{"id":4115,"date":"2025-10-29T19:13:16","date_gmt":"2025-10-30T00:13:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tuvmag.com\/?p=4115"},"modified":"2025-10-29T19:13:16","modified_gmt":"2025-10-30T00:13:16","slug":"my-thorn-my-destiny-faith-and-identity-dr-elise-saulsberrys-testimony-of-pain-purpose-and-divine-calling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tuvmag.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/29\/my-thorn-my-destiny-faith-and-identity-dr-elise-saulsberrys-testimony-of-pain-purpose-and-divine-calling\/","title":{"rendered":"My Thorn My Destiny Faith and Identity: Dr. Elise Saulsberry\u2019s Testimony of Pain, Purpose, and Divine Calling"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-start=\"432\" data-end=\"828\"><em data-start=\"432\" data-end=\"454\">My Thorn, My Destiny<\/em>, the forthcoming memoir by <strong data-start=\"482\" data-end=\"506\">Dr. Elise Saulsberry<\/strong>, is a raw and inspiring journey of faith, resilience, and authenticity. From the quiet ache of church pews to the fierce wrestle of identity, Dr. Saulsberry opens her life with unflinching honesty and grace. This transformational story is more than a memoir \u2014 it\u2019s a powerful testimony of how God turns pain into purpose.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"399\" data-end=\"924\">There comes a moment in every believer\u2019s life when we look back and realize the very thing that caused us the most pain has also been the thing that pushed us closest to God. For Dr. Elise Saulsberry, that painful thing had a name \u2014 a thorn. Not the kind you pluck from your finger and toss aside, but the kind Paul wrote about in Corinthians. A thorn that follows you, wrestles with you, speaks to you when the church refuses to, and ultimately becomes the very reason you begin to seek God earnestly for who you really are.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"926\" data-end=\"1253\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4117\" src=\"https:\/\/tuvmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Dr.-Elise-Saulsberry-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tuvmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Dr.-Elise-Saulsberry-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/tuvmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Dr.-Elise-Saulsberry-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/tuvmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Dr.-Elise-Saulsberry-420x420.jpg 420w, https:\/\/tuvmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Dr.-Elise-Saulsberry.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\" data-start=\"926\" data-end=\"1253\">Dr. Elise Saulsberry<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"1255\" data-end=\"1291\"><strong data-start=\"1259\" data-end=\"1291\">The Silence of the Sanctuary<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"1293\" data-end=\"1608\">Dr. Saulsberry\u2019s journey begins where many of ours do \u2014 within the four walls of the church. As a little girl sitting in polished pews, she felt God early. The sermons stirred her spirit. The music moved her soul. But she also learned something else \u2014 sometimes the place meant to heal you can unknowingly harm you.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1610\" data-end=\"1971\">Messages cloaked in righteousness left wounds of shame. Silence around identity left her questioning her worth. She found herself asking the kind of questions believers aren\u2019t always allowed to ask publicly:<br data-start=\"1817\" data-end=\"1820\" \/><em data-start=\"1820\" data-end=\"1851\">Why did God make me this way?<\/em><br data-start=\"1851\" data-end=\"1854\" \/><em data-start=\"1854\" data-end=\"1906\">Does God still love me if the church struggles to?<\/em><br data-start=\"1906\" data-end=\"1909\" \/><em data-start=\"1909\" data-end=\"1971\">Where do I belong when the sanctuary feels like a courtroom?<\/em><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1973\" data-end=\"2236\">Rather than turning away from God, she clung tighter \u2014 determined to find the truth of who He created her to be. And in that pursuit, she began to understand that faith is not tested in the light of acceptance \u2014 it is forged in the shadows of being misunderstood.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1973\" data-end=\"2236\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4116\" src=\"https:\/\/tuvmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/My-Thorn-Book-Cover-190x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"190\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tuvmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/My-Thorn-Book-Cover-190x300.jpg 190w, https:\/\/tuvmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/My-Thorn-Book-Cover-648x1024.jpg 648w, https:\/\/tuvmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/My-Thorn-Book-Cover-768x1214.jpg 768w, https:\/\/tuvmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/My-Thorn-Book-Cover-266x420.jpg 266w, https:\/\/tuvmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/My-Thorn-Book-Cover-640x1012.jpg 640w, https:\/\/tuvmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/My-Thorn-Book-Cover-681x1076.jpg 