Hello SUMites, Ann here.

So, something momentous happened this week on the SUM front, which I'm about to tell you. But unfortunately, it came out of a time of great difficulty. So, this post will be a mixed bag. I am going to share something hard, and something beautiful.

This will be a transparent post, in fact.

This past week my relationship with someone in my extended family fractured. It blew up, and it is quite possibly the end of the relationship. It is affecting the wider family, as things have come out that have been painful for everyone to process. 

As a result, I have been under enormous emotional stress. So, I'm going to take the rest of September off from writing to reset. I would greatly appreciate your prayers.

But, as I said, something else happened. And this is a shift for Bryce and me:

The second night after this happened, Bryce - in great distress -- prayed to God. He was unable to sleep, tossing and turning, and finally lay on his back staring up at the ceiling in the darkness. He said, specifically, "God, please help me to help her."

After praying that prayer, he then received a 'very strong feeling' -- right there in the dark -- that gave him a clear and specific strategy as to what I was to do next. 

In the morning, he told me about this prayer and the fact he felt he had received an answer. I bawled in his arms.

So there we have it, a momentous moment: My husband prayed, sought God, and not only that, he heard God's voice and knew he had heard it. If I wasn't in such a state, I'd be jumping up and down and eating cake in celebration!! I must remember to do this, in time.

Have you ever had a diamond come out of the darkness?

Much love, 

Ann

Photo courtesy of Arina Krasnikova and Pexels.com

Following on from Lynn’s post, I too felt led to write a similar post after reading something earlier in the week.

As a result of both Lynn and I being led to write similar posts, I’m sensing there’s some of us are feeling discouraged. We’re believing these posts will help shoo away ALL discouragement and fill each of us with renewed vigour to pray for our spouses, family members and other loved ones who may not yet know the Lord.

I’m not going to say much more but simply share this short testimony of one man’s intercession for friends of his. The man, George Mueller is known for building an orphanage in the 1800s on the back of daily prayer requests that resulted in sufficient moneys, food and other items being delivered to his home daily. It’s a wonderful story of one man’s faith and God’s faithfulness.

“More than a century ago George Mueller, that prince of intercessors, began to pray for five personal friends. After five years one of them came to Christ. In ten years two more were born again. Mueller prayed on for 25 years and the fourth man was saved. For the fifth, Mueller prayed until the time of his death, and this friend came also to Christ a few months afterward. For the latter friend, Mueller had prayed for almost 52 years.” – James McConkey¹

I was greatly encouraged after reading this and felt a shot of renewed hope and belief for my beautiful partner and other family members. I hope you might too.

Keep praying. Keep believing.

Go well, dear SUMites.

Note: 1. Nick Harrison, Magnificent Prayer, 366 Devotions to Deepen your Prayer Experience (Zondervan, Grand Rapids, 2001), 328-329

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
    for his compassions never fail.
 They are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23

SUM Nation,

Lynn Donovan here. I have a quick story to share and some experiential wisdom to encourage all who are traveling the road of the Unequally Yoked behind me.

Mike and I have been married for nearly four decades. Yikes. Where does the time go?

I want to assure you that your prayers, your faith and persistence impacts your spouse and kids. And more importantly the faithful love of our God makes a difference in our lives and the salvation of our family.

Last week as I was sitting in the hospital room with Mike, the Hospital Spiritual Support person arrived in the room. I sat at the back of the room and listened to an interesting exchange.

Daniel, the spiritual support person came in an announced to Mike who he was and that he was there to offer prayer if Mike wanted prayer.

I watched and thought, I'm going to stay quiet and see what happens here.

Mike responded by replying what his condition was and then Mike said, "Yes, I would like prayer."

My goodness I was surprised. I wasn't sure what was about to happen, But Mike didn't hesitate. Daniel closed his eyes. So did Mike and Daniel prayed a general supporting prayer over Mike.

After all these years of persistent faith, Mike truly believes. His faith is so much different than mine. But my faith has rubbed off on him. And it's such a beautiful to witness.

What if I'd given up two decades ago? What if I became discouraged and stopped asking God to save him? 

