Exposed: Inexcusable Me…Irreplaceable Him
Shannon M. Deitz
Non Fiction/Self
Help
Back of the
book:
Having
spent nearly two decades of her life in the darkest valleys of
self-destruction, Shannon Deitz believed she was unworthy of God’s love. After
she witnessed, as a child, the sex and drug induced downfall of her sister,
Shannon turned away from her Catholic faith and found herself caught in a wild
and carefree lifestyle where she drank, partied and sought comfort in abusive
relationships. She was raped—not once, but twice—by two different boyfriends.
As she hit rock bottom, Shannon experienced an intense spiritual battle and
inner struggle. Finally seeking truth, she understood that her life had never
belonged to her. It had always belonged to God His desire was for her to come
to Him on her own—not out of compulsion, but from a heart full of love.
Exposed:
Inexcusable Me…Irreplaceable Him is the story of one woman’s courageous journey
from a destructive self-filled life to a place of spiritual self-discovery.
This book exposes the awful truths of sexual and emotional abuse that many
experience today. But it also reveals a restorative truth—no matter how deeply
your wounds may run, you will always be worthy of God’s healing grace.
About Shannon
Deitz:
Shannon
Deitz is a woman in love with God and excited about her faith. But it wasn’t
always that way. While still a teen, her boyfriend was tragically killed in an
auto accident, and she began to question a God who would claim a young man with
so much life yet to be lived. At the fragile age of seventeen, she was raped
and she began to distrust a God who would allow such a thing. Again, as a
freshman in college, she was raped a second time, and she began to earnestly
put as much distance between herself and God as she possibly could.
It
has been said that the best thing about hitting bottom is that, when we do, we
have no place else to go but up. Such was the case with Deitz. At the age of
27, having run from God as far as she could go, she found herself at the bottom
of a life that was no longer tolerable. Having no place to go but up, she
looked to Heaven. And there was God, surrounding her with His peace. It was the
beginning of a love story that has grown more beautiful with each passing day.
Shortly
after her love affair with God began in earnest, Deitz felt a distinct calling
to begin teaching the teens at her local church. Not only did this give her an
opportunity to share her own struggles as a teen and tell others how God
changed her personal tragedy into triumph, but it also allowed her to look
beyond the traditions to more deeply explore the intricacies of her Catholic
faith.
Her
work with teens led to a full-time youth ministry. Within the next four years,
that ministry bloomed, allowing her to witness God’s amazing work in her church
and her life. In 2007, her youth group was voted in the top five of EWTN’s
Catholic Youth Groups in the United States, and in 2008 she was invited to
speak on God’s unfailing love at the World Youth Day Festivities in Sydney,
Australia. In 2011, she was again asked to speak at the WYD Festivities in
Madrid, Spain.
Having
spread the message of God’s amazing love to thousands of teens, she eventually
felt called to broaden the sphere of those with whom she shared her personal
story. In 2010, she wrote Exposed: Inexcusable Me…Irreplaceable Him (Pleasant
Word Publishing) as a way of offering encouragement and hope to both teens and
adults suffering from physical and emotional abuse. In 2011, she stepped away from
her parish ministry to have more time for speaking engagements and to work on
writing projects, including a follow-up to Exposed. The new book will be a
continuation of her faith journey, specifically dealing with the daily bumps,
twists and turns of marriage and parenthood.
“My
goal,” Deitz explains, “is to see my generation get it. I want to see the
20-somethings, 30-somethings and 40-somethings seek out Christ in a way that
they can give up the trials and errors of the day and turn them over to Him. We
are inundated with worries upon worries, bills to pay, families to raise,
marriages to save, parents to take care of, children to figure out, illnesses
to bear, images to keep up with, co-workers to counsel, bosses to please and
clients to tolerate. We each have our own cross, but God never intended for us
to carry it alone.”
Deitz
discovered God’s willingness to carry our burdens on the day she hit bottom.
Now she delights in imparting that truth to others. It has become her calling,
her passion and her joy and nothing pleases her more than the opportunity to
share her love and excitement with everyone she meets.
Deitz
and her husband, Neal, live in Kingwood, Texas, where they are active in their
local church and community. The couple has two sons, Ryan and Seth, who provide
them with endless joy and reason to continually count their blessings.
My thoughts:
Exposed is a very raw
but very real account of one woman’s journey through some of life’s toughest
challenges. Some of the events were results from the author’s own actions but
other events were brought on by others. I was impressed with Shannon’s candor
in relating her experiences for all to read.
Throughout
the work we get to see the struggle of good and evil and of the constant wooing
by God to come back and rest in Him. The account is couched in a Catholic
background…because Shannon is Catholic. There were portions that I didn’t fully
grasp because I’m not Catholic. But overall it was a great story about the
power of love and redemption.
“Disclosure of Material
Connection: I received one or more of the products or
Services mentioned above
for free in the hope that I would mention it
on my blog. Regardless, I
only recommend products or services I use personally
and believe will be good
for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance
With the Federal Trade
Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides concerning the
Use of Endorsements and
Testimonials in Advertising.”
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