Joseph & Jesus I’ve been reading the Christmas story in the Gospels the past two weeks. My time in the Word has been utterly revelatory. Father, God has been speaking to me in His kind voice and uncovering treasures of the Christmas story that I didn’t even know were there. Such was the post from Friday about Zechariah. After having my mind blow up over Zechariah, God led me to read through the first chapter of Matthew. That’s when my eyes were drawn over and over to this heading: Joseph Accepts Jesus as His Son On the surface, nothing is noteworthy to most. However, for me. I was drawn over and over to the implications of this heading and then the passage that followed. And that’s because, in my Healing Prayer sessions, over and over again, I pray with believers to restore their voice. So much of human misery is... Read more →

From our archives, articles which remain relevant for the spiritually mismatched marriage. This post is part III in this series. Click on Part I and Part II to read the precursors to this article. This was originally posted on April 20, 2012. ***** Unequally Yoked and the Atheist Blogs A few months ago I was emailing back and forth to a friend of mine whose husband is a reader of atheist blogs. She was in such pain and in a quandary as to how to cope. Now I don’t pretend to have all the answers for each individual situation. I can only share what has worked in my life and marriage. Let me say that I love this young mom and wife. She is in the midst of fiery battles daily and is yet living for Jesus under tremendous persecution from her own spouse. And to add to the dynamics... Read more →

Every year I share a wonderful tradition that I began when my daughter was little, A Tablecloth of thanks. I’m reprinting the story today for all the new readers. It’s never too late to begin a tradition of faith. And this one is perfect for believers and our pre-believers as well. Have a blessed Thanksgiving. I am so very thankful for all of you. Hugs, Lynn ----- Tablecloth of Thanks Many of you know that I am married to an unbeliever. This past May we celebrated 15 years of marriage. Our unequally yoked marriage has had its challenges to say the least. Over the years, however, our ingenious God has maneuvered us through many touchy issues. Our disparity becomes more apparent during the holidays. Giving thanks to our Lord in November is a treasured time for me. I name my blessings one-by-one in prayer, thanking God for His lavish abundance... Read more →

by Niki Hathorn Hello SUMite friends! I have some wonderful news today. When I met my husband in our early twenties, we were both believers but not even close to walking with Jesus. Fast forward to my early thirties, we were married, and I was pregnant with our first child. It was at that time when Jesus finally got hold of me. I found a church to attend, started reading my Bible, I became involved in community with some wonderful ladies, and really began to grow. My husband would participate once in a while - when convenient for him, but I wasn't seeing much change in his life. In fact, debauchery and anger seemed to take over any joy that he had. It's been a long and difficult road. In August, I went to bed on a Sunday night and fell asleep telling Jesus that I didn't think I could... Read more →

Hello SUM Family, Tiffany Here! The last couple of months I have been sharing a bit about what I have learned from reading a book called From Dream to Destiny by Robert Morris. I was assigned to read this book in class and I am so glad that I read it! This book has been truly amazing. To read the previous two posts I've written in this "mini-series" click on the links below. This Is Just The Pits! Do You Want Evidence Or The Truth? In September I began to take steps to transition into a new church. As you read this, I have now been at this new church for 3 weeks. Each and every week has been so powerful and effective. Today I want to share with you a recent experience unlike anything I've ever had. It happened a little over a week ago on October 14, 2018.... Read more →

Hey SUM Family, Tiffany here: ev·i·dence - a : an outward sign : indication b : something that furnishes proof : testimony; specifically : something legally submitted to a tribunal to ascertain the truth of a matter (Merriam-Webster online dictionary) Last post (This Is Just The Pits!) we began to take a look at the life of Joseph. We discovered that there are ten tests we must face in order to fulfill our God-given purpose (I highly suggest you read From Dream to Destiny by Robert Morris for more on this topic). I want us to really dive into the deep end of the pool as we learn more about the pit test. First, let's continue on in the story of Joseph. At this point he was ambushed by his brothers and thrown into the pit. Changing scenes, we see what happens with his family next: So [Joseph's brothers] took... Read more →

