Pruning your life!

Remove the dead wood. It was very instructive for us to live in a vineyard this past June and July. The farm workers pruned the vines in preparation for next years crop. You notice in the picture that the vines seem almost naked. They have been cleaned of all the dead wood. You can see on the ground branches that have been removed to make room for new growth in the spring.

This pruning process goes on each year. There is also a time when the vines become unproductive and have to be removed and replaced by new vines. The whole procedure was fascinating. It breathes new life into the comments by Jesus Christ about vines, branches and abiding in Him in John chapter 15..

It causes us to ask what items in our life are fruitful and useful? What needs to be cut out of our life so we are valuable for the Kingdom of Christ? Notice that some branches become so productive that they become a part of the vine. I think that would be a goal for all of us who follow Christ!

Maybe the season has come for you to prune and cleanse the many activities that consume your life. The vines almost feel scalped. Maybe we need to seek the simple life that lets us abide in Christ more of the time. Pray for guidance from the Lord!

Cathy and Danny Sartin
www.deeperstillmissions.com
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​Copyright © Danny Sartin and Deeper Still Missions. All Rights Reserved.
Life Nuggets are written for those who support Deeper Still Missions and its goal of missionary retention.   
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Mother's Know!

​We have found ourselves captivated by animals in Africa. Especially those mother's in Kruger National Park in South Africa.

We have learned that you give plenty of distance between a mother and it's baby. More than once we have had a mother elephant square off our vehicle and clearly say back off! Flapping ears and their shaking head gives a clear warning. We have also seen videos of vehicles being attacked by an animal. Sometimes that has been a protective mother!

Fun with our Grandson!

​This is a picture of Ben when he was three years old. We have always had fun, playing chase, hide and go seek along with many other games. We would wrestle and eventually he would grab my glasses.

Over the years of being a grandfather I have had my glasses smudged, bent, smeared and thrown. It was a natural by product of wrestling with Papaw. At the same time it was an easy target for little hands when there was tickling and laughter.

Each one of our grandsons have taken the glasses and put them on. I want to see like papaw! Ben said in this picture, I am papaw! Then he smiled for this picture and chuckled. I loved it and so did Cathy. You can see the joy on Ben's face even though the glasses blurred his vision.

Our aging eyes need correction so both Cathy and I can see better. When Ben grabs the glasses today and puts them on he doesn't see so well. He realizes that my glasses change his view of the world. So now he takes them off.

There have been many times in our life that we have wanted to see from God's perspective. We wonder what he sees that that we are missing. Paul tells us in his letter to Ephesus that our hearts have eyes. But he prays that those eyes would be open and have a light cast on them. There is so much to know about God!

Ephesians 1:18 (NIV)
18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightenedo in order that you may know the hope to which he has calledp you, the richesq of his glorious inheritancer in his holy people,s

We pray that the eyes of your heart will be opened so you can see all that he has called you to do. May you be blessed today.

Cathy and Danny
www.deeperstillmissions.com
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o  Job 42:5; 2 Co 4:6; Heb 6:4
p  See Ro 8:28
q  ver 7; See Ro 2:4
r  ver 11
s  Col 1:12
  The New International Version. (2011). (Eph 1:18). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Copyright © Danny Sartin and Deeper Still Missions. All Rights Reserved.
Life Nuggets are written for those who support Deeper Still Missions and its goal of missionary retention. 
Re-Prints: Deeper Still Missions devotionals are protected by international copyright laws. To request reprint permission contact the offices of DSM. Permission is granted and encouraged to forward this post in its entirety to others without making any changes or deletions.

Run!
​Live like a refugee. 

This mosaic was designed in Syria by a Christian we had the opportunity to meet on the island of Lesvos, Greece. These fleeing refugees left their home is search of peace and safety. This picture depicts Elijah being carried up by the chariot of fire to heaven as told in 2 Kings 2:11.

It took Armani (not his real name) three months of work to complete this scene. He painstakingly laid each ceramic tile in place by hand. Cathy and I were amazed at the pictures he shared with us. Biblical characters and scenes were placed in local churches in Homs, Syria.

I looked at him and asked if these beautiful works of art are still intact. He shook his head and said they were all destroyed! Radical Muslim troops destroyed the churches and homes of Christian in our area. That was when we fled with my mother, wife and two children. 

I researched the city of Homs when we arrived home. The city of Homs was under seige for three years by the Syrian military. There was a truce in 2014 but fighting continued in their area of the town until November of 2016. In September Armani left with his family and became refugees on the run.

We forged a friendship with this family and sought to keep in touch as they go on their journey. They had amazing resilience to remain in Homs over the lasts five years during the civil war. But the enemy finally got too close! It became necessary to run from the enemy.

At what point would you run from the enemy? We resist the devil regularly. But when do you run the other way? God is capable of whisking each of us out of terrible situations at any moment. He knows we are there! He sees us! But he leaves us there for a purpose. Maybe we haven't learned and come to understand the teaching of Jesus.

Don't miss the special lessons God gives us each day. But at the same time balance the ability to resist with the need to run. We know the feeling of being a sojourner in this world. Encourage another sojourner today.

