The Mentor's Table

This was my fourth year at the Mentor’s table. It has been my most challenging year. As God continues to reveal Himself at the table, I continue to grow and press through beyond my physical limits to ensure I can be successful with what the Lord has given me. Each session I learn how to “Stand Still” despite what my 5 senses show…. and it has been a challenge. This year’s theme “Walk with God” summarizes everything shown in “Transformational Grace“, a book of poems that depict God’s love and faithfulness throughout the 30-week series, bringing out what God wants to show me in/through my relationships.

In summary of my experience, The Mentor’s Table is time well spent. A place where each of us can unmask, sharing our testimonies. I particularly enjoy the creation of the vision board and the rose bush tree; this is where God’s vision in each of those assignments gave me a deeper understanding of what His will is for my life. It was through the completion of those assignments that I realized my healing begins with being open and transparent with myself. Jesus wants me to let go of any limitations, that I hold myself accountable, so I can allow myself to be vulnerable, so I can let Jesus.

I am grateful for Reverend Hadland’s obedience unto the Lord to provide spiritual leadership to me and the other beautiful women at the Mentor’s Table. I say it again, I will always remember the time at the table. “Thanks be to God for my time with each of you. I am blessed.”

Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow!

This is my fourth year on the Mentor’s Table and each year as I read and meditated on the poems from Transformational Grace, it’s a new learning experience to know how the Lord speaks to me through Rev. Sandra Hadland. The poems are the same, but my life experiences are different each day, month, and year which opened my eyes to thank God.

Each year the sessions are deeper and deeper, and it coincided with the theme “Walk we me”.
Through the teachings I am constantly praising God and still ‘leaning not unto my own understanding, but in all my ways to acknowledge God and He will direct my path’.

One of the biggest lessons I have learned through this year’s teaching is how to hold my tongue in toxic conversations, to continue to show love and forgiveness and mostly give it to the Holy Spirit.

No matter what my challenges are and have been, Rev. Hadland reminds me that I am a child of God, and I am victorious.

I’ve learned to search my heart and soul from the questions that are given to me in the break-out rooms. The poems have helped me to heal from disappointments and pain. I would have never thought that these poems would be so prevalent in my life.

Each week I am encouraged to stay focused on God and the Holy Spirt. This is a journey that continues daily. I look forward to each Monday evening learning more about what God has for me. Life is a journey, it has so many twists, turns and bends but the teachings from Reverend Hadland has given me the tools I need to overcome and to be transparent, not only at the table, but also in my personal life.

I am still learning and growing. I have seen God’s hands work in me and I am truly grateful. My intentions are to continue to walk with God and stay focused on His Word.

Thank you, Sister Gwen, our break-out room leader who keeps us on track to the assignment for the evening. You are dedicated and loving in a special way. May God continue to cover you with His loving care.

Blessing to you, Reverend Hadland, how God has used you and the Holy Spirit guides you each week to bring us the messages through your poems. Your counseling, teaching and exuberant energy are giftings that God has allowed you to share. To God Be the Glory for All He Has Given you!!

The year 2024 God has moved in my life and on the Mentor’s Table. God has given me challenges to overcome. By His Grace and Mercy, I can see and feel a shifting in my atmosphere. I have overcome much in 2024. I love the Lord, and I know that He is all I need to achieve my full potential. The Lord will continue to allow me to show love and persevere with great endurance.

1 Timothy 6:11-12
11. But you, man of GOD, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, Godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.
12. Fight the good fight of the faith.

“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving” (Colossians 2:6-7, NKJV).

Unbeknownst to me, an elegant dining table with delicious delicacies had long been prepared for me by my Father, God to savour and enjoy, a unique one-of-a kind table. This is the Mentor’s Table. I joined the table halfway into its lessons, yet God’s timing is perfect.

In the prior months, I was faced in a ravaging spiritual war zone. My decision to join the Mentor’s Table was the result of a frantic prayer request I made to my Father, in desperation, for any sort of assistance. So, my introduction to the Mentor’s Table was no surprise to Him.

From the very beginning, I was blown away by the spiritually nutritious dining experience, and God has continued to amaze me with the wonders and blessings of this ministry. This brings me to share briefly about how this incredible ministry has helped me transform and grow.

Firstly, my prayer life has drastically changed for the better. I felt afraid and incapable of praying. There were several times when the only thing I could say was a deep, inward groan. The thought of prayer, especially being called upon for prayer, would make me shudder on the inside. I was unable to pray because of fears, a lack of confidence, and a hardened heart. I’m glad to report that I can pray now, and I can see God transforming me into a powerful spiritual prayer warrior. This is extremely important for our spiritual journey since we always and everywhere need intercessors.

Next, I sense I am bolder as a fighter. Something within me shifted, as I want to live and not die. I want to fight and not give in. The spirit of a fighter resonates with me today, whereas before I usually found it difficult to maintain a solid grasp on my feet during a battle. I would give in too easily and quickly. Many times, I found myself helpless and literally laid flat on the floor, weak. My babe faith walk was too faint.

Today, I recognize and realize I cannot afford to ‘throw in the towel’, or at worst, allow Satan to get the best of me and my situation. In Rev. Hadland words, “the storm comes to do what it does, and you must do what you must do. So, who will win?” Absolutely true!

Additionally, all the delicious meals, especially the entrée served, savoured in my mouth so tastefully, that I have been inspired to help others. My deep admiration and abundant blessings from the Mentor’s Table have inspired me to bring what I have been exposed to and allow my Lord to help me with other sisters in my small church in Belize. I am grateful for the blessings I have received. I take it with pride and great care when blessing and helping others.

In short, the steady growth in prayer, a spirit of a fighter and inspiration to passing on what I am learning to others, are some of the results from this fine dining experience I have had through the Mentor’s Table.

It couldn’t have been possible if it were not for this ministry placed in Rev. Hadland heart, and through her obedience these exquisite delicacies are made possible. God surely tailored a uniquely spread Table so that His children can mature fully into what He has called us to be. A loving Father calling us to walk with Him indeed!

All glory and honour belong to the King Almighty. Hallelujah!

Come on, let’s dance!!!

The Mentor’s Table 2024 took me to a new level in my walk with God.

This year, I was more intentional. The questions were deeper, and the weekly soul-searching uncovered hidden truth and pinpointed problem areas which needed attention. I also engaged more with my group beyond Mondays, very grateful for the love and support of group four.

The 2024 Boot Camps were so deep, I was really inspired for immediate change. The exercises and the affirmations provided practical tools to live out my faith, daily.

What a joy to experience transformation through the work of the Holy Spirit, for myself!  The opportunity to dance for God at the celebration was such an honor and serving in this ministry for the first time, has developed me as a person.

God is good! This community has seen evidence of answered prayers, healing, deliverance, restoration and perseverance. I have been an eyewitness to positive change personally and watched the growth in my sisters, throughout the past weeks, months or years. We share and encourage each other to prove God’s transforming power, for ourselves!

To God be the glory. My walk with God continues…

I may not be one of many words, but I am one of many thoughts. Before attending the Mentor’s Table, I was on a journey to connect with God. Growing up in a Haitian household, church and God were central to our upbringing. Catholicism, the primary religion in Haiti, shaped our faith and worship. While the Bible was used, it often felt like more of an accessory than the true Source of God’s Word. As a result, I didn’t know how to connect with or pray to God deeply. I would read scriptures and recite prayers like the Our Father and a few psalms, but I never truly dissected them to understand their deeper meanings.

Because of this, I often felt lost in how to reach and connect with God. However, through the teachings at the Mentor’s Table, I’ve learned to explore the Word more deeply and apply it to my life. I am now more intentional in my faith. I live by the principle, “What would Jesus do?”

I no longer seek the perspectives of others but instead turn to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. When faced with decisions or challenges, I now turn to God’s Word and seek guidance from the Holy Spirit. This intentionality has not only helped me make more deliberate decisions but has also alleviated the anxiety that often accompanies them.

To God be the Glory!

1 I love Jehovah, because he heareth

My voice and my supplications.

2 Because he hath inclined his ear unto me,

Therefore, will I call upon him as long as I live.   Psalm 116: 1-2(ASV)

All honor, glory, power and dominion to God our Father…

I have been with the Mentor’s Table for a short while, since January 2024 and am amazed at what God has done in such a short time! Formulating the words to express the great transformation that is occurring in me-  is almost impossible.

For so long I desired a place to be just me- with the mask that hides me, off. One of my greatest desires has been to find the help of someone who would endeavor to objectively, and in love, guide me here on earth. One who could strike the delicate balance between nurturance and rebuke situated at a place of community, where I could learn God’s unadulterated truth and readily apply it to my life.

Surely, I have found this at the Mentor’s Table through the leadership of The Reverend Sandra Hadland. The Spirit of the Lord is upon her, and He moves in her in a very special and unique way that is just for me. He knows what I need and has eagerly supplied it through her work in healing all whom He has called to His Table- the Mentor’s Table. “In the Bible, the table has always been a place of presence — where God is present with his people and his people are present with one another.”  It is the evidence that the Lord God has heard my voice, my cry. He has also given me a sisterhood of women in Christ Jesus that accept me for who I am, who pray for me and encourage me in truth and love. I look at life so differently now. My hope is truly in the Lord and my desire for Him has increased exponentially, if it is possible! The Spirit of the Lord reigns in this space!!!

All glory to God!!!

In 2024, with the theme of the Mentor’s Table being “Walk with Me,” God has been working on me at two levels. First, He has brought me face to face with habits that hinder me from immediately obeying Him after He speaks with me. Habits such as procrastination and avoidance are not part of God and they have caused me to delay doing what God says I should do in the time that He said I should.

Second, God has taken on my desire to control situations. God pulled me into the deep where there isn’t anything that I can do except pray and praise Him, and literally watch how He is working things out, while waiting on His timing. I’ve learned to praise God without seeing the outcome, while recognizing the He is there beside me as I go through the deep. During this time, I have seen God, create situations where certain things are dealt with head on, provide a support structure, and make His presence recognized and acknowledged. God has also said to me that He is doing what I had asked Him to do and that I should trust Him. God told me that He’s got this, and has shown me that I was trying to do His job instead of relaxing and letting Him take care of things.

Through all of this, and the lessons and poems discussed at the Mentor’s Table and the transparent sharing by the sisters, I have learned that God takes us into the deep where we have to totally depend on Him, as He forms and shapes us into what we need to become. I’m constantly reminded that He is with us as we are in the deep and that we will not be harmed but will be blessed in ways that we can’t even think or imagine.

I was a teenager when I first heard God’s call, and I answered it.  I served God for a long time, walking with Jesus, going to all sorts of places in churches, with children and youth, summer camp ministries, teaching, preaching, leading, and learning.

Then a feeling began to grow in my heart and spirit. I felt like I was spinning my wheels.  I found myself caught in a LOG JAM!! That was when I heard the words “Transformational Grace.”  And everything began to change.  I came to The Mentor’s Table with lots of experiences walking with Jesus but sitting at the table has slowly opened my heart.  Through the poems, the small groups, and activities God spoke and quieted my mind so I could reflect and question questions and listen to God call me once more.

I came to the table initially with the prayer that Jabez asked God, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory and that your hand might be with me and that you would keep me from hurt and harm!”  1 Chronicles 4:10. 

God has been present with me and has opened some still unknown new territory before me.   My heart is opened, my vision renewed and ready to continue my walk with Jesus on whatever path we will travel together.  Transformed?  YES LORD, through your love and grace.  Hallelujah!

One day, a woman was at my uncle’s house listening to her bible study and she asked me how I was doing? I told her I was working on a testimony about my life. Also, I told how The Mentor’s Table inspired me to grow closer to GOD because He placed certain people in my life to save me from harm’s way. Next, the woman gave me her testimony, she is a Breast Cancer survivor. I started talking about my journey how it was not easy.

I explained to her how I needed two surgeries and if I did not get these procedures done, I could lose my life. So, I kept prolonging the last procedure because of anxiety, scared, and unknown side effects from the surgery.

I asked GOD to help me. I decided to keep getting mentorship from the elders at The Mentor’s Table. The Members  gave me the support I needed to help me to build a better relationship with GOD. Now, I am living proof that miracles do happen and all I needed was to be more faithful and trust in GOD.

I would like to thank the people in my life now, because I feel blessed to be alive. The Mentor’s Table increased my confidence and now I am not afraid to use my voice more when something is not right.

This is my fourth year on The Mentor’s Table and each year has been more than I anticipated. We have been visiting the same book of poems “Transformational Grace,” but each time there is some phenomenal way I can identify with the writer in each one. Over the past two years, my life has been like a roller coaster. With my husband going through 4th stage prostate cancer, Parkinson’s disease and the onset of dementia, I was the primary caregiver, up until his death, in March 2023. Within six months of his passing, I had to have emergency back surgery. In early December I was rushed to the E.R. at 4am due to allergies, my tongue was swelling, and my throat appeared to be closing.

‘Realization’- “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1.

I am saying all of this to say how “grateful” I am to Rev. Hadland and the ladies at the Mentor’s Table. Though I live thousands of miles away in another country, they have been there for me, encouraging me, praying for me and my family. The Mentor’s Table is truly a blessing, and I know I would not be where I am in my faith had I not been at the Table, where God is truly the Mentor and Rev. Hadland the server. I have learnt that transparency is very important. Just be your true self, you can speak freely and discard the mask. There were three boot camps which were very beneficial to me in my pursuit of becoming a true disciple of Jesus Christ. “A Blessed Promise”- Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.” Hebrews 10:23.

The different projects that we have been given throughout the year; “The Rose Bush, The Attributes of God, The Vision Board and the Credo statement,” have all been beneficial to me by allowing me an introspection.

Jeremiah 33:3 “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” I would like to thank Rev. Hadland for her obedience to the Lord. I will continue to encourage others to gather at The Mentor’s Table where The Lord is truly the Mentor, Rev. Hadland, the server and the Holy Spirit is always present.

To God be the glory great things he has done. He is doing in our lives.

I have seen God move. The Holy Spirit lifts up the standard in the name of Jesus the Christ.

Each Monday the questions get closer and closer to the heart condition and one by one deliverance comes. We are all in different parts of the world, but we hear of the transformation that is going on in each of our lives.

We have persons delivered from Cancer healed in their bodies healing in their finances healing from fear and anxiety. Persons lives spared in the storm.

It’s believable folks the power of God flows it miracle after miracle, but we must make a choice to be free from whatever is holding us down and bound, keeping us from walking out our best life that’s in Christ Jesus.

We press toward the mark for the prize of God which is Christ Jesus it is a choice to keep pressing until your Change comes.

I have experienced the Holy Spirit working patience in me while declaring in me, “like a good soldier”. Today he spoke so clearly “allow His grace for others”

Romans 5: 3-5 ‘Tribulation worked patience and patience, experience and experience, hope and hope maketh not ashamed’.

I could only say thank you Jesus! Thank you for teaching me again.  You may have figured it out by now God has been working on My patience, He continues to shine the light on different areas of our lives through the Mentor’s Table, where the Mentor is Jesus Christ and Rev, Sandra Hadland is the server, and we sup each Monday evening. Deciding that we want more of God and that he is waiting to do a work on us through our obedience to answer the call every single time.

Thank God for the Mentor’s Table in my life. To God be the glory! Amen

This is my testimony for the year 2024. With determination knowing that all things through Jesus Christ, are possible, that I am the apple of His eye.

At one point in my recent journey with the Lord, I found myself without zeal and a willingness to share in the spirit of giving. That joy and love of giving was almost taken away from me. Surely, the Lord God Almighty has blessed and given me a ministry and heart of giving, giving in all capacities humanly, spiritually, and emotionally.

This was because of my bitterness and taking my eyes off Jesus, listening to the noise of the market and the beats of other drums.

Through the love of God Almighty and the mentoring from the Mentor’s Table and what it represents (GIVING), my LORD has restored and renewed my mind and thinking. He has reminded me of His purpose for my life and the fact that He is my Creator.

I can now say without wavering that I am a child of God, learning every day to accept the best of life’s journey alongside the circumstances and situations that will arise, knowing the best is yet to come. Praise God, Praise God!

MY TESTIMONY IS ONE OF PURE PRAISES

Walking with Christ.

My Walk with God has given me purpose and direction.  I never knew what it was to be obedient and to trust him. Never knew what it was to fully rely on Him and His word until I started Boot Camps at the Mentor’s Table.  The Mentor’s Table has given me the tools that I need to navigate through life from a Godly perspective.  Worshipping God leaning not on my own understanding gave way to me trusting him and building my faith. It’s a table where there is a sisterhood, love and one is not judged or condemned because of one’s shortcomings or mistakes.

Trusting God became very hard at times.  Oh it was very easy to trust Him when things were good, but when I became frustrated with my children’s behavior, when my relationship was strained with my siblings, when the job became a challenge, when my finances was in shambles, when my health was declining, when I felt like I was being stretched, when anxiety crept up on me, only then did I remember who’s I AM..I had to remember that I am a child of the most high and He said that I must give him all of my burdens and he will take care of me.  Allowing God to be the captain of my ship in the midst of the storm is the best decision that I could have made.  Trusting Him even when the answer is no, because He knows what’s best for me. I have no choice but to stand on His word.

Activating trusting God with my healing was easier said than done as well. I would sometimes get frustrated lying in bed sick and tired of being sick and tired. Sometimes I felt as though there was something I was doing because the manifestation of my healing, I felt was delayed.  But I’d like to testify that today I AM HEALED. I have seen the wonders of God and His faithfulness.

I shall forever serve God, for He has delivered me and time and time again.

Each year the Mentor’s Table gets better and better, and while it is the same poems there is something new to learn through this time spent with God. This season “Walk with Me” was no different, and my determination to seek God, my relationship with Him, and who I am in Him has grown stronger. In digesting the poems, lectures, breakout room questions, discussions, bootcamps and of course the exercises, I see the Holy Spirit moving and I witness growth, both in my life and in the lives of those at the table. What stands out about the Mentor’s Table is the camaraderie, the authenticity, and the freedom. There is camaraderie in listening to one another as we share life experiences, struggles and successes recognizing we endeavor together, supporting and encouraging one another. An authenticity from being real and transparent about our pains and hurts in a safe place. And the freedom that comes from healing.

Day one begins with the poem “Look to The Source,” and even after four years it continues to be one that I start with and go back to throughout the thirty weeks. While I love all the poems, as they speak to my life and what I experience, this one stands out as it hits home. Although, this year the poem “Dare to Believe” confirmed what God has been telling me for four years “time to let go and surrender.”  The frustration, worry, and anxiety I experience is because of my need to be in charge, in control, to know what comes next, and to figure it out. My breakout room partners have heard me repeatedly say “it is about control, how I can fix it or make it happen, while also saying I trust God. The poem says it, the Source is God, and from Him everything flows. Yet, I continue to buy into the fruitless thinking I could somehow make it happen by working hard to get ahead. What stuck with me from last year, was the illustration of the jigsaw puzzle. Reverend Hadland asked us “where we see ourselves in the puzzle?”  My response, “in the center trying to make the pieces fit together.”   Along, with the rosebush exercise where one of my thorns is control, and another not trusting God. What I love about this exercise is I see myself in black and white with my flaws and imperfections, not to condemn myself but to help me see who I really am in God, one step at a time. This year Reverend Hadland added a tool “Confession and Declaration” which matches God’s word with the thorns on the rosebush. Confessing God’s word “I trust in the Lord with all my heart, lean not to my own understanding, in all my ways I acknowledge Him and He will make my path straight,” Proverbs 3:4-5; and then declaring it thus making it personal to me, my situations, my thoughts and then acting upon it by faith.  What I am seeing is a thorn or two dropping off my rosebush. With the counsel and support from Reverend Hadland, our Server, the safe place that is the table, and the encouragement from the others, it is time to let it go. It is time to surrender to God.
In one of the three bootcamps, Reverend Hadland shared with us a slide that has stuck with me throughout this session. The slide is on the mind and the intercourse of thoughts both good and evil. This slide has had an impact on how I look at things. The visual elements of the presentation of the eagles soaring upward and the blackbirds flying down towards the ground illustrates for me, who I am in God. It is a powerful push to shift my perspective from what I think and feel to what is the truth.

A new exercise given this year was the characteristics of God, Me, and Satan. Putting it down on paper has allowed me to see God for who He is, Satan who he is and then whom I choose to reflect. In this there is an opportunity to declutter my mind of old thoughts, traditions that do not fit in anymore, making space for God to fill.

What I am learning is I can let go of my need to be in control. I find myself taking one step at a time and dealing with what I have today rather than looking at tomorrow. Where there was anxiety and worry because I do not have the answer or know how to fix it there is now a peace in the situation. I recognize I need to look to the Source, to trust God and wait on Him. I am applying this to the business God has entrusted to me. As I walk with Him, I pray, seek Him for what is next and wait. I am applying it to my personal life, my health, and finances as well. It is one step at a time, do what you have today and walk with God, not ahead or behind. This is the Mentor’s Table and all it entails. It is not easy, but it is so worth the journey.

I’ll be honest I didn’t fully know what I was getting myself into when I joined The Mentor’s Table; my friend told me it changed her life, and I saw how on fire she was for the Lord, and I wanted some of whatever she had. I was very prideful coming in because I had done a lot of work on myself, and I was in ministry, and I could teach on so many different subjects. So, I would show up and sometimes not really want to be there, and I would “kick and scream” in a sense, but I knew I had to be there. I was definitely fighting to let go and just received and God really had to deal with my pride.

There would be sessions I felt like I struggled with and I didn’t fully let go and just get the most out of it because of my own pride and frustrations, but there were many sessions that wrecked me and I bawled like a baby and I felt the Lord ministering to me a lot. I kept showing up because I knew I had to be there. I knew God was doing something here and even if it was new and scary and I had to really let down my walls, I wouldn’t give up. It really was after my first phone call with Rev. Hadland that things started to change, that woman is a powerhouse for the Lord, and she does not play!! She loves well but calls you out on your junk and I felt the ‘Mother-heart of God’ from her and our conversations brought me a lot of deep healing and truth. That in turn helped me connect more in the group setting and I realized that God started to peel different layers of pain and hurt off me. I started to heal and grow and dive even deeper. My pride started to fall away and I realize that God is STILL healing me and that we are constantly being sanctified, and that if I can put away my pride and allow the Holy Spirit to use who He wants to use in my life, and how He wants to use it, it will bless me and ultimately He always does the best for His children. I am grateful for The Mentor’s Table and for Reverend Hadland and I thank God that in a world where people are afraid to speak the truth, Rev, does it in love and boldness!

A year ago, it began with a prayer to God, I was yearning and seeking, a desire so strong of wanting to grow closer to HIM as well as to deepen my relationship.  I thank God for my friend who obediently hearing God invited me onto the Mentor’s Table.  Last year’s topic, “Into the Deep”, after my first session, I knew God was listening and answered my prayers.

The Mentor’s Table challenged me in a way that helped me to take a look at myself introspectively and answer those bold questions about myself:

Who am I? What is my Purpose? What are you doing with yourself?  Where are you headed?  However, I was afraid, in truth, I did not want to acknowledge or answer those questions.  I was afraid of what the answer was.  I knew I loved God; I have unshakable faith.  I knew I had purpose, but I was afraid I didn’t measure up. I knew I surrendered to God, and I knew he was driving as I was no longer in control.  Truth be told, I was relieved. What I didn’t know is that I needed change, desperately.  A change like yesterday, not today.  My thoughts, since I surrendered, what now?  What comes next and where do I go?

What I love most about the Mentor’s Table is, much like God, it meets you exactly where you are.  The Mentor’s Table provides a safe space in which I’m able to do the work that is necessary to remove those identified barriers through transparency. The thought-provoking poems each week, geared at helping me to break those thoughts, habits, narrow perspectives, and sins of the flesh.  For me to move forward and remove those barriers, I discovered in going deep, I needed to purge and “heal”.  It is done in a way that I am fully supported and loved by Rev. Hadland and my sisters collectively.  I have learned that for God to use me, he needed me to be in position in alignment with Him.

This year’s “Walk with Me” has continued to break down those barriers that have in the past prevented me from growing closer to God and with each day, I am discovering who I am as a daughter and more importantly shaping me into the woman who he purposed me to be.  Experiencing God’s deliverance in my life from where I was a year ago to where I am now, I now see how crucial it is as I walk with God remaining in alignment so that God can continue working in my life for HIS Glory.

Not only do I feel myself going through a TRANSFORMATIONAL change, much like the title of the book, TRANSFORMATIONAL GRACE”, I feel myself beginning to step out in my purpose as God continues to lead and ordain my steps in this journey.  The seed that was planted and taken deep root long ago is growing and maturing. I see and feel that I am not only living but I am beginning to thrive in my purpose.

Rev. Sandra Hadland was inspired to write a book of thirty poems …. TRANSFORMATIONAL GRACE. A nonprofit group was formed called the MENTOR’S TABLE MINISTRIES INC. and this is where these poems are used in a weekly biblically sound, well-researched session.

These teachings are encouraging me weekly and at the end of each session, there are thought-provoking questions, which I am learning to answer and do impromptu speaking within the group. This is causing me to be intentional and focused. I am inspired to be transparent and accountable, removing all masks, as it is a safe place.

My first experience at the Mentor’s Table gathering was last year in 2023. What an exciting time.

1. My first trip in 9 years.
2. I had mobility issues being in a wheelchair, but my sisters erased any fears that I may have had. I never missed any event, and they helped me. SISTERLY LOVE.

I have benefitted from being a part of the Mentor’s Table in many ways:

1. “THE JOURNEY” of waiting for an ” ANCILLARY MATTER” settlement for more than a decade has been difficult both physically and financially. I have taken courage from two things in this poem. “I WON’T GIVE UP, NO MATTER THE COST. I WILL PRESS ON TO THE VERY END AND UNTIL VICTORY IS WON.” The  scripture verse below reminds me that more than head knowledge is needed but total trust and reliance on God. ” … I also rejoice in my sufferings because I know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance character; and character hope.”” Romans 5:3-4.
2. There are times when it appears that “HOPE” is lost but Psalm 42:11 reminds me, “Why am I  downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? PUT MY HOPE IN GOD, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.”
3. There are days when I feel downcast like the weight (home repairs/Ancillary Matter) of the world is on my shoulders and other days, I praise God in the midst of  the storms and my soul soars like an “Eagle”.
4. There  are many other times, too numerous to mention, that the sessions helped with my daily living, and I am forever grateful to the servant leader Rev. Sandra Hadland for her dedication and commitment.

I look forward to the upcoming celebration for the “Spirit of the Living God to fall fresh on us.” May God grant traveling mercies to all the sisters.

As I reflect on this year’s Mentor’s Table Theme “Walk with Me, ” it takes me back many years ago, while under the tutelage of a mighty woman of God, to the open eye vision I had.

I can see myself now, as I did then, a little girl dressed in a blue dress, my hand clasped in His, as we walked through the brook; I can still see water splashing and the delight on my face!

Trusting with childlike faith is what is expected of me if I am to walk with Jesus!

Admittingly, this fourth year at the Table, my understanding and revelation of the poems and accompanying scriptures went to another level.

The theme “Walk with Me”, certainly is one of depth and the Bible tells us that Enoch walked with God, Adam and Eve walked with God in the cool of the day, what a privilege!

Amos 3:3 states that “Two cannot walk together except they agree.”

Therefore, to walk with God means one must be in agreement and alignment with His ways.

Frequently, I find myself asking for the same mind of Christ to dwell in me. My thought patterns are changing for the better, I am becoming more intentional with them.

I am more aware of who I am and whose I am, as I reflect on Genesis 1:26

Then God said, “Let us make man in our own image and likeness.”

This awareness gave me the faith and strength to cross the waters to have my surgery, with the expectation that God will supply the needed funds.

One such poem, “A Valley of Indecision” became a reality to me! God did not give a spirit of fear but love, power and a sound mind.

On the morning of the surgery, we all were at the hospital, the receptionist asked for the card, and I complied confidently, not looking to the left nor the right! The card declined however I remained calm. When I call Reverend Hadland, she encouraged me to stand firm, which I did, while everyone else sprang into action, trying to gather funds.

In my mind, I was asking God what happened and at the same time reminding myself of Romans 8 :28, “and we know that all things work together for good to them that love God and are the called according to his purpose.”

The most amazing thing was that no one ridiculed me. I felt a peace and calm like never before! My companions believed and accepted that I was moving on faith.

The decision to take a step of faith was the best step I have ever taken, the shadows of doubt and fear no longer have me bound and so, I am no longer a slave to them.

Presently, by plans are at a standstill but I am not afraid because Isaiah 41: 10, states “Fear not for I am with you, for I am your God. Be not dismayed, for I will strengthen you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Another year on The Mentor’s Table has proven to be another eye-opening experience for me, a journey of enlightenment, one in which I have experienced new growth in my life and my walk with the Lord. Each week’s poem, appetizers, lectures, open and group discussions, soul-searching questions, projects, testimonies from my sisters, and Boot camps, I believe, have been God’s way of pruning me. Each weekly pruning allows for the elimination of dead and diseased areas in my life. Things and areas in my life that were not of God, not living up to His truth, are worked-out of me, thereby, bringing about healthy changes, allowing for stronger growth in my relationship with God, so that His purpose for my life be fulfilled.
Being on The Mentor’s Table is like finding that link I have been missing throughout my Christian journey, with each poem as if it had been written just for me, taking me through the many challenges of life and assuring me that God is with me through it all, and that His result is far better than any plan I could have had for myself.

The many facets of The Mentor’s Table have allowed me to grow from a place where I was living solely by sight, by my own rules, to this new place where I am learning to live by faith in God, not putting my trust in myself or anyone else, not leaning on my own understanding. I am growing to trust Him more each week, taking baby steps- one week at a time- letting go of things I have no control over in the first place, and giving all control over to God.

It is not an easy task, but it is a task that is getting easier each day, with each week’s lesson, as I learn more about who God is and His truth, gaining a better understanding of His divinely inspired plan for my life, and weekly being transformed by the Grace of God.

The Mentor’s Table has also opened my eyes to the realization that God’s plan for me does entail some trials and obstacles, and that through these experiences He is able to shape me into the best version of me. I have been brought to higher heights in the Lord, one in which I’m more in tune with hearing the leading of the Holy Spirit, causing me to have a more experiential knowledge and relationship with the God. I’m learning what it is to truly surrender all to God, not just as my Savior but also as my Lord, and to rely on the Holy Spirit to lead and guide my way.

My time on the Mentor’s Table can be summed up from the poem, Born to Be Free but Lived In A Cage:

“Out of nowhere came help when the resolution was made.
This began the journey of freedom to live the life that is meant to be.
With a mighty thug, the bars of the cage came crashing down…
It was a though life had come for the first time!”