The following post is by Lori Lyn Skipper. _____ Pic credit: Laura Mowrey With salty tears running down my cheeks, swallowing over the lump in my throat and my heart aching, I begin this blog. I learned yesterday a long-time friend and co-sharer of the Gospel passed on to Glory in the morning. Upon reading the news yesterday my mind began wandering to years past. And conviction fell. And today as I was looking at her pictures, again, conviction fell. She was one of the most beautiful, God-fearing women I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. Not only was she beautiful on the outside, she genuinely had a beautiful heart and spirit. My heart aches for her husband, her children, her brother and best friend/sister-in-law and her parents. It also aches for all those who knew her and for those that never had the great pleasure of making her acquaintance.... Read more →

Hello Sum family! Tiffany here: It is very easy to see the heaviness and struggle going on in the world. Just in our own community there is a weight of illness, backsliding (in ourselves or our spouses), addictions, anger, depression, anxiety, spiritual attacks to our identity, self-worth, motivation, and will to keep going in the faith. There is bitterness and envy, there is confusion and doubt - toward others and even God Himself. It's like we have lost sight of who we REALLY are (we'll talk more about this later). Before I continue, I want to preface that I don't believe that our SUM community is in this bad of shape. I don't believe that we are all struggling at all times. I do however, see a trend of these things happening in the ranks...and it seems to be increasing. I myself have been struggling a lot lately. I feel... Read more →

By Martha Bush It was 4:30 A.M., April 22, 2017. My mother’s nurse tapped me on my leg while I was grabbing a short nap on the sofa down the hall from my mother’s room where she lay at the point of death. I sat up quickly at the feel of the nurse’s soft gentle touch and immediately said, “She is gone, isn’t she?” “Yes,” the nurse nodded. As the dawn of day lurched forward with a beautiful array of sunshine despite death all around me, funeral arrangements had to be made and relatives and friends had to be called. A few days after the funeral, we left Georgia headed back to our home in Texas to clear my mind before I took on the task of returning to Georgia in a month to empty out my mother’s home, so I could sell it. However, two weeks later, we received... Read more →

By Ann Hutchison “It’s excruciating”, I murmured to myself, munching on my toast and staring out the window. As usual, I was mulling over the fact that my husband and I had found ourselves in this … 'horrible' … spiritually mismatched situation. It happened to us late in life. There we were hitting forty, and life had been going according to plan. Then, one day, God landed in our home – through me. It shook us to the core. My husband is a good planner, so this one blindsided him. “I'm not the one who changed and this is not what I married!” He sounded almost angry. I couldn't blame him; I was the one who'd changed. I felt so bad. Bad, that was, until God nudged me differently. Don’t, Ann. However it looks and whatever the hiccups, this conversion will only cause home improvement (Proverbs 31:10-12). Ok, I really... Read more →

Fast concludes at Sundown today. ***** Have you ever pondered the weird story in John 6 where Jesus commands his followers to eat His flesh and drink His blood? Of course, today we understand the meaning, post cross. But what if you were a follower of Christ sitting among others, prior to the cross, and this man tells you to eat his skin and drink his blood. Ick!!! Many became offended and this is why. At the time, animal and human sacrifices were common place. The people of antiquity, Jerusalem, were aware the occult world drank human blood to increase their power on earth. This still happens in the occult world today. Followers of Christ were repelled to consider this practice because a blood covenant is/was the highest form of a covenant/agreement. When you eat/drink the flesh and blood you are taking in the essence of life, consuming everything associated... Read more →

Thank you, Martha, for your powerful post about submission vs obedience on Friday. I believe she is working on a follow up and I will post it when she sends it along. Today, I want to continue with what the Lord was showing me a few weeks ago about 1 Peter 3. If you recall, God has me camped in the books of Peter and He suggested I read all of the chapters. Reading chapter three, I sensed the Holy Spirit focus on something we, the unequally yoked, usually miss because we are hung up on the first verse and we miss the rest. And the rest of the passage is amazing. So, let’s look at this passage. 1 Peter 3New International Version (NIV) 3 Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be... Read more →

Do you read the stories in the Bible about those who died, who gave their lives up, for the cause of Christ? What about modern martyr accounts of believers in the middle east who are being killed for their Christian faith? Do you walk in faith that you could do the same? I often cry out in prayer, “Lord, I want more of you. Lord, make me so strong in faith that if one day I must choose to die or take the mark of the beast, that I would be willing and able to die for the cause of Christ.” Perhaps you don’t pray like this. It’s just that for me, I sometimes wonder if I could stand on my faith and die for Jesus. After all, there are believers right now, today, who will stand for Christ and ISIS will kill them. GULP. Recently I was reading in... Read more →

