Sanctuary Clinics

Sanctuary Clinics Christian Mental Health Treatment & Recovery Program. Sanctuary offers hope and healing.
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“The moment you are disturbed by insult or pleased by praise, you are still a slave.”
07/29/2026

“The moment you are disturbed by insult or pleased by praise, you are still a slave.”

In Thought“Something happens to us when we consult one another in Christian community. In sharing our thoughts with othe...
07/29/2026

In Thought
“Something happens to us when we consult one another in Christian community. In sharing our thoughts with others, surprising insights often emerge—opening our eyes to what we have not seen and our ears to what we have not heard.

This can transform and liberate us beyond our own narrow expectations. Both the one experiencing a call and those helping that person may express God's wisdom and grace in the process. “I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding” (Jer. 3:15).

Although God calls each of us personally, as individuals we see only partially. Individual perception, reasoning, and understanding are always limited. Even a person who feels absolutely certain that a specific revelation comes from God may be mistaken as to how it is to be applied.

Because God often reveals part of the picture to one person and another part to another person, it is prudent to consult one another to discern God's counsel, guidance, and direction, even if there is no apparent reason to do so.

While circumstances sometimes require us to act without consulting others, the danger of arrogance and error in proceeding on our own can be great."

— Suzanne G. Farnham, Listening Hearts

In Reflection
Suzanne Farnham highlights the transformative process that occurs when we consult one another in Christian community: surprising insights emerge, opening our eyes and ears to God’s wisdom. This is because, although God calls each of us personally, as individuals we see only partially. Individual reasoning and understanding are always limited, and even a profound revelation may be misapplied without the perspective of others.

The truth is rooted in the very nature of God—the Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who exist in perfect community. We were created in this image to live in interdependence, not isolation. God often reveals part of the picture to one person and another part to another person. Therefore, it is prudent to consult one another to discern God’s counsel, guidance, and direction. This communal wisdom is a hedge against arrogance and error. This is critical for those struggling with isolation, making major life decisions, or feeling overwhelmed by responsibility.

We are reminded by Paul that we are one body with many members; we need each other to fulfill God’s design and purposes. Fulfillment does not come from being independent, with barriers up, but from interdependence—from being rooted in His family. Who are you sharing this journey with? How are you experiencing interdependence? What specific decision or struggle are you trying to manage alone right now, and what one person in your Christian community can you prudently consult today to gain a fuller picture of God’s counsel?

—DH

In Deed
Reach out to a trusted member of your Christian community today and ask for their perspective on a situation you’ve been trying to solve alone. Simply say, “I value your spiritual insight; how do you see God moving in this?”

In Thought“To teach us that there is no time, no place, no event so earthly that God cannot be there, speaking through i...
07/28/2026

In Thought
“To teach us that there is no time, no place, no event so earthly that God cannot be there, speaking through it. We must go on looking until we see something sacred in the straw.”
— Ken Gire, Windows of the Soul

In Reflection
We often operate under the assumption that God only speaks from the mountaintops of our lives—in the moments of great victory, spiritual clarity, or polished perfection. We wait for the “peal of thunder” to confirm His presence, believing that His glory is too majestic for the mundane or the messy. But the biblical narrative consistently corrects this view. From the humble, scratchy thornbush in the desert to the “barnyard stench” of a Bethlehem stable, God habitually chooses the low and unassuming places to reveal His greatest eloquence. If divine beauty could be reduced to the whimper of a child in a manger, then surely no corner of your current struggle is too “earthly” for Him to inhabit.

For those navigating the “muck and weeds” of recovery or the quiet pain of a mental health crisis, this is a transformative truth. You may feel that your life right now is nothing more than “straw”—dry, common, and perhaps even a bit foul-smelling from the wreckage of the past. You might assume that God is waiting for you to “climb the mountain” of sobriety or stability before He will speak to you again. But Ken Gire reminds us that there is no place on earth where God’s glory is not. He is not waiting for you on the other side of your healing; He is speaking through the cracks of your brokenness right now.

As you begin your day, don’t ignore the humble “thornbushes” of your ordinary routine. Heaven is often “crammed” into the most human spaces—a difficult conversation, a moment of weary prayer, or a small act of courage. These are the “Bethlehem moments” where something divine is being birthed through your very human experience. If you listen closely, you will hear a voice saying, “I am here.” God hasn't abandoned the stable of your heart; He has made it His home. Look again at what feels small or forgotten in your life today, and you just might find it is glowing with the sacred.

