July 29, 2014

Dear Friends,

A while ago, we heard someone pose an intriguing question: "What does it feel like to be wrong?" Our first reaction was to interpret the question as, "What does it feel like to FIND OUT that we're wrong?" But that wasn't the question. The question was, "what does it feel like to BE wrong?"

The answer is deceptively simple: It feels exactly like being right.

Think about it--none of us holds any beliefs that we think are wrong. Everything we believe, about anything, at any given moment, seems right to us at the time. Regardless of what the reality may be.

Until, that is, we find out we're wrong.

And we all experience that--pretty regularly, actually. For little stuff--like a wrong belief about where I parked my car at the mall, or what time was on the dinner party invitation--the consequences are minor. A bit of an inconvenience, or perhaps a little embarrassment. But finding out we're wrong about the big stuff--like the belief that we are in good health (until the doctor calls with test results), or the misplaced confidence in the religious organization we've built our entire lives upon--can be utterly devastating and life-shattering. Whether it's a sudden and unexpected revelation that changes our belief...or a slow, gradual, sinking understanding, the end result is often the same. Grief, lament, fear, rage.

Over the past year, we have seen a noticeable increase in the communication we receive from people who are standing at the precipice of that awful dawning. Facing the stomach-lurching, heart-sickening, free-fall terror that comes with realizing that the most precious truths they held near and dear--are nothing but smoke and mirrors. If you've ever walked down that path, then you probably know exactly what we're talking about. You wonder, is there even such a thing as truth? How can I keep from being duped again? Is God even still out there? Does Jesus still hear my prayers? Will I ever find life again?

Addressing these agonizing questions is the motivation behind our Sacred Groves ministry. Our message is simple: Jesus is still there, and He the way, truth, and life. Facing a new understanding of reality doesn't have to end in soul-crushing pain, but can instead be a soul-liberating peace and joy.

In recent months we have posted several new interviews on our website, www.sacredgroves.net. These are some compelling stories, and reflect the breadth of experiences that many people from Mormon traditions encounter as they walk the road to freedom. It's a change in belief, yes; but it is so much more. It is a change in the very essence of life and being. To come to the understanding that we can have a genuine, life-giving relationship with our Creator--for eternity--and that this relationship is not dependent upon how well we perform or how hard we work--nothing except His love for us and His taking care of our sin problem that would separate us from Him. Whether this is all new to us, or we've known it all our lives, the joy of this reality should never cease to take our breath away.

Psalm 34:8 says, "Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him." God invites us to not just observe, not just hear, not just feel, but to TASTE His goodness--we draw so close to Him as to actually take him in to our innermost being--and allow His presence in us to change us from within, and produce the good fruit that we long for, but simply can't create on our own.

We no longer have to rely on hearsay or wishful thinking, or even our own feelings. The very reality that we move about in...changes. We can rest on the Rock that is as solid and sure as anything we could ever set our feet upon.

That is the Good News we desperately want to share with our Latter-day Saint friends, neighbors, and loved ones. And anyone else who wants to hear.

Our most exciting news of late is the release of a new documentary, "A Home For Hagar" on DVD. It's not just a documentary, but it is also a call to action, and the spearhead of a new vision to address a desperate need that many people know little about--the bondage of religious polygamy. Tens of thousands of women and children in North America are captives in a horrific web of human trafficking that rivals the horror stories that come from the most troubled parts of the world.

And yet it's happening, secretly, quietly, in our own back yard. You would be appalled by breathtaking scope of the problem...and perhaps even more so by how little is being done about it.

That just cannot continue. Together with our sister ministry, A Shield and Refuge, we have produced this documentary to share the compelling (and often heartbreaking) stories of women who have come out of Fundamentalist Mormon polygamous groups. They share the horrors of their lives, but also about the awesome power of a God who can--and does--hear the plaintive cry of these desperate souls.

Sadly, the stories of healing and hope are all too rare. But that is changing. God is calling us to do our part, and a big part of this vision is The Hagar Home, a yet-to-be-realized vision for a secure safehouse that will be a place of healing and restoration for fleeing polygamists, where they can be equipped for life "on the outside" and most importantly, where they can encounter Jesus Christ, who is our only source of true freedom.

The DVD A Home for Hagar officially releases tomorrow, Wednesday July 30th. We will give a copy away to anyone who asks for one. Click here for more information.

In celebration of this release, we are also premiering this film in two locations over the next few days, and if you are in northern Utah, we would love for you to come and be a part of it! Admission is free, and DVDs will be available. Doris Hanson, the director of A Shield and Refuge Ministry, and who herself is one of those whom God rescued from the clutches of polygamy, will be present.

Wednesday, July 30 @ 7:00 PM
Main Street Church
48 N. Main St.
Brigham City, Utah

Sunday, August 3 @ 6:00 PM
Millcreek Church
1515 E 4500 S
Salt Lake City, Utah

If you are interested in hosting a showing of the film in your area, we'll be glad to help set that up for you. Visit www.hagarhome.org for more information.

DVDs of
A Home for Hagar
are now available. CLICK HERE for more info!

Some of our latest interviews:

Katie Warren

Sarah Dennis

Ken Gilbert