If ever you have served time either in the ministry or under a ministry that operates on keeping congregation members in subservience to the leadership, this book, "The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse" by David Johnson and Jeff VanVonderen is a must for you.

For those in the ministry or looking at entering into ministry I would also recommend this book just to help keep our own personal focus on what our Lord Jesus truly wants us to do. When it comes to counselling and being in a place of influence over God's blessed children, it is paramount that we take care of people just as Christ would do Himself.

This wonderful book, although dealing with some very deep emotions when coming out of an abusive system, will help you "see" things for how they really are and how God never intends for anyone to be emotionally and spiritually abused - especially by those who are in a "position" where they can leave you bound up, confused and in some cases scarred for life.

I have witnessed this kind of system first-hand and I thank my heavenly Father that He showed me, through His word, and accompanied by this wonderful book, how to get my "spiritual" thought life back on track.

This book is an excellent tool for being able to put what you have been through into perspective and to become ever mindful again of God's warm and unconditional love for you, His precious child. Those who run this kind of system, although often oblivious to their actions, are misusing the position that God has granted to them and instead of the church being a "hospital" to cater for life's wounded, it becomes a battlefield where even more casualties are created.

God bless the writers of this wonderful book for their diligence and bravery on broaching this very tender issue.

When the abusers would say to you, "Who stopped you running?", you tell them you never stopped running, you just ran into the Father's arms.