Hi Family, We are a family. Being a part of something bigger than ourselves is part of our spiritual DNA. We were created for connection. We were created to belong. To live in intimacy. Learning to love one another and learning to love our Father. I’ve just returned from the Heaven Come conference. Three days filled with profound, life-altering worship and teaching that will live forever in my soul. Attending an event for the Christian faith is an interesting experience. I wonder if you are like me in that you have attended many events that make you feel good about yourself and living for Jesus. However, you return home to the same-old-same-ole and quickly lose all the joy or hope that you came home with? Anyone relate? However, each year that I attend this conference, something profound occurs. And this year I arrived home with such a powerful conviction to... Read more →

My friends, did you experience a breakthrough through our study together? What do you feel God did in you through the revelations of His love and promises for you? Please share your heart, your doodles and your coloring pages. And thank you again for joining me as we walked through the truths of Romans 8 through Scriptures and coloring. I pray you are continually embraced in and transformed by God's great love for you! Love you so much! Dineen TWEETABLE TRUTH: “Jesus has the authority to condemn, but He chose another way—the way of sacrificial love. For He knew to condemn would drive us away and His desire was to be the solution to draw us near.” pg. 50 #youarelovedcoloringbiblestudy goo.gl/qG9HBT Order from The SUM Shop or Amazon Read more →

Remember to share what you're learning in the comments. Did you identify a struggle? What is God's promise and provision for that? For you? Share your heart, your doodles and your coloring pages! Hugs! ~Dineen TWEETABLE TRUTH: “His loves reaches us from the past of the cross, carries us through the present, and ushers us into eternity. It’s constant and relentless—for us and for those we love and pray for.” pg. 46 #youarelovedcoloringbiblestudy goo.gl/qG9HBT You Are Loved Coloring Book Study Schedule Aug 28: (Share pages!) Video: How Much Does God Love Us? Wrap up! Order from The SUM Shop or Amazon Read more →

Remember to share what you're learning in the comments. What is your believing statement? Share your heart, your doodles and your coloring pages! Hugs! ~Dineen TWEETABLE TRUTH: “God’s Word will transform you. Reed it, believe it, and trust Him to do it—because He watches over His Word to fulfill it (Jer. 1:12).” pg. 37 #youarelovedcoloringbiblestudy goo.gl/qG9HBT You Are Loved Coloring Book Study Schedule Aug 23: Bonus Coloring Page Download Aug 25: (Share pages!) Video: Is God Good? Decorate, Delight & Discover!: How Much Does God Love Us? (pages 49-53) Aug 28: (Share pages!) Video: How Much Does God Love Us? Wrap up! Order from The SUM Shop or Amazon Read more →

Remember to share what you're learning in the comments. What is God's promise for you? Share your heart, your doodles and your coloring pages! Hugs! ~Dineen TWEETABLE TRUTH: What is God's promise for you? pg. 33 #youarelovedcoloringbiblestudy goo.gl/qG9HBT You Are Loved Coloring Book Study Schedule Aug 21: (Share pages!) Video: Why Do We Wait and Hope? Decorate, Delight & Discover!: Is God Good? (pages 43-48) Aug 23: Bonus Coloring Page Download Aug 25: (Share pages!) Video: Is God Good? Decorate, Delight & Discover!: How Much Does God Love Us? (pages 49-53) Aug 28: (Share pages!) Video: How Much Does God Love Us? Wrap up! Order from The SUM Shop or Amazon Read more →

Hey there, friends! I hope you enjoyed coloring 2 Cor 5:17. Like I said, I’m particularly fond of that page. And the truth it imparts to us! We are new creations in Christ Jesus. The last part of that verse says, “The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” The Greek word for come is ginomai and holds such meanings as to be made, finished of miracles, to be performed, wrought, to become. What Jesus did for us and what the Holy Spirit does in us is miraculous! I hope that brings to your heart just how important you are to God. Remember to share what you're learning in the comments. What lie did the Holy Spirit reveal to you? What truth did He show you to replace it with? Share your heart, your doodles and your coloring pages! Hugs! ~Dineen TWEETABLE TRUTH: “Look at your God in... Read more →

