By Martha Bush Once upon a time in a small southern town USA, there lived a family who had seven children. When the mother was in her mid-forties, she gave birth to their eighth child, a little boy. The father of the family was a farmer who worked hard to feed his large brood of children; the mother sewed for the public to earn extra income for their large brood. The older children described their mother as a beautiful Christian woman. However, their description of their daddy was different--often spoke demeaning and harshly, but had a sense of humor although a bit warped at times. A case in point was when his wife was pregnant with each of the eight children. He would always remark, “Well, it sure ain’t mine!” At the age of forty-seven, the father died. The older children had all married and left home, so the mother... Read more →

Hi friends, Ann here! During this time of incubation in my home, I've been reflecting on what I'm to focus my energy on. I sense it's this simple thing: Lock my eyes onto Jesus. As far as I can, I need to fix my eyes firmly on Him, and steadily hold that gaze. This week, with that in mind, I’ve been marinating in small verses from the Gospels. Today I thought I would share one little Gospel moment: The time when Jesus visited His special friends, Mary, Martha and Lazarus. Read more →

Image Courtesy of Serge Bertasius Photography and Free Digital Photos.net Hi, Ian here from sunny Sydney. Wow, who could have imagined when I wrote about supernatural happenings and wilderness experiences in my last post that a few weeks later almost the entire would be thrust into wilderness. It’s scary with how fast things have moved. Our lives have been turned upside down haven’t they, normal routines (as Ann reflected yesterday) for entire households have been dramatically changed, there’s no short term certainty about many of the physical things of life: jobs, incomes, schooling, church attendance, exercise regimes and of course the health of our families, particularly those of us who are in the ‘more vulnerable bracket.’ God is Unchanging But God. He is the one certainty we have, and I also believe it is certain that this wilderness experience will end, however, none of us can be very sure either,... Read more →

Hi friends, Ann here! How are you all doing, I wonder? Well, here we are with a new normal that has been thrust upon us: That of being house-bound with all regular routines interrupted. As far as I’m concerned everything has been interrupted, including my routine with God. Read more →

Hello Sumite Nation, Lynn here. I wanted to check in on everyone. Our house is feeling the strain of the shut-in as we go into week three. Two weeks and we are feeling a bit stir crazy. You? I want to share a story with you. About a week ago I found myself sitting with my phone in the morning reading a news site that captures headlines from major news sources around the world. Here are a few from today: Heart Attack? No, It Was Coronoavirus Bill Gates warns lock-down could last 10 WEEKS INTERNET BREAKING AMAZON DELIVERY GUY DELIBERATELY SPITS ON PACKAGE One dies every 17 minutes Rhode Island Police Hunt Down New Yorkers Seeking Refuge These are somewhat tame from last week. So here is what happened. I was reading these apocalyptic headlines and found myself growing uncomfortable, even a tiny bit fearful. Will I catch this virus?... Read more →

Today a word from Anja Grotto-Ingold who lives in Switzerland. Psalm 125:1 “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever.” Dear SUMites, This is important knowledge for all who battle storms in their lives! Daddy has shown me this morning that what I received yesterday concerning trust towards the current situation with the corona virus goes so much deeper and he took me back through my experiences of the last years and showed me what kind of trust he meant in verse 1 and he has a powerful word for all of us! First, we need to understand what “Mount Zion” is: The ancient Hebrew word Tsiyon (Zion) is “a Canaanite hill fortress in Jerusalem captured by David and called in the Bible ‘City of David.’" Zion can refer to one of three places: the hill where the most ancient areas... Read more →

Hey Sum Family, Tiffany here! Each passing day brings news of another thing in the Carter Crew's daily lives that is affected by COVID-19. Though we are currently on spring break, the Elementary School is going to e-learning for the following two weeks. The zoo is closed along with movie theaters, public libraries, hair salons, family entertainment establishments, restaurants etc. As the days progress, I find the anxiety level of my husband is slowly rising. Obviously the Coronavirus is nothing to take lightly. We should all take precautions to help prevent the spread and keep ourselves safe and healthy. I take no issue with doing my part in an earthly sense. However, I know the power and authority of the blood of Jesus. I know that when I plead and apply His blood that I am protected and safe. I am healed and whole. I am redeemed and restored. Because... Read more →

Hey Sum Family, Tiffany here! On Thursday, my husband felt it was time to stock up on groceries. I had heard the "rumors" but as we walked the aisles, I was amazed to see that there truly was a shortage on many things. I couldn't believe the long lines, rationing and deep concern on the faces of shoppers. If one person would cough or sneeze, they were quick to "swear" that they weren't sick. My heart was broken for these people who were legitimately scared. I released an audible outcry in the aisles, "Lord Jesus, I bless these people with peace." With the times that we are living in, there is a lot of uncertainty, anxiety and downright fear. The media isn't helping ease any tension when it is the most talked about subject. It is important to keep up to date; however, we have to be careful on what... Read more →

By Martha Bush Hello, my fellow SUMite Marchers. Can you give a big shoutout to Lynn for this remarkable teaching in her new book, Marching Around Jericho! Today, I want us to talk about those false belief systems and lies Lynn refers to in Chapter 1. Quote, page 20: “The majority of my march consisted of displacing deceptive mindsets and lies. I’m convinced seventy-five percent of spiritual warfare is stepping into awareness and out of deception. The remaining twenty-five percent, well, that is faith and prayer. Together, we’ll battle through false belief systems, religious mindsets, doubt, apathy, fear, and displace false identity. Expect the cheers of heaven each time we step out of a lie and become fully aware of God’s truth, his whole truth.” (End of quote.) Join me as I share with you a false belief that had almost paralyzed me both in the natural realm, and was... Read more →