Melanie Contreras was devastated when her marriage began to dissolve. But she says Fred and Anna Kendall—the “counselors” she and her husband sought—not only didn’t help; they instructed her husband to control and abuse her!
And, when she fell out of favor with the Kendalls, she also found herself on the outs with Daystar TV President Joni Lamb and no longer a frequent guest on Lamb’s program.
In this edition of The Roys Report, Melanie recounts how she was blacklisted from the Christian media ministry despite years of loyalty to both the Kendalls and Joni Lamb.
For several years, Melanie appeared on Joni Lamb’s “Table Talk” program, while also working with the Kendalls’ ministry, Life Languages. Melanie knew the Kendalls didn’t have any counseling degrees or licensure but still trusted them.
Then, Melanie and her husband, Greg, sought counseling. Under Fred’s influence, she says Greg took greater financial control, made threats, and engaged in psychological abuse. Meanwhile, Melanie noticed Fred engaging in the same demeaning tactics towards his wife, even controlling what she had for dinner! Melanie also describes a very scary encounter with Fred, when he was enraged and threatened her safety.
During this time, Melanie says she was abruptly ghosted by Joni Lamb. And she shares how the Kendalls violated confidentiality with Daystar TV employees, and shared their profiles and information disclosed in “counseling” with their boss, Joni Lamb.
Facing systemic abuse in an unholy union of unethical “counseling” and a media ministry that twisted her story, Melanie exposes how religious authority can be misused. Her testimony unmasks abusive dynamics, aiming to help listeners escape toxic relationships and find freedom.
Support Christian Journalism
Your tax-deductible gift helps our journalists report the truth and hold Christian leaders and organizations accountable. Donate $50 or more to The Roys Report this month, and you can elect to receive "The Scandal of Leadership: Unmasking the Powers of Domination in the Church" by JR Woodward.
We are unable to ship books internationally.
Melanie Contreras
Melanie Contreras, a minister and certified life coach, is the founder of Empowered Ministries International and Communication Matters. She has worked with over 200 churches and three Bible schools, teaching character development and communication principles. Her book, Shadows Under the Light: When Trust is Violated, explores her journey of finding freedom from abuse. A mother of three children, she lives in south-central Texas. Learn more at her website.
Coming soon
English 
Spanish 
8 Responses
I’ve been in counseling ministry for 15 years; I have a master’s from an accredited Baptist seminary and hearing what the Kendall’s “counseled” filled me with rage. It’s obvious they’re training is based on a warped, controlling and manipulative world view. I wonder what “training” they did receive? Their approach is not only wrong but anti-biblical as well. If I’d given up such confidences, I’d have been sued! (And rightfully so!)
My heartfelt thanks go out to Melanie for sharing her story. She is very brave and I pray that the personal experiences she shared will open the eyes of those who have ears to hear. Thank you Julie Roy’s for the work you do. You are a blessing to the body of Christ.
I haven’t listened to this yet mainly because I’m kinda getting tired of all of the DayStar publicity, but when Melanie and her husband sought counseling, did they ever sign any kind of paperwork securing confidentiality? If not, the claims about the violation, while true, doesn’t hold up due to several factors. If the counselors aren’t licensed then they have no obligation to keep things confidential. The local church operates in a similar manner; there’s what I like to call quasi-confidentiality, in that you as a person are safe with that pastor or counselor until you bad mouth the pastor that’s abusing his wife and having an affair, then it’s time to do a Matthew 18, and by that I mean kick that person out of the church. So sad. My heart hurts for Melanie and her husband.
In Lamentation 2:14, the weeping prophet Jeremiah records the admonition from YHWH Him Self in simple, terse language: “Thy prophets have seen vain and foolish things for thee: and they have not discovered thine iniquity, to turn away thy captivity; but have seen for thee false burdens and causes of banishment.”
When any man (or woman) counsels a person/couple/family/church/nation/world without instructing ALL of YHWH’s precepts, commandments, testimonies, word, law, order, statutes, feast times (by which a man lives, if he obeys) – but instead inserts his own laws and order for living (which brings death) including the order of Shabbat (by changing it from the 7th day of the week as ordained by YHWH to the 1st day of the week as ordered by the false father), it can only bring just that: Death, for man has become his own god, narcissism: self worship (fear for self, which ultimately claimed the lives of Adam and his wife Chawah in the Garden of Adan after they had eaten of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and then were cast out from the Garden. They had been warned not to do so, and they literally died in the day – before 1000 years had been completed – for a day to YHWH is as 1000 years.)
Isaiah 24:5 warns also: “The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant (Shabbat).”
It is not too late to repent; to be restored back to pure Father’s House, as we ask forgiveness by Yahshua’s shed Blood on Calvary’s tree. He is returning, soon.
This interview is an earthquake.
John Paul Jackson wrote a book about the Jezebel spirit. Men can have it as well and I think it’s pretty clear that Mr. Fred had it pretty bad. Anna never could overcome his craftiness so she became an enabler. I don’t understand why Melanie would go back to Joni after 3 yrs about a job when she had made it pretty clear she had cut her out altogether. Hence the no.
Most Christians can’t be trusted so don’t bother unless you know them really well, and even then they can still throw you for a loop. You know what they say, “trust God and everyone else pays cash”.
You obviously don’t understand how incredibly rude and ungodly it is to delete a purely legitimate comment in pure arrogance.
Censorship is a hated thing. Jews censored Jesus. Did you forget that?
I said this interview is an earthquake, and that’s worthy of deletion?
I initially replied that your comments weren’t deleted, but I was mistaken. I talked to my staff and they informed me that your comments were derogatory and that’s why they were deleted. I believe they’ve communicated with you about that.