I love others, too.
Those things are easy to say. But my ministry, found on my other website, is devoted to those who have experienced spiritual abuse through twisted Scriptures, to help them know who our gracious God really is.
That ministry is based on my 40+ years of Bible study and an ability to cut through the fog of confusion.
I want to help others see who our God really is, to understand what He really said in the Scriptures, and to rejoice in Him instead of being afraid of Him.
You can see a fuller explanation of my beliefs here.
That’s the first thing to know about me.
What does that even mean?
Beginning in 2006 through a friend, I began to understand domestic abuse in the church and poor church counseling in these situations.
I studied the topic diligently and spent hundreds of hours listening to this friend and her children.
In 2012 through another friend, I began to understand sexual abuse in the church (and more poor church counseling).
Since then, I’ve read dozens of books, gone through courses and received training, and primarily spent thousands of hours listening to abuse survivors to better understand all that is involved in the causes and effects of the trauma and the necessary healing work.
I understand the terminology used to describe abuse and how those dynamics operate.
I understand trauma-specific terminology, and I recognize trauma symptoms.
I understand the terms used to describe the various counseling, therapy, and prayer ministry methods, and I’m trained in one of those.
I understand “trauma brain” and how, though there may be brilliant ideas inside, you can sometimes need help getting the ideas to come together in a way that will really communicate your message.
Like any good trauma-informed coach, I know how to listen deeply. When I work with authors, I can often hone in on a deeper understanding of the author’s message than what the author has been able to verbalize.
In other words, when it comes to books, I know what I’m doing—through every single phase of the process.
I know how to lay a solid foundation for the book even before we start writing. (If you’ve already done some writing, I know how to pull it together and help it get organized.)
I know how to help you set up the framework for your book.
I know how to create engaging writing.
If you choose to self-publish, that’s my specialty. I can help you with the publishing and marketing process.
From beginning to end I can harness my expertise to help you create your masterpiece of a book.
You can see my most popular series, the Untwisting Scriptures series, here. To see all the books I’ve worked on that have my name on them, you can visit my author page at Amazon.
My clients are among the most noble people I know, and my respect for them and their mission is massive.
There are few things I love more than knowing my client is holding in his or her hands that BOOK, that lifelong dream. That book that will help others and leave a legacy.
The testimonials from my clients that you’ll find here and there on this website speak for themselves.
Here’s a screenshot I used on the home page of this site. There’s a little backstory there.
That letter excerpt wasn’t written in response to my Rebecca Davis WordWorking business.
It was from someone I had just met. She had invited me over to her house after I spoke at a conference, and she wasn’t interested in writing a book.
So why do I give it such high priority here?
Because this letter embodies how in my profession, active listening is a vital part of what I do.
The praise this woman offered spontaneously—for something as simple as listening—I consider to be one of my most golden tributes.
My response to her, back then?
Yes, this woman was sharing with me what it was like for her family to be in a cult and then come out of one.
(Of course it was a cult that looked like a wonderful church, because I still haven’t met anyone who wanted to join a cult on purpose.)
That “cult abuse” listening is a skill I began honing in 1999 after we had been in a cultic church for a year.
We got out and then listened as others wanted help getting out of the same group of churches.
At that time I was clueless as to why talking about these things would cause a muscular military man to coil into a fetal position in front of me.
But I’ve been doing a lot of listening since then. As well as a lot of reading.
Another friend was my first teacher about domestic abuse in the church, beginning in 2006. Later she said to me, “The whole first year of our friendship you said hardly anything.”
I was doing almost nothing but listening. Trying to absorb and understand the dynamics. Not even sure what questions to ask.
And reading whatever she handed me. Twice. With highlights. And questions in the margins.
The first friend who taught me about sexual abuse in the church (beginning in 2012) asked me to research the things she was telling me.
I dove into it with a will.
I have never stopped learning.
I have never stopped listening.
When you partner with me on your nonfiction work, you’ll find that I offer a panoply of professional services.
~ I’ll help you hone in on your target audience. (Someone a little more specific than “everybody.”)
~ I’ll help you zero in on your purpose. Almost everyone I work with wants to help others, but we can get more specific.
~ I’ll help you find a winning format. Memoir? Self help book? Devotional? Bible study? Blog? Stage presentation? Something else?
~ I’ll get any disorganized snatches of writing organized and orderly. Should a memoir be written in straight timeline fashion? Should it bounce back and forth between childhood and adulthood? Should it be presented in a stream of consciousness format? How should the topics in straight nonfiction be presented?
~ Does your book need headings? Footnotes? A bibliography? An appendix? I’ll take care of all those things.
~ If you want to self publish, I’ll help you get a beautiful book up on Amazon and other outlets.
~ And most important, I’ll help you shape your words to communicate powerfully. That’s what good writers do.
Oh, did I say most important?
Well, that’s the most important thing when your writing is actually on the page.
But when we’re working together, I consider active listening far more important.
I don’t listen passively, simply waiting for you to get done so I can ignore you and do what I was planning to do anyway.
As we talk, you might find that you actually have more clarity on your story than you did before.
As your story takes shape before your eyes, you’ll find that you develop as a stronger person.
And there is where you’ll find that the nonfiction journey, no matter what form your work eventually takes, is a truly life-shaping experience.
In all the best ways.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Rebecca