Cathy and I walked into a reformation prison in Italy and were captured by the things we saw. Pictured to the left is a small portion of the prison walls that were full of pictures and scripture written by the inmates. They used their own blood to write on the plaster. You see a picture of the cross of Jesus. They were being tortured for heresy that was outside the teaching of the church.

In one of the rooms was a torture rack used to gain confessions from the prisoners. I had seen many pictures of those tools but never saw one in person. I took a picture but it came out blurry.

I was transported back to the jail cell for Peter in Rome. I feel certain he had seen it many times during his time in prison. He used that image to warn us of people who will distort the Bible.

Peter ends his writing to the church with a powerful analogy. He talks of a torture rack that was commonly used in Roman prisons. The Greek word used is the name of the torture rack. The word is translated "twist" to leave a clear picture of what people will do to the Word of God.

2 Peter 3:16 (ESV)
16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. oThere are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, pas they do the other Scriptures.

Has it ever occurred to you that people would distort the Bible to make it say what they desired? Today has been very confusing as people take Bible verses and attempt to prove their view of a difficult issue. They twist the Word out of its natural position to get the result they want.

When we open the Bible together we are always reminded about the torture rack. We need to let the Bible say what it says without twisting the words to fit our personal desires. That means we have many scriptures to wrestle with and clarify. We are glad that the Bible is here and is able to speak clearly when we listen carefully.

Cathy and Danny Sartin
www.deeperstillmissions.com
___________________________
o  [Heb. 5:11]
p  [Isa. 28:13]
  The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (2 Pe 3:16). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.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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Lightning hits with a flash that is very unsettling. It is followed by a thunder clap that rumbles in our hearts and minds. It helps create fear and apprehension. Then comes the relief that it did not hit your location.

Objects who are in the path of a lightning strike experience an electrostatic discharge that carries blistering heat and destructive properties. It can cause your heart to skip a beat as it strikes with great speed and unpredictability.

God has a special use for lighting. It is essential in the nitrogen cycle for the air. Nitrates are formed in the atmosphere and fall to the earth with the rain. That fertilizes the earth and enhances the growth of plants and other organisms. God is so amazing!
 
But he also visualizes the return of Jesus in comparison with lighting. It will be so unpredictable but highly visual around the world. His coming will be a true celestial event. It will be in a flash.

27 lFor as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be mthe coming of the Son of Man.
 
30 Then rwill appear in heaven sthe sign of the Son of Man, and then tall the tribes of the earth will mourn, and uthey will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven vwith power and great glory.
 
We continue to be in awe of the design of God. There is very little activity in our life and world that is not given a purpose by the Lord. We are thankful for His provision.
 
Cathy and Danny Sartin
www.deeperstillmissions.com
_________________________
l Luke 17:24
m ver. 3, 37, 39
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Mt 24:27). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
r Dan. 7:13
s [ver. 3]
t Rev. 1:7; [Zech. 12:12]
u See ch. 16:27
v ch. 26:64; Mark 9:1; [ch. 25:31]
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Mt 24:30). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
 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.

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
________________________
​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 email in its entirety to others without making any changes or deletions.

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
_________________________
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
_________________________
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.