00:02:59.55 of this earth, he knows me better than anyone and what 00:02:59.59\00:03:02.43 he says is as if from me. 00:03:02.46\00:03:04.42 - I believe for a lot of people it is hard to realize 00:03:04.46\00:03:07.62 the extent of a deception, we had the case of Jim Jones where 00:03:07.66\00:03:11.40 everybody goes over and literally kills themselves. 00:03:11.44\00:03:13.99 We say well how does that happen? 00:03:14.03\00:03:15.63 It is one step after another, after another, 00:03:15.66\00:03:18.49 after another, and now you are fighting against all that 00:03:18.52\00:03:20.70 and saying, we have to get out. 00:03:20.74\00:03:23.19 But I met Dan right after I had realized this. 00:03:23.23\00:03:26.80 I was abused beyond belief at this point. 00:03:26.83\00:03:30.37 My body was dying and I knew it. 00:03:30.41\00:03:32.51 I think I had about a year left to live and I knew that. 00:03:32.55\00:03:35.01 I was so thankful, because I reached out to God. 00:03:35.04\00:03:37.75 I think God help me I feel so alone, because when they 00:03:37.78\00:03:41.16 isolate you, I ended up being the scape-goat. 00:03:41.19\00:03:44.10 So they isolated me and I felt like I had no one. 00:03:44.13\00:03:46.97 I was very alone and my husband had said to me a few days 00:03:47.00\00:03:50.40 before, Angela, you have succeeded in alienating everyone 00:03:50.44\00:03:53.80 against you, but don't worry honey, 00:03:53.84\00:03:56.46 I'll always be here for you. 00:03:56.50\00:03:58.14 So in other words I'm the only when you have now and yet 00:03:58.18\00:04:01.24 he was abusing me and I didn't really recognize that. 00:04:01.28\00:04:05.25 He was abusing me mentally, emotionally, spiritually, 00:04:05.29\00:04:09.23 I wasn't good enough, everything was wrong and 00:04:09.27\00:04:11.28 it was all my fault. 00:04:11.31\00:04:12.82 So God revealed this to me, I said, God I need someone 00:04:12.86\00:04:18.09 alongside me, I'm not going to make it. 00:04:18.12\00:04:20.72 I knew I wasn't going to make it, even though I felt he 00:04:20.76\00:04:23.23 hated me because they taught me God was very displeased 00:04:23.26\00:04:26.30 with me and he wasn't speaking to me and I was being very 00:04:26.33\00:04:30.52 isolated, but God within hours brought people alongside 00:04:30.55\00:04:34.70 me that very day. 00:04:34.74\00:04:36.59 In the middle of the night I had to go to the store and 00:04:36.62\00:04:38.86 I met women that both invited me to their churches. 00:04:38.90\00:04:41.10 I said okay, I think this is You answering my 00:04:41.14\00:04:43.96 prayers Lord, thank you. 00:04:43.99\00:04:45.47 I went to one of their churches and my eyes were opened 00:04:45.51\00:04:48.48 within 24 hours after having been to that church service. 00:04:48.51\00:04:51.61 They laid hands on me and prayed for me and I did know 00:04:51.64\00:04:54.71 the truth, and the truth set me free. 00:04:54.74\00:04:56.56 Then I met Dan literally just two days later. 00:04:56.60\00:04:59.41 He saw me all covered up and looking like a wounded bird, 00:04:59.44\00:05:04.37 damaged and he was as if God zoned his eyes in a me. 00:05:04.40\00:05:09.40 So he paid attention to me and we met there and began a 00:05:09.43\00:05:13.55 friendship and I have been reading 'Codependency No More' 00:05:13.59\00:05:17.68 and 'Boundaries' and then Dan picked up on that. 00:05:17.71\00:05:20.60 So you started to read the codependency stuff because of 00:05:20.64\00:05:24.88 your codependency in this relationship? - no! - why? 00:05:24.92\00:05:28.43 I don't know, first God led me to 'Boundaries' through 00:05:28.46\00:05:31.94 someone saying Angela, you have to get this book 00:05:31.97\00:05:33.47 'Boundaries' and somehow it stuck in me like I need that. 00:05:33.51\00:05:36.27 Somehow I knew I needed it, so I went to the library 00:05:36.31\00:05:38.58 and I checked it out. 00:05:38.62\00:05:39.93 Because the first thing in an abusive relationship, 00:05:39.97\00:05:42.34 or abusive churches, is they take all your boundaries 00:05:42.37\00:05:44.71 away and you have no right to your own space, 00:05:44.75\00:05:46.51 you have no right to your own thoughts, you have no 00:05:46.54\00:05:48.22 right to any of that stuff. 00:05:48.26\00:05:50.40 So your boundaries are really violated. 00:05:50.44\00:05:52.56 Yes and not only that but I was raised in that. 00:05:52.60\00:05:55.43 Our family never had any boundaries of any kind, 00:05:55.46\00:05:59.24 in any way. - so we didn't hear that as far as 00:05:59.27\00:06:03.01 how were you raised? 00:06:03.05\00:06:04.32 I was raised in a religious cults, a very large one. 00:06:04.35\00:06:09.36 Worldwide, world renowned and my father worked at it. 00:06:09.40\00:06:13.83 In fact my father is now working for Better Live TV in 00:06:13.87\00:06:18.27 Grants Pass Oregon. - I know that! 00:06:18.30\00:06:20.59 It was quite abusive, same kind of thing, they controlled 00:06:22.46\00:06:25.27 everything you did, one year it was okay to do this, 00:06:25.31\00:06:28.27 next year it was not. 00:06:28.31\00:06:29.77 They just control you and there is fear for leaving, 00:06:29.81\00:06:32.80 for being in a lake of fire, or hell, or whatever 00:06:32.83\00:06:35.79 you want to call it. 00:06:35.82\00:06:37.00 For leaving, they control everything you do. 00:06:37.04\00:06:40.11 So my parents were very much that way, and I forgot were 00:06:40.15\00:06:43.97 we were going with that? 00:06:44.00\00:06:45.34 So that set you up to get into this relationship with 00:06:45.37\00:06:49.37 your husband and the cult he was in? 00:06:49.41\00:06:51.06 Yes, right, exactly right. 