I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.

John 10:16

All of creation belongs to the LORD. The full price for redemption and salvation has been fully paid through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. The full assurance of eternal life with our Holy God has been fully promised through the conquering resurrection of Jesus Christ. There is only one shepherd of all of creation—whether Jew or Gentile. There is only Jesus Christ as Messiah.

And Jesus Christ will bring in all of His sheep. He must bring them in—because He is the faithful, eternal God of all! And His sheep—from Jerusalem…to Judea…to Samaria…and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8)—will hear His voice and be told the truth that Jesus Christ is Lord!

His sheep will listen to His voice. His sheep will believe. His sheep will be saved. His sheep—wherever they live…and whoever they are—will join as one flock in unity, love and victory with the Lord Jesus Christ as the one true shepherd for all eternity!

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.

John 10:11-15

The line made famous by Kojak, a TV character played by Telly Savalas, is running through my head: “Who loves ya, baby?”

Well, when it comes to being the sheep of the Living God—the answer is: God loves us! ”Who loves ya, baby?” The answer is: Our Lord Jesus Christ—the good shepherd! It is He who loves us and is the Only One who will lay down His life for us. To protect us. To save us. To rescue us from certain destruction.

No one else—no other belief system—proclaims what Jesus claims: “I lay down my life for the sheep.” No one but God—our Creator, our Life Giver, our Savior—has made such a claim…or has done such a deed!

Jesus, our Holy Lord, knows that, as His sheep,  our lives are completely dependent on His good care—that our lives are completely dependent on Him being our good shepherd.

Everyone else will fail us and hurt us and abandon us in some way at some level—in order to save themselves. Because we don’t belong to them. We belong only to our God.

Everything else that we would put our trust in to take care of us—our wealth, our jobs, our intellect, our education, our reputation, our charm, our fame, our wisdom, our will power—can never give us the security that only Jesus Christ is able to give—right now and for all eternity. Because only Jesus Christ offers what we truly need—a relationship with Him the Eternal God Most High!

No one else loves us (baby!) the way our God does! And our God loves us completely—even though we are His straying, questioning, direction(obedience)-challenged little sheep! Our Lord Jesus loves us and knows us. And, as His sheep, we know Him—just as He and the Father know each other. It is in these intimate loving, knowing relationships that we may rest fully secure and put our trust fully in our good shepherd, Jesus Christ, alone!

Because the good shepherd alone lays down His life for us! Because the good shepherd alone truly loves us, baby!! Amen!

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10

The thief comes. No doubt about it. No choice about it.

And the thief comes against our souls and he comes against the truth of the Living God with a very definite purpose: ONLY to steal and kill and destroy. The thief has no other purpose but to steal our hope, kill our faith and destroy our lives. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy every shred of peace we have…to steal and kill and destroy every relationship we have—beginning with our relationship with the One True God, our Lord Jesus Christ—the one relationship upon which our very lives depend. Now and for all eternity.

And our Lord Jesus, the Lord who has conquered sin and death for all eternity, proclaims that He not only comes…but that He has already come for us. And He has come for us to offer life. The thief gives us no choice about what he will do in—and to—our lives. But the Lord Jesus Christ does not force Himself on us. He offers Himself and His life to us.

Jesus tells us that in Him we may have life. We must make the choice to put our lives in His hands—into His holy hands that were nailed to the cross for the forgiveness of our sins…into His holy hands that were raised in eternal, magnificent triumph through His resurrection from the dead! Jesus Christ offers us life. Life without the certain condemnation and punishment for our sins that we deserve. Jesus Christ has already come to take the full punishment of our sins for us. And Jesus Christ has already come to fully and forever conquer the power of death.

We have a choice about the life that Jesus offers to us. We may have life now—life that holds the absolute promise of eternal life; life that holds the absolute richness and abundance of the fullness of life that we may have only when we choose to live our lives in the grasp of His intimate hold on our life.

Jesus has already come to give us a life beyond what we could ever imagine, both for an eternity with Him and for right now as we walk with Him daily—listening to His heart of love for us, obeying His word and letting Him lead us in everything we do.

The full life that Jesus Christ offers is a life filled with His love, His grace, His truth, His freedom, His power, His peace, His joy and His hope!!! And nothing and no one can ever steal, kill or steal what Jesus offers to us—if we will accept what He offers and live in the life for which He has already come!!

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane

Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them. Therefore, Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture.” John 10:6-9

I’m so thankful that Jesus is so very patient with us and willing to explain things—once again—to us whenever we just don’t seem to understand what He is telling us.

