A Change in Direction (Somewhat)

First of all, I want to apologize for being away from The Epiphany Engineering Company for a long time since 2013. A lot has happened since then. Anne, my beloved wife of 42 years died in 2016. I retired from the Dallas ISD teaching at Spruce HS the next year. In 2019 while at the Texas Baptist Convention in Waco, TX, I reconnected with a long time ministry friend, Camille Simmons. I had met Camille in San Antonio 1n 1993 while doing a Story Listening Evangelism training event for the San Antonio Baptist Association, where Camille was Coordinator of Ministries for 16 years. After that three minute chance meeting in the hall of the Waco Convention Center, we began to talk ministry business over the phone two days a week. That turned into multiple times, daily, even after midnight. September 5, 2020, God's grace brought us together in marriage and a joy filled new chapter for each of us began. Both of us had recently known the painful loss of a spouse. For nearly 18 years I have also worked in the field of trauma, as an educator, author, and presenter. Camille shares in this calling with her own national prayer ministry for parents of small children. Here is the change in direction: Shortly I will launch podcasts aimed at helping both survivors of trauma as well as the Courageous Christians who answer the call to minister to those who have been abused and traumatized in the their lifetimes. This will be addressed to each group separately. I will continue to use and build the Trauma Ministry website: www.traumaministry.net. AND I will devote The Epiphany Engineering Company to talking about all things trauma. The blog will continue to include my work with Story Listening Evangelism which is a critical component of healing with trauma survviors as well as a critical tool for listening for those Courageous Christians who will be called to Trauma Ministry where they will be trained, equipped and, supported to increase their resiliency and capacity to enter into the pain of the stories and lives of trauma survivors. A long time ago when the modern missionary movement was launched, one person said, "I'll go down, if someone holds the rope." We may not live in an age of deep mining from which that metaphor came, but The Epiphany Engineering Company, Trauma Ministry, and every breath I take will be to hold the rope as Courageous Christians minister to Trauma Survivors and as Trauma Survivors have the courage to break their silences and enter into a world of care and healing for their brokenness. And for Trauma Survivors who have so longed to be seen, heard, known, and understood, Trauma Ministry will attempt to connectyou to a Courageous Christian who knows just how to listen to you, no matter what, so you will be, once again, seen, heard, known, and understood! So hang on for more guidance in the Change in Direction! Blessings! Erenst Izard PhD epizard@verizon.net