Carrie Sheffield, author of “Motorhome Prophecies,” joins Today’s Conversation to share her remarkable journey from a childhood marked by spiritual and psychological abuse to a renewed faith in Jesus Christ. In this honest and powerful episode, Carrie reflects on how forgiveness became central to her healing — and why she believes there is lasting hope for mental health through Christ. 

In this episode, Carrie Sheffield recounts her upbringing under the influence of a father who claimed Mormon prophetic authority, enforced fear-based teachings and subjected the family to instability and trauma. After leaving faith behind for over a decade, her pursuit of truth — through science, philosophy and deep soul-searching — ultimately led her to God. Her story is a moving testimony of hope, healing and forgiveness. 

In her conversation with NAE President Walter Kim, they discuss:   

  • Understanding how the brain’s ability to change offers hope for overcoming mental health challenges;
  • How Carrie experienced personal healing through prayer and deliverance ministries;
  • A call to action for the Church to actively engage in addressing mental health with truth; and
  • How forgiveness is not just a theological idea but a lived reality that brings freedom, healing and redemption. 

Subscribe today wherever you listen to podcasts.

Do you like the podcast?
Give us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts and leave us a review. This is the best way for others to discover these conversations. If you listen on Spotify, give us a follow and hit the notification bell to be sure you never miss an episode. And don’t forget to pass your favorite episodes along to colleagues, friends and family.

Resources

Today’s Conversation is brought to you by NAE’s Christian Student Leadership Conference.

Read a Portion of the Transcript

Walter: You’ve written this memoir with what I have to say is such a catchy title — Motorhome Prophecies. But that catchy title is on the cover of what is an almost unbelievable, but really compelling story of healing and forgiveness. Could you share a bit about your own background and the journey that brought you to where you are today?

Carrie: Thank you, Walter. Yes — folks want to see the cover — here it is. The book’s called Motorhome Prophecies: A Journey of Healing and Forgiveness. I wrote it to share my conversion — from being a child who experienced severe abuse and trauma to eventually finding God. Or rather, God found me.

The backstory is my father claimed to be an LDS prophet. He was eventually excommunicated from the church and led our family into instability — motorhomes, tents, sheds, and even homelessness. One of my brothers was born in a tent. I went to 17 public schools. Four of my siblings have attempted suicide. I was suicidal. And it was all done in the name of God — my father claimed that if we ever tried to leave, we would be destroyed. But through all of it, I discovered that God is not abuse. God is love.

Carrie Sheffield

Carrie Sheffield is a journalist, author and policy analyst who serves as a senior policy fellow at Independent Women’s Voice. She is the founder of “Bold,” a digital news network, and has contributed to outlets including The Hill, POLITICO, Forbes and The Wall Street Journal. Sheffield’s work focuses on economic opportunity, religious liberty and cultural renewal. She is also a mental health advocate, leading national campaign efforts — such as her Healthy Faith initiative. A former Hill staffer, she began her career on Wall Street before transitioning into media and public policy. She is the author of “Motorhome Prophecies: A Journey of Healing and Forgiveness.” Sheffield holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from Brigham Young University and a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University.

Walter Kim

Walter Kim became the president of the National Association of Evangelicals in January 2020. He previously served as a pastor at Boston’s historic Park Street Church and at churches in Vancouver, Canada and Charlottesville, Virginia, as well as a campus chaplain at Yale University. He preaches, writes and engages in collaborative leadership to connect the Bible to the intellectual and cultural issues of the day. He regularly teaches in conferences and classrooms; addresses faith concerns with elected officials and public institutions; and provides theological and cultural commentary to leading news outlets. He serves on the boards of Christianity Today and World Relief and consults with a wide range of organizations. Kim received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, his M.Div. from Regent College in Vancouver, and his B.A. from Northwestern University.