Remember to share what you're learning in the comments. What lie did the Holy Spirit reveal to you? What truth did He show you to replace it with? Share your heart, your doodles and your coloring pages! Hugs! Dineen TWEETABLE TRUTH: “The Holy Spirit's revelations of truth, healing, strength, and growth transform our minds more and more to have the mind of Christ.” pg.20 #youarelovedcoloringbiblestudy goo.gl/qG9HBT You Are Loved Coloring Book Study Schedule Aug 14: (Share pages!) Video: Who’s Really in Control? Decorate, Delight & Discover!: How Do We Live Free? (pages 31-35) Aug 18: (Share pages!) Video: How Do We Live Free? Decorate, Delight & Discover!: Why Do We Wait and Hope? (pages 37-41) Aug 21: (Share pages!) Video: Why Do We Wait and Hope? Decorate, Delight & Discover!: Is God Good? (pages 43-48) Aug 23: Bonus Coloring Page Download Aug 25: (Share pages!) Video: Is God Good? Decorate,... Read more →

My friends, I had a message planned for today, but as I prayed, asking the Holy Spirit what was on His heart for us, He inspired me to make this a day of celebration. He pointed out the encouragement received through my testimony on Monday and led me to have you do the very same thing. So I declare this to be a day to share whatever you see God doing in your life and those you love and pray for. Even if it's the smallest of things (maybe only to you...), share it. It could very well be the catalyst to greater hope and faith for someone reading here today. You just never know what God will use through us to help someone else. He LOVES to do that. He LOVES to partner with us in helping others. He LOVES to work all things out for a GOOD and... Read more →

Hello, dear friends! So good to be back with you this week! I couldn't wait to share this beautiful revelation from John 14. God's Word is so very present and for us now. I pray this insight brings that home to your hearts in an astounding way. The words I am referencing: Rooms: monē — a staying, abode, mansion, abiding, dwelling, metaphor of the God the Holy Spirit indwelling believers (comes from menō — to stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy): — abide, continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain, stand, tarry (for), thine own, live, not to depart. House: oikia — a house, an inhabited edifice, a dwelling Way: hodos — way, journey, metaphorically a way (i.e. manner) of thinking, feeling, deciding. And I hope this prayer blessed you and your marriage as you wait in expectancy for God to fill the "room" of our spouse's heart... Read more →

“For it became Him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the Captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.” — Hebrews 2:10 When you think of a wilderness, what is the first picture that pops into your mind? Perhaps a tree-thick forest, or a breathtaking landscape of a mountain terrain, or even the soft extending sands of desert dunes? What about a wasteland? Desolation? Emptiness? Solitude? This is the biblical description for wilderness, or eremos, the place where Jesus was driven immediately following His Baptism. The Spirit of God descended upon Him and promptly began His work…launching His Son into the arid wilderness to be tested and tempted in every way for 40 days. The first temptation of man took place in a plush garden with gorgeous scenery, fresh crisp air, warm comforting breezes, surrounded by the musical... Read more →

Dear friends, I am on "vacation" this week. It's actually my oldest daughter, Rachel, who is on vacation and spending the week with Mike and I. We won't get to see her at Christmas this year so I am making the most of this week with my girl. I'll be back next next week. In the meantime, this testimony from Alissa is so beautiful and powerful, of how God met her, reassured her, and even gave her revelation and insight to understand what was really at the heart of her husband's choice to be an agnostic. When I asked her if I could share her testimony here, this is what she said: Absolutely you can use this. One thing I learned on my missions trip was the power of testimony. We learned that the word testimony, literally means 'God do it again'. So if my testimony can give someone else... Read more →

These are the Greek words from John 10 that I'm speaking about: Know: ginōskō; a prolonged form of a primary verb; to “know” (absolutely) in a great variety of applications and with many implications (as follow, with others not thus clearly expressed): — allow, be aware (of), feel, (have) know(-ledge), perceived, be resolved, can speak, be sure, understand. Name: onoma; from a presumed derivative of the base of ginōskō; a “name” (literally or figuratively) (authority, character): — called, (+ sur-)name(-d). Truly: amēn; of Hebrew origin; properly, firm, i.e. (figuratively) trustworthy; adverbially, surely (often as interjection, so be it): — amen, verily. (The word "amen" is a most remarkable word. It was transliterated directly from the Hebrew into the Greek of the New Testament, then into Latin and into English and many other languages, so that it is practically a universal word. It has been called the best known word in... Read more →