—DH

In Deed
Start your morning by looking for one “humble” place in your life—a routine task or a nagging worry—and ask God to show you His glory there. Remind yourself: “God is in this place, even if it feels like straw.”

“Lord, deliver me from the delusion of imagining that my desire is to serve You, when my real desire is the distinction ...
07/28/2026

“Lord, deliver me from the delusion of imagining that my desire is to serve You, when my real desire is the distinction of serving in some way that others admire.”

In Thought“Love springs from awareness. It is only inasmuch as you see someone as he or she really is here and now and n...
07/27/2026

In Thought
“Love springs from awareness. It is only inasmuch as you see someone as he or she really is here and now and not as they are in your memory or your desire or in your imagination or projection that you can truly love them, otherwise it is not the person that you love but the idea that you have formed of this person, or this person as the object of your desire not as he or she is in themselves.

Therefore the first act of love is to see this person or this object, this reality as it truly is. And this involves the enormous discipline of dropping your desires, your prejudices, your memories, your projections, your selective way of looking, a discipline so great that most people would rather plunge headlong into good actions and service than submit to the burning fire of this asceticism. So the first ingredient of love is to really see the other.

The second ingredient is equally important to see yourself, to ruthlessly flash the light of awareness on your motives, your emotions, your needs, your dishonesty, your self-seeking, your tendency to control and manipulate.”

— Anthony De Mello, Awareness: The Perils and Opportunities of Reality

In Reflection
Anthony De Mello presents love as an “asceticism”—a spiritual discipline of stripping away. We often think of love as an emotion or an action, but De Mello argues it is first an act of perception. Most of us do not interact with people; we interact with our ideas of people. We see our spouse through the lens of a mistake they made ten years ago (memory), or we see our child through the lens of who we want them to become (desire). To truly love is to burn away these filters so we can see the “real, living person” standing in front of us.

The second part of this discipline is perhaps the most difficult: turning that same “ruthless light of awareness” inward. We cannot see others clearly if our own internal “lenses” are smudged by unexamined motives or a need to control. In recovery, we often realize that our “love” for others was actually a form of manipulation—we were “loving” them so they would stay, so they would change, or so they would make us feel better about ourselves. True love requires the courage to ask, “What am I seeking for myself in this interaction?”

This dual awareness—seeing the other and seeing the self—is the only foundation for a relationship rooted in grace rather than illusion. When we stop trying to “fix” the person in front of us and start simply “seeing” them, we create a sacred space where healing can actually occur.

True love starts with awareness, not action. De Mello challenges us to see others as they are right now, rather than through our memories or desires. Otherwise, we love only a version of them we created. This radical love requires laying down our filters to meet others with open hearts. We must also turn this awareness inward, facing our own motives and needs for control. It takes courage to shine that light on ourselves, but that is where honest connection begins. In recovery, love rooted in truth allows for compassion instead of control, opening the door to restorative relationships.

—DH

In Deed
During a conversation today, consciously “drop” a past memory or future expectation you have of the person speaking and try to listen to them as if you were meeting them for the first time.

“Man's thought is always of the punishment that will come to him if he sins. God's thought is always of the glory man wi...
07/27/2026

“Man's thought is always of the punishment that will come to him if he sins. God's thought is always of the glory man will miss if he sins. God's purpose for redemption is glory, glory, glory.”

In Thought“We shouldn’t put down people who show great euphoria and excitement after a born again or religious experienc...
07/26/2026

In Thought
“We shouldn’t put down people who show great euphoria and excitement after a born again or religious experience. They’re right. Suddenly the world makes sense for them. Suddenly it’s okay, despite the absurdity, the injustice, the pain. Life is now so spacious that we can even absorb the contradictions. God is so great, so bottomless, so empty, that God can absorb even the contraries, even the collision of opposites. Thus salvation often feels like a kind of universal amnesty, a total forgiveness of ourselves and all other things.”

— Richard Rohr, Everything Belongs

In Reflection
Richard Rohr points out that a genuine religious experience is life-altering because it provides eyes of faith. Suddenly, the world “makes sense” because our perspective has shifted from the temporal to the eternal. This spiritual insight allows us to absorb the contradictions of life—the absurdity, the injustice, and the pain—because we realize God is so great, so bottomless, that He can absorb even the collision of opposites. Salvation, in this light, feels like a universal amnesty, a total forgiveness that encompasses us and all our circumstances.

