Billy Goats, Rattlesnakes, and Jesus: A memoir of escape from the predator of spousal abuse in the name of God.

Billy Goats, Rattlesnakes, and Jesus is a true-story journey through spousal abuse and discovering what the Bible really has to say about it. Set against a very unique backdrop, it is also a story of God’s modern-day miracles and love.

In 1978, Deborah, a brand-new Christian, leaves her glamorous career in the fashion industry and plunges into a life with her new husband, Tom. Living in a remote one-room cabin with no electricity, she must learn new skills like splitting wood and shooting rattlesnakes for dinner. Along with the physical challenges of her new environment, she comes face to face with contradictions between Biblical truth and Tom’s imposed interpretation of truth, enclosing her in a false prison of submission.

Tom grows to believe he is the only one who has true understanding from God. He sees his responsibility before God to shape his family into perfection, whatever that takes, including isolation and brute force. Trapped by narrow interpretations of scriptures, Deborah struggles to find freedom for herself and her three daughters, all of whom were born at home with no midwife and no government-registered birth certificates. Through the darkness, she is surprised by a living God who overwhelms with love and freedom.