Lost in the "Other" File

I recently discovered that there is an “Other” tab on my Facebook message page.  It sits in the upper left hand corner right next to the bolded tab that reads:  Inbox.  Who knew, right?  Between my author account and my personal account, there were over two hundred emails in my “Other” file.  I started wading through them, one-by-one, deleting the announcements of events already gone by and the advertisements.  I get the feeling the “Other” tab is similar to a “Spam” folder on yahoo. 

After I had narrowed the list to fifty-seven emails, I began to read them.  Twenty-two of them said they “liked my smile”… that must be a common pick-up line in the Facebook world.  Seven of them wanted to know if I was single and explained how it would be beneficial for us to chat online.  Three said they wanted to have sex with me…which, I took as a compliment.  After all, it’s not every day that someone just blurts out, “I’d like to have sex with you.”   And two were from women who were hitting on me.  They obviously hadn't read my profile to see that I am a heterosexual female, but I was flattered nonetheless.  Always good to keep one's proverbial options open.  :)


The remaining twenty-three emails were very personal and I felt terrible that some of them had been sitting in this “Other” file for well over a year.  These people must have felt that they poured out their heart to a stranger who didn’t even care enough to acknowledge them.  I am so sorry for this oversight.

If any of you are reading this blog, please know that my tardy response was caused by ignorance and not an intentional disregard for your feelings. 

I want to share a small portion of one of the emails from my "Other" file because it touched me.

Dear Author S.R.Claridge, I’ve read House of Lies and I can’t stop thinking about you and the story you wrote.  I’ve come out of a cult group and am still haunted by everything I saw and experienced while there.  When I close my eyes to sleep at night, I still see the demons and hear their chanting.  I can hardly pray without unconsciously swaying back and forth and slipping into a dark place.  Sometimes the fear takes hold of me to the point that I can’t move in my bed and it feels like its pushing me down deeper into bed.  I can’t tell anyone because they’ll all say I told you so, or think I’m going crazy, but I know after reading your book that you understand.  I know you’ve seen it and that you know what’s happening.  I was at [cult group name deleted] for almost 14 months and I saw the deception you wrote about.  It’s real and I’m praying for you because I know you’ve been attacked by the demons too and I know they’re after you.

This letter sat in my “Other” file since November 2012.  I responded to it today and am hoping my response isn’t too late.  This woman was reaching for help, and I wasn’t there.  This woman was desperate to find someone who understood her, and I was absent.  Though I am a stranger to her, this woman needed me, and I wasn’t paying attention.  I’m praying for her and hoping she writes back to tell me that she has found freedom and is no longer tormented by her involvement with this cult group. 

 

If I have missed any other letters….if I have failed to respond to you…please write to me again.  My lack of response is not intentional.  If I have ignored you, it is because I have not seen your letter, so please re-send it.  I will never ignore a heartfelt outpouring nor a stranger’s plea for help.

I’m here.  I’m listening.  I understand and I care.  I promise I will write back. ~

 

 

A STuNNinG Gift

I received some great Christmas gifts this year and for each, I am thankful.  There is one gift, however, that stands apart from all of the rest.  It isn’t something I can wear to make me look or smell prettier.  It isn’t something I can use in the kitchen to help me whip up a gourmet meal.  It isn’t even something that adds decorative flavor to my home. 

Instead, it provides security.  It gives me a sense of safety.  It gives me the power to protect myself and my loved ones.  No, it isn’t a German Shepard guard dog.  It isn’t a new gun to rival the double-barrel shot gun I already possess.  It’s easier to conceal and easier to use.

It’s The International Body Guard Stun Gun and it packs quite the punch with 6.2 million volts.  They say it won’t kill an attacker instantly, unless they already have a heart condition; but one blast will knock down a 300 pound person, leaving them dazed and confused.  Imagine what two blasts will do!

This little beauty was a gift from my parents, and I can’t think of a more appropriate or loving thing to give a daughter than the ability to protect herself; especially in these tumultuous times. 

