Whenever anyone accepts Jesus Christ as Savior, our Mighty God seals him or her with His Holy Spirit. This precious one is now a new born baby of the Kingdom of heaven. The saved soul has been rescued from death and the destiny of hell.

There will still be a struggle with the sin nature everyday on this side of eternity, but the saved soul is no longer held captive by the power and bondage of sin. That was the old order he or she was under.

In Christ there is freedom, there is power, and there is a renewal and transformation that is fully available, and well beyond our imaginations, to all who are held within the saving hand of our Lord Jesus Christ.

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;  the old has gone, the new has come!  2 Corinthians 5:17

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane 

God knows everything about us. God knows our actions, our reactions, our words and even our deepest impulses and hidden thoughts. Yet, even though God knows all of this about us, we are still to intentionally, and regularly, invite God in to search our hearts. 

We can be sure that God’s RSVP to that invitation will always be, “YES!”

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalm 139:23-24 

Personal Reflections from Sylane:                                                                           God calls us to invite Him into every portion of our thinking and acting. God is to have full access–top security clearance (okay, I may be watching a bit too much”24“)–to review our life and our behavior to the minutest of details.

Since God already knows everything about us, why do we have to invite Him in to look at us in such an intense way? Read the Scripture verse again.

When we invite God in to review, inspect and interrogate our hearts, our thoughts and our ways:

• We are, first, agreeing with God that He has the authority to do so.
• God blesses the authentic humility of our hearts as we make this acknowledgement.
  • Through humility we place ourselves in the right relational position with our Almighty Lord. Oh! Humility is the sweetest, safest, most powerful place we could ever be with our Lord!
• And there we are blessed with the intimacy of our God who takes our hand and leads us in His eternal, life-cleansing and life-freeing way!
  • Following and walking with our God, according to His everlasting way, puts us in the right transformational position to know God’s power–in ways beyond our highest hopes or imaginations.

I truly do want to experience this full intimate, authority of God in my life. But, ooooh, the cleansing, correcting and redirecting process that must take place within my heart–and throughout my thoughts and actions–can be pretty rough.

So! Whenever I pray this prayer–and it is often. (And it needs to be often!) I always add just a little bit more:

Search my heart, O God…and be gentle!

I have honestly found that the more often I ask God to really dig, reveal and cleanse me of all my anxious thoughts and all my offensive ways, the more gentle God is able to be with me.

Oh, sometimes I need (and get!) the full sand-blasting power of God’s correction to get through to me, so that I will see myself as He sees me. At other times (I hope these will become more the norm), God is able to use a polishing cloth to remove the dullness and dimness of heart and my ways.

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane

There is nothing weak about love. There is nothing frail, flawed or finite about love.  

There is nothing weak about our God. There are no frailities or flaws in our all powerful Eternal God.

God cannot fail. God will not fail. Neither will God’s love.

We each must decide if we really believe this. As an individual, we each need to answer: Do I really believe that God’s love will never fail me? That God’s love really is BIG enough to heal all of my wounds? That God’s love is BIG enough to strenghten me in every way and in every circumstance I need to be strengthened? That God’s love is BIG enough to forgive me and transform me?

If our answer is, “Yes, I do believe this,” then, you and I must answer this question: What am I going to do about it?  How will I think differently, speak differently, act differently if I truly believe that God’s love will never fail?

God’s love does indeed have the final word over all of our human brokenness, failure, sin, shame  and suffering. And that word through Jesus is: Victory!

Love never fails.   I Corinthians 13:8

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane

Love intentionally chooses to hope even when our circumstances seem hopeless. Love intentionally perseveres through our most difficult, confusing, drudgery-filled, and painful times of life.

Why? How? Because of Who the source of our love, hope and perseverence is!

Our God is the God of hope. There is nothing that God’s love cannot transform and work out for our good according to His eternal purposes.

Our God is strong enough to walk us through the darkest, loneliest, most confusing days of our lives. God’s love is mighty enough to carry us when we’re not sure we can take another step. 

God’s love lifts our spirits with His hope and strengthens us to persevere victoriously in ways we never could have imagined.

Love always hopes, Love always perseveres. I Corinthians 13:7

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane

God loves His children in passionately protective ways. He guards our very souls in His almighty care. No matter what our circumstances are, God never leaves us alone. As God’s children we can never be separated from His protective love. Never.

