This Little Light of Mine - Leading Yourself Through the Fire of Religious Trauma

Welcome to the first episode of This Little Light of Mine.  My name is James Powell and I’m thrilled to have you join me on this personal journey of healing, discovery and possibility.  

For full show notes visit www.ThisLittleLightOfMine.CA  

Here's a rundown of S01E01:

(3:52) Chapter 1 – Starting the world’s first, fully affirming LGBTQ Baptist Church

In the first part of my personal story, learn all the many things that...

Welcome to episode two of This Little Light Of Mine.  

My name is James Powell and I’m thrilled to have you join me on this personal journey of healing, discovery and possibility.  

(3:02) LISTENER ADVISORY: this episode may contain triggers for some. Topics in this episode include: sexual abuse, trauma, suicide, exorcism, addiction & conversion therapy 

For full show notes visit www.ThisLittleLightOfMine.CA  

Here's a...

One of the big reasons for starting TLLoM is my belief that we grow, heal and shine when we authentically share our stories.  With this belief I want to use this platform to have conversations with other queer people of faith, trauma survivors, people in recovery and people hungry for a deeper spiritual connection in their life.

My hope is that today’s episode will spark something inside of you, open your eyes and your heart ...

We need to save our kids. We can no longer afford to ignore the psychological, spiritual, emotional and mental abuse that the church inflicts on children when they teach that any of God’s children are less than, unworthy of love or unable to love in the way that God has designed them to love.

We have another big episode in-store for you today. Here’s what’s coming up…

Full show notes available at TLLoM.CA

I’m going to hit p...

In today’s episode of This Little Light of Mine I’m going to be speaking with Jonathan Brower who knows a little bit about NOT CHANGING (as in not changing your sexual orientation, based on what someone else believes SHOULD be true for your life). As I introduced on the last episode of TLLOM, Jonathan has been through conversion therapy programs four times… yes… FOUR TIMES! 

There has been lots in the news recently about conv...

Hello and welcome to a special Pride Month BONUS episode of This Little Light of Mine.  

In season one we’re talking about a lot of tough topics from trauma to addiction, systemic racism and gender inequality to coming out to conversion therapy.

I wanted to take a hot minute to take a deep breath, throw some glitter in the air and talk about a new take on the elusive pride body… to do that I’ve partnered with personal traine...

In today’s episode of This Little Light Of Mine I share the part of my story where this project first began.  In today’s episode I take you into my disclosure session with my parents during my stay at a long-term complex trauma and rehabilitation centre in the US.

This is where I really started living.

I’m thankful that we didn’t really have a Pride Weekend in Toronto this year.  I’m thankful for chaos, anguish and trauma th...

In Western cultures we have been trained to label addictions as BAD.  They are something that are undesirable, they hurt, they destroy and they kill.  Our first trained instinct when the topic of addiction comes up is ‘HOW DO WE STOP IT’, ‘how do we get ride of it’, ‘how do we help the person just say no drugs/alcohol/sex/food or whatever’.

But what if we took another approach?  What if we looked at our addictions as gifts?  ...

Hello and welcome to Episode 9 of This Little Light Of Mine.  My name is James Powell and I’m glad that you’re able to join me for today’s episode, Seeds of Shame.

Before I get started I want to give a big shout out to a few community members who are blowing me away with their sharing, encouragement and insights as we discover, heal and grow forward in love together.

• Poulami from Lit.Wings in India
• Mark aka NotDefining in...

Looking to create a healthy sex life on your own terms? 

Matthias Roberts, host of Queerology, therapist and author joins us to share some of his personal experiences with shame AND insights from his new book ‘Beyond Shame'.

I really appreciate when a therapist, author and expert on ‘shame’ is able to walk the talk when it comes to vulnerability.

The definition of vulnerability that Mattias’ shared that talks about our capa...

Were you ever taught that who you were was wrong, evil, sinful or less than?

In today's episode, God hates figs?  I’m taking another stroll down memory lane to share some of the messages that I learned around homosexuality as a young boy growing up in a fundamentalist church background.

Maybe you’re not part of queer community, but perhaps you were taught some of these same toxic messages because of the colour of your skin, ...

Hello and welcome to Episode 12 of This Little Light Of Mine.  My name is James Powell and I’m glad that you’re able to join me for today’s episode, ‘I was wrong’.

In today’s episode I’m joined with best-selling author, columnist, Anglican cleric and former nightly television and radio host, Michael Coren.  Michael and I will be talking about his book Epiphany and “what went wrong” on his journey from being the posterboy of C...

In today’s episode ‘Gospel gaslighting’ I share where some of my emotional arrested development started. 

Gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation in which a person or a group covertly sows seeds of doubt in a targeted individual or group, making them question their own memory, perception, or judgment, often evoking in them cognitive dissonance and other changes, including low self-esteem.

In short, gaslighting is...

Hello and welcome to Episode 14 of This Little Light Of Mine.  My name is James Powell and I’m glad that you’re able to join me for today’s episode, ‘The shift’.

In today’s episode I’m joined by best-selling author, podcaster, and PROGRESSIVE pastor Colby Martin.  Colby is passionate about carving out a space within Christianity that includes: a whole-heartedly affirming posture toward LGBTQ individuals, a broader acceptance ...

In today's episode I share what it was like for me growing up in the 90’s evangelical church culture and share about one of my worst nightmares coming to life.  

And from the many stories, comments and messages that you have been sharing online through FB & IG it is very clear that this period in time wasn’t an easy, joy-filled or shame free period for so many… not matter where we may have lived on the spectrum of gender ...

Join Chad Rollo and I as we talk about deconstructing our faith and the importance of being in community with 'fellow travellers' as we journey this wild & windy (and often painful) road towards integrating our faith and sexuality after years of living behind a wall of shame & fear.

Growing up so deeply entrenched in an evangelical church-based community and family I know how painful and important questions around fai...

Hello and welcome to Episode 17 of This Little Light Of Mine. My name is James Powell and I’m glad that you’re able to join me for today’s episode, ‘In the shadows’.

Before we get started with today’s episode, I want to be very transparent that this is my first ‘explicit’ episode as this part of my story contains content that may trigger some survivors. In today’s episode I will be talking about sexual assault, rape, trauma ...

Hello and welcome to Episode 18 of This Little Light Of Mine.  My name is James Powell and I’m glad that you’re able to join me for today’s episode, ‘Scapegoat’.

Over the past few weeks on IG and Facebook @MyLightShinesBright our trauma topic of conversation has been around the concept of ‘The Scapegoat’.  This is a relatively new term for me, and it seems like it’s a term that resonates with many that are on similar journeys...

If you’re still with me, I want you to hear this clearly—your story isn’t over. Even if it feels like you’re standing in the dark, even if you’re exhausted from the fight, even if the lies you’ve been told still whisper louder than the truth you’re trying to believe—you’re still here.

And that’s leadership.

Not the kind the world glorifies, but the quiet, courageous leadership of choosing to stay. Of choosing to breathe. Of ...