See, as good as the police are, and as much as I respect all that they do, they cannot be everywhere. In our world today one’s safety is a matter of personal responsibility.

So… to all of the cult group members and hate group members who have sent me notes warning me to “be careful” or “be quiet before someone makes me be quiet”…. to all of you who are so concerned with my well-being that you have written to tell me to “watch out” or to inform me that “wrath is coming”… to all of you who have told me I would be “better off dead”…  I have taken your advice.

I am armed and I will not hesitate to use my new, ELeCtRiFyinG friend, just as I will not hesitate to use my double barrel shot gun.  

 

What’s more….your threats have only empowered me toward action.  You will never silence my words.   ~

 

Top Ten Reader Questions

As promised, I am going to answer some questions from emails I have received over the course of the past few weeks.  I have been unable to answer them because I was busy on the Mystery We Write Blog Tour. 

I believe most of these questions are driven from the release of my latest novel, House of Lies, and its connection to the murder of the International House of Prayer (IHOP) intern, Bethany Deaton. 

If you are unfamiliar with this Deaton story, you can read it here.

With no further ado, here are your top ten most frequently asked questions:

#1:  “Is House of Lies written about IHOP-KC because I see a lot of similarities between the characters in your book and the leaders of IHOP?”

No.  The characters and events in House of Lies are all fictional and any likeness to real persons, past or present, is a coincidence.  That being said, I studied five cult groups in order to educate myself so that I could create believable characters and scenes for my story.  IHOP was one of the five I researched, as was Jim Jones/Jonestown and David Koresh/Waco.  I will not name the other two groups because I don’t want to receive a bunch of hate mail from them. 

I will say this:  all of the groups I have studied have similar structures and belief systems and are all built upon foundational lies, heresies and extreme hypocrisies. 

If you study the leaders of past and present cult groups, you will see that they all possess a similar agenda.  They may carry it out differently, but they all possess certain cult qualities, initially masked by charisma and deception. 

 

#2:  “Have you ever been involved in a cult group?”

Yes.  Years ago, I met a man who, for lack of a better term, was a cult leader.  He had radical ideas about spirituality and God and I was drawn to the group by his charisma and what I, in my ignorance, deemed as his wisdom.  I spent almost three years completely obsessed with his teachings.  I was more concerned with meditation and achieving deeper levels of spirituality than I was with my job, my family, my friends or my husband.  I prayed, fasted and meditated more than I did anything else.  See, I believed I was chosen and others in my life were not.  I had become elitist in my spirituality.  (Which, by the way, is a big red flag.  God does not give people a spirit of elitism.  If elitism exists, beware of the group to which you have tied yourself.) 

I even went as far as to tell my husband that we should divorce because I was chosen to do something great for God and since he was not, we would eventually be ripped apart anyway.  Thankfully, and by what I deem as God’s grace and love flowing through my husband, he refused to leave me.

I’ll never forget what he said.  He said, “Susan, when the woman I married can look at me and tell me she doesn’t love me anymore, I’ll leave…. But you’re not the woman I married.”

He nailed it on the head.  I wasn’t the same woman he married.  I had become an empty shell.  All the meditation and fasting and the seeking revelation had left me completely hollow.   All of the so-called wisdom was a mere deception.   

See…there is a fine line between truth and a lie.  There is a big difference between meditating on God’s Word and engaging in meditation tactics for the sole purpose of receiving deeper revelation from spiritual depths.  One is beneficial.  The other is dangerous.

Breaking away from that group was the hardest thing I have ever done.  It stripped me of my identity, of my sense of belonging, essentially of my reality and it left me raw to the core.  I felt unsure, unstable and more scared than I have ever been.

But… God is good.  He brought me out of the darkness using my parents and my husband as pillars of strength.  Today, I stand on my faith because I now know it is a solid foundation.  Sometimes we have to walk through the darkness to be able to truly recognize the light.