No matter how insane or sad, broken or frightening our experiences may be, God is absolutely faithful to us. God’s love will always protect us. Always.

God will need to grow us up, however, so that we will understand this from His eternal perspective. We usually respond to how we feel about our immediate circumstances. And sometimes they are very hard and very ugly. Still, this truth remains: God is completely trustworthy.

Our highest and deepest way to demonstrate our love for God is to trust Him. Trust His Word. Trust His Spirit. Trust His Truth. Trust His Love. Trusting God is eternally bound up in how we live here on earth and where we will spend our eternal destiny.

And God wants us to live in His protective, trustworthy love–now and forever.

 Love always protects, Love always trusts     I Corinthians 13:7

Personal Reflections from Sylane:                                                                           Love always protects, Love always trusts. 

God is our protector, our defender. And God calls us to intentionally love others through protecting them–especially those in our most intimate relationships.  

In practical terms it’s easy to see how that protective love may be expressed as parents. We care for, nurture and raise our children. We actively set up reasonable (??) boundaries and limits that will help keep our precious ones out of harm’s way.

(It’s a darn good thing that we know God never leaves them, and that He is trustworthy! Because sometimes the circumstances just don’t match what we want for our babies’ protection! No matter how old they are! Oh! Give me some more Eternal Perspective!)

 Love always protects, Love always trusts.

Love does NOT limit its protection to the young. Love’s protection is to be offered tenaciously in ALL relationships. First, and foremost, we are to actively protect our intimate relationship with  our Lord. 

And second only to our relationship with God, we are to lovingly, passionately protect our marriages–our unity and intimacy as a couple. 

We are to protect our families–how ever small, large, combined, diversified or spread over vast distances they may be.

This makes me ask some questions of all of us. Do our husbands, wives, children, parents, in-laws, siblings, and beyond…feel lovingly safe in their relationship with us?

This makes me ask some questions of myself. Am I a safe harbor, a refreshing place of rest for the people in my life? Do they feel protected by me? In a world that offers so little protection to our hearts and minds and spirits, do my most precious ones know they can run into my protective arms of love? (Or phone-calls or emails or texts of love?)

Or do they need to run for cover? Do I make them feel like they’re walking on eggshells? Are they afraid of how I will react? Or are they completely unprotected because they’re not even sure which Sylane they may meet up with today?

Love intentionally protects the life and dignity of each human being. I need to do this always–starting right in the center of my family.

 Love always protects, Love always trusts.

As we begin to understand God’s protective love for us, we can really begin to trust others. The more we trust God, who is the only One completely and constantly trustworthy, we will be able to risk ourselves more by trusting others.

Protective and trusting love is God’s One way to love, not two. 

Love always protects, Love always trusts.

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane

February 2009

…into His likeness with ever-increasing glory…2 Corinthians 3:18

Here we are at the end of the first two months of 2009!
Join us in thanking God for how He allowed us to
minister in His name and through His love! And thank
you, too, our Partners in Grace, who support us with
prayers and donations!
This is your Ambassadorship and Ministry, too!

So, What’s Been Going On? So Much!

Since January 1st www.theTBloG.org has been
actively ministering in cyber-space!

On it is A Time for Grace and Truth, daily devotions
with personal reflections written by Sylane. God has
been using the TBloG in some ways we know…and in
other ways we may never know! Here’s a portion of an
email that came in from one of TBG PinGs and faithful
blog readers that greatly encouraged us:

Oh! God’s loving, transforming grace and the work
done through the Body of Christ—are so beautiful!
Thank you, Linda for sharing this!
Here’s an excerpt from the January 15 post of
theTBloG where I wrote that list:

What are some of God’s truths that killed the powerful
vice-grip of lies holding my head? What are some of
God’s truths that I had to intentionally choose to
believe are more powerful than the loud and twisted lies
that were squeezing the life out of my mind and spirit?
Glad you asked!

The Biggies:
God loves me.
God loves me so much more than my parents ever could
(or anyone else, for that matter).
God’s love drives out all fear.
Jesus died for my sins AND my shame.
I’m going to live forever.
God knows me intimately.
God understands me completely.
God is my protector and defender.
God is my hope. God speaks.
God wants me to listen.
There is peace and joy in obeying God.
I am never, ever alone.
I am never without help.
I am filled with the Spirit of the Living God.
Through the love of Jesus I am more than a conqueror.
Nothing will ever separate me from God’s love.