00:06:51.10\00:06:52.68 The devil knew that I was vulnerable and that I was use 00:06:52.72\00:06:54.78 to obeying orders, not thinking for myself. 00:06:54.81\00:06:57.81 That is part of the problem with a cult, you don't use 00:06:57.85\00:07:00.06 your mind. - I know I'm smiling at that because I have 00:07:00.10\00:07:02.27 never obeyed orders in my life. 00:07:02.31\00:07:03.86 I think how does he do that? 00:07:03.89\00:07:05.40 I see that, that you were set up from a child to just 00:07:07.33\00:07:10.79 tell me what to do and I'll do it. 00:07:10.83\00:07:14.40 It sounds like I would do it with love, I'll try to do 00:07:14.43\00:07:17.40 it right, and I'll try to do it well. 00:07:17.43\00:07:18.85 Yeah that was my nature, I want to be pleasing that is 00:07:18.89\00:07:21.39 my nature and some people would say I don't care. 00:07:21.43\00:07:23.92 My sister for one, she is the opposite of me. 00:07:23.95\00:07:26.37 She went the rebel route, but I chose the submissive one. 00:07:26.41\00:07:31.36 That was the route I chose, neither one is really healthy, 00:07:31.39\00:07:36.31 they are both the wrong way, but you don't 00:07:36.35\00:07:38.58 know what else to do. 00:07:38.62\00:07:39.88 Yeah I tried to obey everything I was told to do and 00:07:39.91\00:07:42.75 I wanted to comply and make everyone pleased with me. 00:07:42.78\00:07:45.59 I wanted love and I wanted others to love me. 00:07:45.62\00:07:47.47 A wanted my father to love me and be proud of me. 00:07:47.51\00:07:49.29 God, the Church, I was always about what other people thought. 00:07:49.32\00:07:53.19 Most churches I had ever been in, it seems to me, 00:07:53.23\00:07:56.61 I notice that it's a problem. 00:07:56.65\00:07:58.98 At least that we need to not be so concerned... 00:07:59.02\00:08:02.13 so who told you to get the 'Boundaries' book, 00:08:02.17\00:08:05.24 the boundaries and codependency books? 00:08:05.28\00:08:07.09 One of the ladies at the church, I can't quite remember, 00:08:07.12\00:08:09.99 I remember that clicked with me. 00:08:10.02\00:08:11.65 It was like I need that, so I went right to the library 00:08:11.69\00:08:15.09 and I got it and start reading it. 00:08:15.13\00:08:16.51 That is where met Dan, and then I started realizing for 00:08:16.55\00:08:19.57 some reason someone invited me to a 12 step and told me 00:08:19.60\00:08:22.44 what it was, and I thought old that's for me too and I 00:08:22.48\00:08:25.29 went and signed up for that. 00:08:25.32\00:08:26.43 I went to the county and signed up for domestic violence, 00:08:26.47\00:08:29.63 why did I do that, I didn't have any idea I was being 00:08:29.67\00:08:32.80 abused, and I learned stuff there. 00:08:32.84\00:08:35.22 They gave me free counseling and I learned stuff there. 00:08:35.26\00:08:38.02 Like she gave me a book and she told me about 00:08:38.06\00:08:39.95 'Codependency No More' and I went and got that book. 00:08:39.99\00:08:42.82 So then Dan started backing me up by saying Angela, blah, blah, 00:08:42.86\00:08:47.41 blah your mother is doing this and that. 00:08:47.45\00:08:48.60 It's okay to say no, remember your reading that in the book. 00:08:48.64\00:08:51.60 Whoa, whoa, whoa, that's boundaries. 00:08:51.64\00:08:53.55 So talk about that for people that do not know what 00:08:53.58\00:08:56.18 codependency is, either Dan or Angela. 00:08:56.21\00:08:58.84 What would you say, what is it? 00:08:58.87\00:09:01.04 It seems like trying to fix everything, being needy, 00:09:04.58\00:09:06.95 totally consumed by people outside of yourself. 00:09:06.99\00:09:10.95 As if you are their savior, your their protector, your their 00:09:10.99\00:09:14.71 what ever and you are never at home. 00:09:14.75\00:09:17.46 You are always out here. 00:09:17.50\00:09:18.69 So her mother had that pull on her where she was always 00:09:18.73\00:09:22.05 concerned as if her mother was happy with her or not. 00:09:22.09\00:09:25.38 She hadn't cut that string so to speak. 00:09:25.42\00:09:27.91 I was taught to stand to stay in my body and I had 00:09:30.43\00:09:32.82 a therapist say, you're outside your body. 00:09:32.86\00:09:35.23 Sit down and feel the floor and be grounded. 00:09:35.26\00:09:37.56 You are out here in everybody else's life, all you have 00:09:37.60\00:09:40.10 been talking about is the girls at work, and people over 00:09:40.13\00:09:42.59 here, he was like lets come home. 00:09:42.63\00:09:44.70 And I was like oh, so I learned. 00:09:44.73\00:09:46.73 - What a gift to teach people that, 00:09:46.76\00:09:48.71 it's how to stay present. 