SUMITES, don't give up. Don't stop your intercession asking for forgiveness and mercy for those in deception. Ask because our kind Father listens. His heart is moved by our petitions. 

And remember your spouse and kids are also His children. Keep praying. Stand in the battle as the fire rages hot and know that Jesus is right there with you.

I adore you. Blessings and hugs, Lynn

Hi My Precious Family, SUM, Church without Walls,

Lynn, here. Since Ann is on a break, (bless her with healing and health Jesus), I will update you on our interesting journey.

Today, Mike is 14 days out from his transplant. His blood counts are very low, and he is tired.... a lot. But he remains positive and hasn't endured all the terrible possibilities that were outlined for us before we arrived. It's truly miraculous. The doctors are pleasantly surprised at his progress and lack of complications.

This is because YOU prayed. There are people as far away as the Philippines who are praying for some guy in a hospital in California. I'm blown away at the many prayers that have arrived and the encouragement that has come from my church here at SUM. I'm deeply thankful for even a few words you have whispered for me and Mike.

THANK YOU.

I'll admit, it has been rough for me personally, these past few weeks. I have really struggled but a few days ago, the Lord lifted me up and I'm doing better coping with all that must be managed and handled, and now remotely. It seems life, which is already challenging, becomes even harder (managing life remotely now). Last week my daily Bible started on the first chapter of Job. I've never really related to that story until this week.

However, the Lord has given me some promises. I prayed on the day Mike was admitted to the hospital back in April

He revealed the end from the beginning and I KNOW, that I know, in my knower..... IT WILL HAPPEN. So, I wait for October 6th. And this promise came with a sign that God said would happen on June 6th. AND indeed, it did happen. So, I'll wait and when I see how and what God is going to do, I'll share it with you.

I expect Mike to be released from the hospital next week. And then we hang out here in Palo Alto for two months. There is so much to be resolved, but I cling to the hem of His robe.

I also am so aware that a great number of you are walking through very difficult stuff. My heart aches for you. I have prayed for many of you. I feel the compassion of our good Father as He watches us tough it out. I'm convinced we are on the precipice of a great move in our world. God has those who love him and are sold out for His Kingdom, in His strong and loving hands.

So, for now we pray for one another. I would love to pray for you. I actually need new prayer focus. So, please leave me your prayer requests in the comments. 

I adore you, my SUM family. STAND UP STRAIGHT. We have the TRUTH. Don't waver in what is real and powerful. 

BELEIVE! PERSEVER! PRAY! Then we shall see the miracles. I know I'm in for a ton in a few months. So are you.

Blessings and Hugs, Lynn

Ann here!

Oh dear, I said I'd write today but I've ended up coming down sick, ugh. So we'll have a few days of quiet on the blog until I'm better. Back soon!

Love, 

Ann

My friends, Ann here.

Ok, so I've got this funny quirk. I do believe it's a quirk God gave me, but sometimes I think God gives us some crazy quirks. Do you have one, I wonder?

Anyway... Mine's this:

I take especially careful note of the things that happen in my days, and I record my life.

I've got this living document on which I have tracked all the key spiritual things that have happened to me since my birth in 1975! Yep, it is a little long. And by 'living document', I mean I am continually updating it.

On the document, I have written a summary of the things God said to me on certain dates, things I asked God, world events, and other notable events in my life. If I have a dream or vision, I record it. I have tried to keep it as precise as possible, so that it reads as a nice summary. And every morning, I read through a part of that document (i.e., a part of my life) and ask God about certain things that happened.

COVID was on there too, and what an interesting time that was to look back on. Yep, the years 2019 - 2022 make for interesting reading.

What were you doing there, Lord?

Why did I meet that person?

Wow, that was you, Lord! I asked you a question, and I can see now that you answered it for me over the subsequent days.

Hindsight is a helpful thing. Sometimes, in the past, I can see that I did hear God's voice, but I was too quick to interpret it. The correct interpretation was far different to what I thought. Indeed, often we just don't know what God is saying until we can look back in hindsight, or until he has revealed more. Sometimes it will take years or decades to understand what God was doing.