Sometimes what Jesus tells us is so deeply spiritual that we need Him to do several remediation lessons with us before we can fully grasp His meaning—or understand it, at least, as much as possible on this side of Heaven. But here in this passage, Jesus wants to lay down the fundamental truth of salvation; He wants to set before all of us the sole and irrefutable way of entrance into eternal life with our Holy God. Jesus is the entrance. Jesus is the gate. Period.

Salvation and eternal life with our Holy God is completely, uniquely dependent on Jesus Christ. It is only through His sacrificial death on the cross for our sins and His glorious resurrection to life eternal that we are able to enter into the presence of the LORD Most High. (If you don’t know Jesus as your own Savior, let me link you to this devotional posting I wrote on Easter. I encourage you to read, think about and pray about it for yourself. God loves you so much and He wants you to spend eternity with Him!)

Jesus is repeating His lesson because He knows we each need to get this. We can not save ourselves, nor can we be saved through any other method or through any other belief system. Jesus alone is Savior. Jesus alone is the gate—the entrance point—to eternal life with God. And Jesus tells us that His sheep know this. His sheep will not listen to the teachings of another; His sheep will not follow another.

The sheep who truly belong to Jesus—those who have not followed the spiritual thieves and robbers of this world-–“will come in and go out, and find pasture.” His sheep “will come in” to be loved, cared for, fed and protected. His sheep “will go out,” always following Him—even into unknown and uncomfortable areas. Because they know His voice, know His teaching and they trust His love and His provision for their “pasture”—no matter what their circumstances may be.

Jesus—the gate, the shepherd, the Holy God of all Creation—can be trusted by His sheep! Amen!

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane

“The watchman opens the gate for him [the true shepherd], and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will turn away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” John 10:3-5

We who have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior-we who have put our faith in Him as Lord-are His sheep.

We are also called to be His watchmen. Each one of us.

As God’s watchmen, we are to know the truths that come from Him so that we will be able to discern what is truly from Jesus and what is not…to be able to discern the loving, life-giving, transforming truths that come from Jesus alone and to separate out what are the blatant lies and/or the twisted truths (no matter how subtle they may be) that come from the thief…robber…liar…killer.

As His watchmen, we are to be able to quickly recognize Christ, recognize His presence and His truths so that we will open the gate of our hearts and lives to Him, to His love, to His leading and to His authority.

And as God’s watchmen, we are to know the voice of Jesus, know His words, know His appearance, know His revelation of self so that we may also be able to open up the gate for others who share our sheep pen and, yet, still need to know Jesus as their own Shepherd and Savior.

As God’s watchmen, we are also to be on guard to open the gate only to Jesus and His truths so that those who are already His sheep will be protected from being led away by any false teachers and their fruitless, lifeless, twisted teachings.

Our Shepherd comes into our lives—He comes right into the midst of our muddled-up sheep pen—to call us His own. And then, our Shepherd Jesus intimately calls each of His own by our names…calling each of us to follow Him and to put our trust in Him to lovingly lead our lives.

May we each be wise and discerning watchmen over our own hearts and lives so that we open the gate only to Jesus…and follow only Him because we recognize His voice as the voice of our own true Shepherd!

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane

OCTOBER 2009–TBG Newsletter

Remember to join us on the 10th day of each month as we passionately PRAY for God’s life-giving, life-freeing, transforming work to be done in the lives of all with whom we minister-at conferences, counseling sessions or on corners and in coffee shops!

REJOICE IN THE BODY OF CHRIST!- an update on some recent events -

Over these last two months we have been blessed to meet and minister with so many brothers and sisters in Christ! So many lives have been transformed…and so many lives are continually being transformed into His likeness with ever increasing glory! Enjoy the update and some fun pictures:

September 16-20-Sylane Mack attended the 2009 World Conference of the AACC-American Association of Christian Counselors, held in Nashville, TN at the Opryland Hotel-entitled: Grace and Truth! The Key Note Speakers and Workshop Presenters shared great skills and deep encouragement with all who serve in various forms of counseling ministries. During this Convention, Sylane was inducted into the BAACC (Black African-American Association of Christian Counselors) Board of Advisors-through which she is, humbly and thankfully, serving as Assistant Chaplain.

