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.

"Deborah Silva exposes the all-too-frequent twisted submission in many so-called “Christian” homes with vivid and perplexing scenarios portraying the physical and emotional trauma under the guise of “submission.” Amidst poverty, fires, mudslides, earthquakes, and denied medical care, Deborah discovers God’s miraculous leading and intervention as she struggles to survive a hostile, prideful, abusive husband whose extreme legalism poisons the family with falsehoods and fear. This is an eye-opening testimony to the abuse of women found in churches even today who are in desperate need of support, love, and wise counsel."

Donna Nelson, ACBC certified Biblical counselor

Deborah Silva is a Jesus-loving, devil-kicking abuse survivor and purveyor of hope. Transformed after many years of abuse, Deborah and her current husband, of nearly a quarter century, are retired in central California enjoying their fourteen grandchildren and serving the community and church family around them.