Lisa...
Lisa Taylor is a mother of three, trauma survivor, and multi-award-winning author living in New Zealand’s Northland. She became a certified pastoral sex addiction specialist (International Association of Certified Sex Addiction Specialists) in 2016. In 2018 she graduated with a post-graduate diploma in counseling from the University of Auckland and is now a practicing counsellor with the New Zealand Christian Counsellors Association. She has studied small group facilitation with Donna Meredith-Dixon (A Door of Hope)
Lisa has spent the last several (probably 7) years walking alongside women around the globe who have been betrayed by their husbands/partners. Today she has a private counselling practice in New Zealand and works with betrayed wives and men with problematic sexual behaviours. Internationally she does this work through Naked Truth Project based in the UK.
Lisa, and her husband Michael, speak to Christian organizations and young people about pornography and sexual addiction, and God’s great plan for sexual intimacy.
Relevant Books
Prior to writing Beyond Betrayal, Lisa was an award-winning young adult/children's author. In 2016 she wrote and published a new book for this demographic on porn and sexting... versus God's good plans for sexuality. There's WHAT on my Phone? has been highly acclaimed by those working in the sex addiction treatment/prevention fields, including such Christian organizations as IACSAS, Covenant Eyes and Protect Young Eyes. Read more.
The award-winning, Beyond Betrayal takes an in-depth look at the issue of a woman’s healing from marital betrayal. It details Lisa's own journey and that of women she has walked alongside. Moreover, the book uses data from the largest survey to date of wives of sex addicts — and two others which have followed it. Read more.
Beyond Betrayal Couples' Guide acts as a companion guide to the Beyond Betrayal book. For husband's who want to more fully grasp their wife's journey, and enter more deeply into their own recovery, this is a key resource. Read more.
In Australia the Beyond Betrayal books can be purchased at Koorong, and in New Zealand at Oil of Joy Press. The U.S. versions can be purchased via Amazon and other online bookstores. The ebook version can be purchased here.
The "Ministry"
Beyond Betrayal, founded in 2014, has grown from a book to an international ministry of sorts. In other words, God has let us work with Him to help people in various places around the world, but especially in New Zealand and Australia. Until 2017 one happy, but not-even-remotely-wealthy family has joyfully funded the various projects of Beyond Betrayal including:
- Book publishing and distribution
- Video production
- Websites: Beyond Betrayal, Sex Addiction Specialists Aotearoa, and Christian Sex Addiction Specialists International (usually for free or with some expenses covered)
- Organizing sex addiction training events
- Organizing/running retreats
- Making resources (Keynote/Powerpoint and videos) available to women who wish to talk about PSA trauma to their church/Christian ministry
- Facilitating free, in-person support groups
- One-on-one support over skype or email
- Financial support/resources to women and their children in need due to sex addiction
- Inviting women/families to “camp” with us at our place (under construction) for multiple days and be ministered to
- Continuing education for Lisa so she can do the work better
Some of the families directly involved have supported this work at times through kohas:* gifts of love ranging from money to fruit to a place to stay while travelling (or all of the above). Also, for the thousands of dollars we have spent on book creation, purchasing and distribution we make back a small fraction of that money in sales (many of our books are sold in New Zealand at or below cost, or given away to those in need).
The Challenge of Receiving
While we would actually prefer to keep doing what we’ve been doing, the way we've been doing it, we have felt challenged in 2017 to share the blessings… and see what God does. We are increasingly aware of the needs of those around us — and our limitations in meeting them because of our stretched resources. We’re also feeling called to do things (some of which we’re not even that keen on doing, but He seems keen anyway), that we just don’t have the resources for.
Some of the things we think God may want us to do in the years to come are:
- Continue with the Beyond Betrayal blog
- Lisa going on to do Masters research on the impact of sex addiction on the partner and family
- Continuing study for Lisa on working with those with sex addiction
- Making more books available (affordably) to the hurting in NZ and Australia and to therapists who want to help them
- Working with A Door of Hope and supporting them in the development of their ministry which trains wives of sex addicts to be support-group facilitators
- Working with a group of therapists to bring more training to New Zealand and Australia for therapists and those in Christian ministry who want to help sex addicts, their spouses and families
- Continuing to develop our accommodations in beautiful New Zealand for women/families impacted by sex addiction… so they can visit for multiple days in order to learn, be ministered to and heal
All of this will take time as well as money. It will also take a “way through” in the spiritual (because in the natural that’s a crazy load of stuff for one family, who also has to work for a living). We so appreciate your prayers. God is in charge, we’re trusting Him. We love working with Him and we love when He calls others to work alongside us in any capacity (even through the gift of verbal encouragement).
Please don’t in any way feel you need to support this "ministry" financially (I am aware that so many of our women have been left financially high and dry due to sex addiction – we want to minister to you!). However, for the few that God may call to do that, you can use the koha* button to send money. Remember you also support us by your prayers, by your words of encouragement, and if you live in New Zealand: we do love our organic fruit and not many of our trees are mature yet. ☺ Email us for our address if your koha takes a physical form.
Blessings,
Aroha mai, aroha atu
Lisa and Michael
*Koha: a term of the Maori (New Zealand indigenous) people for a gift that expresses deep gratitude, affection and respect for what is being given.