Other times I have noticed I was right about something. Those situations give me a quiet confidence in the Holy Spirit.

Another thing I can clearly see is that God has opened seasons for me and closed them. Once, for example, I moved into volunteering my work hours to a small church I was attending; but a year later I strongly felt God wanted me to move out of it. As I look at that situation, I can see that God did move me in and out. It was just a crazily short season that had its purpose. 

My friends, our life storyline with God becomes our war chest. It gives us confidence in him and makes us understand our identity in his eyes. All of this, in fact, makes me feel that I can't wait to be an old lady sitting in a rocking chair with decades of storyline behind me. My life story is my belt of truth (Ephesians 6:14). It will feed me and sustain me when I'm old .... 

Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be.
How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,
    they would outnumber the grains of sand—
    when I awake, I am still with you.

(Psalm 139:16-18, NIV)

Anyway, this post was way different to what I meant to write, LOL. But this topic leads nicely into the next one I'm going to write, so I will be back again on Wednesday with more.

My friends, do you have moments of hindsight you look back on, where you understand what God was doing?

Loads of love

Ann

My friends

You never know just HOW God will speak to one of your kids!

Something cool just happened in my world:

My son, Travis, who is now a young adult, hasn't been to church with me for quite a few years. He went for a while when he was younger, but there came a point where it was his choice. He was about 14 at the time.

(Parents of teens get to that point sometimes).

He has always been an intellectually curious boy - In particular, he likes science and engineering, and he thoroughly enjoys watching factual videos on YouTube that have given him a great general knowledge.

He's often talked to me about things like space rockets, volcanoes, science experiments, and such like. I grin at him and love the fact he's got that strength. That's my son.

Anyway: Here's what happened this week.

I found out -- to my surprise -- that he has been watching a YouTube channel called Expedition Bible ! On this channel, an archeologist describes how different aspects of the Bible are supported by archeological findings. These videos are well researched, presented in a thoughtful and captivating way, and there are videos on all sorts of things, including:

• Sodom and Gomorrah
• Jesus' tomb
• Nineveh
• Pharoahs in Biblical times
• Moab
• King David
• The Canaanites

... And more!

This week I started to watch the channel myself, and -- WOW -- I'm afraid I have sunk into a binge-watching state, and today will not be going out anywhere. No, instead I will be drinking tea all day and watching this channel. Yes, my friends, today's post is even a little late because I have been busy watching Expedition Bible this morning instead of getting my post up quickly LOL.

In all seriousness, though:

What I most love about this is that I did nothing to make my son go near this topic. Well, not much: It would have helped that over the years he's seen how much I love God and reading the Bible. In that way, he was not brought up rejecting the Bible, so he would have an open heart to start with. But with this channel, he went there off his own bat. And I believe God led him there: God knows how my boy's brain works -- well, God made him so -- and God found him a channel that was the perfect way to reach him and crack open the Word for him.

It's so cool!

SUMites, I believe that God will find similar ways to speak to all of our children. We just might have to be patient.

As a final note, this morning, I sent Travis a WhatsApp saying "Expedition Bible!! Where have I been all my life?! I love it!!!"

He wrote back saying "Good to hear. I've watched pretty much all of them by now."

So I thank God.

My friends, why don't we share in the comments any stories we have of times where God has touched our family members in unexpected ways?

Loads of love to you today

Ann

Dear SUMites, following on from last week's posts, here's part three of our series on handling a demonized family member. For those who missed it here are part one and part two.

Hello my Sumite Sisters,

My name is Evie, and I have been following this ministry since 2015. I became a Christian after I married. My faith was not received well by my husband, my family or his family, and 26 years later, it still isn’t.  There has been a lot of ups and downs, confusion, and lack of trust. 

I grew up in a very dysfunctional family. Emotional, physical, and sexual abuse took place, and I have real trust issues. I was searching for the love and affection my soul desperately desired, but I was searching for it in all the wrong places. I believed I was too broken, too dirty for God to possibly love me.

