I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer. — Psalm 17:6
My friends, this is a special day for me and my family. It's my oldest daughter's wedding day. For me it's also a testimony to God's faithfulness.
For years as I prayed over my girls, I have also prayed for the future men in their lives—for their future husbands. I prayed for men of integrity—godly men who knew Jesus and lived it out in their lives. I also prayed that God would prepare my girls and help them to be godly wives and helpers to their future husbands.
Today my daughter, Rachel, will walk down the aisle with this young man, Keith, who started "courting" her six years ago and is more than I prayed for or imagined. God answered my prayers far beyond my expectations. He is so good to this praying mama.
I'm so excited to see these two start their lives together. Already they exhibit the love and respect for each other as God intends it to be. I am so very proud of both of them and will now continue to pray for them to be united in their marriage and to love and respect each other as Christ tells us in Ephesians 6.
So, rejoice with me, my Sumite family. Besides seeing my daughter and son-in-law speak their love and unite as one in marriage before family and friends, nothing gives me more joy today than sharing it with you.
I treasure and love you all so very, very much. Thank you for sharing this special day with me!
Dineen
You know what ALWAYS happens when I share teaching with you.
I live it out… Well, this series on taking a step into the Jordan is no
exception.
So today I’m going to share with you an experience that has
opened up a giant hole in my heart that only our merciful and loving God can
fill. And I wonder if some of you will find this hole exists in your heart as
well? Travel this path with me today because I bet it reveals something within
you that you didn’t know existed.
Let me set the stage. Many of you know my friend, Maria. I’ve
introduced her here before. She has a healing and deliverance ministry through
a large church in San Diego where they help women who are emerging from the
adult films industry. Pornography is, of course, an open door to demonic
oppression. Maria prays and delivers many of these women and they find healing
and wholeness in Jesus. AMEN.
I had lunch with Maria this week. This woman is quite
insightful and we began a discussion about rejection. She and I have talked a
lot about this aspect of pain because we are convinced so much of our hurts,
and the lies we believe, our spiritual struggles exist because we
have been rejected by someone whom we wanted to love us.
Much of our teaching at retreats and conferences center
around this very aspect. And we lead women to discover the truth and identity
in Christ and obtain healing.
What I didn’t expect at this lunch with Maria, which by the
way included a two and half hour discussion, with prayers, healing and tears
(on my part) was that I needed to hear a truth.
Gulp.
This truth hit me so hard when Maria spoke it I literally felt pain in my soul (heart) and I cried right there at the table in Macaroni
Grill. Sheesh! I'm sure our poor waiter was thoroughly freaked out. Oh well.
Okay, So let me loosely recap our conversation:
“Maria, I want you to pray for me about an area in my life
where I struggle.” I asked. (Yes, I struggle with stuff in my life, just like all of you.)
So, I explained to Maria my struggle, It’s too long to write
it out here.
Wouldn’t you know it; Maria turns this whole rejection thing
around on me. Ouch!
“Lynn, is this struggle rooted in rejection?”
I think for a minute and then it hits me. “Ah, yes.” I
stammer staring at her across the table. You see the light of the Holy Spirit
just went on in my heart.
“Maria, I guess I still hold pain in my heart because my
husband was not capable of loving me how I needed to be loved.” i.e…. Rejection
of my faith…. And likely other areas too. (Just being authentic here.)
Now this is where my world split open.
“Lynn, he likely was never loved in the way you want to be
loved. Lynn, it’s most likely that he was rejected way back in his life
somewhere, perhaps parents? I don’t know. But Lynn,
He’s hurting.”
How come I’ve never considered the pain and rejection he may
be carrying and that he conceals from me? Sometimes God shows me just how utterly selfish I can be.
I could bawl my eyes out just typing this.
In an instant God opened up a door into my heart and
revealed something that brings me pain and shame. I knew in that instant that I’ve
withheld a small part of my love, genuine love, kindness and compassion from my husband. I withheld it out of rejection. Out of some
twisted belief that because he didn’t love me how I needed to be loved, that I was
justified to withhold part of my love that I could have given him.
“Oh Maria, he IS
hurting.” It’s all I could say.
Maria, doesn’t judge me. She loves me. She prays over me. I
release my bitterness, the past rejection. Then a new love floods my heart for my
hurting husband who has likely never been fully loved and accepted himself.
EVER!
So, that happened on Wednesday. As I write this it’s
Thursday morning. My husband is away on a business trip and will arrived home
this evening after a grueling work week. He is going to come home to his safe
haven, our home. But when he walks in the door tonight, his wife is different.
It is my life’s goal from this day forward to love that man
with unconditional and a full and accepting love. My friends, I don’t even know
what that looks like right now.
But, I do know what that feels like. My Papa, Daddy, loves
me like that. And living in His Presence, His love, is a place where EVERYTHING
is okay, good, grace covered and happy. My husband needs to experience this
kind of love. It is the very least and the very best that I can give to him.
So as I prayed about all of this today God opened up his
Word to me and this is what I read:
John 13: 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things
under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so
he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel
around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash
his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you
going to wash my feet?”
7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing,
but later you will understand.”
8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with
me.”
9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but
my hands and my head as well!”
10 Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to
wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every
one of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he
said not every one was clean.
12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his
clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?”
he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that
is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you
also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you
should do as I have done for you.
