What’s happening here?
Where it began.
I am an ex-adult industry worker, amongst other things, and I am a Christian.
Due to my unique testimony, I have sometimes found it hard to figure out my place in the Christian biome, making me wonder how many other Christian women are in the same space.
When I have shared my full testimony, sometimes I have been subtly encouraged NOT to because it can make other people uncomfortable.
I am always so curious about this response because some of the most shattering and impactful illustrations of Jesus’ mind-boggling holiness come from his interactions with unclean women:
the woman at the well (John 4: 7-30)
the woman with the alabaster jar (Luke 7: 36-50)
the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-11)
the woman who bled (Luke 8: 43-48)
the dead girl (Mark 5:41)
the disabled woman (Luke 13: 10-17).
The more I dug into my professional work working with university students, the more I realized that the church needs to start having some honest conversations about how to support people, especially women, who have complex sexual histories and testimonies.
Where it is now.
This has evolved, in part, into a desire to hold a place to share stories of female shame and the outstretched hand of Christ in these most vulnerable moments.
My hope is to collect thoughts, reflections, lessons, stories, and testimonies from Christian women who are part of this slice of Jesus’ kingdom. Some crucial conversations need to be had, and I hope that this will be a catalyst for them.
Also, this may be raw. Many of us conceal our stories or our questions and concerns because they are awkward to talk about with people who don’t have this particular chapter in their life book. I promise to do my best not to shy away from the grit and the pain.
I don’t have all the answers…hardly any of them, really. But I do have a story, and so do you. Let’s tell them together.
Why is the page called Treasures in the Field?
This is a direct link to Matthew 13:44, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”
While this scripture explores our great joy in finding the kingdom of Jesus Christ and our response to it, it also has a secondary meaning. We, as Christians, are a part of the kingdom of God. We were once hidden in the field: cold, muddy, lost, and forgotten. But then, our hero came and found us, paid the highest price for us, dug us up out of the muck, cleaned and polished us, and kept us as a prized possession.
He is our Greatest Treasure, and we are also His.
Who am I?
Married for 18 years to my husband, Justin, I have helped establish several church plants, led worship teams and women’s ministries, homeschooled and raised two incredible kids, transitioned from tents to trailers, remodelled houses, trained in martial arts and CrossFit, become a fully certified sailboat skipper, bought two boats and lost one boat in a hurricane.
I also have a complex history before I became a Christian that includes sexual assault and indiscrimination, the adult sex industry, abortion, adultery, alcohol abuse, divorce and depression.
I am an NBC-HWC through the National Board of Health and Wellness Coaches, am studying for her Master of Science in Applied Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology, and hold multiple certifications in well-being coaching. I am currently researching the adult sex industry and university students in the UK.
While Texas will always be “home”, I currently reside in England.
I look forward to growing with you,
Jen Collier