00:09:48.75\00:09:50.58 So I stayed at home so when I met Angela I saw her, 00:09:50.62\00:09:54.06 we would be riding from downtown Denver back home 00:09:54.10\00:09:57.47 and she would be getting peoples numbers, the homeless exchanging 00:09:57.51\00:10:00.57 numbers in all this and I'm like, stay over here. 00:10:00.61\00:10:03.05 Just look at that guy over there, 00:10:03.09\00:10:04.68 if you know what I mean. 00:10:04.72\00:10:05.93 So I could be totally centered in myself and at peace, 00:10:05.96\00:10:10.01 and know they are having their journey and I had a right 00:10:10.05\00:10:14.03 relationship, if I needed to serve in some way I could. 00:10:14.07\00:10:18.02 But it was a choice as opposed to just a reactive, 00:10:18.05\00:10:21.32 I have to fix everybody and take care of everybody. 00:10:21.36\00:10:24.22 Which is what I think with Angela being the oldest, 00:10:24.26\00:10:27.61 sometimes the oldest, she raised all her sisters. 00:10:27.64\00:10:30.96 She was her mom's right-hand person. 00:10:30.99\00:10:33.60 - Dan, like you said in a lot of churches, they look at 00:10:33.63\00:10:37.11 that as a great quality because we need potluck done, 00:10:37.15\00:10:40.13 we need church secretary done, and we need to get 00:10:40.16\00:10:43.06 the directory done, so you find somebody that is 00:10:43.09\00:10:45.95 co-dependent and you think Amen. 00:10:45.99\00:10:48.47 Can I say one other thing? - Yeah! 00:10:48.51\00:10:50.92 When I first heard their blood is on my hands in my 00:10:50.96\00:10:54.95 church, when I heard that I felt like I had to save the 00:10:54.99\00:10:58.60 world, I felt everywhere I go we were told to hand out 00:10:58.63\00:11:02.21 this, and preach, and I believe we're that way. 00:11:02.24\00:11:05.82 We are to be loving and joyful, but to rescue everybody, 00:11:05.86\00:11:09.75 I didn't have the perspective right that their job is to 00:11:09.79\00:11:13.30 come to God and surrender, and me, I'm to be a light, 00:11:13.34\00:11:16.81 if you know what I mean. 00:11:16.85\00:11:18.22 So I didn't have to fix. - nor play God. 00:11:18.25\00:11:20.31 So even with the dysfunction from your household that 00:11:21.31\00:11:24.27 just put much pressure on you. - guilt. 00:11:24.31\00:11:28.08 I can't rescue my mom and now you tell me I have to 00:11:28.12\00:11:30.27 rescue the whole world or else I'm guilty. 00:11:30.30\00:11:32.38 I was at a grocery store and totally shamed like 00:11:32.42\00:11:35.39 I didn't do God's will today. 00:11:35.43\00:11:37.37 That sounds like so much pressure. 00:11:37.40\00:11:39.50 It was enormous pressure, I had a lot of religious 00:11:39.53\00:11:42.76 pressure on me when I was young, actually when I was 00:11:42.80\00:11:45.99 a little older, we had to go door to door. 00:11:46.02\00:11:48.02 I went out for an hour, I felt like I needed to be out 00:11:48.06\00:11:52.37 two hours, I went out two hours, then I felt like I could 00:11:52.40\00:11:56.14 have been out three hours because we were told at that 00:11:56.17\00:12:00.02 time the only thing God accepted was our absolute best. 00:12:00.06\00:12:03.88 So from a codependent, I had this huge burden on me to 00:12:03.92\00:12:08.24 every moment be saving and rescuing and so religion 00:12:08.27\00:12:12.55 just really wore me down. 00:12:12.59\00:12:15.00 I am so glad you said that, a lot of people do feel that 00:12:15.04\00:12:19.05 in their recovery it has to be the absolute best, God says 00:12:19.08\00:12:22.63 the best of the best of us are a mess. 00:12:22.66\00:12:25.07 So He is even saying, take a breath, I love you, let Me 00:12:26.43\00:12:30.05 step into your life and let you have peace with all that 00:12:30.09\00:12:33.14 stuff, let Me fill your heart up, and that type of thing. 00:12:33.17\00:12:36.19 It sounds like both of you have gotten trapped in 00:12:36.22\00:12:39.07 organizations that didn't give you that message at all. 00:12:39.10\00:12:42.22 Go ahead. - our Scripture that they told us over and 00:12:42.25\00:12:45.30 over was seek righteousness, seek meekness, and you might 00:12:45.33\00:12:48.81 be concealed in the day of Jehovah's anger. 00:12:48.84\00:12:51.37 So it was like we had to be perfect, and we were always told 00:12:51.40\00:12:54.84 consider your circumstances, consider your circumstances 00:12:54.88\00:12:58.53 if you can spend 60 hours a month or 90 hours a month on 00:12:58.57\00:13:02.19 door to door, then that would be acceptable to God. 00:13:02.22\00:13:05.49 So if you don't get that time? 00:13:05.52\00:13:08.65 - you weren't doing your best, 00:13:08.68\00:13:11.74 and only your best was good enough. 00:13:11.78\00:13:13.86 So we had to live for that, there were so much shame and 00:13:13.90\00:13:17.66 fear that I actually got sick. 00:13:17.69\00:13:18.97 I need to let Angela talk, but I actually had like a lump 00:13:19.00\00:13:22.31 in my chest from religious shame and guilt because of my 00:13:22.34\00:13:25.50 co-dependent view and how I lived that and tried to carry 00:13:25.54\00:13:28.66 it out in religion, trying to save everybody. 00:13:28.70\00:13:31.45 You know I'm coming from like I'm a heroine addict, 00:13:31.49\00:13:34.33 I'm a druggie and my family is druggies. 00:13:34.37\00:13:36.23 I have no religion at all, I meet God in a drug house 00:13:36.26\00:13:39.43 trying to kill myself and He absolutely adores me. 00:13:39.47\00:13:42.57 So when I hear from your background, I think it must be 00:13:42.61\00:13:46.16 harder to get a better view of God, or a more honest view 00:13:46.19\00:13:49.71 of God because of what you have been told. 00:13:49.74\00:13:52.30 Yeah our God was angry. 