Who is Elizabeth Esther?

Greetings and salutations. I’m Elizabeth Esther.

And this here is mine blog.

I raise a pack of kids. No, seriously. A pack.
Here I am with my brood (yes, they’re all mine):

I grew up inside an abusive Christan fundamentalist church–which is a nice way of saying I kick ass at Bible Trivia and am classically trained in stockpiling for the Apocalypse. I left the cult 9 years ago. I still can’t go to church without needing to call my therapist afterwards. But I won’t let go of faith entirely–especially since experiencing a small glimpse of the unconditional love of God.

This blog is mostly about my recovery from fundamentalist religion. I deconstruct harmful beliefs like how I was taught to never trust my heart, why I believed I was an inherently evil human being, and the abusive idea that God wants parents to spank their children until their “will is broken.” I’ve written about learning to forgive and be forgiven through Confession and how Mary brought me back to Jesus.

On December 2, 2011, I was a guest on Anderson Cooper’s daytime talk show. I shared my first-hand experiences with the abusive “child-training” methods of Michael Pearl.

Now that I’ve re-examined much of my upbringing, I regret voting yes on Prop 8 and have apologized to my gay neighbors.

I’m working on a book about my experiences inside the fundamentalist cult of my childhood. I don’t have an agent or book deal yet. If you’re interested in representing me, please contact me.

My other writing credentials include writing a column for the Orange County Register. My published articles have appeared in Mothering Magazine, Orange Coast Magazine and the Orange County Register. I’ve also written pieces for (in)courage, and Faith&Family. I was a contributing blogger/vlogger for OCFamily.com where I posted short, humorous videos about stuff like why Daddies are rockstars and Mommies are losers. I wrote the foreword for this book and this book.

I write about everything from my prestigious job as Chief Executive Butt Wiper to my battle with depression/PPD. I’ve written about the challenges of raising my super-hero ADHD son and why taking time to dither and fritter is not wasted time.

Lastly, I’m passionate about writing stories to help free children from poverty. Here I am with two boys I sponsor in Bolivia:

Lastly,
here is my favorite quote:

“No heart is as whole as a broken heart and I would say no faith is as solid as a wounded faith.” –Elie Weisel

[I recommend subscribing to my blog because I can almost guarantee you'll wanna come back for more. Go ahead. Click here:  ]

Oh, and here’s a little clip of my appearance on Fox News’ “Fox&Friends”

Need more convincing? Here’s the “Best of EE” :

Humor/Funny stories:

Die, skinny jeans, die!

Rat in my house!

Book Reviews/Author Interviews:

Why Twilight is a misogynistic piece of hard-boiled crapola

A conversation with Frank Schaeffer, author of “Crazy for God”

Recovering from an abusive church experience (find more in the “recovering fundamentalist archives):

Scary Bible Camp (winning the battle over a spiritually traumatic childhood)

Silencing Chicken Little (how I struggle against the apocalyptic mindset)

Don’t trust your desperately wicked heart (and other fundamentalist myths)

Parenting & Motherhood:

Yes, I put my twins in daycare. Actually, I’m a BETTER mother now

Do small things right

PUBLISHED ARTICLES:

The Orange County Register:
Breaking Up With Facebook is Hard to Do [front page article]

She and Facebook are canoodling again [front page article]

Now Batting…Our Future [featured article in Life section]

Orange Coast Magazine, April 2009, My OC Column: “Love Unleashed” [avail. in print only]

Mothering Magazine: March/April 2010, Art of Mothering Column, “The Purple Princess Boy Bike” [see YouTube video below]

GUEST POSTING:

Take a Risk @ (In)Courage

Compare, Contrast, Despair @ Faith & Family