SUM, Church Without Walls, Lynn Donovan here.

Last Friday, I shared about what happens when we invited the Holy Spirit into our lives. My granddaughters experience His presence during our PJ party. But what occurred after that was unexpected.

The next morning, I awoke before everyone. I quietly slipped into my jeans and sweatshirt as I wanted to head to the patio with my Bible and coffee and sit under the oak trees with Jesus. However, as I walked through the room, the girls were already awake. So, I shushed them and told them to dress warm and follow me.

We grabbed blankets and sat down next to the fire table, which I sparked to life. And we sat together and chatted about the day ahead. Then of course, if you are around me for any amount of time and are eager to speak about God, I will certainly chat about our good God. 

My youngest granddaughter was still tingly from our Holy Spirit encounter the night prior. But this time I spoke to the eldest and we prayed a bit more. Then I said something unexpected.

"Do you want to play with the Holy Spirit?"

They stared at me. Now, I can't be certain if they think their Nana is nuts or if they are still innocent enough just to believe. I choose to think the later applied to this moment.

I said, "A few years ago I sat out here, under the trees, just like we are now, and I invited the Holy Spirit to play with me."

They listened intently. "Let do it again right now."

I said with a smile in my voice, "Holy Spirit, come and blow through the trees right now." We waited in the silence. Sumites, sometimes we just need to wait. Too often we want God to move but we fail to pause and allow Him time to work the details.

I said to the girls, "The Holy Spirit is often referred to as wind in the Bible." I spoke a bit louder, "Holy Spirit, come. Blow through the trees."

They watched and sure enough, a breeze began to move the branches of the trees. We were all broad smiles as we experienced God. I went on to share, "God will come once to show us he is real. But I don't ask again and again because, well He is God. And one time is enough to know He is here and around us. He loves us so much."

They watched to trees move. The chimes jingled softly. And in my heart, I felt the surpassing peace of God in this moment of wonder sitting by the fire with my granddaughters.

God is good. 

I have one more story to share next Friday. 

What do you think about these God encounters? Wait until I tell you what happened next. SO FUN!

Today, ask the Holy Spirit to come a play. Make space for God. Don't rush Him and allow him to be creative. But especially don't go into doubt but choose to believe like a child.

I love you. Lynn

• John 3:8: "Like the wind, spirit is invisible. A person cannot see it move or work. However, one can see the effect of what the Spirit does. One can see how it acts on things—just as the wind going through a tree full of leaves."
• Acts 2:2: "And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting."

Another Pearl of Wisdom with Barb.....

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf2IJh6osao

If you missed the beginning of this story, go back to last Friday and catch up. (click here)

The questions I asked last Friday were these: Does it really matter in the long run to remain steadfast in faith for our families? Does it make a difference in their lives at all? How will we ever know did we say the right thing? Did we show them Jesus enough? Did I love enough?  

I can say without a doubt, mom, dad, grandma, YOUR FAITH MATTERS.

This is what happened next. You remember that I had led the girls through some very simple prayers. Then I reached out and took their hands and began to pray something like this. "Jesus, reveal your power and love. Holy Spirit come and love on us."

I paused. Released their hands. It was quiet in the room. The littlest held out her hands, palms up. We waited. 

Then it happened. 

The Holy Spirit walked into the room. 

A. squeals, "My hands are tingly." 

E. stated, "I feel heat."

I say, "It's the Holy Spirit. He is showing you that He and Jesus and God are real."

A. "I feel tingly in my belly."

There are moments in time that you realize are truly profound. This was one. I knew in that moment; I would treasure this encounter with my grand-girls forever.

A few more crazy things happened and there was no denying that God loves those kids and He came to reveal Himself to them. He showed up to the most amazing pajama party ever. It was a Holy Ghost party!! Hallelujah!

What at 65th birthday present!!! Just like Mary, I'll carry this memory with me and the joy of it all forever.

Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. Luke 2:19

Photo courtesy of Aslak Sutherland and Pexels.com

Hello, my SUMite friends. It’s a chilly winter’s day in Sydney. But the sun has come out after a morning of drizzle and cloud.

