This Little Light of Mine - LGBTQ, Christianity, religious trauma, mental health
Religion & Spirituality Podcasts
This Little Light of Mine is an LGBTQ+ tale of terror (growing up as a closeted Gay Christian in the Evangelical church) that led to trauma (cPTSD, religious trauma, spiritual abuse, sexual abuse, addiction) to what I intend to become triumph.
Join me on my healing and recovery journey towards mental health, spiritual health and emotional health as I find my voice by sharing what happened in my life as a Queer Christian where I was taught that I was not allowed to love.
This Little Light of Mine is an LGBTQ+ tale of terror (growing up as a closeted Gay Christian in the Evangelical church) that led to trauma (cPTSD, religious trauma, spiritual abuse, sexual abuse, addiction) to what I intend to become triumph.
Join me on my healing and recovery journey towards mental health, spiritual health and emotional health as I find my voice by sharing what happened in my life as a Queer Christian where I was taught that I was not allowed to love.
Location:
Canada
Description:
This Little Light of Mine is an LGBTQ+ tale of terror (growing up as a closeted Gay Christian in the Evangelical church) that led to trauma (cPTSD, religious trauma, spiritual abuse, sexual abuse, addiction) to what I intend to become triumph. Join me on my healing and recovery journey towards mental health, spiritual health and emotional health as I find my voice by sharing what happened in my life as a Queer Christian where I was taught that I was not allowed to love.
Language:
English
Contact:
416.625.1141
Episodes
JUMP! - the transformational power of travel
10/13/2021
In today's story episode, I'm going to take you Peru where my friend Rob from OUT Adventures helped me to experience my own outer discovery adventure and inner journey for the soul.
Going into this trip, I had everything on the OUTSIDE that I thought should make me happy, but I wasn't. I was in desperate need of an inner transformation. I needed to find a space within myself where I felt safe enough and brave enough to jump.
It was this inner journey with OUT Adventures where I made one of...
Duration:00:21:32
Raise a voice, hear an echo
9/29/2021
Hello and welcome to This Little Light Of Mine, my name is James Powell and I'm so glad that you are able to join me for the second part of my conversation with Dr. Mike Rosebush.
If you haven't been introduced to Mike yet, I would encourage you to skip back to S02E03, Honey, I think I'm a homosexual.
In today's episode Mike will share what happened when he came out while working as a VP at Focus on the Family, his role as a conversion therapist, outing himself again on a national...
Duration:00:50:34
Honey, I think I'm a homosexual
9/15/2021
Do you have any gay Christian role models or mentors?
On today's episode, I'm joined with Dr. Mike Rosebush who describes himself as somewhat of a gay Christian Yoda.
In this first part of our conversation, Mike will share how his wild journey of his 'most unusual gay Christian life' got started.
In Part 1 of our conversation Mike talks about:
To read more from Dr. Mike Rosebush, check him out on Medium.
James
Duration:00:53:56
Surrounded by help
9/1/2021
I never considered that I might be surrounded by help. For most of my life I’ve been afraid to ask for help, because asking for help meant getting hurt. And as a kid I thought I was supposed to avoid getting hurt.
What comes to your mind when the topic of 'asking for help' comes up?
Is asking for help something that comes easy for you? Is asking for help something that you avoid? Or does asking for help depend on the type of help that you need? Is it okay to ask for help moving a heavy...
Duration:00:26:15
SEASON 2 - Asking for help
8/18/2021
By finding the courage to ask for the help I desperately needed I slowly started to understand that I wasn’t broken. I slowly started to understand that I was not alone. I slowly started to let go of holding onto the control that I thought was keeping me safe. I slowly started to understand that childhood trauma doesn’t simply disappear. Trauma morphs, transforms, and continues to inflict harm until we start to face the root of what harmed us.
I’m excited to have you join me for Season Two...
Duration:00:12:20
Pride is selfish
6/3/2021
Pride is an inner journey towards ownership of self. This isn’t just an LGBTQ2S+ journey, it’s a journey for everyone. Pride is a journey inward where you ask AND go inside to listen to the internal guidance system that you have been given.
The journey inwards toward ownership of self and the outward evolution towards actual diversity and inclusion isn’t for the faint of heart. As we enter another season of Pride, I want to acknowledge the messy, lonely, and sometimes unstable feelings that...
Duration:00:20:46
The homophobic church- Bill C-6: the fight against conversion therapy
4/27/2021
WARNING: content in this episode contains 1) explicit homophobic and transphobic beliefs, positioning, and scripting from Evangelical and Catholic Churches.
2) actual examples of conversion therapy sessions used against LGBTQ2S+ children.
3) politicians promoting the use of conversion therapy.
Welcome to a special topic episode on our current fight for a national ban against conversion therapy in Canada.
Thankfully this topic probably doesn’t enter the minds of 99% of humans… and yet...
Duration:00:43:36
Man Erased
4/7/2021
Hello and welcome to Episode 29 of This Little Light Of Mine. My name is James Powell and I’m glad that you’re able to join me for the final episode of season one!
I can’t believe that it’s already been over a year since I first embarked on this soul-searching journey of healing, forgiveness, and recovery!
In today’s final story episode for season one I walk you through the final years of my life leading up to my eventual breakdown and surrender.
TRIGGER WARNING: In today’s episode I will...
Duration:00:25:56
Mom & Dad - part 2
3/24/2021
Hello and welcome to Episode 28 of This Little Light Of Mine. My name is James Powell and I’m glad that you’re able to join me for the second part of my interview with my parents.