In 2001, I accepted Christ as my Savior.  My healing has been a long process, and it is one that is ongoing.  I didn’t receive His love right away. I believed it for others, but it was hard for me to accept for myself. I desired God's love, but it was a battle. I listened to the enemies lies and still felt the effects of the trauma I endured as a child, but also the dysfunction of my family in the present.  

Through a lot of prayer and counsel with Lynn, I found strength through God to forgive, not because they deserved it, but because it was what Jesus did for me. It is a daily process, but since I have chosen to bring my pain and emotions to the throne of grace and ask God to help me forgive, I am overcoming the trauma, the anger, rejection, and resentment that had a hold over me.

I have a lot of heart work to do and am only beginning to grasp the depth of Christ and His love and grace for me.  And I am asking God, my true Father, to show me how He sees me, and how He loves me, and He has.  I am able to receive the blessings the Holy Spirit bestows on me daily, throughout the day, and that has changed my heart in a powerful way.  

I’m starting to receive the identity Christ has given me, and to stop listening to the lies of the enemy, by whatever means he uses to snare me.  Whether it be my flesh, his lies, or the worlds lies. I am rebuking them in the name of Jesus. And asking God to show me His truth, and I’m learning to be still and to listen for His voice.

It is a daily battle, but I know He has me, and He is guiding me one step at a time. The hard shell around my heart is breaking, and I am not hiding in shame, self-hatred, or the other lies anymore. I have asked God to help me to be the Evie, He designed me to be, to show me how, and He is doing that. I don’t have to explain myself or hide because of my shame anymore. I can be proud of who I am, because I am a child of God, and He knows everything about me, and He loves me. He will not leave me or forsake me, and that is truth.

That is not just truth for me, that is truth for each of us, that is willing to believe His truths and promises.  

God has been very fun and kind to me, as He reveals who I am. Helping me to use the voice I have been so afraid to use for pretty much my entire life. Showing me, I have a witty sense of humor and really love color.  That I am compassionate and love to serve others. In a few months I will be 60 years old, and I have finally realized I have a lot of love to offer, because He is in me, and He is love and God knows just the people He wants me to bless, to bring His light too, and I am grateful to Him that He is patient, kind and true to His word. He really loves me and you.

Blessings, Your SUMite Sister in Christ, Evie

Eve Moran, I have been married for 26 years. Both of our second marriage. Together we have five children, two each from our previous marriages and one daughter together. We have three grandchildren. I love the Lord, and I love being a wife, mom and grandmother! I volunteer with the children’s ministry and my church and love to watch the young children learn about Jesus. I enjoy cooking, the outdoors, painting and reading the Word. 

Hello my friends

We're continuing with the topic of how to handle a demonized family member. For part one click here.

I promised that I was going to upload a video on this topic, but I've decided to first share with you the eight key points that are in my video, and let you mull them over before we continue.

Ok, here we go:

Eight keys to handling a demonized family member --

1. Forgive them, repeatedly and deliberately 
2. Identify what spirit is at work, with God's help, and become determined not to bow to that spirit
3. 'Strengthen yourself in the Lord' before you spend time with them
4. Think of clear and practical ways in which you can show them love
5. Don't try to reason with them
6. Instead fight this thing actively in your prayer closet, and use spiritual warfare activities
7. Take authority over the thing coming near you and impacting you. 
8. Understand your sphere of authority vs. the person's free will, and play the long-game

Ok, that's what we'll talk about in the video, and I'll post it next week. Some of the above points may already be very clear to you, but others you may wonder about and would like to hear more on. 

Anyway, more next week! And, in the meantime, we have a guest post from one of our SUMites on Friday which I'm greatly looking forward to. See you on Friday, and much love to you all,

Ann

My friends

Today I want to turn to a topic that is a little edgy. I wonder if some of you will read this and find you have a situation like this in your own life.

Ok, let's go --

Sometimes there will be a situation where a family member -- either in your home, or extended family -- is strongly under the influence of demonic activity. I'm using use the term 'demonized'. I don't necessarily mean demon possessed, but they are under the influence. They have let something in from a demonic source that they're enjoying or battling with, and it has got its claws into them quite severely and it is permeating their behavior.