This experience made me realize how easily anyone can be deceived and how easily the mind can succumb to manipulation.  The mind is a powerful tool and it can be warped, twisted and made to believe almost anything…. especially the stuff that feels good.

 

#3:  “Did you study IHOP because you have a sister involved in it and is that why you wrote a book about a girl trying to save her sister?”

Ever since the Bethany Deaton case has been likened to House of Lies, it is no longer a secret that my sister is in leadership with IHOP.  She is the Director of the Gateway House of Prayer in St. Louis, Missouri.  She has been involved with IHOP for over ten years.

I began studying IHOP because I had heard things about the movement and I had concerns for my sister.  I visited IHOP-KC numerous times and these concerns were substantiated.

My relationship with my sister, and her involvement in IHOP may have inspired the idea for the novel, but the story is not written about her, about IHOP or about me.  It is a fictional story.

 

#4:  “You call yourself a ‘Christian’ but you don’t take a stand against homosexuality which is clearly, biblically wrong.”

This really isn’t a question, but I felt like I needed to comment on it.  Yes, I call myself a “Christian” because, by definition, I am one.  I believe in Jesus Christ as my personal savior; thus, I’m a “Christian.” 

BUT…that title does not give me license to judge or condemn others.

Yes, the bible does say that God hates homosexuality.  I won’t try to argue that point nor engage in a theological debate about it.  God hates a lot of things in our world (adultery, murder, rape, stealing, lying, taking advantage of other people, etc.) that have deviated from His original plan; but more than that, He loves people.

He loves homosexuals, heterosexuals, bisexuals and metrosexuals.  He loves all of us the same. 

Whether or not someone is a homosexual is between that person and God.  It doesn’t involve me.   My opinion of someone is not based on their sexual preference any more than it is based on their race, religion or political viewpoint.

God said don’t judge others.  That is my stance.

 

 

#5:  “Does it bother you to say you are a Christian and then write books that involve so much violence and murder?”

No.  It doesn’t bother me at all.  Read the Old Testament and you’ll see plenty of violence and murder.

I write murder mystery stories and that’s really hard to do without involving a murder.  I also write Mafia stories, and unfortunately the Mob world is a violent place; thus there is some violence in my books. 

I try to lighten it by adding some humorous characters.  J

 

#6:  “Do you believe IHOP is a cult?”

Yes.  I believe it is extremely dangerous and detrimentally deceptive.  It is no different than the groups led by Jim Jones and David Koresh. 



I pray it doesn’t end in the same fashion.

 

 

 

#7:  “Do you think cult groups start out knowing they are cult groups?”

No.  I think a lot of leaders start out with a genuine heart that is seeking God and somewhere along the line they lose sight of God and allow their ego to push them toward something mystical and alluring.  They want to believe they are the next big thing, the chosen of God, and from there, it spirals out of control.  I don’t believe Jim Jones began his ministry with a plan to have everyone drink poison Koolade.  It evolved into that monster.  David Koresh didn’t begin his ministry seeking a shoot-out with police.  It evolved into that monster. 

These men had a common trait from the beginning… ego.  Foundationally, when they started, there was a flaw…ego.  They wanted to be known, to be famous, to be chosen…ego.  They wanted followers…ego.  They wanted to be prophets of the Lord…ego.

If you look Biblically at the people God used, they were not the men with charisma and elevated egos.  One example is Moses… a humble man…telling God he couldn’t do it, telling the Almighty to find someone stronger and better. 

Study these things yourself and it will become clear that God isn’t interested in human egotism.  It gets in the way.  Satan, however, is all about ego.  He always has been…in fact, his desire for greatness is what got him booted out of Heaven to begin with. 

This is why it is so important to look at the foundational principals upon which any group is built.  If it starts out as a sham it isn’t going to end up truth.  Look at the foundation of IHOP, which is built upon lie after lie after lie.  It’s an ego-based ministry, same as Jim Jones, same as David Koresh, same as many others.