You may read the full post for that day at:
http://www.thetblog.org/?p=197

Speaking Events Completed:

• January 6 and 7 at Mathom House—Sylane
Mack met with 3 separate therapy groups of
adolescent men (sexual perpetrators) to share her
story and the forgiveness and transformation that
Jesus offers to all who believe.

Oh! The dance of Love and Truth is inseparable and beautiful. Their partnership is one of unstoppable power. Their relationship is one of indescrible intimacy and perfect unity. 

And this is something to seriously celebrate!

Love rejoices with the truth.   I Corinthians 13:6

Personal Reflections from Sylane:                                                                           God’s Love and God’s Truth are eternally bound–eternally One. As is our One God. Love and Truth flow from, and make up, the absolute essence and very nature of our God: …God is Love–1 John 4:8;  Jesus answered, “I am…the Truth…”–John 14:6

Love and Truth can never be divided. No wedge can ever come between them. The unfailing strength of God’s Love and Truth together will hold us tightly in our daily days and in our darkest hours–giving us hope, peace and joy.

Love rejoices with the truth.

Love can only, and will always, rejoice and celebrate with the Truth. Out of Love Jesus took the punishment for everything that would separate us from our God.

This is God’s Loving Truth that sets His people free.

Free from every shred and tentacle of deception.

Free from every form of fear.

Free from every damaging wound to our heart, soul, mind and strength.

Free to keep in step with the Spirit.

Free to run in the paths of the Lord’s commands.

Free from every accusation, every blemish caused by our sin.

Free from the power of death.

Free to live forever with our ABBA–the One God of Love and Truth. 

Love rejoices with the truth.

God’s Love and Truth are always in full agreement. Their purpose is one. Their might is unfailing.

It is God’s Love that reached me, and filled me, when I didn’t know, and didn’t trust that I could ever be loved. It is God’s Truth that turned my mind and my world completely upside-right (from being upside-down!). God’s Love and Truth has transformed–and will (necessarily) continue to transform me every day of my life–on this side of Heaven.

There is no separation between God’s Love and Truth. And we who are in Christ can never be separated from Him. Held by God’s Love and Truth, we are given incredible power to live in an intimate relationship with our ABBA.

Love rejoices with the truth–with great reason! And so should we!

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane

Love and evil do not dance together. There can be no partnership between love and evil on any level. All sin–all evil has nothing to do with love. 

Whether we (not God) classify our actions as just a small sin–not really all that bad or willfully, flagrantly act in ways we know are completely counter and displeasing to our Holy God–it is all still evil.

And love cannot, love will not, delight in anything for which Jesus Christ had to give His life. 

LOVE sees evil as it truly is: life-destroying; life-deceiving, life-in-bondage.

  Love does not delight in evil  I Corinthians 13:6

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane

God loves us in such a thoroughly renewing and cleansing way. The love of Jesus that took Him to the cross also brought us into the presence of our Holy God. And we can only enter there with no trace of sin. Our record of wrongs–all of our sin and all of our shame–have been completely obliterated by the bloodshed of Jesus.

We are innocent before our Abba.

Love keeps no record of wrongs   I Corinthians 13:5

Personal Reflections from Sylane:                                                                           Love keeps no record of wrongs.

 To love  as our Lord Jesus loves, we must love in intentional, active and transforming ways. We must get rid of all our mental (and written) lists of every wrong that has ever been done to us by any and everyone throughout our entire lives!

Love keeps no record of wrongs.

We have NO righteous authority to hold onto the wrongs by which other people have injured us–no matter how horrendous those wrongs were. Love and bitterness–Love and accusation–cannot exist together. Not ever.

The death of Jesus paid for all the sins of all who wronged us. And His death paid the price for all of our stubborn, bitter, judgmental, unforgiving attitudes. We cannot stay justified in our blaming, accusing, shaming ways of thinking when it comes to the wrongs of others.

Jesus’ death sentence fulfilled all punishment for all sins. We must forgive. We must shred, burn, bury, totally destroy the record of wrongs we keep against others–the deadly power of our unforgiving posture–towards others. All others.  For All sins.