00:13:52.33\00:13:53.76 I just want to say, in my situation it was the same 00:13:53.80\00:13:56.23 thing, with my growing up years I was in one cult and 00:13:56.27\00:13:58.73 I found the Lord during Billy Graham in the middle of 00:13:58.77\00:14:01.10 two cults, and then I was involved in another one with 00:14:01.14\00:14:03.67 my husband, but both of those was the same thing where 00:14:03.71\00:14:07.25 you were not good enough, the second was so severe it was 00:14:07.29\00:14:10.75 almost like you believe all these things and you have 00:14:10.78\00:14:13.41 to have a lot of faith, if you don't have enough faith it 00:14:13.45\00:14:16.33 is not perfect faith then you are not good enough and God 00:14:16.37\00:14:19.22 is not pleased with you. 00:14:19.25\00:14:20.34 Because in the last cult, since I didn't have enough 00:14:20.37\00:14:22.99 faith everyone blamed me for all these things that God 00:14:23.03\00:14:25.60 couldn't bless us with because I didn't have enough 00:14:25.63\00:14:28.13 faith, you know something I was the only one in the group 00:14:28.16\00:14:30.71 who did everything we were told to do. 00:14:30.75\00:14:32.94 Write 21 times a day, visualize, see, smell, taste, 00:14:32.98\00:14:37.45 do posters and notebooks full of all the pictures full 00:14:37.48\00:14:41.92 of everything that God is wanting you to have. 00:14:41.95\00:14:44.00 You just have to have enough faith and we are all going 00:14:44.03\00:14:46.27 to have it, were going to go on cruises together as 00:14:46.31\00:14:48.51 a family because I am believing for that. 00:14:48.54\00:14:50.03 We promised our kids we would do it, and all Angela has 00:14:50.07\00:14:53.61 to do is do her part because we are there with our faith, 00:14:53.65\00:14:57.16 but Angela your the problem here. 00:14:57.19\00:14:58.97 Since you didn't measure up, in the end my kids to 00:14:59.00\00:15:02.35 this day hate me because we did not get all of those 00:15:02.39\00:15:05.70 things, those material things. 00:15:05.74\00:15:07.63 I'm not a material girl, never was, 00:15:07.67\00:15:10.55 but I was told to be pleasing to God, 00:15:10.58\00:15:12.93 He wanted us to have these things. 00:15:12.97\00:15:15.05 He wants to bless us in abundance. 00:15:15.08\00:15:17.10 Therefore I need to have the proper perfect faith. 00:15:17.13\00:15:20.49 So again perfection is always there and it was very sick 00:15:20.53\00:15:25.54 situation and to this day my kids don't talk to me. 00:15:25.57\00:15:29.30 It has been 6 years, 5 and 1/2 years since I've had 00:15:29.33\00:15:33.02 a relationship with them. 00:15:33.06\00:15:34.45 I bet that causes you a lot of pain. 00:15:34.48\00:15:36.23 No, at first it was hard, but God is good. 00:15:36.26\00:15:41.66 He will give you the grace to deal with what ever 00:15:41.70\00:15:44.14 you have to go through, no matter what it is. 00:15:44.18\00:15:46.55 To lose two kids to death, I don't know what it is for you 00:15:46.58\00:15:49.55 but all I know is God gives you the grace to handle it, 00:15:49.59\00:15:52.50 and He just literally it took me some time, but I eventually 00:15:52.53\00:15:56.71 was able to let go and let God, you know what I mean. 00:15:56.75\00:15:59.47 - trust Him with it. - yes because I can't control 00:15:59.51\00:16:01.61 everything, the codependency comes here again. 00:16:01.64\00:16:03.67 I want to fix, I want to heal, I want to go rescue. 00:16:03.70\00:16:07.19 Even the word control is for codependence if I can control 00:16:08.43\00:16:12.58 everything then everybody will be okay, and happy, 00:16:12.61\00:16:15.52 and do the right thing and it will just be. 00:16:15.55\00:16:17.66 Instead of God saying, whoa, whoa, whoa are you 00:16:18.75\00:16:20.92 forgetting that you are not God? 00:16:20.95\00:16:22.23 Are you forgetting that I am God and that I can take 00:16:22.26\00:16:24.08 care this better than you can. I love them more than you do. 00:16:24.12\00:16:27.23 I'm like wow God, I'm so sorry, you're right. 00:16:27.26\00:16:31.10 As you guys met, as you got into a relationship, 00:16:31.13\00:16:34.40 you were a head of her a little bit and working with 00:16:34.43\00:16:37.66 those codependent issues. 00:16:37.70\00:16:39.08 So when did you guys realize that you are falling in love 00:16:39.12\00:16:43.34 and what things did you learn about not being 00:16:43.38\00:16:47.05 codependent with each other? 00:16:47.09\00:16:48.68 Can I say, when we came together, Dan was watching me. 00:16:48.72\00:16:52.92 I was cutting the ties at every break in this training 00:16:52.95\00:16:57.12 center that we had. 00:16:57.15\00:16:58.41 He was watching me, like God caused him to pay attention 00:16:58.45\00:17:01.37 to me and I finally said do you need to use 00:17:01.41\00:17:04.91 the phone, I'm sorry. 00:17:04.95\00:17:06.20 He would say no, no, no can I get you some coffee or 00:17:06.23\00:17:08.26 doughnut and I'm like okay sure. 00:17:08.29\00:17:10.57 I'm noticing, oh wow he's watching me. 00:17:10.60\00:17:13.14 Then I said, Sir can I just tell you my story? 