 

#8:  “I’ve read some of your writing on sex and am wondering if you think that is a good message, as some people just don’t have a sex drive?”

Admittedly, my view of sex is probably not the “norm.”  However, I think it is healthy.  In a nutshell, I believe sex should be part of a healthy lifestyle.

I’m speaking in terms of married individuals or those in long-term relationships.

Sex is one form of bonding or connecting.  It is not the only important form; but it is important nonetheless.  Human beings need emotional, mental and physical stimulation.  We need to be touched on all levels.

Some people have less of a sex drive than others, but that’s irrelevant in the context of what I’m talking about when I say sex is important.  Most women feel like having sex less often than most men.  That’s normal.  Let’s be honest, if a woman waited until she “felt like” having sex, she’d never have it.  It doesn’t fit in our schedules and there are a handful of other things we’d rather be doing.  I get it.  I feel that way too. 

BUT… I know that when my husband and I have an active sex life, our overall relationship blossoms.  When we are physically touching more frequently, we are more in tune with one another emotionally and mentally as well.  It is all connected.

Thus, I encourage people to make-love and to have sex as often as possible.  Kiss, hug, stroke, rub, snuggle, touch as often as you can.  It will change your marriage for the better.  Do it for each other…. Do it for your relationship… Do it for yourself… because let’s face it, once you start the process, it gets more and more enjoyable.  J

 

#9:  “Do you believe Bethany Deaton was murdered or do you think she committed suicide?  If murdered, why do you think she was killed?”

I believe, wholeheartedly, she was murdered and I think it was to keep her from telling the truth about what she had experienced while involved at IHOP.

I cannot tell you how many people have shared their IHOP experiences with me and asked to remain anonymous because they are afraid of what will happen to them or to their families and friends if they speak up.  People are terrified.

What could be so bad as to cause this much fear?

What could be so bad it would make you kill someone who threatened to expose it? 

If you want to know the truth, then send your questions to media outlets.  Empower the media to investigate further.  And if you have experience with IHOP, now is the time to speak up and share your story.  Your voice will empower others to speak.

 

#10:  “In your book , House of Lies, the P3 cult is paying off the police.  Do you think this is happening in Grandview?”

I don’t know, but I can tell you that previous grievances, cases and accusations against IHOP have magically disappeared in the past.  Are they paid off like in the book?  It wouldn’t surprise me.

 

Again, take this question to the Kansas City media and to the Grandview police or the Prosecutors office, and to the local government there.  Empower them to dig deeper into IHOP and the truth will spill out.

 

Remember, through all of this, a family lost their loved one.  Please pray for Bethany’s family as they will be spending Christmas without her this year.  ~

 

Sharing Their Stories

This weekend I was able to read and respond to some of the emails I have received over the course of the last four weeks.  The Bethany Deaton case being linked to my novel, House of Lies, has driven many to share their stories.

I have to be honest and say that a lot of these letters are hard to read because they either cause me to feel saddened or angry; and sometimes a mixture of both.  These negative emotions are often difficult for me to shake.  Thus, I have to force myself to step away from them for a while and focus on all of the wonderful things in the world.

I want to share excerpts from a couple of emails that deeply touched me.

 

Email #1

“I pray for your protection and strength each and every day so that our Lord would continue to give you the determination to expose the truth about IHOP and that He may use you and your writing to shed His light on their ways of deceit.”

 

Email #2

“After coming out of IHOP, I vowed never to believe in anything prophetic again but, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, I believe your novel was prophetic and is being used as an instrument of truth against the dangers I know are ever present in IHOP.  I pray for your diligence and stamina in this fight as you battle the enemy.”

 

Email #3

“I came out of IHOPU last year and I’ve been struggling to find my way.  It was like every part of me was stripped down and there was nothing left but darkness.  I’ve been so afraid to speak up, I’ve had no confidence and when I read your blog and some of the other blogs like yours and saw your book, I felt like I wasn’t alone anymore, like you and others understand and know the truth and there’s light in the darkness now.  Thank you.”

