An Interview with My Mother

In February I traveled to meet with Melissa Bramer for a special two hour interview at my mother’s apartment. Melissa and I both arrived in time for lunch with my mom and dad and sat around the kitchen table for several hours before the evening blogtalk radio show. Since Melissa’s “Hurting to Healing” first aired on blogtak radio in November 2014, my mother’s been a regular listener, even at the cost of missing her Tuesday night BINGO games! In the interview, my mother offered the unique perspective of what it was like for a parent to watch her adult child (me) join a high control religious group. As former Jehovah’s Witnesses, Melissa and I hope this will be used to inform the community about the dangers of this sect. We also hope it was encouraging for those directly affected by the Watchtower Society to hear that broken relationships can be restored.

My older sister offered to have us sleep over that night and treat Melissa to a morning lesson in making Valentine cake pops. Not much for the kitchen myself, I took the role of observer in their shared culinary adventure. While they were enjoying their time together, Melissa’s husband called and I overheard her say, “okay now, I gotta go I’m trying to get adopted here!” We had a good laugh over that one but I knew how important this family connection was for my friend Melissa who is shunned by her own mother, an active Jehovah’s Witness. Later when my parents gathered at my sister’s table for lunch, she invited Melissa to spend any holidays at her house … even with all five of her kids! My older sister is a natural grandma! So it looks like I may be losing my status in the family as the youngest …. but of course, I’m still the cutest and mom always did like me best!!!

29 Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, 30 but that he will receive a hundred times as much now inthe present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life. (Mark 10:29-30)

If you were not able to listen on Tuesday, February 10 when Melissa and I broadcasted LIVE from my mother’s apartment, you can still access the archived show on the Healing X Outreach network here:

Special Guest Arlene & Julie McAllen~Hurting to Healing w/Melissa

Check Out Religion Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with Healing X Outreach Radio on BlogTalkRadio

“Hurting to Healing with Melissa” airs every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month (4:30 pm Pacific/ 5:30 pm Mountain/6:30 pm Central/7:30 pm Eastern). She fills the time slot with scriptural encouragement, hope, laughter, tears, prayer, illustrations from her own journey out of darkness into light, and an opportunity for callers to comment and ask questions.

All shows on the Healing X Outreach are easy to listen to live through any home or mobile phone at 347-934-0379.

Keep yourself in God’s love, Julie

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Author: Julie

As a convert to Jehovah’s Witnesses, Julie believed she had found “the Truth,” but when she was “disfellowshipped” for “apostasy” when she questioned the organization's policies and refused to trust the organization over Jesus as her ONLY mediator, Julie left to find true freedom serving the REAL Jehovah God in joy and truth! Call Julie at 719-355-7164 ext 113