00:17:13.17\00:17:16.08 He said ah, sure go right ahead. 00:17:16.11\00:17:19.40 So I told him my whole crazy story that I had never 00:17:19.43\00:17:22.61 told anyone my story. 00:17:22.64\00:17:24.24 I had just filed divorce three days before at this point. 00:17:24.27\00:17:27.89 I'm telling him my story and he melted, and then he gave 00:17:27.93\00:17:31.51 me a hug, and he was a hardened guy at this point. 00:17:31.54\00:17:33.71 He was hurt really bad, lonely but he had just pray the night 00:17:33.74\00:17:37.53 before, God you know what? 00:17:37.56\00:17:39.60 I've gone in all the wrong places looking for women. 00:17:39.64\00:17:42.26 He will tell you this story, but I'm sick of it. 00:17:42.30\00:17:45.23 I surrender to you God, and I don't know where she is 00:17:45.26\00:17:48.16 but You do, and the very next day he met me. 00:17:48.19\00:17:51.62 Yeah, God is good. 00:17:51.65\00:17:54.36 All I can think of, who would damaged such a sweet woman? 00:17:54.39\00:17:58.15 She was really in bad shape, she was what would you call 00:17:58.18\00:18:02.58 it, detaching, disassociated, and I thought she is so 00:18:02.61\00:18:06.97 Sweet, who hurt her like that? 00:18:07.01\00:18:08.68 Who helped her lose herself? How did she lose herself? 00:18:08.72\00:18:11.65 I think it was incredible that you could even see that 00:18:11.68\00:18:14.58 in her, who wounded her? 00:18:14.62\00:18:16.58 It sounds like part of you, that was such a helper 00:18:16.61\00:18:21.25 throughout your life, even with your mom, wanted to say, 00:18:21.29\00:18:23.49 can I help in anyway? 00:18:23.52\00:18:26.52 Yes, absolutely I did want to help, just be there and 00:18:26.55\00:18:29.32 support her in any way I can. 00:18:29.35\00:18:30.83 I did want to hurt her anymore. 00:18:30.87\00:18:32.31 I wanted to say, what is amazing too is that Dan 00:18:33.83\00:18:36.79 and I were both raised in the same kind of religion, 00:18:36.82\00:18:39.75 believe it or not. 00:18:39.78\00:18:40.81 Even though his was different than mine, it was very, 00:18:40.85\00:18:44.06 very similar. - so you guys understood each other? 00:18:44.10\00:18:46.96 Yeah, we really, really did and there was no one else 00:18:46.99\00:18:49.82 that could have understood me like Dan. 00:18:49.85\00:18:51.34 I stand in awe of that because it is so complicated that 00:18:51.37\00:18:57.03 it would take somebody that understood me and where 00:18:57.06\00:19:00.34 I came from, and likewise for me to understand him in order 00:19:00.38\00:19:03.18 to help each other, but God saw I needed healing and 00:19:03.22\00:19:05.62 He saw that Dan needed healing. 00:19:05.66\00:19:07.21 There was no one on the face of the earth that could do 00:19:07.25\00:19:10.11 what Dan could do for me, and likewise what 00:19:10.15\00:19:12.28 I could do for him. 00:19:12.32\00:19:13.60 He needed the love and the tenderness, because he had not 00:19:13.63\00:19:17.46 received that as a child. 00:19:17.50\00:19:19.25 I needed his expertise, he had been trained by a woman, 00:19:19.28\00:19:23.37 who he calls his angel. 00:19:23.40\00:19:25.37 For five years she mentored him, he had been very 00:19:25.40\00:19:29.72 dysfunctional in the world and once he realized he had 00:19:29.75\00:19:33.16 grown up in a very dysfunctional church and family, 00:19:33.19\00:19:36.57 who mentored him how to function in the world, 00:19:36.60\00:19:39.91 to communicate, to speak, to just live. 00:19:39.94\00:19:44.64 He didn't even know the basics of living and how to 00:19:44.68\00:19:47.70 survive in the world, and she mentored him. 00:19:47.73\00:19:50.36 Was she like a counselor? 00:19:50.39\00:19:52.35 Yes, sort of, I was doing some work for a guy next door 00:19:52.38\00:19:55.57 and he said, we have to work for this lady. 00:19:55.60\00:19:57.23 I did some work in she looked at me, and I looked at her, 00:19:57.27\00:20:00.46 she was very intimidating with this big black gown and 00:20:00.49\00:20:03.64 a big red scarf and people ran when she came 00:20:03.68\00:20:06.13 down the street, and she paid me for what 00:20:06.16\00:20:08.58 a contractor didn't pay me. 00:20:08.62\00:20:10.30 I said you don't have to give me all this money, 00:20:10.34\00:20:12.32 and she says no I want to. 00:20:12.36\00:20:14.10 Anyway she worked with me for five years and I didn't know 00:20:14.13\00:20:17.07 her, she said my leaders Christ that's all she told me. 00:20:17.10\00:20:19.88 I never saw her go to church and I was like who are these 00:20:19.91\00:20:22.65 people, finally I meet her husband two years later. 00:20:22.69\00:20:24.91 He was a retired anesthesiologist. 00:20:24.95\00:20:27.56 He came up to me at McDonald's, and the lady would always 00:20:27.59\00:20:30.30 show up with a pencil and paper and say we are going to 00:20:30.34\00:20:33.01 work on codependency today, work or work on. 00:20:33.04\00:20:34.76 I'm going what is that and what is this? 00:20:34.80\00:20:36.48 But this lady was a real angel and I meet her husband and 00:20:38.03\00:20:40.74 he has this big beard and I was intimidated, I thought 00:20:40.77\00:20:43.04 I hope he doesn't think I'm with his wife or something. 00:20:43.08\00:20:46.02 He came over and gives me this big hug for five minutes. 00:20:46.06\00:20:48.96 I'm thinking, who are these people? 00:20:49.00\00:20:50.93 He said we love you and he is rubbing on my back. 00:20:50.97\00:20:53.81 I finally asked, what do you guys want with me? 00:20:53.85\00:20:56.71 He said our job is to love and your job is to love. 00:20:56.74\00:20:59.79 I was like whoa, and they took me in for four years 00:20:59.82\00:21:02.84 and helped me through so many things. 00:21:02.87\00:21:05.56 May I tell you one-story? - yes, I want to say is 00:21:05.59\00:21:08.01 that God does that for us and knew that you didn't get 00:21:08.05\00:21:11.47 love, He wanted to put you in an environment where people 00:21:11.50\00:21:14.89 love for no reason other than for your healing. 00:21:14.93\00:21:17.42 Yes, and she was right there. 00:21:17.45\00:21:20.16 One day I would call her, this is how the situation 00:21:21.55\00:21:24.10 worked, I called her one-day and I said they're going 00:21:24.14\00:21:26.65 to fire me at my job. 00:21:26.69\00:21:28.37 She said take out your pencil, and I took out this pencil 00:21:28.41\00:21:30.92 and I said, they're going to fire me. 00:21:30.95\00:21:32.64 She said why? I went through three pages of why they 00:21:32.68\00:21:35.13 were going to fire me, and I'm going to get headhunters 00:21:35.16\00:21:37.58 and find another job. 00:21:37.62\00:21:38.93 She said, okay that's great now put it away. 00:21:38.97\00:21:41.78 The next day my boss told me I was the most wonderful guy 00:21:41.82\00:21:44.87 on the crew and this and that. 00:21:44.90\00:21:46.38 I called her back and I said, hey, my boss just told me 00:21:46.41\00:21:49.32 I was great, I was doing a great job, and dah, dah, dah. 00:21:49.35\00:21:52.22 She said, now read your notes. 00:21:52.26\00:21:54.14 I read their going to fire me because of that, I know they 00:21:54.17\00:21:57.46 are, I better get another job. 00:21:57.50\00:21:59.47 She said she know what Dan, that's crazy thinking. 00:21:59.50\00:22:03.11 That hallucination and that's the kind of sickness you 00:22:03.15\00:22:06.84 have, so what I want you to do before you ever come to a 00:22:06.87\00:22:10.26 conclusion, I want you to go over and ask that person 00:22:10.30\00:22:13.65 is this the way it is? 00:22:13.69\00:22:15.43 Never call me again and give me this story, this illusion 00:22:15.46\00:22:18.91 that you made up about this thing. 00:22:18.95\00:22:20.93 So I started learning, she was teaching me like that. 00:22:20.97\00:22:23.73 That is how me and Angela worked, I didn't tell her all 00:22:23.77\00:22:26.50 the things, I would let her get into the drama, 00:22:26.53\00:22:30.02 the codependency. - you know Dan I have to say. 00:22:30.05\00:22:33.72 I have attachment disorders and bonding disorders, 00:22:33.75\00:22:37.35 so I know what it feels like to never feel like you fit 00:22:37.38\00:22:40.08 in, or to all the sudden make all these scenarios up in 00:22:40.11\00:22:42.77 your head when you walk into a place. 00:22:42.81\00:22:44.61 Wouldn't it be incredible if everyone, that has 00:22:44.65\00:22:47.04 that issue, that has those struggles, 00:22:47.08\00:22:49.05 heard what you just said? 00:22:49.08\00:22:50.26 You can literally challenge what you think, and that is 00:22:50.30\00:22:54.08 what she was teaching you to do. 00:22:54.11\00:22:55.33 It's amazing! - yes and she did so many things, 00:22:55.36\00:22:58.82 she was totally accepting me. 00:22:58.85\00:23:01.08 It was like she was never going to abandon me. 00:23:01.12\00:23:03.07 If you got that problem let's work on it. 00:23:03.10\00:23:06.05 I'm like, work on it, 00:23:06.08\00:23:07.50 I was hiding if you know what I mean. 00:23:07.53\00:23:09.22 So we went down to Barnes & Noble's and she bought 00:23:09.25\00:23:13.16 all these books, about $100 worth of books which had to 00:23:13.20\00:23:15.72 do with sexual addiction. 00:23:15.75\00:23:17.17 She put them on the table, she goes now you can tell me 00:23:17.20\00:23:19.67 about what you have done, even thought about it or done 00:23:19.71\00:23:22.14 it, that was the opened door. 00:23:22.18\00:23:24.25 I wasn't telling nobody, so I tell her. 00:23:24.29\00:23:27.22 She starts to chuckle, let's take the books back to 00:23:27.25\00:23:30.28 Barnes & Noble's and let's work on this thing together. 00:23:30.31\00:23:34.27 She handed me a tape from a Christian minister that 00:23:34.31\00:23:38.24 talked about that desire, that sexual desire, 00:23:38.27\00:23:40.56 how God created us to become fruitful and become many 00:23:40.60\00:23:43.40 and fill the earth. 00:23:43.43\00:23:44.88 That desire was part of being natural. 00:23:44.92\00:23:48.26 - it wasn't twisted. - it wasn't. 00:23:48.30\00:23:50.39 That's the way God created you to be! 00:23:50.43\00:23:52.45 Yes, and I went all my and that shame lifted off me, 00:23:52.49\00:23:55.94 and I could move, and my chest lightened up. 00:23:55.97\00:23:58.67 She just looked at me and said, something's wrong, 00:23:58.70\00:24:00.28 you're bound up, what's wrong? 00:24:00.32\00:24:02.28 She told me you could either have done it or thought 00:24:02.31\00:24:04.72 about it and I thought I could tell her anything. 00:24:04.75\00:24:07.31 And I could, this was the relationship we have with 00:24:07.35\00:24:09.87 this lady, it was totally wide open. 00:24:09.91\00:24:12.56 It was the strangest thing. 00:24:12.59\00:24:14.92 And for the first time in your life it sounds like 00:24:14.95\00:24:17.36 someone allowed you to get a sense of what is normal 00:24:17.40\00:24:19.66 and not normal, because you didn't get that as a child. 00:24:19.69\00:24:21.92 You did not get that growing up when you get into 00:24:21.96\00:24:24.65 a religion that didn't give you that. 00:24:24.69\00:24:26.02 Then you got twisted, so you didn't get it when you are 00:24:26.05\00:24:29.20 on the streets until someone said, let's unfold this. 00:24:29.23\00:24:32.20 Yes and actually I got to thank the gentleman who made 00:24:32.24\00:24:36.75 the tape, he was a monk in a monastery, almost 90 years 00:24:36.78\00:24:40.46 old, and I said thank you, you help me when I was 18. 00:24:40.49\00:24:44.32 He was like, well pass it on, he said just pass it on. 00:24:44.35\00:24:47.98 It was the most unbelievable thing, but that tape was 00:24:48.02\00:24:51.61 it totally undid me, it was like Awwwh, 00:24:51.65\00:24:55.65 and it saved my life I believe. 00:24:55.69\00:24:57.62 I would like to go to questions, but before we do 00:24:57.65\00:24:59.28 I would like you to say what are some of the number one 00:24:59.31\00:25:03.72 things that helped you to come out of all that damage, 00:25:03.76\00:25:08.13 I know this woman allowing you to just talk. 00:25:08.16\00:25:10.24 Talk about for someone that is in that damage, what 00:25:10.27\00:25:13.60 things could they do to maintain or to get into recovery? 00:25:13.64\00:25:17.14 Do you want me to talk right now? - yeah! 00:25:18.72\00:25:20.87 I would say find someone you can talk to. 00:25:20.91\00:25:23.00 Find a good 12 step, or a good church where people are 00:25:23.03\00:25:28.00 open and honest and safe. 00:25:28.03\00:25:29.67 There are a lot of unhealthy 12 steps. 00:25:29.71\00:25:33.02 There are all lot of unhealthy churches, if I might say 00:25:33.05\00:25:35.48 that, and find somebody that is for real. 00:25:35.52\00:25:38.41 Someone that you can talk to and open up with and share. 00:25:38.44\00:25:41.10 If they are accepting of you, and they love you and you 00:25:41.14\00:25:43.84 can see that love of God in them, that is the main thing. 00:25:43.88\00:25:46.55 It's interesting to me about that. 00:25:46.58\00:25:49.37 For a lot of us we end up, in our damage, in our fear, 00:25:49.41\00:25:53.55 in our depression, anger, addiction or whatever it is, 00:25:53.58\00:25:57.69 we get more and more isolated, and 00:25:57.72\00:26:00.06 sometimes we try to heal in that isolation. 00:26:00.09\00:26:02.47 We are meant to be in community so I like what 00:26:02.51\00:26:05.38 you are saying, find some group, find some person 00:26:05.41\00:26:08.51 and start to reverse what you did to get yourself 00:26:08.54\00:26:11.60 into all this sadness. 00:26:11.64\00:26:13.25 Reverse that, it is hard at first, it's hard to trust, 00:26:13.29\00:26:16.34 it's hard to come out, it's hard to connect, and we look 00:26:16.37\00:26:19.39 crazy, were coming out with all this junk. 00:26:19.43\00:26:22.42 Come out anyway. 00:26:22.45\00:26:24.64 - absolutely, she was a lifesaver for me. 00:26:24.67\00:26:27.19 What I want to say, for people that are looking for 00:26:27.22\00:26:30.59 counseling coming out of crazy situations, for a female 00:26:30.62\00:26:33.28 try to find a female for a male try to find a male. 00:26:33.32\00:26:35.75 You lucked out in that she hung in there with you and 00:26:35.79\00:26:38.18 that works but sometimes it can turn on you. 00:26:38.22\00:26:40.92 So if you can, do the same-sex counseling. 00:26:40.96\00:26:43.59 I want to open it up to questions, because I know we 00:26:43.62\00:26:47.49 have some questions in the café. 00:26:47.53\00:26:48.97 Rachel you had a question. 00:26:49.00\00:26:50.60 My name is Rachel and I am a recovering addict and we 00:26:52.28\00:26:55.57 deal with a lot, I guess my question is for both of you. 00:26:55.60\00:26:58.86 You mentioned something about spiritual abuse. 00:26:58.90\00:27:02.26 We came across it a little, the spiritual abuse and do you 00:27:02.29\00:27:07.07 have any advice to offer, because I was never spiritually 00:27:07.10\00:27:10.99 abused at all and I heard that is a tough one to deal 00:27:11.03\00:27:14.72 with, so my question is how do you approach somebody 00:27:14.75\00:27:18.40 who has been spiritually abused to turn their 00:27:18.44\00:27:21.15 life over to Jesus? 00:27:21.19\00:27:22.93 I guess first of all let them know that God loves 00:27:23.95\00:27:27.04 them no matter what. 00:27:27.08\00:27:28.05 A lot at times religious abuse has to do with shame 00:27:28.06\00:27:30.58 and guilt and that you are not good enough to God. 00:27:30.61\00:27:34.11 To help them to understand that God loves them no 00:27:34.15\00:27:37.61 matter what, I would suggest using the prodigal son story 00:27:37.65\00:27:40.62 a lot, and that is Dan's favorite story in the Bible. 00:27:40.65\00:27:43.64 For people that don't know that story, what is the story? 00:27:43.68\00:27:46.63 It's about coming back home. 00:27:46.67\00:27:49.04 The prodigal son story was one of the trilogies that 00:27:49.07\00:27:52.02 Jesus gave in the New Testament. 00:27:52.06\00:27:53.66 There was the dropped coin, the lost sheep, and the 00:27:53.70\00:27:56.32 prodigal son that wanted to go on his own journey. 00:27:56.36\00:27:58.95 - partying, acting out. 00:27:58.98\00:28:01.60 Yeah, he wanted to live his own life. 00:28:01.63\00:28:03.23 His father represented God and it was the illustration 00:28:03.27\00:28:04.87 Jesus was giving to teach. 00:28:04.91\00:28:06.66 So his father told the son to go live your life, 00:28:06.69\00:28:10.00 it's your slice of the pie, go live your life. 00:28:10.03\00:28:13.27 The interesting thing about it was, the father still 00:28:13.30\00:28:16.53 loved him while he was on that journey, while he was out 00:28:16.56\00:28:19.76 there doing all these things. 00:28:19.79\00:28:20.95 He got in trouble with loose women and 00:28:20.98\00:28:22.54 he did this and he did that. 00:28:22.57\00:28:23.62 He finally ended up with the pigs, the pigs wouldn't even 00:28:23.65\00:28:27.41 give him something to eat. 00:28:27.44\00:28:28.97 While he was in that desolate, down position he started 00:28:29.01\00:28:33.95 to get some awareness. 00:28:33.98\00:28:35.01 I'm in trouble here, oh, if only I could go back home to 00:28:35.05\00:28:38.20 my father, he had no idea that God loved him. 00:28:38.23\00:28:40.71 That his father loved him unconditionally. 00:28:40.74\00:28:43.15 So when he came back home there was this instant 00:28:43.18\00:28:46.20 restoration, we he back home his father's eyes lit up 00:28:46.24\00:28:49.40 and they embraced, he put a coat on him and a ring and 00:28:49.44\00:28:52.57 they had a big meal. 00:28:52.61\00:28:54.17 There was no judgment, no harsh judgment that you were 00:28:54.20\00:28:57.89 bad, you were no good. 00:28:57.92\00:28:59.32 You somehow have to pay and makeup for what you did. 00:28:59.36\00:29:03.14 You have to be sorry enough. 00:29:03.17\00:29:04.96 You had to do penitence. - It was none of that. 00:29:04.99\00:29:08.86 It was just saying I am so glad you are home and that 00:29:08.90\00:29:12.22 you are safe, let me feed you. 00:29:12.25\00:29:14.51 That is healing, so when you are that kind of person 00:29:14.54\00:29:18.05 and for that person that has been struggling religiously, 00:29:18.08\00:29:21.58 when you are the unconditional love, the unconditional 00:29:21.61\00:29:24.95 love of God is flowing through you it is there for them. 00:29:24.99\00:29:28.29 They see the Christ, they see God. 00:29:28.33\00:29:30.33 So when we are that, that is the healing. 00:29:30.36\00:29:33.20 When we say we love you, you're back home, thank God you 00:29:33.24\00:29:36.00 are home and the Bible says there's more rejoicing in 00:29:36.03\00:29:38.76 heaven over one and we are that important. 00:29:38.80\00:29:42.30 The other two trilogies there was actually a search that 00:29:42.34\00:29:45.04 went on, the lady searched all over for the coin until 00:29:45.08\00:29:47.75 she found it and there was great rejoicing. 00:29:47.78\00:29:51.02 There wasn't shame, or you bad coin your lost. 00:29:51.05\00:29:54.25 Or the other story with the sheep, we are that important 00:29:56.03\00:29:59.13 that God would search for us and try to find that sheep. 00:29:59.16\00:30:02.79 Then when the connection is made there is huge rejoicing. 00:30:02.82\00:30:06.41 So the shame people have, you know what I mean? 00:30:06.44\00:30:09.43 You are doing bad, you're outside of religion. 00:30:09.47\00:30:12.39 You know that he didn't even say, old dad I'm so sorry 00:30:12.43\00:30:15.05 please forgive me, before, the dad was already saying, 00:30:15.08\00:30:17.67 son I love you and I'm so that your back. 00:30:17.71\00:30:20.03 We think we have to do these big gyrations to get God's 00:30:20.06\00:30:23.22 love back, I remember one time that God helped me to 00:30:23.26\00:30:26.51 know, Angela I miss you, just knowing that God was 00:30:26.55\00:30:29.73 missing me, here I was quilting myself over something for days. 00:30:29.77\00:30:33.21 I wouldn't connect with Him again, because I had this 00:30:33.25\00:30:35.66 shame and guilt about something. 00:30:35.69\00:30:37.52 All of a sudden I got it, God was trying to say, Angela 00:30:37.55\00:30:40.26 quit wasting all this time, I miss you. 00:30:40.29\00:30:43.59 Let's get this out of the way, come on I'm miss you. 00:30:43.62\00:30:46.47 I thought, that was it for me, when I make a mistake 00:30:46.50\00:30:49.03 I apologize and it is over and we are back together. 00:30:49.07\00:30:51.88 What I have to say is, I can see that clearly in both 00:30:51.91\00:30:54.92 of your stories, you believe that God loves you and you 00:30:54.96\00:30:57.45 know that He has forgiven you and you receive that and 00:30:57.49\00:30:59.95 it has been healing. 00:30:59.99\00:31:01.29 Thank you for joining us I think it has been amazing 00:31:01.33\00:31:03.53 to have you here. 00:31:03.57\00:31:04.83 I hope you can come again. - thank you! 00:31:04.86\00:31:06.83 We'll be right back, I have a few more things I would 00:31:06.87\00:31:09.15 like to say, so stay with us. 00:31:09.19\00:31:10.70