 

Email #4

“You book doesn’t show IHOP perfectly but it shows the demonic undertones realistically and it shows how brainwashed and deceived everyone inside truly is.  I was there for six years.  I know Mike Bickle personally and I can tell you he is no longer a man serving the Lord.  He serves himself now, his ego.  He’s made everything up, its all false, its all a money making scheme.  If we all come together we can expose the truth.  I’m praying for you.”

 

 

Usually, upon reading an email, I feel weighted down and I say a prayer for the sender; knowing they are hurting.  After reading these, I felt uplifted and for that, I am grateful. 

To everyone who has written to me…. Thank you.  I will respond to each email as quickly as I can.

As for my novel, Houseof Lies.  I can’t speak to the suggestions that it is somehow prophetic.  It is a fiction book.  However, if God uses fiction to expose the truth… so be it.

~

Covering Their Asses

I just read the headlines that Micah Moore, confessed killer of Bethany Deaton, has retracted his admission of guilt and is now saying Bethany really did kill herself.  You can read the full story here.

I find this puzzling, but not surprising.  It isn’t the first time a death that had any relation to IHOP was suddenly dismissed or covered up.  Sadly, unless this movement is shut down, it won’t be the last.

 

In his first statement to police, Micah Moore described exactly how Bethany died, telling them that he held a plastic bag over her head until her body shook.  That’s a pretty graphic description for someone who was never at the scene.

Moore’s attorney is saying he made the confession under duress over the suicide of his dear friend.  I’m throwing a big, fat, red IHOP flag on this one. 

 

He may have confessed while under duress, but it wasn’t from grief.  My guess:  if he was under duress it was from fear. 

See, Moore might not have killed her… he might have taken the fall for someone who did…someone like Tyler Deaton perhaps?  Or someone else in the upper echelon of the IHOP organization?  Someone who stood to lose a lot if Bethany ever told the truth about what was really happening behind IHOP’s veil of secrecy.

The saddest part of this whole thing is that while IHOP tries to cover its tracts and save its ass, Bethany’s family is suffering with no closure in sight.

I pray the truth comes out and this prayer alone should make many leaders at IHOP very nervous.  ~

 

 

 

Another Broken Family in IHOP's Wake

I want to share an email I received from a woman named Julie.  She wrote:

Dear Susan,

I read your book House of Lies and I was in tears part way through because my son is in IHOP in Kansas City and I haven’t spoken with him in over a year.  He stopped returning my calls after telling me he was advised to ‘fast from his family.’ He believes that IHOP is his true family and that his life’s focus is to pray in the end of the world, to be in God’s end time army.  He’s left myself, my husband and his two little sisters behind, not to mention all of his friends.  I’ve gone to the IHOP campus and I’ve been in the prayer room.  The buildings aren’t as you described in your book, but the people are.  They speak in their own language and the aura of arrogance is more than troubling.  When my son first got involved, I went to pray in the prayer room often and it is exactly as you described it in the book.  The repetitive chanting and deep mantra meditation, the swaying and often twitching, it resembles videos I’ve seen of mass hypnosis, and I never thought I believed in demons until I saw what is happening there.  The last time I tried to see my son, (which was last March) he waved to me from down the hall but refused to talk with me.  I was then asked to leave by a man I can only presume to be one of the leaders.  Because my son has cast us aside voluntarily and he is over 18 years, I have no legal recourse.  Mine and my husband’s hearts are broken.  But at least my son is still alive, which is more than what Bethany Deaton’s family has to hold onto.  I pray for them every day and mourn their loss from one mother’s heart to another.  Let no one tell you IHOP is not a cult, it is.  Anyone who speaks otherwise is deceived.  As I read your book I related to the character of Sally and of the McCulley’s, both with children trapped inside, both willing to do anything to get them out.  Maybe your book is prophetic.  Maybe someone will have the strength to blow up the place and save all of our children.  I pray it would be so.  God bless you and thank you for writing House of Lies.  I know it’s fiction, but for me, it affirmed my heart and told me that others see IHOP for what it really is.  Like you wrote, it’s a spiritual heroin. Your book made me realize I’m not alone and when others are ready to stand up and fight against this, my family will join in the battle. 

