- how do you handle praying aloud with children when your spouse feels uncomfortable or threatened by it? Read more →

Hi everyone, Ann here! We’ve recently been discussing the power of words here and on the Facebook group, and these conversations have brought back something that happened to me three years ago. I thought I would share the story. It was a time when God showed me two alternative scenarios in terms of how I use words: One scenario was awesome, the other sobering. With words being a theme, I'll have a go at telling it. I’ll start with the awesome, which is the best bit. It was a bright February day, and God showed me something that gave me warm fuzzies. He gave me a vision of rainbows coming out of a person’s mouth, accompanied by these words: The prayers of a faithful person are like fountains of rainbows pouring over the one(s) for whom they pray. Wow. Rainbows represent God’s goodness, I loved hearing that. What’s even better... Read more →

Hi friends, Ann here! It’s my turn to write this week and I thought I’d take the opportunity to tell you a crazy story. I hope it makes you smile. Back in April, after our ‘Hear the Roar’ conference, I landed home with a spinning head. So much had happened, and I had a sense that it was truly a new season in this ministry. I was also unwell during that time, so once home I spent hours in bed. Those sick days turned into quality time with God, and I lay with three great things: prayer, pen, and notepad. On one such day I lay pondering and scribbling when suddenly God interrupted me with the most random phrase. Call me nuts, but this is what I heard: He was called Snake but his legacy is different. I’m smiling (Crazy or God?!) It was so random I thought I’d better... Read more →

SUMite Nation: Will you join me today and celebrate several birthdays? Today, Dineen and I are celebrating the launch of our first signed author to our publishing company, Three Keys Publishing. CONGRATULATIONS SHAYLA ORTIZ on her first book, Praying Through Singleness. Read more →

By Martha Bush “You, lady, as she pointed her finger at me, the Lord said, ‘Sometimes we are looking for a closer relationship for our loved one, when at the moment He is looking for a closer relationship with us.’” I squirmed in my seat, and whispered to myself, “This prophetess has missed it. She doesn’t even know me! I am the Christian in my family; the Lord needs to be going after His prodigal son. His prodigal son’s wife is doing JUST FINE!” Before going further, let me backtrack to my post Monday, The Influencer Trophy Reward in which I related how the Lord was admonishing Jeremiah as he complained about being mistreated by sinful people around him. “Stop this foolishness and talk some sense! Only if you return to trusting me will I let you continue as my spokesman. You are to influence them, not let them influence... Read more →

By Martha Bush Come with me to the 15th chapter of Jeremiah, and read along as this well-known prophet is having a conversation with the Lord. I warn you in advance, he is not in a good mood. 15 Jeremiah: “Lord, you know it is for your sake that I am suffering. They are persecuting me because I have proclaimed your word to them. Don’t let them kill me! Rescue me from their clutches, and give them what they deserve! 16 Your words are what sustain me; they are food to my hungry soul. They bring joy to my sorrowing heart and delight me. How proud I am to bear your name, O Lord. 17-18 I have not joined the people in their merry feasts. I sit alone beneath the hand of God. I burst with indignation at their sins. Yet you have failed me in my time of need!... Read more →

Twenty-seven years. I won’t look back at the years with longing for what might have been. I look back at the decades and see Jesus in every turn along the journey. I view the Father’s hand of favor and love and I feel the peace of the Holy Spirit as the Trinity lived within. Read more →

Image courtesy of thepathtraveler at FreeDigitalPhotos.net We’re a praying SUMite army, aren’t we, dear friends? Ian from freezing cold Sydney here. I trust those of you in the northern hemisphere are enjoying the warmer temperatures and having fun on summer vacations. Prayer. It’s one of those little words that we’re all familiar with, it’s a practice we all do, some of us I expect more than others and for most, if not all of us, it can be hard work. And it’s powerful. Really powerful. It changes hearts, saves people, heals people, restores people and most significantly it connects our hearts with God. The triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. “Through relationship, we carry and release the Kingdom onto the earth. This is what joy-filled prayer looks like.” – Beni Johnson Prayer is Relational It’s completely relational and usually reflects the state of our connection with God. If you’re... Read more →

SUMites. I have to say…some of the praises and posts on our Facebook group on giving thanks has been breaking down walls. Can any of you feel it? I know I do! “God is on the move, on the move, halleluuuu-jah! God is on the move, on the move todaaayyy (insert me singing Newsboys here. If you don’t know this song, look it up!)” Thank you for your testimonies, encouragement, prayers and vulnerability. Read more →