Cathy and Danny Sartin
www.deeperstillmissions.com
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Copyright © Danny Sartin and Deeper Still Missions. All Rights Reserved.
Life Nuggets are written for those who support Deeper Still Missions and its goal of missionary retention.   

Re-Prints: Deeper Still Missions devotionals are protected by international copyright laws. To request reprint permission contact the offices of DSM. Permission is granted and encouraged to forward this post in its entirety to others without making any changes or deletions.

Fleeing the Enemy!

​Our travel last month placed us in a unique place in the world and was a crucial experience for Cathy and me. We met so many people who have been running from the ravages of ISIS, Boko Haram, Al Qaeda and Al shabaab. Their individual stories of survival broke our hearts and made us more aware of the turmoil going on in our world. Pictured above are some destroyed boat shells and thousands of life preservers used by those escaping the chaos in the Middle East. 

You would recognize that each boat shell has all the interior supports and items removed that help make a boat safe and stable in the water. Smugglers put their lives at risk with a simple frame that caused the death of many. Many would toss their luggage when they recognized the flimsy boat skin was unstable against the waves and tide. You could feel and see the terror in their eyes as they recounted their stories.

There was one refugee we met that caused us to pause and consider what it takes to run from evil. Achmed (not his real name) is an unsung hero in our minds and hearts. This large man was a member of the Iraqi Special Forces. You could tell that he can handle himself and was very skilled in warfare. But he also ran once the truth of ISIS became clear.

He could fight personally but knew the odds were staked in the favor of the evil leaders. What he sought was peace from the chaos. He didn’t see it there and wondered where he would find it. It came from an unlikely place. That peace came from Jesus Christ! His smile and attitude speaks volumes about the power of the Holy Spirit in the life of a new believer.

Christmas is this weekend and when you look at the story of Jesus in the book of Luke we discover Joseph, Mary and Jesus had to run from the evil ruler Herod. They also were refugees racing to Egypt.

Give the gift of a prayer for the hundreds of thousands who are displaced on this Christmas weekend. Resisting the enemy is no easy task. It can cost you plenty! Link your heart with those needing peace.

May your Christmas be blessed!

Cathy and Danny Sartin


Copyright © Danny Sartin and Deeper Still Missions. All Rights Reserved.
Life Nuggets are written for those who support Deeper Still Missions and its goal of missionary retention.   

Re-Prints: Deeper Still Missions devotionals are protected by international copyright laws. To request reprint permission contact the offices of DSM. Permission is granted and encouraged to forward this post in its entirety to others without making any changes or deletions.

The Great Escape
Evading the Enemy

​We walked the dark path between the Manager's house and our cottage at Amathunzi. The inky darkness shielded everything and made the short walk a little precarious. A small porch light in the distance marked our path to our room . A few steps into the dirt path we were greeted with several snorts. Uncertainty caused us to shine our flashlight in the direction of the sound. There stood a Bontebok.

It is a beautiful antelope with rich dark brown markings and spiral horns. Our light hit his face and he immediately cantered away. I was amazed at its speed in the darkness. It simply seemed to vanish. It left an unsettled feeling as he disappeared into the dark so quickly. Maybe he could reappear just as fast!

The next morning I went looking for the splendid animal in the sunlight. His dark brown coat had a purple gloss and clearly defined markings. He was darker on the sides with white buttocks and lower limbs. His unbroken white facial blaze and black horns carved a beautiful head and shape. 

This antelope was stunning and majestic. I walked closely and he began to stomp and snort as he had done the night before. I lifted my camera to take a picture and he exploded into a cantor and raced away. His unusual cantor made it appear effortless. It was as if he pranced in a tireless gate that accelerated with each jump.

The Bontebok had such speed that I wondered how prey could catch him and kill him for a meal. It would require stealth, speed and cunning. I thought of the Leopard we had watched during his hunt for food. Crouched low to the ground it crept along and stopped motionless on several occasions. The prey had no idea he was there. He waited as the slow grazing brought him near and he pounced.

We tend to have a false sense of safety concerning our enemy. Spiritually our enemy prowls around seeking someone that he might devour. What we fail to recognize is that we are his target. We think we can get away and avoid him if he comes near. Sometimes the spooking event is just a trap to capture us on the run. Evading the entanglement of sin requires careful observation, honest assessments and speed at the right moment. We must run just like the Bontebok! But timing is crucial!

Are you aware of the pitfalls in your daily life, thinking and feelings? Are you so consumed with satisfying your appetites that you don't notice the movement around you? We are told in God's Word to flee from sin. I see the Bontbok as one example of successful evasion from the perils of sin. He is attentive, forceful and has a twitch that is blinding.

Cathy and Danny Sartin

Copyright © Danny Sartin and Deeper Still Missions. All Rights Reserved.
Life Nuggets are written for those who support Deeper Still Missions and its goal of missionary retention.   
Re-Prints: Deeper Still Missions devotionals are protected by international copyright laws. To request reprint permission contact the offices of DSM. Permission is granted and encouraged to forward this post in its entirety to others without making any changes or deletions.