In such a case, that person can be extremely difficult to spend time with and, as a Christian, you see it for what it is. But how can you handle it?

Examples of this might be:

• A family member who is deeply narcissistic
• A family member who is in the throes of addiction
• A strong alignment with rebellious trends in today's society, e.g., Atheism, or sexual sin
• A deep desire to control or manipulate others, often stemming from rejection from their early life.
• Or, a religious spirit that is making them downright nasty.

I could go on. 

When it's a family member, the problem is that you can't lightly detach from their company like you could if it was, say, a colleague, boss or friend.

As a Christian, if it is something you have discerned, there is then the question of how you love that person while also containing/limiting what their issue is doing to you. In some cases you might be asking 'Do I stay in relationship with this person, or are there some acts of separation I need to take?' There is also the question of how much you can take authority over this particular thing, that is, the demon(s).

Do you help them get free? Can you help them get free? 

How do you guard and protect your own heart?

So what I want to do next time is share some video teaching I recorded a year ago, How to handle a demonized family member, and we can chat about it some more.

Ok, over to you: Do you have any questions about this area? Do you have a situation like this in your own life?

Love to you all

Ann

My friends

One of the beautiful things about running this ministry is that we get constant encouragements from God as we go along.

From a personal point of view, he will often send me a confirmation of what I have just written about, as if to say, "Keep going, my hand is on this ministry." A quirky 'coincidence' will often happen, or a testimony will come through, or a dream, a word or a picture from the Holy Spirit.

In ministry you need this. If you didn't have that from God it would become too difficult to keep going - You need the quiet confidence in your heart.

Well, with the 'house' series it happened again. God gave me a little nod.

What happened was this: A couple of days ago, after writing my last post, which I knew would be the last in the series, I was sitting in my living room and I looked up towards the front window. For the first time since I'd been in this particular house where we're staying, I noticed the curtains. They were lace curtains. Well, blow me down, I realized then that embroidered in them were houses!

Here is a photo. Take a close look. There are many houses on the curtains, like the SUM community. And not only that, I'll be here for a month, so I will be spending that time now looking at these curtains and thinking about you all.

My friends, let's believe that God was right there in that series with us, nodding, and cheering us on as we build and fashion our unique spiritual houses. Let's believe, also, that the power of us doing this together, will lead to good for our respective homes (i.e. families).

I'll finish by listing off the Proverbs we have covered in this series:

It is better to live on a corner of the roof than to share the house with a nagging wife (Proverbs 21:9, CJB)

The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down (Proverbs 14:1, NIV)

Better a dinner of herbs where love is than a fattened calf and hatred with it (Proverbs 15:17, ESV)

By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures (Proverbs 24:3-4, NIV)

All the best as you care for your homes, SUMites!

With love,

Ann

Photo courtesy of Pexels and Magda Ehlers

Hello, Ian from sunny Sydney here with a short post today.

I listened to these words the other day and they were a great reminder of God’s immense love for every one of us:

Listen! My beloved!
    Look! Here he comes,
leaping across the mountains,
    bounding over the hills.
My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag.
    Look! There he stands behind our wall,
gazing through the windows,
    peering through the lattice. (Song of Solomon 2:8-9 NIVUK)

God is described as a gazelle, leaping and bounding, all to catch a glimpse of us.

I encourage you to personalise these verses. Picture God in his excitement to see/find you, is doing whatever he needs to do to see you. Yes! You!

That is how much He loves and adores you.

Rest in this re-assurance, especially if now He might be feeling distant from you. He’s not. He’s in your heart.

Go well, my friends.

Hi Family,

Friday begins preparation treatment for my husband's Bone Marrow Transplant. The two weeks following are the critical weeks as his immune system is missing. Pray he is protected from infections of all kinds (viral, bacterial and fungus). At about the two-week mark, the transplant cells will have found their way into his marrow and begin to produce new blood, white and red cells. 