BAACC Board of Advisors-seated: Dr. Atty. Paris M. Finner-Williams (Elder of Elders), Rev. Mark Crear, PhD (Chairperson), Elder Sabrina D. Black (Past Chairperson); standing: Elder Nicole Barber, MA (North Regional Rep.), Bishop Arnold J. Byrd, MPS (Chaplain), Rev. Owen C. Cardwell, PhD, ABD (First Vice President), Sylane Mack, MS (Assistant Chaplain), Dr. Neal Siler (South Regional Rep.), Dr. Brenda K. Richardson (Second Vice Chairman), Dr. Renata W. Hannah (Assistant Secretary), Dr. Jacqueline Smith (Recording Secretary). Absent from picture: Rev. Carolyn T. Long, PhD (East Regional Rep.), Robert Williams, LMSW (Treasurer), Venita Welcome, MS (Assistant Treasurer), Dr. De’Borah Donald, NCPM (Chief Editor)

FYI: BAACC’s 8th Annual Summit on April 29 -May 1, 2010, will be in Georgia at the Hilton Hotel – Atlanta Airport. The theme: BAACC to Basics -As a person thinketh – based on: 1 Corinthians 3:11 “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.”

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October 2-4-Sylane Mack, assisted by Jean Heiss, led a full and transforming weekend retreat of Harvest of Hearts for approximately 51 women from New Beginnings Community Church (NBCC) of Moorestown, NJ. This retreat focused on God’s love, healing, powerful transformation and His amazing purpose in our lives-to be conformed to the likeness of Jesus Christ!

Most of the women in attendance at the NBCC Retreat

Reflections from Beth Concannon – Member of the Leadership-Prayer Team and Pastor’s Wife:

he women at New Beginnings Community Church invited Sylane to come and minister through “The Harvest of Hearts” at our women’s retreat at Harvey Cedars during the first weekend in October. We were in awe of what God has done in her life and what He is doing through her ministry.  Sylane not only ministers out of the depth of her background and pain, she also breathes new freshness and life into those to whom she ministers.  Sylane’s dear friend, Jean Heiss, attended our event with her, and they both showed humility, great gifting, sensitivity, and pliability in the way they ministered. We are so grateful to have had this opportunity and plan to have Sylane back again for the sequel “It is For Freedom!” The feedback from all of the women has been unbelievable, with most of them saying the weekend was “life-changing.”Praise God!

Many Blessings, Beth Concannon

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October 23-24-Sylane Mack and DeAnne Harland ministered at the 49^th Annual 2009 New Jersey Christian Ministries Convention (NJCMC): “Great is Thy Faithfulness!“ And God certainly was!!!

Friday evening, while DeAnne ministered and shared TBG information at our Exhibition Hall table, Sylane led a workshop entitled: God’s Passion, Purpose and Power! What Difference Does it Make to You-with 40 or more people attending (and a few standing in the back because all the chairs were taken!)

All day Saturday, Oct. 24, both DeAnne and Sylane ministered at our TBG Table where we met and prayed with fabulous contacts and made some new friends. We were especially blessed by one prayer-focused, brother in Christ, James Jackson, from the ministry of Teen Challenge.

He spent time praying with us, and as James said, “I’ve been directing traffic to your table all day because the power of God and healing and freedom is here!” Thank you, James!

Thank you, God, for your power!

Thank you, God, for the Body of Christ!

DeAnne Harland, James Jackson, Sylane Mack at NJCMC

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UPCOMING EVENTS:

November 6-8-Sylane Mack will be giving a full weekend-four session presentation of  Harvest of Hearts at the Women’s Retreat for Lawndale Baptist Church of Philadelphia, PA. This oft-requested and powerful retreat will be held at S.P.A.D.E. International Conference Center in Kempton, PA. Kyoko Iwashita Kneller will serve as the TBG prayer partner and team member.

November 14- Lydia Austin will be leading a one day retreat for the women of Abundant Life Community Church of Port Murray, NJ held at The Inn at Panther Valley in Allamuchy, NJ. Lydia’s teaching will be based on James 1:22-“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” and is appropriately and encouragingly entitled:  Just Do It!

Minister With Us! We Need You!

Please JOIN us as a Partner in Grace!

Become a PinG!

Your prayers and financial gifts provide the tangible and greatly needed support necessary to carry out God’s call on the ministry of Transformed By Grace!

Your FINANCIAL gifts help make possible:

• Counseling services to those who otherwise are without the financial resources that would allow them to participate in this healing process.
• Conference Speaking Events for churches and organizations whose budgets are greatly limited compared to the hunger they have for God’s Word and the desire they have to grow as disciples of our Lord Jesus.
• Purchasing Bibles-often given to the young men at Mathom House (Rehabilitation Center for Sexual Offenders) and others via our counseling ministry.
• Administrative stewardship of this ministry

Your gifts of PRAYERS join with ours so that we may bring glory to our Lord Jesus and His transforming grace to all the people with whom we minister!