681w, https:\/\/tuvmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/My-Thorn-Book-Cover.jpg 949w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 190px) 100vw, 190px\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/My-Thorn-Destiny-Lesbians-Journey-ebook\/dp\/B0FQG96W25?ref_=ast_author_mpb\">https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/My-Thorn-Destiny-Lesbians-Journey-ebook\/dp\/B0FQG96W25?ref_=ast_author_mpb<\/a><\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"4405\" data-end=\"4451\"><strong data-start=\"4409\" data-end=\"4451\">A Message for the Ones Still Wrestling<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"4453\" data-end=\"4514\">There are countless believers silently carrying their thorns: Women told to shrink their voices. LGBTQ+ Christians told they don\u2019t belong in the house of God. People burdened by spiritual shame. Those who love God but have been wounded by His followers.\u00a0Dr. Saulsberry writes for all of them \u2014 to remind them of what religion sometimes forgets to say:<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"4820\" data-end=\"4981\"><strong data-start=\"4820\" data-end=\"4981\">You are not a mistake.<br data-start=\"4844\" data-end=\"4847\" \/>You are a masterpiece in motion.<br data-start=\"4879\" data-end=\"4882\" \/>You are a reflection of God\u2019s creativity.<br data-start=\"4923\" data-end=\"4926\" \/>Your identity is not your curse \u2014 it is your calling.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"4983\" data-end=\"5011\"><strong data-start=\"4987\" data-end=\"5011\">The Destiny Revealed<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"5013\" data-end=\"5093\">Toward the end of her memoir, she invites readers to reimagine their own thorns:\u00a0What if the thing you prayed for God to take away. Is the very thing He plans to elevate?<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"5187\" data-end=\"5261\">What if the rejection that broke you<br data-start=\"5223\" data-end=\"5226\" \/>is what God uses to open new doors?<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"5263\" data-end=\"5327\">What if the destiny you fear<br data-start=\"5291\" data-end=\"5294\" \/>is the destiny you were born for?<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"5329\" data-end=\"5514\">This is where My Thorn, My Destiny shines brightest \u2014 not as a story of survival but one of divine intention. It is an anthem for believers who dare to trust God with their whole truth.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"168\" data-end=\"390\"><strong data-start=\"168\" data-end=\"250\">If you are tired of hiding the parts of yourself God handcrafted with purpose\u2026<\/strong><br data-start=\"250\" data-end=\"253\" \/>If you\u2019re still healing from the wounds of church hurt\u2026<br data-start=\"308\" data-end=\"311\" \/>If you\u2019re searching for a faith that makes room for every piece of who you are\u2026<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"392\" data-end=\"449\">Then <em data-start=\"397\" data-end=\"419\">My Thorn, My Destiny<\/em> was written with you in mind. Let this book be your companion on the path to wholeness.<br data-start=\"508\" data-end=\"511\" \/>Let these words remind you that God\u2019s love is not conditional \u2014 it is complete.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"392\" data-end=\"449\">ORDER TODAY: <em data-start=\"779\" data-end=\"801\">My Thorn, My Destiny<\/em> by Dr. Elise Saulsberry<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"392\" data-end=\"449\"><strong data-start=\"881\" data-end=\"899\">Preorder Link:<\/strong> <a class=\"decorated-link cursor-pointer\" target=\"_new\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-start=\"900\" data-end=\"942\">www.DrEliseSaulsberry.com\/mythornmydestiny<\/a><br data-start=\"942\" data-end=\"945\" \/><strong data-start=\"948\" data-end=\"979\">Inquiries &amp; Media Requests:<\/strong> <a class=\"decorated-link cursor-pointer\" rel=\"noopener\" data-start=\"980\" data-end=\"1006\">info@drelisesaulsberry.com<\/a><br data-start=\"1006\" data-end=\"1009\" \/>Follow the journey on Instagram at @DrEliseSpeaks<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>My Thorn, My Destiny, the forthcoming memoir by Dr. Elise Saulsberry, is a raw and inspiring journey of faith, resilience, and authenticity. From the quiet ache of church pews to the fierce wrestle of identity, Dr. Saulsberry opens her life with unflinching honesty and grace. This transformational story is more than a memoir \u2014 it\u2019s <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4116,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,7,59,6],"tags":[1573,1569,1571,1576,1568,1570,1577,1567,1572,1574,1575],"class_list":["post-4115","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community-news","category-empowering-conversations","category-featured","category-spiritual-you","tag-black-women-in-ministry","tag-christian-healing","tag-church-hurt-recovery","tag-divine-affirmation","tag-dr-elise-saulsberry","tag-faith-and-identity-journey","tag-lgbtq-faith-and-healing-book","tag-my-thorn-my-destiny-faith-and-identity","tag-purpose-through-pain","tag-spiritual-resilience","tag-testimony-of-hope"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This 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