I've been pondering this amazing procedure with the Lord. Literally, Mike will receive an entirely new blood system! So new, in fact, he will be required to have all his childhood vaccinations once again. I've been praying about his new blood, his new life, what this means to the Lord and the spiritual implications of a new blood system. I'm expectant to learn and discover something divine and holy through this experience.

I've been praying for the donor. A person who offers, for free, to endure a process that harvests T-cells for a stranger in another country. I pray abundant blessings and favor upon him. This donor is an exceptional match to Mike. Mike's physician was very encouraging regarding the final outcome, the unlikelihood of rejection, and that this procedure (praying) leads to a complete cure. 

I believe. 

It's been a weird and challenging road since April 26th. But even in the unknown, I hold the Father's hand. I truly believe this. It's going to be okay. The Lord has uniquely revealed to me the end from the beginning. Although, I don't know or have details. I just rest in assurances..... It's all going to be okay. 

My dear friend, a lifetime of faith has led me to hold the Father's hand and remain in peace and hope most of the time. I've had a few melt downs, but I am secure as the chaos storm roils below my view, as I am seated in heavenly realms with Christ. This faith is also your faith. I don't know what you are facing, but I do know this.

His faithful love endures forever. Cling to His hand. Share your needs with him. Ask, seek, knock. He will direct your path and there is beauty in the madness. We find love in the moments of pain. We experience the divine and supernatural in the midst of the broken.

I adore you. Thank you for walking this journey with me. I'll try to post here again after his procedure. Blessings and hugs, Lynn

My friends, while travelling I've ended up staying in quite a few houses of different shapes, sizes and flavors. It sure has had me reflecting. 

Bryce and I have now landed on the island of Gozo, which is part of Malta. It is not too far from Libya and Tunisia. This means it has a middle eastern flavor. 

The house we are staying in, for a month, is a wee stone house. Built in 1430, the owner believes it might be the oldest house on Gozo. It is like a little cave inside. Limestone dust falls on us while we're inside the house, trying to stay cool. And it has a rooftop that I go and sit on in the morning to read my Bible. 

Here is the view from the roof top.

It is like living in Biblical times!

Not only that, but I am literally living and breathing this 'House' series in Proverbs, as I stay in these different places. Now, for example, I am literally sitting on a rooftop every morning, and here we've just looked at this verse:

It is better to live on a corner of the roof than to share the house with a nagging wife (Proverbs 21:9, CJB).

Here's that verse in a few translations:

It is better to live in a small corner on the roof than to share the house with a woman who is always arguing (ERV).

It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop [on the flat oriental roof, exposed to all kinds of weather] than in a house shared with a nagging, quarrelsome, and faultfinding woman (AMPC).

So, I thought we could look at this verse again --

It's funny that it's a woman who's mentioned here, not a man. Is this scripture talking about a particular propensity that women have? Is it that we talk more, therefore we have a particular propensity to verbalize things in a negative way? 

In our spiritually mismatched marriages, it is tempting to be argumentative, I guess. And us women, because we care so much about our homes -- we're the life and soul of our homes -- can be tempted to be controlling. When it comes to our faith difference, perhaps it is tempting to be negative, critical, fault-finding, and to talk about it with others as well.

The wise woman builds her house,
    but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down (Proverbs 14:1, NIV).

Negative words spoken about our spouse or children to others literally tears our house down. They are curse words spoken by our mouths that have power. 

They will cause the walls to crumble like the limestone dust that disintegrates. 

My friends, we'll do differently to this! In the SUM community we work together to grow in this area: We aim that our words spoken over our homes be like torrents of life, and that they build our families up. We don't always do this perfectly, but we try. And we want our spiritual houses to be long-standing like this wee house here.

We aim to be people of peace within our homes. We aim for our homes to be an oasis of peace. A place where the Spirit of God is felt.

Lord, let us not be quarrelsome or fault-finding to our families. Guard our tongues. Let us build our houses, not tear them down. And, finally, let our houses be long-standing, lasting for generations.

Do you have any thoughts about quarrelsomeness or fault-finding in marriage, or in a family setting?

What strategies do you have for being less quarrelsome?

What do you do if it's your spouse who is prone to be quarrelsome?

