Sanctuary Clinics, 984 Boston Highway, Monticello, FL (2026)

04/02/2026

In Thought
“Solitude is the furnace of transformation. Without solitude we remain victims of our society and continue to be entangled in the illusions of the false self. Jesus himself entered into this furnace. There he was tempted with the three compulsions of the world: to be relevant ("turn stones into loaves"), to be spectacular ("throw yourself down"), and to be powerful ("I will give you all these kingdoms"). There he affirmed God as the only source of his identity. ("You must worship the Lord your God and serve him alone.")

Solitude is the place of the great struggle and the great counter-the struggle against the compulsions of the false self, and the encounter with the loving God who offers himself as the substance of the new self … Solitude is not a private therapeutic place. Rather, it is the place of conversion, the place where the old self dies and the new self is born, the place where the emergence of the new man and the new Woman occurs.”

–Henri J. M. Nouwen, The Way of the Heart

In Reflection
Henri Nouwen calls solitude a “furnace of transformation,” a strange and uninviting choice of words that suggests intense heat and refining pressure. This imagery highlights that solitude is not a private therapeutic escape, but the place of conversion—where the old, false self dies, and the new self is born. It is the place of the great struggle against the world’s compulsions: the need to be relevant (turn stones into loaves), spectacular (throw yourself down), and powerful (take all the kingdoms).

Jesus Himself entered this furnace in the wilderness, affirming God as the only source of His identity. For us, the false self is fueled by external validation, comparison, and the relentless noise of society. When we are caught in the cycles of anxiety, codependency, or addiction, we are victims of these illusions, desperately seeking identity outside of God.

Retreating to solitude and silence—as our Lord so often did—is an act of radical reorientation. It is the necessary practice where the refining fire of the Holy Spirit’s love burns away the dross of the false self. This process is painful because it involves letting go of the habits and identities we rely on for comfort, even if those habits are destructive.

Solitude, then, is the necessary space where we exchange control for surrender and find that the loving God offers Himself as the very substance of the new self. It is where we affirm: “You must worship the Lord your God and serve him alone.” What specific “compulsion” of the false self (relevance, spectacle, or power) is driving you today, and how can you schedule a few moments of solitude right now to encounter God as the true source of your identity?

—DH

In Deed
Identify one way you are trying to be "relevant" or "spectacular" to impress others today. In your next moment of solitude, consciously "hand over" that need for approval to God, asking Him to be the only source of your identity.

04/02/2026

GUILT SAYS,
“I am what I have done.”

THE GOSPEL SAYS,
“I am what Christ has done.”

04/01/2026

In Thought
“One of the greatest dangers in the spiritual life is self-rejection. When we say, “If people really knew me, they wouldn’t love me,” we choose the road toward darkness. Often we are made to believe that self-deprecation is a virtue, called humility. But humility is in reality the opposite of self-deprecation. It is the grateful recognition that we are precious in God’s eyes and that all we are is pure gift. To grow beyond self-rejection we must have the courage to listen to the voice calling us God’s beloved sons and daughters, and the determination always to live our lives according to this truth.”

—Henri J. M. Nouwen, Bread for the Journey

In Reflection
Henri Nouwen identifies self-rejection as one of the greatest dangers in the spiritual life. This is confirmed by years of experience in the mental health and addiction fields; self-rejection is a foundational crisis in all of life. When the inner voice whispers, “If people really knew me, they wouldn’t love me,” we choose the road toward darkness and isolation. This self-hatred often masquerades as false humility, or self-deprecation. The constant self-condemnation reinforces the lie that our flaws are bigger than God’s grace, paralyzing us from receiving healing.

Nouwen clarifies that true humility is the exact opposite. It is the grateful recognition that we are precious in God’s eyes and that our very existence is a pure gift. Self-rejection begins with an identity crisis—we forget whose we are. Recognizing yourself as the precious, chosen child of God is of foundational importance in recovery. Humility, then, is embracing the paradox that we are fallen and flawed, yet our God’s love is unconditionally restorative and reconciling. This means we can stop trying to earn a love that is already freely given.

To grow beyond self-rejection, we must have the courage to listen to the voice calling us God’s beloved sons and daughters. This kind of living requires courage to own our shortcomings, courage to rest in His love despite our past, and courage to believe in His promises. Humility brings us to our knees not in shame, but for forgiveness and renewal, allowing us to choose righteousness and to obey the Spirit, not the flesh. Let us pray for that necessary courage today, to live as children of the Living God, who loves us dearly—fallen and flawed—just as we are.

—DH

In Deed
Write down one self-deprecating thought you frequently have, and immediately write 1 John 3:1 underneath it as the corrected truth. Commit to telling yourself at least three times today, "I am a precious child of God, and His love is a pure gift I don't have to earn."

