Ultimate Escape

12/11/2024

Join Ultimate Escape Podcast host Hayden Parrish as he discusses with Steve Holladay the story behind this unique ministry.

09/11/2024

So very thankful to Bobby Ross Jr. for the in depth story he wrote about the ministry Holly and I have been doing over the past 20 years. I hope it helps increase awareness of this issue, and encourages people who have never spoken of their own experiences to do so.

I’m thankful for Patrick Sheaffer, Cory Burns, and the entire AIM staff and students. I so appreciate you all and the partnership we have developed!

And thank you Tara Wallace for your courage and willingness to be interviewed about your journey.

I hope you will take the time to read this story. Bobby did a super job!!

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... LUBBOCK, TEXAS — As autumn approaches, aspiring missionaries in their late teens and early 20s arrive at Sunset International Bible Institute’s West Texas campus. […]

05/15/2024

On several occasions I notice her still seated, alone, head buried in her hands as I exit the auditorium after the final “amen” on a Sunday morning. She appears to be wiping away tears. At some point she learns what I do professionally and asks to talk to me.

I listen to her describe her typical week. On the weekend she goes to a party with friends from school. She doesn’t go with the intention of doing something with a guy there, but it typically happens. Then on Sunday she is overwhelmed with guilt. Silently she begs for forgiveness and vows it won’t happen again. Through the week she lives her faith in a way that inspires others. But on Friday or Saturday night there is another party, and it happens again.

She is still in high school, but she’s trapped in a cycle she hates. And it plays out over and over.

She is a leader in her youth group. Her dad is a pastor. On the outside everything appears stellar. Inside, she is drowning in guilt and shame. No one knows of her struggle.

How can someone with a passion for Jesus be victim to such a stronghold? On the surface it doesn’t make sense. But there’s a lot below the surface.

This Sunday I’ll join Jason Pagel at Harpeth Hills Church in Brentwood, TN (8:30 AM & 10:45 AM) for a conversation about this topic. It is the next lesson in his “What He Said” series. We will explore Matt 5:27-30.

Come see what you can learn about lust from a devil’s food cake. And discover what drives such behavior. We will explore the core of the issue, and the truth Jesus revealed.

If you know the struggle, or want to know how to help someone who is struggling, please join us for this conversation.

04/01/2021

On the surface it was nothing remarkable - just a father and daughter running an errand together. It took all of an hour to accomplish. Well...that’s just the surface.
Six months ago she wanted nothing to do with him. Over a quarter a century of abuse has that affect. She’s never felt safe around him, and has never had an in-depth conversation with him. Healing that relationship has not been her goal in counseling. Healing for herself has been.
He’s been doing his own work. He has looked in the reality mirror long and hard. He has been appalled at the reflection. Unlike many other abusive fathers, he has accepted the full responsibility of his behavior. His guilt and shame nearly crushed him. (Imagine what the abuse did to his family.) He is different. He hopes for relational healing, but knows that is not his decision. His focus is on his healing.
An unexpected errand brings them together, just the two of them. They talk as they ride. Not too deep for her comfort, but deeper than they ever have. It’s the first time in her life she has felt safe in his presence. They complete their errand.
It has taken a lifetime to accomplish.
Thanks to the many Ultimate Escape supporters! Your support is helping change lives!

12/31/2019

He had just started his elementary school years when he was r***d by a teenage relative. He never talked about it. Less than 24 hours after seeing an Ultimate Escape presentation on healing from s*xual brokenness, he is pushing through his shame and speaking of his experience...for the first time. He is in his 60s. His healing journey has begun.
She saw Ultimate Escape presentations on several occasions as an older teen. Now she is married, but the trauma in her background is causing issues in her marriage. Thankfully, she knew there was a place she could get help...and she is.
She has lived every parent’s worst nightmare - she learned her children, all of them, have been s*xually abused by a relative. A friend referred her to Ultimate Escape. Chaos, world turned upside down, gut wrenching - words don’t describe her situation. And, of course, addressing the current trauma uncovers her own that has never been addressed. But she is facing it, and she is making it through each day. She is doing the difficult work, and she is healing.

Sharing God’s truth about s*x through creative, engaging presentations around the world, providing counseling/consulting for individuals, families & church leaders, developing resources to help people address s*xuality in a healthy way - Ultimate Escape is changing lives!

The need for this ministry is huge! Join the team of people who make it possible. Please make a year-end contribution today.

https://www.ultimateescape.org/parents/donate

11/03/2019

I’m in a public setting and a lady I’ve never seen before walks up to me. “I just wanted to meet you. I don’t know how my daughter would have survived if it weren’t for you.” It turns out she is the mother of a young adult client. Her daughter has been through hell - the “rip your soul from your body” kind of hell that no one should ever have to experience. I can only imagine the emotions the lady in front of me is feeling right now. But I don’t have the permission I need even to acknowledge that I know her daughter. She thanks me, I give a generic response and the moment is over.
What I want to say to her is, “Your daughter is one of the strongest, most resilient young ladies I’ve ever counseled.” As a parent myself, I want her to know how amazing the girl she raised is. Her daughter has come through a trauma that would destroy most people. She did not abandon the healing process even though it was grueling at times. She did the work, the messy, ugly, “face your deepest pain” work that genuine healing requires. And she is thriving.
I’m grateful to every individual who supports Ultimate Escape. When I say your support is changing lives, this is what I mean. Thank you all for making it possible! Holly and I appreciate your partnership in this ministry!

08/25/2019

This weekend Steve & Holly Holladay presented to students & staff at Adventures in Missions (AIM) in Lubbock, Texas. The seven-session workshop addressed s*xuality, addiction, trauma and healing. This is the fourth consecutive year that AIM has hosted this Ultimate Escape workshop. As Holly shared with the group yesterday, we have a special heart for missionaries and are thrilled each year to be able to speak to them!

08/11/2019

Presented five sessions on s*xuality and healing from trauma/addiction to about 40 young leaders from across El Salvador. A few of the comments that stood out to me:
“You brought a complex topic and made it simple.”
“From the time he started he was open and honest...our church never talks about it this way. It’s something we all have in common but we don’t talk about it.”
“It is great that we were able to hear this. It would be even better if all the youth in our church could hear it!”
Thank you Mark Maxey and Sixto Rivera for the opportunity to be part of this event, and to all who support Ultimate Escape for making it possible!!

02/04/2019

Countless individuals are trapped in a cycle of s*xual behavior they don’t understand. They want desperately to stop but feel hopeless. Watch Ultimate Escape founder Steve Holladay explore the core of this issue.