Apr 23
2026
Inquiring of the Lord
In this milestone message marking First Stone Ministries' fiftieth year, Executive Director Laura Leigh Stanlake reflects on God's sustained faithfulness and calls the ministry to seek His direction with intentionality and humility. Drawing on the cautionary examples of Israel's covenant with the Gibeonites and Rehoboam's ill-fated counsel, she emphasizes the importance of prayer, wise counsel, and patient discernment over quick decisions. As First Stone looks ahead, the ministry's desire remains simple — to depend on the Lord and follow where He leads.
“The Morning Jesus Declared His Mission: A Reflection for Advent” imaginatively retells the Sabbath when Jesus read Isaiah 61 in Nazareth and announced, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” The article reflects on how easily people miss God’s nearness in familiar places and how Christ’s mission defines Advent: bringing good news, binding up the brokenhearted, and freeing captives. It then connects this mission to nearly fifty years of ministry at First Stone, highlighting Christ’s ongoing restoration and inviting renewed hope and dependence on His Spirit.
“What’s Eating You: The Rot of Envy” exposes envy as a destructive spiritual force, likened in Proverbs 14:30 to rotting bones. Using Cain’s downfall and warnings from Galatians and Proverbs, it shows how envy blinds, divides, and tempts toward sin. Scripture calls believers to reject comparing themselves to others and instead pursue the fear of the Lord, contentment, and gratitude. The antidote lies in intimacy with God, walking by the Spirit, and trusting His timing, favor, and perfect care for each life.
“A Thrill of Hope” invites readers to return to Advent with renewed expectation, reflecting on Christ’s first coming in humility and His promised return in glory. Drawing from Isaiah 26, Luke 21, Romans 8, and Lamentations 3, it explores the vulnerable yet steadfast nature of hope rooted in belief, not sight. The devotional urges believers to fix their desires on Jesus, rejecting misplaced expectations, and persevering in trust. True hope—anchored in His presence and promises—produces joy, peace, and eager anticipation of redemption.
In “Put Away in Order to Put On,” Laura Leigh Stanlake unpacks 1 Peter 4, urging Christians to embrace Christlike endurance and spiritual transformation. She explains the biblical call to “put away” old habits—like sensuality and addiction—to fully “put on” the life of Christ. Stanlake weaves scriptural context, personal testimony, and counseling experience to encourage listeners to find hope through the Spirit’s power, resist temptation, and live as powerful witnesses for Christ in a challenging culture.
In this Living Waters year-end session from First Stone Ministries, Laura Leigh Stanlake and Stephen Black guide participants through a four-part framework for sustaining healing and hope — Honest Humility, Obedience, Patient Perseverance, and Expectancy. Drawing on personal testimony, Scripture, and Andrew Comiskey's teaching, they challenge participants to embrace dependent community, remove self-imposed deadlines on God's work, and press forward in confident expectation. The evening concludes with communion, a commissioning prayer, and a call to lifelong integrity and sanctification in Christ.
After the ruling of the Supreme Court on June 26, 2015 Laura Leigh Stanlake, Director of Women's Ministries attended a local church service where a pastor gave a message in responding to so-called "gay marriage". There was a problem! Homosexual identity and Christianity were being integrated as one legitimate identity-- a "gay Christian" identity. Laura responded with this article in the Winter 2015 First Stone Newsletter.