Hey SUM Family, Tiffany here! I don't know about you but I have really been yearning for breakthrough! It gets me fired up thinking about the breakthrough needed in my life as well as others. I am really struggling to completely detach from my old self. I am not saying that I am not growing, maturing or bearing fruit. Please hear my heart. I am talking about the hard reality that the more I press into God, the more I realize I am in rough shape and need Jesus. Can anybody relate? I recently came across this scripture that has been really stirring in my heart: So David went to Baal-perazim and defeated the Philistines there. “The Lord did it!” David exclaimed. “He burst through my enemies like a raging flood!” So he named that place Baal-perazim (which means “the Lord who bursts through”). -- 2 Samuel 5:20 Some context:... Read more →

Hello SUM Family, Tiffany here! I shared with you at the conference that God has been speaking to me about cedars. I saw a vision of a tree that was my family legacy. The deep roots were the word of God so deeply hidden beneath the soil. I wanted to share with you something that I have been working on. These are words that He has been saying about me. (To keep it from getting too long I will only expound on a few) Let's call today, "Motivation Monday." May these words be a motivation for you to believe what God says about you. Cedars of Lebanon, Tiffany Carter, 5/31/19 Champion - (1 Corinthians 15:57; 1 Corinthians 9:24; Romans 8:37; Deuteronomy 20:4; Isaiah 6:8) Elevator - one that lifts or raises someone/something up; exhorter - one who incites by argument, or advice; strongly urges; exultor - one who is extremely... Read more →

What does the SUM ministry and the blue-bottle jellyfish have in common? What a strange question, but it’s one that God gave me back in 2016 while our community was fasting. For those who are new here, we fast each year together and it’s not unheard of to hear a word or two for us all during those times. Indeed, there I was during that fast, hungry and horizontal, when suddenly a picture of a blue-bottle jellyfish swooshed across my mind -- Flash. It was gone as quickly as it came but I promptly knew it was about the SUMites. When something like that happens it’s an invitation to explore, so I went to Google, typed ‘blue bottle jellyfish’ and began to read. The lines progressed and, as they did, I began to link this extraordinary creature with our beloved ministry here. Some three years later I’d like to share... Read more →

It’s daily, that I grow ever more concerned and aware of the great power our word wield in the spiritual realm. As sons and daughters of God, our voice, is our greatest weapon of offense. But our words also can release havoc into our lives. Most of the time we are unaware that we are the saboteurs of our own happiness and marriages. Label or category: From the original Greek kategoria, “accusation, prediction, noun from kagegorein “to speak against, to accuse,” assert, predicate,” from kata, “down to.” Read more →

By Ann Hutchison “Come to my prayer group!” a lady sidled up to me one day at church, eyeing me closely. It was early in my faith and I had questions. I’d been attending for weeks but still couldn’t help wondering if Christians were nuts to believe. Hers was an invite I decided to accept: She was a lawyer, had a gentle manner, and I figured if anyone was likely to NOT be nuts, it would be her. So, I duly turned up one evening at a suburban house and rang the doorbell. She and a friend welcomed me in. The friend was a doctor. “Fantastic, another sensible one!” I thought. I know now that it matters not whether we’re butcher, baker, or candlestick maker, but at that point it helped that these ‘sensible’ women were Christian. Sensible? Well … um … I got the shock of my life that... Read more →

This morning in my Daily Bible reading I came across the following passage and God began to talk. Want to know what He said? It’s really good. A MUST read for every SUM wife! Read more →

By Martha Bush What a title for a post; “Don’t let the Fowls Eat Your Inheritance!” Please stay with me while I make my case, and perhaps you will be energized to take heed to those words in your own life. Let me begin by sharing a quote I recently heard a woman say in a discussion group. “I have always struggled with low self-worth. Just about the time I begin to lift my head, someone comes along to remind me that all my self-doubt is true! I've been a Christian for over 20 years, and I am ashamed of the way I feel about myself. I just can't seem to make that leap to “because HE says I'm worthy, I AM!!” How well I understood what this woman was saying. I played that same scenario out in my mind for years until I came face-to-face with myself one cold,... Read more →

Wow, I missed all of you so much while I was away frantically writing. But guess what? I’ve finished the basic manuscript, Marching Around Jericho, Praying Your Unsaved Spouse Into the Kingdom. Hallelujah. This is a radical book. It will stretch you and challenge every demon of complacency, doubt and religiosity. This book will place you on your march around the walls of your unsaved spouse’s heart. I’m convinced this is my best work ever. Thank you, Jesus.!!! I promise you this, read it and exercise every tool I share with you and at the end of the journey, your life and marriage will be different, better, changed and holy. God did it for me. He wants to do the same in your life. God is just that good!!!   AMEN! Read more →

