Every Voice Heard by N.Y. Dunlap, D.T. Powell, and Sarah Hanks Review

 

Every Voice Heard is a powerful and eye-opening collection of three novellas that focus on church hurt and abuse. Each story looks at a different aspect of church hurt. 

Praise Through the Pain by N.Y. Dunlap features Alexis who is in charge of her church's dance praise team. She has also worked as a paramedic, which is how she first came into contact with Elijah, when she comes to his aid after a devastating accident. It is on this day that she also has something horrific happen to someone in her family. She ends up the guardian of her autistic nephew. Because of the judgmental attitudes from members in her church, she ends up falling away from church. At the same time, Elijah is seeking God, and also seeking the woman who came to his aid. 

Rapha by D.T. Powell is the second story in this collection. Rebecca works as a manager in a store and has dealt with church hurt in her past. She is actively seeking a new church home while also dealing with all the stress from her job. Josiah is a new employee working in Customer Service, and she soon discovers he is the new pastor at the church she is visiting. She isn't sure she wants to deal with the drama she discovers going on at this church. I loved seeing the way Josiah and his wife handle the situation biblically and prayerfully, even though you can see the toll it is taking on their lives. 

For the Love of Truth by Sarah Hanks follows Candi who is the personal assisstant to the pastor in the church that Justice visits. He notices that something isn't quite right and wants to protect Candi. This story had me feeling icky, thinking of how the pastor is so manipulative and deceptive and abusive. 

Having personally not dealt with church hurt or abuse, this collection really did open my eyes. It makes me sad and frustrated to see how God's church is not what it should be in many different places and ways. At the same time, each of these authors showed how God's faithfulness and love shine through. How He gives us hope and brings healing. 

I highly recommend this collection. 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher and was not required to write a favorable review. These are my own honest thoughts.