04/01/2026

People who don't possess joy will often want you to steal yours.

03/31/2026

Your body is a reflection of how many times you've done hard things
even when you absolutely didn't feel like it.

03/31/2026

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 Farnham, Listening Hearts

In Reflection
Suzanne Farnham highlights the transformative power of Christian community: in consulting one another, surprising insights emerge that liberate us beyond our own narrow, individual expectations. Our individual perception, reasoning, and understanding are inherently limited. God often reveals only a part of the full picture to any one person, necessitating the wisdom and grace that comes from communal discernment, or prudent consultation.

The Apostle Paul uses the powerful analogy of the Body of Christ in 1 Corinthians 12 . This body is marked by diversity and interdependence. The foot cannot say to the hand, “I don't need you,” nor the ear to the eye. Each part, though unique, is incomplete in isolation. If a part is missing or non-functioning, the entire body is handicapped. God has placed the parts just as He wanted them to be (1 Corinthians 12:18).

For those in recovery or seeking guidance, the temptation is often to proceed on our own, which Farnham warns carries the danger of arrogance and error. We may feel certain of a revelation, but mistaken in its application. True spiritual maturity means embracing our incompleteness and recognizing that God has “plugged you into community” as a vital part of His design.

This principle is foundational to communal support models. The wisdom of a sponsor, a counselor, or a trusted faith group helps balance the limitations of a singular perspective. In sharing our thoughts, we allow God's wisdom to emerge through others, transforming us.

We are called to pray into this reality: What part do you play? Are you living up to that role through vulnerability and sharing? What essential insight or support can you gain from others in the community? By embracing interdependence, we allow God's full, orchestrated plan to unfold, recognizing that He will use others to “feed you with knowledge and understanding” (Jeremiah 3:15). In what specific area of your life or decision-making have you been relying solely on your own limited perspective, and what trusted person or group in your community will you consult this week to gain a broader, more complete picture of God's counsel?

—DH

In Deed
Seek out a trusted friend or mentor today to share a perspective you’ve been holding in isolation. Practice interdependence by asking them for their insight, trusting that God speaks through the Body.

03/30/2026

Once you fall in love with the process, discipline turns into destiny.

03/30/2026

In Thought
“Of what use is it to discourse learnedly on the Trinity, if you lack humility and therefore displease the Trinity? Lofty words do not make a man just or holy; but a good life makes him near to God. I would far rather feel contrition than be able to define it. If you know the whole Bible by heart, and all the teachings of the philosophers, how would this help you without the grace and love of God?”

— Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ

In Reflection
Thomas à Kempis, one of Christendom's wisest men, cuts straight to the core of spiritual authenticity: what is the point of scholarship if it's not applied to our lives in practice? He contrasts orthodoxy (right belief) with orthopraxy (right practice), asserting that “lofty words do not make a man just or holy; but a good life makes him near to God.” This is a sobering challenge, especially coming from the author of The Imitation of Christ, a title that itself is a direct call to action.

We can discourse learnedly on the Trinity, adhere to canons, and proclaim doctrines, but if our faith does not become an embodied faith—our daily “walk”—it is pointless. This is the danger James warned against: being hearers of the word, and not doers, which is self-deception.

For those in recovery or engaged in mental health healing, this shift from head-knowledge to action is non-negotiable. It means moving from intellectually knowing you need to make amends to actually making them; from knowing that isolation is harmful to actively reaching out; from defining contrition to feeling it and responding appropriately.

Christian maturity is marked by this transformation: our orthodoxy must become orthopraxy. What we believe must become what we embody. Our knowledge about God must become the transformational experience of knowing God and living in Him—demonstrated with compassion through caring, loving, and serving others.

This alignment of belief and action is what makes the faith real. It's the difference between merely possessing a map and actually walking the path. What is one specific truth about Christ (e.g., His humility, His patience) that you believe, but have struggled to embody in your daily conduct, and what concrete action will you take today to make that belief a visible practice?

—DH

In Deed
Pick one "lofty word" you know—like grace or forgiveness—and turn it into a physical act today. Move your faith out of your head and into your hands by serving someone in a way that reflects that truth.

03/29/2026

In Thought
“Grieving the death of his wife, Joy, C.S. Lewis wrote: Meanwhile, where is God? This is one of the most disquieting symptoms. When you are happy, so happy that you have no sense of needing Him, so happy that you are tempted to feel His claims upon you as an interruption, if you remember yourself and turn to Him with gratitude and praise, you will be—or so it feels—welcomed with open arms. But go to Him when your need is desperate, when all other help is in vain, and what do you find? A door slammed in your face, and a sound of bolting and double bolting on the inside. After that, silence. You may as well turn away. The longer you wait, the more in emphatic the silence will become. There are no lights in the windows. It might be an empty house. Was it ever inhabited? It seemed so once. And that seeming was as strong as this. What can this mean? Why is he so present a commander in our time of prosperity and so very absent a help in time of trouble? I try to put some of these thoughts to my friend this afternoon. He reminded me that the same thing seems to have happened to Christ: "why hast Thou forsaken me?" I know. Does that make it easier to understand? Not that I am (I think) in much danger of ceasing to believe in God. The real danger is of coming to believe such dreadful things about him. The conclusion I dread is not "so there's no God after all,” but "so this is what God is really like. Deceive yourself no longer."

—C.S. Lewis, A Grief Observed

In Reflection
C.S. Lewis’ stark, honest description of grief—feeling God’s door “slammed in your face” when need is desperate—is intensely relatable. When we are happy, God seems welcoming; when we are in profound, inconsolable pain, He seems absent. This sense of abandonment is one of the most disquieting symptoms of profound loss. The greatest danger in this silence is not ceasing to believe in God, but believing dreadful things about His nature: that He is an absent help in trouble, or worse, a commander who is only present in prosperity.

This experience is amplified in moments of trauma, severe grief, or mental health crisis. The overwhelming pain can make us feel forsaken, leading to the agonizing cry, “Where are you God?” Like Lewis, we are reminded that even Christ experienced this darkness on the cross (“Why hast Thou forsaken me?”). This does not make the pain easy, but it affirms that our experience of abandonment is one the Son of God shared. We don't grieve alone; He grieves with us.

The truth that Lewis found in time, and that we must hold onto now, is that God’s presence was with him all along. Grief is a result of the Fall, a pain Christ came to reverse in the eternal scope. While we embody the temporal portion of our eternal journey—flesh and blood, subject to loss and death—our loved ones in Christ are alive with Him.

Our spiritual stability relies on refusing to let the chaos of our grief define God’s character. We are called to persevere through the desolate silence, trusting that the same Commander who was present in our joy is present in our sorrow, working out a victory over the loss itself. Be of good cheer, for our Lord has overcome this world and its griefs. In Christ, so have we.

What negative conclusion about God’s character are you tempted to believe because of your current grief or unanswered need, and what simple, eternal truth about His steadfast love (Psalm 34:18) can you cling to today to counter that thought?

—DH

In Deed
When the silence of God feels overwhelming today, speak the words of Psalm 34:18 aloud as a defiance against despair. Remind your soul that being "brokenhearted" is the very condition that draws Him nearest.

03/29/2026

Every time you feel like doing the wrong thing and choose to do the right thing,
you grow in maturity, strength and wisdom.

03/28/2026

Show me where a man spends his time & money, and I’ll show you his God.

03/28/2026

In Thought
“Many people have a hard time making decisions because they don't know what is important. When you have a clear mission and you are completely sure what is important to you, most decisions become easy. Once you're fully committed, you don't need rules for how to spend your time. It's obvious which decision to make. It's clear what to prioritize. Many people don't need productivity or time management advice. They need conviction.”

—James Clear, Atomic Habits

In Reflection
James Clear highlights a profound truth about decision-making: many people don't need productivity or time management advice; they need conviction—a clear, singular mission that defines what is truly important. When you know what matter’s most, most decisions become easy, as your priorities become obvious.

The Apostle James cautioned that a person who asks God for wisdom while doubting what matters most is unstable and “like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind” (James 1:6-8). Double-mindedness—the inability to settle on a single, governing priority—leads to chaos in every part of life.

Jesus provides the ultimate singular focus when He declares the two greatest commandments: love God and love others. This is what matters most. All the rest—”the law and the prophets”—rest on this singular priority for believers. When our affection is divided, our actions become confused and our direction is lost.

For those in recovery or facing mental health challenges, this truth is a powerful stabilizing force. The chaos of addiction and mental instability often stems from inconsistent priorities: loving the substance, the comfort, or the ego more than God. Committing to love God and neighbor provides the vertical and horizontal anchors that stabilize the soul.

Let God's love be your singular focus. He will lead you from there into pursuits aligned with His heart, and soon they will become the pursuits of your heart as well. When you face a decision today—big or small—ask yourself: Which choice best reflects my commitment to love God and love others? Let the answer be your conviction and your guide.

—DH

In Deed
Write down "Love God, Love Others" on a piece of paper and use it as a filter for every major decision you make today. Watch how quickly the "hard" choices become clear when your conviction is settled.

Sanctuary Clinics

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