Hello SUM nation! Lori Lyn Skipper here. While praying this morning and pondering on the prayer requests in the Ladies SUM group, I sensed the Lord say, “Something needs to die.” That's not what I was expecting Him to say, after all, that doesn't sound very fun or spiritual, does it? He had my attention and my ears perked up. Let's dig a little deeper into what He is saying. In my minds eye, the Lord brought me back to the year 2000, when the church I was attending in the small town of Fairfield, IL hosted a funeral service. This was not your normal funeral service. It was not a funeral in the natural, it was a spiritual funeral. The congregation was charged with seeking Holy Spirit to find that one (or more) issues in our life that needed to be put to death. Almost immediately I knew my... Read more →

Image courtesy of anankkml via FreeDigitalPhotos.net Hello friends, Ian from cold and wintry Sydney here. For a few months now I’ve been reflecting on the first words Jesus spoke to the Galileans on His return from the 40 days in the wilderness. This is what He said: “’The time has come,’ he said. ‘The Kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!’” – Mark 1:15 (NIV) Like me you’ve probably read that verse many times and then moved on. But I’ve lingered over it for a while now and every few days it pops back into the forefront of my mind. Besides it’s simplicity of four straightforward statements, it’s interesting when you think of the words as an invitation. In fact, it’s something I discovered a little while ago that rather than looking at Jesus’ commands as that, commands, read them like an invitation. Why? Because... Read more →

By Patty tower We are over a month post conference and boy…not only is God doing a work in me, but doing a work in my husband! Hallelujah and amen. I’m excited that God is opening doors of spiritual discussions between my husband I, and I’m thrilled to see where these discussions will lead. God will pave a way for my husband’s salvation, yes, but like many other women in this community realize…it comes at a price. The price of truly getting to know myself through the Savior first. Sometimes, I have to be careful about what I ask. When I prayed, “God give me your heart and show me your ways.” You had better believe He will show you…and sometimes, it stings. Recently, it occurred to me during in a conversation with my close sisters in Christ, that I may be too “self-righteous,” too “passionate,” and I may come... Read more →

Loving Your Separated Spouse I know in this community of unequally yoked believers, there is someone whose spouse has walked out the door and left. Your heart is breaking right now, and you don’t know what to do. Perhaps your spouse has never accepted Christ or perhaps, like my husband did many years ago, he or she walked away from their faith commitment. Read more →

Come Away With Me, Tiffany Carter, 4/18/2019 Come away with Me My darling, My bride. Revealed in the chamber The secrets I hide. I long for your presence I'll wait here all day. My love please don't tarry There's so much to say. I give you My heart You hold the key. All you must do Is linger with Me. No need to worry I'm protecting your heart. I'm faithful to you I vow to never depart. So come now, I'm waiting Believe Me, it's true. The treasures of Heaven Are poured out for you. The Lord is beckoning us to draw near to Him. I don't know about you but in this season I am in need of some refreshing! Will you answer His invitation? I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the Lord, who call... Read more →

Hey SUM Family, Tiffany here! I want to get really vulnerable with you today. Sunday was one of my proudest accomplishments. However, it was also one of my hardest days as well. The night before graduation my Jason asked me not to bring my flags to church the next day. I was crushed! I felt a sting of rejection rise up in me. Doesn't he love me the way that I am? Doesn't he know how much I love it? Is he embarrassed of me? Thought after thought came swirling in - all trying to pull me down into the pit of despair. I turned on some worship music in the kitchen as I washed dishes. I wanted to listen to God's voice but I also wanted to drown out the sounds of crying. I texted a dear friend from church and asked for her advice. She encouraged me that... Read more →

Hey SUM Family, Tiffany Here! I have some wonderful news to share! Today I graduated year one of ministry school. This was the first half of a two year program that will lead to ordination. I was very surprised to receive "The Heart of David Award" along with my certificate of completion. What an honor and joy! The words "thank you" are not enough to express the gratitude I have for you, my beloved family without walls. Your love, encouragement, and support has tremendously helped carry me to this beautiful moment. Thank you to everyone who has given time, prayer, finances, Scripture and hugs. My accomplishment is your accomplishment. So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. -- 2... Read more →

Hi everyone, Ann again! In Monday’s post I described how my children had sat at a table with me, my husband and friends and heard my testimony. Well, this week something crazy but parallel happened: My children sat at a table with me, my husband and friends and this time saw persecution. Yikes! We were at a Mexican restaurant, laughing, when suddenly my friend’s mouth opened and out came a painful comment about Christians. It was a comment that could have been considered funny but there was no opportunity for laughter as within an instant I went rage! I shot to my feet, hands on hips, stood over my friend, blurted out tempestuous words, and left the table. When I came back I was physically shaking. Nobody enjoyed their burritos after that, especially not my husband. Was my reaction good or bad? We turn the other cheek often, but this... Read more →