If you haven’t already listened to the first part of our conversation, I would encourage you to hop back one episode so that you have the chance to catch our full conversation.
The response to Ep27 and the first part of our chat has been overwhelming, affirming, and eye-opening. Thank you for sharing so much of...
Duration:00:55:26
Mom & Dad - part 1
3/17/2021
Hello and welcome to Episode 27 of This Little Light Of Mine. My name is James Powell and I’m glad that you’re able to join me for today’s interview episode.
Families can be some of the most complicated relationships that we have. Adding elements of religion and queerness can be like adding fuel to an already roaring fire.
On today’s episode I’m joined with Christian parenting experts, LGBTQ2S+ advocates, and the earthly creators of me… yup, this is the first part of my interview with my...
Duration:00:58:25
All aren't welcome
3/3/2021
I always dreamed that there would be peace on the other side of the rainbow. I thought that once I was fully out to my family, there would be no more secrets, and everything would be good.
I had always been so terrified and fixated on coming out to my family, that I never really looked beyond that point. The years that followed were some of the loneliest of my life
Coming out of the closet with my family simply meant that I was no longer hiding one aspect of my life. People talk about...
Duration:00:31:24
Not defining
2/17/2021
Hello and welcome to Episode 25 of This Little Light Of Mine. My name is James Powell and I’m glad that you’re able to join me for today’s interview episode, ‘Not defining’.
On today’s episode I’m joined with orientation advocate Mark Smith and his wife Victoria. Mark runs a support site for anyone struggling with their orientation. He has an expanded heart and focus on humans who may be questioning, undefined, changing, Bi+, or fluid.
Before we jump into our conversation with Mark and...
Duration:00:55:11
Toxic outing
2/3/2021
I sat in a chair facing my parents who sat on opposite ends of a sofa on the other side of the room. With one glance at my mom’s already watering eyes I knew that I was about to be devastated.
My father started out with the words, ‘We have reasons to believe that you may be struggling with same-sex attraction’.
This is the start of my toxic outing.
Show links:
NOTE: Trigger warning for homophobia, religious &. spiritual abuse, and misappropriation of God
Ravi Zacharias (RZIM...
Duration:00:36:33
Toxic Jesus
1/20/2021
On today’s episode I’m joined with author Marc-Henri Sendoz Paradella. Marc-Henri’s new book Toxic Jesus – A Journey from Holy Shit to Spiritual Healing is creating international acclaim in progressive Christian, deconstruction and religious trauma circles.
Marc-Henri has a fascinating story of deep faith, questioning, deconstruction and reconstruction.
Don’t forget, if you want the chance to win your very own copy of Toxic Jesus all you need to do is subscribe, rate and leave a review of...
Duration:00:59:15
Validate me
1/6/2021
It’s 2021… we made it! Hello, and welcome Episode 22 of This Little Light Of Mine. My name is James Powell and I’m glad that you’re able to join me for today’s story episode, ‘Validate me’.
It feels good to be here and to share more of an upbeat and lighter story episode with you today. And that’s what this episode is all about, validation and feeling good.
In today’s story episode I’m shedding many of the awkward, scared, small and unwanted masks of my school years. This period of my life...
Duration:00:23:17
Beloved arise
12/30/2020
Wow... what a rollercoaster of year. As much as we love to pretend that we're in control of our lives, 2020 is definitely a year that proves that 'anything can happen'.
It isn't hard to look back on 2020 and say THANK GOODNESS THAT'S OVER. But have you taken the opportunity to look at what you've learned about yourself in the past 12 months? How have you grown as a human in the last year? And maybe even go as far as to think about what's made you proud of YOU in 2020.
Like most of us, 2020...
Duration:00:13:11
Supposed to love Christmas
12/24/2020
Well... it's Christmas Eve and we can finally see the finish line for 2020. What a strange year... did any of our futurists or experts predict this one?
As we head into this break I wanted to put together a quick episode to share Holiday survival tips for LGBTQ2S+ Christians or for anyone who might have all the happy joyous feelings that we're 'supposed to' have at this time of year.
I'll be home for Christmas this year and I want to acknowledge how hard that's going to be for me.
To be...
Duration:00:17:52
Goodbye, all done
12/16/2020
Trauma is blocked emotional energy that is trapped inside of your body. You need to process it and you need to feel it.
What I have learned is that when I repress and deny my feelings and my Knowing, I’m blocking my connection with God and I’m hurting myself… and I’m hurting others.
At more than one point in my life I thought it would be easier to leave this world than to feel my feelings, follow my God given Knowing, speak out against those I considered to be in ‘control’ and to share my...
Duration:00:35:15
Scapegoat
12/2/2020
Hello and welcome to Episode 18 of This Little Light Of Mine. My name is James Powell and I’m glad that you’re able to join me for today’s episode, ‘Scapegoat’.
Over the past few weeks on IG and Facebook @MyLightShinesBright our trauma topic of conversation has been around the concept of ‘The Scapegoat’. This is a relatively new term for me, and it seems like it’s a term that resonates with many that are on similar journeys of trauma recovery, addiction recovery, those deconstructing their...
Duration:00:58:19
In the shadows
11/18/2020
Hello and welcome to Episode 17 of This Little Light Of Mine. My name is James Powell and I’m glad that you’re able to join me for today’s episode, ‘In the shadows’.
Before we get started with today’s episode, I want to be very transparent that this is my first ‘explicit’ episode as this part of my story contains content that may trigger some survivors. In today’s episode I will be talking about sexual assault, rape, trauma and dissociation. I encourage all listeners to be gentle with...
Duration:00:31:54