This heavenly perspective reframes the chaos of our lives by assuring us of God’s sovereign plan: He not only appointed the times and habitations of our lives (Acts 17:26) but also declares His overriding intention for us: “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” This promise is the anchor that stabilizes us when human eyes see only defeat or futility.

For those facing the darkness of despair, self-contempt, or profound anxiety, the eyes of faith provide the necessary light. They allow us to see purpose and meaning where there was only emptiness. They clarify that the suffering is not the full story, but part of an unfolding narrative aimed toward hope.

We must pray daily for this divine vision—eyes that see things as our Father sees them. We need eyes that are open to the silent work of the Holy Spirit, not only in our own lives but in those around us. Ultimately, eyes of faith should convey the compassion, grace, humility, and love of our Savior, turning our outward gaze into a ministry of presence. What specific contradiction or painful temporal circumstance is clouding your vision today, and how can you intentionally look at it through the lens of God’s promise of hope and a future?

—DH

In Deed
When you encounter a “contradiction” or frustration today, pause and visualize the situation from an eternal perspective. Ask God to give you “eyes of faith” to see the hope and future He is weaving into that specific moment.

“Change the way you see things, and the things you see will change.”
07/26/2026

“Change the way you see things, and the things you see will change.”

“The devil doesn't need to destroy you if he can distract you.”
07/25/2026

“The devil doesn't need to destroy you if he can distract you.”

In Thought“No one knows how to help you in your times of failure as Jesus does! He will not overlook your shortcomings o...
07/25/2026

In Thought
“No one knows how to help you in your times of failure as Jesus does! He will not overlook your shortcomings or simply encourage you to do better the next time. He will give you victory in the midst of your failure. Peter had fished all night without success. It was not just a major catch; he had caught nothing even though he was a skilled fisherman. Jesus could've said, "Peter, don't worry about your nets. You'll soon be in a different business anyway." Instead, Jesus told him to launch out into the deep and cast out his nets for a catch. How humbling it must've been for Peter! Here was a Carpenter telling the loud-spoken fisherman how to fish! Jesus often gets your undivided attention when you fail. He sometimes takes you back to your place of defeat in order to build something good into your life. You may assume he does not want you to continue because you failed so miserably in your attempt. Perhaps your problem was that you were relied on your own strength instead of The Master's. Maybe you failed in a relationship. Jesus will not allow you to abandon it; he will help you learn from your failure and experience a difference he can make when he guides your relationships. When you try in God's strength, you may discover that success is indeed within your grasp. If you have recently experienced failure, you may be on the brink of receiving a profound revelation from God!”
— Henry Blackaby, Experiencing God

In Reflection
No one knows how to help you in your times of failure as Jesus does! This is one of the most comforting truths found throughout the Bible, and it speaks directly to the experience of those in recovery who are dealing with relapse, setbacks in mental health treatment, or relationship failure. When you fail, you may assume God wants you to quit, but Blackaby assures us that He is actually getting your undivided attention. Failure and shortcomings are not an end point with God; they are a starting point.

Jesus will not simply overlook your failure; He will give you victory in the midst of it. The story of Peter — the skilled fisherman who caught nothing — is a powerful metaphor. When we rely on our own strength or expertise, we fail. How often in recovery have we relied on our own self-will, only to return to the empty nets of addiction?

Jesus takes us back to our place of defeat — the moment of relapse, the severed relationship, the intense anxiety — to build something good into your life. This is the redemptive work of the Gospel: our brokenness, when placed in His sure hands, is transformed. Perhaps your problem was relying on your own strength instead of the Master's. If you failed in a relationship, Jesus will not allow you to abandon it; He will help you learn from your failure and experience the profound difference He can make when He guides your relationships.

This is the truth of Lamentations 3:22-23: His mercies are new every morning. Commit your failures to Him. When you try again in God's strength, you may discover that success is indeed within your grasp. If you have recently experienced failure, you may be on the brink of receiving a profound revelation from God! Flaw and failure don't get the last word; Love does! The best is yet to come.

—DH

In Deed
Take one recent failure or “setback” and, instead of hiding from it, sit with God and ask Him: “What is the good thing You want to build in my life from this place of defeat?”

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984 Boston Highway
Monticello, FL
32344

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