I’ve been studying growing relationally with Lord through our prayer both individually and within a corporate church environment. One element struck me that I thought I’d share today believing it will be useful for a few of us.

Fix-it Prayers

We often learn to pray by asking God for things, for help, to ‘fix’ things. There is nothing wrong with such prayers. In fact, they are often the most powerful, especially when prayed with a degree of desperation.

The Lord’s Prayer, the most famous prayer that Jesus taught us includes requests for things:

“Give us our daily bread

Forgive us our sins”

Acknowledging God

Imagine if you had a relationship where the only way the two of you communicated was by asking for things. Sometimes our relationships with our children can move in and out of such a state, teenagers, anyone?

A good relationship doesn’t survive when the basis of the connection is on receiving or getting things. A good relationship requires acknowledging who each other is, expressing our thoughts about each other, and praising the good things each has done.

Going back to the Lord’s Prayer, we see how Jesus taught us to both acknowledge God and to recognise who He is.

“Our Father who art in heaven …”

It’s starts with familiarity: “Our Father”, like greeting our loved one.

“Hallowed be Your Name,

Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done

On earth as it is in heaven …”

We acknowledge and praise God for who He is and what He can do. We open our dialogue with Him to connect, to build a relationship of love and kindness.

Then we move to requesting He help us in whatever is going on in our life and in those around us.

Nothing New

I’m sure for most of us none of this is anything new. But it struck me that in some of my prayer meetings, we can miss this first part and dive into ‘give us our daily bread.’

It made me think that sometimes (perhaps often) when I’m praying for the salvation of loved ones, I forget to connect with God before asking for His help.

It’s like our child rushing in after school and asking us to make them something to eat before having spent a few minutes just being together and catching up on the day.

I hope you might have found this a positive reminder. Our loving God so loves us that being with Him is better than anything He can give us.

As David reminds us in Psalm 63, “You love is better than life, my lips will praise you.”

Go well, my friends

Hello SUMites

Over the last two weeks, Bryce and I have been staying in the north of England, in a town called Haworth. It is a bleak and spooky place.

It is famous for being the town where the 19^th-century ‘Bronte sisters’ lived: Emily, Anne and Charlotte Bronte. A family of writers, their novels are considered among the greatest in the history of English literature.

I love English literature; Bryce doesn’t. But, on arrival in Haworth, we had ten days ahead, we were staying in a little Victorian cottage filled with Bronte memorabilia, and there on the bookshelf were a few of the Bronte novels, calling out to be read.

“We have to each read a Bronte novel while we’re here!” I exclaimed, thinking he probably wouldn’t.

Well, blow me down, he went for it. He quietly reached for Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, donned his reading glasses, and settled into a corner with it. Looking over at him in amazement, I drew Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte off the shelf for myself, and curled up on the couch opposite. Thereafter, by lamplight every evening we’d sit there reading these books.

I was very impressed by my husband: It would SO not have been his choice to read that book, but once he opened it we started to connect about the Brontes and see Haworth in a new and different light. 

What’s more, he finished the book! I told him I was proud of him, and he smiled in a way where he looked quite pleased at the praise LOL.

I guess I’m sharing that story as I love the fact he read that book, and it was a lesson to me that it’s nice to give something a go that your partner wants you to.

Perhaps I’ll try a little harder to take an interest in his stuff too. I am writing as he lies here next to me watching a Formula One race!

Have you or your spouse ever tried a new hobby or interest for each other?

Love

Ann

SUMers, Lynn here.

Does it really matter in the long run to remain steadfast in faith for our families? Does it make a difference in their lives at all? How will we ever know did we say the right thing? Did we show them Jesus enough? Did I love enough?  

Well, allow me to share what happened for my birthday get together. It was quite possibly the perfect long weekend. Truly, I had deep and long talks with my daughter as we sat among the trees in the nearby mountains. We discussed belief systems and how we have overcome so much from our past and the generational junk from our ancestors. That was a fascinating conversation. My daughter said she had never heard any of those stories. (Perhaps a post for another day.)

But something amazing and so special occurred on Sunday night when the granddaughters climbed into bed with Nana (that's me) for a bedtime story. But instead of making up a fictional story, I began to tell them about the Holy Spirit. I began by telling them about how the devil lies to us and over time we begin to believe the lie. 

At this point in the conversation my 12-year-old granddaughter chimes in and confirms that she has experienced "intrusive thoughts."

Say what? 

Kids are more in tune with what is going on than we think. So, I went on to share with them how to catch the lies and to say aloud, "I refuse to partner with that lie. Devil, GET OUT. In Jesus name." I affirmed all the power is because of Jesus.

They said a few prayers for freedom. And some very interesting things began to happen. I'll share more about this story next Friday as it is absolutely supernatural and the result will astound you.

So moms, dads, grandparents, you have within you a very special gift to impart. You have the power to set your family free. And sometimes the moments arise when you least expect it. 

For me, it was jammies and a nighttime story that turned into a God story that has forever impacted these girls lives and filled my heart.

Okay, stay tuned next week because you WILL NOT BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!! 

Who needs encouragement to stay the course? Let me know in the comments. I will earnestly pray for you. 

I LOVE you all so much, Blessings and love, Lynn

In the United States we are taking a long weekend to kick off summer and also to observe Memorial Day. So, plan something awesome with your family. Be intentional to create some memories. 

My 65th birthday was a few days ago and for the long weekend my adult children and granddaughters will be here to celebrate. And to celebrate this significant day I decided that instead of receiving birthday presents, I'm giving gifts to all of them. They are lavish and they will be surprised. I can't wait to see the look on their faces. 

We will see you again at the end of the month as we jump into summer here in America.

Lord Jesus, the many who died for freedom are now waiting in the Great Cloud of Witnesses. They are watching and cheering us forward that we would bring Your love and freedom to a broken and evil world. Lord, please show us how to love our families well and to love the stranger. Lord, we ask for the Kingdom of God to come to earth and manifest as it is in heaven.

Thank you, Father, for the great abundance we enjoy. Protect us. Save us. Help us to give great honor to Your name on earth as it is in heaven. In the name of King Jesus. AMEN

Have a brilliant week. I love you. Blessings and hugs, Lynn Donovan

Hello friends, Ann here 

It's been a wee while since I wrote, but I've been loving the different voices from other writers over the last few posts.

As for me, I am writing from Plymouth, England! Bryce and I are now in Europe for another five months. We are going to spend time with my family and have a few travel adventures lined up for ourselves as a couple.

Plymouth, England, is where the first ship to America -- The Mayflower -- left from on 16 September 1620. That ship was full of pilgrims bound to start a new life, and bring their faith to the American continent. At the sea edge in Plymouth, there is a monument to that event. You can stand on the steps where those intrepid pilgrims stepped onto that boat and ... remember how they stepped off into new things.

This monument is special to me as my links to America have been tight, with having been part of this SUM community for years now. In the spirit I stand on those steps, look across to America, and speak a prayer over you SUMites as we embark on a new time in this ministry.

As you know, I stepped back from leading SUM a few weeks ago, but will stay on to write. God had actually spoken to me a year earlier about the fact that it would soon be time for my leadership to end. I had known for a year that that was what was to be, and it was a clear thing from the Spirit.

When God changes your season, it can change your focus substantially -- your giftings can change, and the way you serve God and others can change. It can be disorientating, but you have to go with the flow.

With that in mind, I now I sense that the main focus for me is to quietly watch what's going on in the nations and pray. My main prayer and declaration right now when praying for a particular place is:

Our God reigns! Our God reigns! Forever, his kingdom reigns!

I flew over Hubei province in China a few days ago, where COVID broke out, and spoke that statement out:

Our God reigns! Our God reigns! 

I sat at a hotel breakfast table in Malaysia, also, with Bryce last week, while we were en route between New Zealand and England. At that table I read the Bible and spoke that prayer over the nation of Malaysia:

Our God reigns!

And now in England, in the Spirit I stand on those Plymouth steps and pray the same --

Our God reigns! Our God reigns!

Finally, in our homes and in our families:

Our God reigns, our God reigns, forever his kingdom reigns!