In HIS love,

Julie

 

There are many cult groups in our world and, though they all have their own agendas, there is one thread of commonality.  They destroy relationships, kill friendships and leave families utterly broken.  These things are not of God. 

Sadly, Julie’s letter is not the first I’ve received that has expressed these things.  She is one of many who are suffering because of IHOP and other cult-like organizations. 

Please, study every group from the foundation up before getting involved.  Just because something looks good and feels good doesn’t mean it is good for you.   ~

Switching Modes from Tears to Tours

My blogs lately have centered around the Bethany Deaton murder.  This is because stories like these weigh heavily on my heart. I lay in bed at night and pray for her family.  You see,  I have friends and loved ones involved in cult-type groups and Bethany's family is now living my worst fear. 

I fear waking up one morning and reading headlines that speak of another Jim Jones or David Koresh incident.  I fear turning on the news to see my friend or family member's face plastered all over as another victim who fell prey to a "feel-good-movement."

There are times when the worry breaks me... and for my own emotional health I must step away from the topic for a while.  I will continue to pray for Bethany's family.

This week is Thanksgiving and it reminds me of how thankful I am for the many blessings in my life.  God has given me so much more than I deserve and I am humbled by His love for me.

It is also a time when I want to say "thank you" to my readers and supporters, and I have chosen to do this by entering all of my site members into a drawing for a FREE kindle.  The winner of the drawing will also receive a FREE download of one of my novels of their choice.

I am honored to be a member of a select group of authors who are participating in a Mystery We Write Blog Tour running from November 26th thru December 11th.  At the end of this tour, I will announce the winner of the FREE kindle.

Please join us on the Mystery We Write Blog Tour, as each author will be having their own free giveaways.

Kizoa slideshow: Mystery We Write Blog Tour Giveaways

Bickle Lies in Letter to Other Leaders

Below is a letter the International House of Prayer founder, Mike Bickle, sent to other IHOP locations and leaders.  It was then forwarded to associated groups by Gary Wiens, IHOPNW.


Dear Friends of the International House of Prayer,

Mike Bickle, Director of IHOP-Kansas City, sent out this note today, and it's important for all to see. Thanks and blessings,

Gary Wiens, IHOPNW

Mike Bickle's letter begins here:
Friends,

This is a tragic and bizarre situation that is all over the media in KC. We have received sad and sobering news today from the Jackson County Sheriff's Office regarding the death of Bethany Deaton, who was originally believed to have committed suicide on Oct 30. A tight knit religious group of about 15 young people moved to IHOPU from Texas with the specific goal of infiltrating us and even taking over IHOPU. They were a close knit group for several years before moving to KC together (under a cloak of secrecy to try to get involved in IHOP and get into positions of influence etc.) Authorities notified us yesterday that an IHOPU student, who knew Bethany since their college days and is a member of a Texas-based religious group who has recently come to IHOPU, has been charged with her murder. We are passionate that this group's secrecy and religious practices are exposed.

There is an ongoing investigation and we ask you to join us in praying for Bethany's family and all those involved in this tragic situation. We all want to join the IHOPU faculty and student body as they grieve together with the family of Bethany Deaton and all who are involved.

Note also: The guy who confessed to murder told this to the police. He said they cursed the IHOPU leadership and sought to take it over. They were together for several years before all moving together to KC. They have very perverse sexual practices and believe their leader is a chief apostle, etc.

Please pray for us.

Mike Bickle

End of letter.

It never ceases to amaze me how cult groups, such as the International House of Prayer, play the victim.  Bickle states that this group from Texas came to IHOPU with the express purpose of infiltrating them and even taking over.  This is ludicrous.  And, let it be noted that Tyler Deaton was a Division leader in IHOP, not in IHOPU. 

It is time to call a spade, a spade.  It is time to look at the tree that is bearing the bad fruit and cut it down.

There are inside sources at IHOP-KC and they will continue to leak truth to the media and to those who stand against this cult group.  Bickle and others in leadership will undoubtedly continue to scramble, change their stories and lie; but eventually those lies will run dry.

Bethany's family, and the families of every person involved in IHOP and its many branches, deserve to know the truth. 

 

So sick. So sad. So cult.

Many Questions Remain in Murder of Grandview Woman
Posted on: 6:18 pm, November 12, 2012, by Katie Ferrell and Jason M. Vaughn, updated on: 08:19pm, November 12, 2012

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Police say that they have a confession, but still a lot of unanswered questions in the murder of Bethany Deaton of Grandview.

According to authorities, Deaton was found dead inside a van on October 30th at Longview Lake. Court documents say that a note was found with Deaton’s body that read, “My name is Bethany Deaton. I chose this evil thing. I did it because I wouldn’t be a real person and what is the point of living if it is too late for that? I wish I had chosen differently a long time ago. I knew it all and refused to listen. Maybe Jesus will still save me.”

Investigators say that pills were also found near Deaton’s body, but Deaton’s admitted killer, 23-year-old Micah Moore, it was all a cover-up to keep the 27-year-old woman quiet. In a statement to Jackson County Sheriff’s deputies, Moore said that he and Deaton were part of a “religious community” – led by Deaton’s husband, Tyler Deaton – in which the members had sex with each other.

According to court documents, witnesses told authorities that Tyler Deaton was viewed as a “Spiritual Leader” who had control over the members of the household. A witness also said that three days after Bethany Deaton’s body was found, Tyler Deaton told him that he had a dream in which he killed his wife by suffocating her.

Tyler Deaton has not been charged with any crimes in connection to his wife’s death.

In the statement, Moore told detectives Bethany Deaton was being drugged and sexually assaulted by him and several other men at a home in Grandview. Moore said they became afraid that Bethany Deaton would tell her therapist about the abuse, so Moore was told by someone whose name was blacked out in the probable cause statement to kill her.

Court documents indicate that Bethany Deaton was given the drug Seroquel – a prescription anti-psychotic drug – during the sexual assaults, and it was given to her in a water bottle on the day of her her murder.

On Friday, authorities searched Moore’s south Kansas City apartment for evidence.

“When I saw his picture in the paper, I was like, ‘Yeah, I’ve seen that guy somewhere before.’ And like I said, he just lives across the street,” said Darren Martin, neighbor.

Tyler and Bethany Deaton, along with Micah Moore, were members of the International House of Prayer, or IHOP.

 

House of Lies

I am excited to announce the release of my new novel, House of Lies. 

It is a political cult suspense about Skylar Wilson, who sets out on a quest to save her sister from the grips of a deadly cult.  While searching for answers, Skylar discovers that this particular cult group stretches far beyond its evangelical, house of prayer veil; penetrating the upper echelon of the United States government, and pushing a lethal, International agenda.  To expose the truth, Skylar must learn to unravel the lies, each one leading her down a twisted trail of deadly scandals and mysterious deaths.  For the nightmare to end, she’ll have to take her sister back to where it all began.

 

House of Lies is a mystery-suspense-romance-thriller all rolled into one.  Ebook is currently available at Amazon.  Availability from Barnes&Noble, Smashwords and AllRomanceEbooks coming soon.  Look for print editions at all online retailers this Thanksgiving.  Download or Pre-order your copy today!

Here is a video trailer to give you a glimpse into the novel:

 

“House of Lies will take you to the edge and dangle you over the abyss.” Maxwell Crighton, Publicist