I sat stunned in my chair. God immediately said to me, “Wash
his feet.” And God means this literally as well as to serve my husband with a
new love and affection.
So, tonight after my husband’s long business trip as he sits
down to watch television, I’m going to quietly kneel before him, remove his
shoes, wash his feet, cover them with lotion and place slippers on his feet. I will rise and then kiss him on the lips and
tell him how much I love him. I’m going to thank him for working so hard. I will tell him I could love him better and to forgive me for not doing so before now. And I will assure him that I’m going to be better at it in the future. And promise him I
will try to do it better and better every day for the rest of our lives.
I’m not sure what will happen but I KNOW that my Daddy is
proud. And after all, God does this for me…. every…… single….. day…
My friends, below is a precious letter from Rosheeda's parents. They have reached out to Lynn and I and have expressed their desire to be a part of this community. Even in their grief, God's love shines so profoundly through them. Such beauty rising up from ashes...
If you scroll down in the side bar, you'll now see "Rosheeda Lee Legacy Page." This is in memory of Rosheeda and all she gave to our community, including our name, Sumites. Our desire and prayer is to honor her and share her legacy with others who come to this site down the road.
Now it's my pleasure to introduct Sheila and Roderick Lee:
Hello. I sat a while ago and re-visited the comments from the SUM community and cried and smiled at the many statements from so many people God allowed to be loving, encouraging and inspirational to my daughter. Somehow in this life we become focused on what we receive and don't realize what we give in return when we acknowledge our recognition of God's personal attentiveness to us through whomever it might be at the time.
My wife and I were privileged to have 2 children—1 daughter and 1 son. Rosheeda was oldest. Over the years we chose to teach them what we believed to be Godly principles regarding your service to Lord. One of the most important things revolved around the personal relationship between you and The Living God and how your service to Him is private. No accolades unless He chooses to expose your submission to the gifts provided through His Spirit. In saying this I am saying that neither my wife nor myself knew of her choice to be involved in the SUM Ministry. We are however so humbled that she chose to submit to God's leading in such a necessary ministry.
I cannot claim to understand the grief and anguish Our God must have felt when Jesus prayed so fervently to Him in the garden. But I do know the scriptures said "an Angel from Heaven appeared to him and STRENGTHENED Him, and being in ANGUISH HE PRAYED MORE FERVENTLY AND HIS SWEAT BECAME LIKE DROPS OF BLOOD FALLING TO THE GROUND. Our God provided MORE for His own Son to fulfill His plan for our salvation. My wife and I daily seek him to provide for us the same strength to Glorify Him in our lives as our daughter did.
Rosheeda had such a commitment in everything she chose to do... She understood that ministry isn't an act it's what we live everyday. As necessary as breathing.
My daughter shared a bond with us as unique as men are from women. However, the bond between she and I can only be compared to the Love of Our Heavenly Father and the Son he gave for us. Rosheeda lived in a way that was a likeness to her mother and a jewel in the Crown of her grandmother's. As she did for the "SUMites" she also coined a phrase for her Niece regarding the conduct of a "Lee Woman".
I won't tell you Sheila and I are good, I will tell you that we LOVE the God we serve and we are prepared to wake up everyday and Glorify Him because he is WORTHY.
We are humbled to be recognized as the parents of such a wonderful, dignified young woman. As often as we think of her we will think of each of you by name or need because she loved you all so.
Mr. and Mrs. Lee included their contact information for you, my friends. Reach out them as you feel led either here in the comments or with the information they provided or both.
Where do I begin? I want to thank you from the bottom of my
heart for your prayers on Friday. Little did I know how much I would need them.
There was such a fantastic breakthrough at this event that I’m
convinced the transformation in lives will echo through the generations to
come. THAT is how BIG our God moved in this event.
I want to share with you some photos of the people for whom
you prayed. Please know that these ladies didn’t know your name or even that
you prayed for them. But in heaven, they will be in your line to give you
thanks because so many found freedom, deliverance, new gifts in the prophetic
and ministries.
Wow, just Wow.
And as for Dineen and I. We just get to be part of it. Only
the conduit to watch our powerful God have a love encounter with a woman.
Here are some of my favorite photos. Have an amazing week.
And Dineen and I have a new series brewing in our hearts.
Get ready community because you are about to be encouraged!!!! We love you. We
really, really love you with a full heart and in the power of the redemptive
love of the God of the Universe. Hugs, Lynn
Thank you Daddy for loving people and Your relentless pursuit to bring us into Your Presence, to free us from the lies of the enemy and to give us a life of joy, adventure and peace. We love you beyond words of description. Bless these women and send them forth. In King Jesus name. Amen.
My friends, Lynn and I are speaking at a women's retreat at Rancho Community Church in Temecula, CA this weekend. We are anticipating an amazing work of God in the women attending. As I write this, I'm days away from the event and Lynn and I are both anticipating the rebirth and renewal of faith, the release of the Holy Spirit and healing on so many levels. It's all part of what we've been sharing on the blog—God is moving in HUGE ways and calling His daughters forth.
In other words, a completely astonishing work of God!
I am already in awe of what our Almighty God does when we just let Him into our hearts and lives and give Him everything!
Have an amazing weekend drenched in the love and power of Jesus, my friends. I'm praying for the fire of the Holy Spirit to burn brighter than ever before in all of us! Amen!