Love keeps no record of wrongs.

It was God’s love–God’s grace and truth–that brought me to this transforming knowledge. And it was the very power of the Living God that caused me to forgive the abuse–emotional, physical and sexual abuse–that seemed so unforgiveable.

And it was this same love of God–His grace, truth and transforming power–that caused me to finally release myself from the shame that I had held onto–and been a prisoner of–for some of my own very ugly sins. Sins committed even well after I had committed my life to Jesus.

Love keeps no record of wrongs.

Because of the freeing Love-Truth of Jesus, I am NOT to keep a record of my own wrongs either. I, too, am to humbly yield at the foot of the cross–completely. I must accept fully the truth and transformation that the blood of Jesus covers all sin and all shame–for all others and for me. For all time–at whatever time in my life the sin was committed.

To live in an intimate love relationship with Jesus–we must do things His way. And He radically eradicates the record of all sin and all shame.

We must be so humble–and so courageous–to do the same towards others and ourselves.

Love keeps no record of wrongs.

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane

God’s love flows powerfully with peace, grace and tenderness. 

It is also true that in God’s perfect and holy love, God does get angry. Angry at our evil. Angry at our prejudice. Angry at our pride. Angry at our meaness and cruelty towards others. Angry at our lies. Angry at our greed. Angry at our selfishness. Angry at our sins.

But in His love, God is never short-tempered, cranky or mean-spirited. God’s anger is never based on changing seasons or circumstances or moods. God never changes. And so God’s anger–against all our sin–is based, as it always has been, on God’s truth, righteousness and love for us .

Love is not easily angered   I Corinthians 13:5

Personal Reflections from Sylane:                                                                           Love is not easily angered.

God’s greatest love desire is for each one of us to be more like Jesus–in  our character, thinking, speaking and behavior. And that includes in our reactions to anything–or anyone–that could make us angry. To be like Jesus, we have to do it LOVE’s way:

Love is not easily angered.

God doesn’t snap at us. God doen’t snap under pressure. God doesn’t respond defensively. God’s anger is never based on feeling hurt or ignored, frustrated or tired, busy or annoyed, frail or frazzled, sick or moody.

Confession: Anger is one of my (many) areas–in my frail, flawed and finite state–that God has to work on constantly. Yep, I can get pretty darn ticked off.

Most people don’t know that about me. Well, until now.

God must continually redirect my (often-too-self-focused) perspective so that I may respond more slowy, more maturely, more lovingly. Which, of course, is a lot more like Jesus than smacking somebody upside their fool-head!

Love is not easily angered.

Most of the time when I feel the anger stirring up in me, I’m able to keep it, seemingly under control, as an inside-my-head-storm. (Remember, I said most of the time, not all.) However, my anger is still real, and the stuff screaming around in my head can be very ugly and nasty. Even if no one else, or at least not too many people, ever see it or hear it.

Love is not easily angered.

 By God’s love and grace, I have learned to invite God right into my anger. Right into its ferocity. Right into its nastiness. And God is not afraid to come in!

By inviting God into my anger, He lovingly leads drags me into the eye of my own storm. Into the calmer place of thought and focus.

By inviting God into my anger, I am letting Him know that, “I want to do things YOUR way, God! But I need YOUR help!  So YOU better get in here, God! Take control of my head! Take control of my thoughts! AAARRRGGGHHH! Take control of my mouth! Help me be more like Jesus!”

That really is pretty much the script of my dialogue (okay, monologue at that point) with God. But…

Love is not easily angered.

…and  by inviting God into my anger–to take control of my responses, I can get over myself much more quickly. I can view the people with whom I am angry with (what I call) “mercy-eyes.” 

I am not just looking at myself and all the reasons I have to be angry. The “mercy-eyes” that God gives me–are able to see more fully and clearly. “Mercy-eyes” see with love and compassion. “Mercy-eyes” view and understand the  people and the circumstances from a truer, more eternal perspective.

Love is not easily angered.

God wants to be intimate with us. So, invite Him in–right into the midst of your storms–to do His deep, transforming work.

God has taught me that I ALWAYS have a choice in how I respond. So do you. Always. And God will ALWAYS work to transform His children to be more and more like Jesus. That is the way of God’s love. 

Love is not easily angered.

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane