May 8, 2023
Becoming a Living Sanctuary:
A Personal Journey Into an Intimate Life with Christ
Sandy Meyer Bowen
Aviva Publishing (2023)
ISBN: 978-1-63618-251-3
New Book Serves as Guide to a Christian’s Personal Transformative Journey
Sandy Bowen’s new book Becoming a Living Sanctuary: A Personal Journey Into an Intimate Life with Christ offers a rare look into a Christian’s life and how God transformed her into something beyond the typical churchgoing, Bible-reading Christian. Sandy shares her personal journey in these pages along with reflections and prayers to help the reader also come to know God in more personal ways.
Sandy divides the book into three sections, which she calls the three “seasons” of her life to date. Each season reflects part of the structure that became the metaphorical sanctuary she built. This sanctuary, however, is not itself metaphorical because it reflects the Christian concept that the Kingdom of God is within you. Sandy describes how she built herself into a Sanctuary in which the living God could dwell.
Season 1 of Sandy’s life is the Foundation, which encompasses her childhood and early adult years as she learned the Christian faith, attending church, reading the Bible, and singing hymns with her family. She is grateful for the strong Christian faith of her parents and forebears, and how this background set the groundwork for the Christian transformations she would later experience.
In Season 2, Sandy discusses the Structure of her sanctuary, which consisted of the years of her marriage and raising her children. She explores what she calls the four walls that were built upon the foundation she had previously established during these years and how that structure allowed her family to grow in their faith.
Season 3 of Sandy’s life is the Roof that was built to complete the Sanctuary. This period began with the horrific event of losing her husband at an early age to cancer. Sandy was left to raise her children alone, but she also discovered repeated signs that God was there looking out for her family. During this time, God began to communicate directly with Sandy. At first, she was confused by the messages she received, but in time, they led her to a deeper, more personal experience with God as she learned to pray almost continually and invite God into every aspect of her life.
I loved the metaphor Sandy used of building a Sanctuary and how she talks about it in such terms as how God fixed her plumbing and the cracks in her house. Ultimately, she allowed God to transform her into a dwelling place for Him. By doing so, she has come to understand that God’s Kingdom is here on earth when we let Him in to bring forth “healing, clarity, revelation, and freedom.”
But Becoming a Living Sanctuary is far more than just Sandy’s story. Each chapter discusses part of her journey, but it is designed to share with readers how she came to have such a personal experience with God. She then offers reflections and exercises to help readers along their journey to doing the same. She makes the point that others’ journeys may be different from hers—after all, God has different plans for different people—and that hers took more than seventy years while other readers may not have to wait that long to experience what she has.
The thought of a personal relationship with God can be enticing but perhaps also a bit frightening or intimidating. Sandy shows that it is worth all the effort and it can be done through simple and practical steps. She discusses simple steps like finding a church family, reading the Bible and Christian books, and learning to pray; prayer becomes an evolution from rote prayers to personal prayers and longer prayers that are really time spent with God. Sandy emphasizes the value of hard work, having a Christian community, and modeling love for your children.
At the center of Sandy’s transformation was the death of her husband. She provides numerous examples of ways God let her know He was present in her life, one of the first happening when her husband was dying. During that time, the staff at her school agreed to take turns bringing her family food. Unfortunately, two days on the calendar could not be filled; Sandy’s boss felt bad about those blank days, but God was ready to provide. It turned out those two blank days were the days her husband died and the date of his funeral, both days when people brought an abundance of food to share with her. Even in what was the most tragic time of her life, Sandy had evidence God was looking out for her.
That is just one example of God’s presence in Sandy’s life. She goes on to share messages God gave her as she became more involved in ministry and in her personal relationship with God. Ultimately, she learned, as the Bible promises, that God truly is the provider of widows and orphans. It is also true that God helps those who help themselves. Sandy began to realize after her husband’s death that because of their strong faith and their financial preparation, God answered their prayers, providing them with financial security during the most difficult of times. Sandy could have been left worrying about her finances, but she learned to let go and let God during this difficult time, and God did not disappoint.
Now Sandy has written Becoming a Living Sanctuary because, in her own words, “My new calling is to help usher in a new movement of bringing the Lord into the lives of people who have been attending church for years but never knew they could have an intimate relationship with God…. My passion expands to helping Christian widows reach for the embrace of the Lord during their grieving season. Many have been healed as they learned and experienced the presence of the Lord. My mentorship helps women discover their identity in the Lord and His purpose for their Kingdom lives. As they learn to hear the ‘still small voice’ and to obey it at all costs, life transformation begins to happen. How glorious it is to see how God is able to heal and bring transformation into their lives.”
Becoming a Living Sanctuary will be an eye-opening experience for many readers, and yet, I found it not so much surprising as comforting and confirming that God is there when we are willing to stop and listen for His still small voice. Sandy’s advice on prayer alone is worth the time spent reading this book. Sandy learned how to transform from seeing God as the great “vending machine in the sky” to learning who He really is and that He is always present when we take the time to learn who He is rather than focusing solely on what we want. As she says, “I learned to love God just because He is God and we are not.”
Anyone looking for hope will find it in these pages. This book will encourage you to go on a deeper soul journey and realize because that journey is with God, you will be safe all the way as you realize the life He is waiting to give you.
For more information about Sandra Bowen and Becoming a Living Sanctuary, visit Amazon.
— Tyler R. Tichelaar, PhD and award-winning author of Narrow Lives and Spirit of the North