So that's where my heart is sitting currently. Well, SUMites, how about you -- Have you experienced a change of season, where your focus, giftings or areas of service have changed? Let's chat!

Much love

Ann

One year, my husband gave me a beautiful diamond necklace for Christmas. After wearing it the first time, instead of hanging it up on a hook in my jewelry cabinet, I hurriedly dropped it into a drawer that held a “poodle dog lapel pin,” a keepsake from my teenage years. Several days later when I wanted to wear it again, I reached in the drawer for it only to discover that it was tangled around the poodle dog’s neck. I left it there and reached for a diamond necklace that my mother had given me.

Upon returning home, I took the necklace off, and once again in a hurry, threw it in the same drawer with the poodle dog lapel pin. Later, I discovered that the two necklaces were now all tangled up together around the poodle dog’s neck. Discouraged by such a big mess, I left them that way for several years, never bothering to try to untangle them from one another. As a result, I got no enjoyment out of wearing either of my diamond necklaces.

What does a poodle dog pin with two necklaces tangled around its neck have to do with a Sumite Marriage?

Here’s the way I see it.

As we begin to navigate our marriage journey from the time we said, “I do,” somewhere along the way, it turns into a spiritual nightmare. We begin to encounter situations we hadn’t signed up for at the altar.

To name a few: our spouse might decide to leave the faith; we engage in heated discussions on how to raise the kids spiritually; financial disagreements may erupt; sometimes verbal and emotional abuse arises. And, generational sins from our extended families often make a grand entrance into our marriage.

One day, we realize we have a tangled-up mess, just like my necklaces, that is sucking the joy of life out of life. We may pray, “Lord, I vowed I would stick with my spouse for better or worse, but honestly, the worst often makes me wish for an escape route.”

I’ve been there, and even lost sight of who I was. However, a passage of scripture once caught my eye in Numbers. God was giving a command to Moses for the Israelites who would be crossing over the Jordan River into Canaan.

It goes like this.

When you have crossed the Jordan into the land of Canaan, then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, destroy all their engraved stones, destroy all their molded images, and demolish all their high places; you shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land and dwell in it, for I have given you the land to possess. And you shall divide the land by lot as an inheritance among your families; to the larger you shall give a larger inheritance, and to the smaller you shall give a smaller inheritance; there everyone’s inheritance shall be whatever falls to him by lot. You shall inherit according to the tribes of your fathers. (Numbers 33:50-54 KJV)

My thoughts.

Was God saying to me, “What I gave to the Israelites, I now give to you to possess, according to your needs. But, you must drive out, destroy, demolish, and dispose of all corrupting influence in your life.”

I began to get excited, but my thoughts were, if I tried to drive out, destroy, and demolish all my problems in my marriage at once, it would be overwhelming. After all, some of them had been stationed very firmly there a long time, and the old devil wasn’t going to give up easy.

How were the Israelites told to inherit their land? By lot.

Then, I saw it: If I were to buy three pieces of real estate, each lot has to be cleared of any debris from the sites before building a home on it. It was then I realized that I should clear each lot from my tangled up PAST one lot at a time.

And thus, the re-building process began. The beauty of it was I felt the presence of the Lord leading and guiding me, and I learned something new and different about God’s character on each lot.

I also tried to adapt this theory for the FUTURE when the enemy tries to invade the land God has given me according to His Word. As God told the Israelites, “Don’t let anything the devil throws at me become pricks in my eyes and thorns in my side. (vs 55-56)

Back to my poodle dog: I finally took the time to untangle my diamond necklaces and am enjoying wearing them.

God bless, Marth!

Martha is a former school teacher and author of Helping Children: A Journey of Healing. She also contributed to two other books: Winning Them With Prayer and Becoming: The Dreamer’s Study Guide to Launching God-Sized Dreams. Her mother’s heart overflows with gratitude as a writer and editor for Created Woman, the ministry her daughter, Heather, founded.

She and her husband, Glen, are the parents of two daughters, Crystal and Heather, and grandparents of Hannah, Zach, Hadley, and Hope - their pride and joy.

Pearls of Wisdom with Barb Twigg.

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