I met Lorna by chance, while attending Cornerstone Church one Sunday back in March of 2008. I needed a place to sit, but all the chairs and tables inside were taken- all but a lone chair next to her.Me: Mind if I sit there? Is that seat taken?
Her: No, not at all... go ahead!
And that began our conversation. I explained to her that I was temporarily living in Chandler, AZ, but my home is in CA. What I did not tell her was that I was living in AZ because I had just spent 60 days at Remuda Ranch, an inpatient facility for eating disorders, and then transferred to Remuda Life, a residential/step-down facility (for EDs).
She smiled, and said she was from CA, too. We talked about how awesome Cornerstone Church is/was, chatted about the little things. When it was time for me to go with the other girls and staff inside the church, she told me how nice it was to talk to me, as she had attended church alone that day. She handed me a business card and a bookmark that had her name, phone number, email address, and website on them. She hugged me, and shocked at the kindness of a stranger, I said goodbye.
This chance encounter is what truly changed my views on people, especially folks who attend church. I was a staunch atheist, with great fear when it came to hypocrisy within the church, for 21 years. Lorna changed my perspective a great deal...
A couple months later, when I had gone back home to CA, I was leafing through my Bible that I had received there at Cornerstone Church (nope, I didn't have one before that). Her bookmark fluttered to the ground. I picked it up, and, my curiosity piqued, I visited her website called Living Life with Victory.
Her words and insight were so inspiring! I decided to send her an email, expecting her to have forgotten all about me. Nope, she remembered just who I was, and excitedly asked if she could send me a copy of her relatively new book "This Side of Heaven." Of course, I said "yes!"
A couple weeks later, the package showed up, and from page one, I was hooked. Her autobiography details just how she gained a personal relationship with God, despite all the of the difficulties and obstacles to overcome in her life. The fact that she WASN'T "perfect" and acknowledged that even Christians can come from broken pasts showed me that I didn't need to "keep up appearances" if I accepted Christ as my Saviour. Her book/memoirs showed me how she was able to grow after being victimised and used by others, in order to gain a life of freedom to do what she was created to do. And what's more is that, even though I had not even whispered that I struggle with an eating disorder, her book talks about how she got into recovery from anorexia nervosa!
Not only is Lorna Tremaine an amazing and victorious woman of God, she is a fantastic writer, with passion for and understanding about life.
i might have to get this book! my church is made up of mostly of people with broken pasts/a lot of baggage. we're a bunch of misfits, but we all love God and each other.
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