To become our PARTNER in GRACE – our PinG:

• Please visit our website at www.transformedbygrace.org
• Or call the TBG office at 215.497.0882
• Or send your gifts directly to: P.O. Box 976, Newtown, PA 18940

Update on CONVINCED! — GOD’s story written by Sylane:

We are in the final stages of reviewing the proof copies now! And with God’s loving, sovereign and intimate leading, Convinced! should be available before Thanksgiving!

I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way is a thief and a robber. The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. John 10:1-2

Jesus wants to make sure that all who are listening to Him—all who are aware of His presence and His miracles and His claims to be Messiah, His claims to be the “Son of Man” —understand clearly that Jesus alone has exclusive, sovereign authority to give eternal life…and yet Jesus excludes no one from that offer if that person will turn to Him in faith and repentance and choose to follow Him!

We need to be on our guard from any and every one who comes to teach us—to gather us as his or her sheep—and yet professes anything other than Jesus Christ as the only way to eternal life. It is not by good works that we receive the gift of eternal life. It is not by strict adherence to even the most pious, holy, righteous and good religious practices that we receive the gift of eternal life. It is not by working out some good karma so that we will be aptly rewarded with the gift of eternal life in ultimate peace. Only through Jesus is eternal life, eternal peace…and being in the eternal, loving presence of the LORD Most High possible!

If we are putting our faith in any of these other teachers and their teachings then we are trusting in thiefs, robbers…liars and killers.

Jesus Christ is both our gate and our shepherd—and He alone is the One who enters into our lives with The Truth…and offers us eternal life.

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Hebrews 10:24

Too many times we may find that we spur (poke, prod, push) others into frustration, anger, sadness or silence by our own self-focused, self-centered words and actions. Yet God calls us to do something very, very different within the Body of Christ.

Through our own lives, our own examples — our words and our actions — we are to spur (poke, prod, push…ENCOURAGE) others into attitudes and actions of love and good deeds. But this can only happen when we first allow the Spirit of Christ to spur us on to be more like Jesus in very real ways — both visible and invisible to other people.  

As we let God do this in us — sincerely and intentionally — we will then be used by God to help spur on our brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ to be more like Jesus in loving others and doing good deeds of mercy, kindness, justice, generosity, forgiveness… — all things that will glorify our God and bless other people!

May we each invite the Spirit of our Lord Jesus to spur us on toward love and good deeds…and then, with love, may we do the good deed of spurring on others to do the same! We are meant to be Spirit-spurred as we spur on others!

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who is promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:23

Have you ever been in a car where suddenly you are swerving out of control? Maybe you drove onto an unavoidable oil patch or a sheet of ice, maybe you were “water-planing” in a heavy downpour. Maybe you were hit by someone else who was driving out of control. Or maybe you swerved out of control because you just weren’t looking where you were going — your attention was elsewhere.

Our faith walk (drive…journey) is a lot like driving and requires our constant, intentional attention — because circumstances do suddenly crop up that we didn’t expect…or someone hurts us through their own out of control–lack of caring attitudes, words and behaviors…or we allow ourselves to become distracted from purposefully, passionately following Jesus.

Well, come on back! We all need to re-engage in our faith journey with Jesus every single day. Our faith journey, like driving, is a thinking activity.

We each need to choose daily…moment by moment…circumstance by circumstance…to hold unswervingly to the hope we profess — to trust in our God who is always faithful to His promises. And who holds us unswervingly in His loving arms.

Now that should give us all unswerving hope!

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

Ephesians 6:10

Only in God’s strength can we truly be strong. Only in God’s mighty power can we conquer the situations in life that would twist our minds, destroy our peace and work havoc in our relationships with God and with others.

Only in God’s strength — which is His love, His grace, His truth — and obedience to our God are we able to live godly, righteous, free and full lives when we are in the midst of the most difficult and painful of circumstances…or when we are in the midst of the most mundane of our days.

We need to recognize that we are just as desperate and dependent on our Holy God when our lives seem to be in some semblance of control as we are when our lives are in the midst of absolute chaos and brokenness.

Our God never changes. Neither does our need for His strength and His mighty power! Nor our pathway for receiving these.

The pathway to God’s strength and mighty power is always through humility, obedience and trust. The same pathway that Jesus walked.

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane