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Musician, author, and “Jesus Girl”, Denise Pass was gracious to tell us about her family’s story of sexual abuse that reshaped their lives forever. This is a heavy episode where you’ll be hanging on to every word. What Denise shares about her story will leave you thinking more about the way God takes care of us, even in the most difficult times.
I felt a strong connection to Denise and was captivated with her story after reading the first chapter of her book, Shame Off You. The shame and the pain she endured from a family broken because of deviant sexual behavior is overwhelming but hopeful. It highlights sin that is thrust upon us, shame that we suffer from as a result of it, and forgiveness that is possible because of the power of Jesus.
It was through her typical songwriting experience paired with a supernatural message that Denise was first alerted to a horrible moment that occurred in her home.
In the middle of the night, have you ever had a sensation force you awake? This was typical for Denise and usually the way she was prompted to write her songs. While it was not unusual to write in the middle night when everyone is asleep, this night was different. The overwhelming feeling that Denise experienced in the middle of the night was a moment she will never forget and changed what she thought abut her “perfect” family life.
That night she woke to compose a song, she began writing and worshipping, and also, she also found herself weeping. She describes the experience like she was writing someone else’s sorrowful story. The unsettling presence of evil in her home felt very near and all too real.
The next morning, she couldn’t pinpoint or understand what the evil presence was the night before. Until… she heard God whisper into heart, “Your husband has something to tell you.” From that moment on, Denise knew something had happened. The unsettling feeling did not leave her and God’s voice made itself known once again. Denise pursued to find the truth of the situation even when the answer was not one she wanted to hear.
How could something like this happen within her family? After all, they lived in a small rural area, homeschooled the children, present in the community and at church. On the outside, everything added up to one perfect God-fearing family.
Listen to the episode to get the full details of Denise’s story and to learn about the heaps of shame she endured because of a horrible revelation in her home. You’ll also you’ll find answers to how we handle sin that is thrust upon us and how to shake the shame that tries to keep us in bondage.
Denise is confident that can be completely freed from shame! She spent years trying to keep the shame away and hide it by being a “safe girl”. In her book, Shame Off You, Denise reveals faulty methods that people have used to rid themselves of shame, and she provides remedies to shame based off Biblical principles. The Shame Quotient Quiz and Shame RX blog on Denise’s website will give you a weekly prescription for overcoming shame.
Key parts of this episode:
[4:00] – Denise shares the beginning of a horrible experience that was brought to her attention when waking up to write a song
[8:37] – Denise continues to listen to the whisper of God’s voice
[16:35] – How to see God’s purpose in the midst of pain and shame
[20:15] – Trying to cover the pervasive shame & the beginning of healing
[25:00] – Getting mad at God…yet finding hope
QUOTABLE MOMENTS
[10:09] You can do all the right things — and still someone can choose to sin
[17:07] Hiding shame doesn’t heal it…it just makes it multiply
[23:37] The most ugly cry is the most redemptive part in a position of healing
[24:48] God says I wasn’t angry with you when I bore your sin
[26:00] When we KNOW how good God is and His character, then we know anything that He allows in our life He will use for good!
[28:36] He draws near to the broken hearted
Buy Denise’s Book Shame Off You