Sending love to you all,

Ann

Hi friends

Ann here --

Today I wanted to interrupt our 'house' series, to write a short and sweet post. I've had the word 'Resolute' in my head for much of the day. So that's what I wanted to say:

Be RESOLUTE, SUMites.

I pray that God enables you to be resolute.

I bless you to be resolute in your hard and bumpy path.

An online dictionary definition of 'resolute' says that to be resolute is to be 'admirably purposeful, determined, and unwavering.'

That's what we have to be. 

My friends, the SUM situation might be a journey of many years. Your faith journey might involve some unexpected twists and turns, disappointments, steps back, or detours. Things don't always look the way you think they're going to look; God's move on your life is always surprising. God is surprising! 

Stay resolute.

Love you all

Ann

By Ann Hutchison

My friends, today I went a-walking through country lanes with Bryce and my parents (photo attached).

As we did so, I walked past quite a few houses that I deemed my 'dream home'. I salivated over these houses and wished they were mine. 

Yep, a little material lusting went on this morning. What would your dream home be, I wonder? Mine would be old, British, in a country village, with a thatched roof, a rose-overgrown garden, and spacious .... Of course, way beyond what I could afford!

But is that really my dream home?!

It is better to live in a corner of the housetop than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife (Proverbs 21:9, ESV)

And

Better a dinner of herbs where love is than a fattened calf and hatred with it (Proverbs 15:17, ESV)

God tells me, through these verses, that the most precious thing that I could have -- house-wise -- is a home that has love in it. My dream home, then, should be a home with love. That's it.

That means love around the dinner table and an atmosphere of love within the walls. It means a home that a spouse and children want to come home to in the evening, because it 'feels' like a place of love.

Have I been undervaluing that? Perhaps I have.

Specifically, it means an atmosphere that is patient, kind, not self-seeking, not boastful, hopeful, rejoicing in the truth, bearing all things, and believing all things (1 Corinthians 13); and it means interactions between family members that ooze those qualities.

Ok, that last one is a noble idea, but easier said than done. What if you live with a particularly cantankerous family member? What if you're at the end of your tether and struggle with anger issues yourself?

Well, we're not perfect, so it's not going to be love, love, love all the time ... It might be very much a work-in-progress. I suppose the point is that LOVE in the home is far more precious than material possessions. God in the home is far more precious than having a materially nice house. And that dream is where our energy is best spent.

If you already have a home that is full of love, wow, rejoice and thank God: You already have your dream home! Who cares how many bedrooms it has, whether it has a garden, whether it has a thatched roof, what style it is ...... You already have the very best thing possible. 

And if you currently don't have a home like that, love goes out to you. I know that many in our community face a struggle there. We have all kinds of homes here at SUM. But these verses do bring to the fore an important question: Is it time to make a change? 

Well, that's all today. Is this a 'work in progress' in your home? Do you need prayer for this one? Reach out for prayer if you need to.

Much love

Ann

Hello SUMites!

Today, I'm going to pop two verses from Proverbs on here, so that we can chew them over during the weekend. They are two similar verses. Here we go:

It is better to live in a corner of the housetop than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife (Proverbs 21:9, ESV)

And

Better a dinner of herbs where love is than a fattened calf and hatred with it (Proverbs 15:17, ESV)

My friends, what do these verses bring to mind?

• What does a dinner of herbs vs a fattened calf look like in today's society?
• Have you ever eaten a dinner where there was hatred with it?
• What does a quarrelsome person behave like, and what do they do to their home?
• What does a dinner with love look like?

I can feel some tough stuff a-brewing. I personally have lived in a home with a quarrelsome person, and it wrecked my heart. I've also sat at a table where there was hatred, and I can contrast that with a table where there is love. Finally, I've had dinners of herbs and dinners of fattened calves. 

Well, we'll continue after the weekend. Bye till then!

Ann

Ann here!

Well, SUMites, this week I had a very pleasurable experience, from a SUM point of view.

My son Miles is in Birmingham, England, right now playing sport; and, so, we are watching. He is playing in the under-20s world championships for Disc Ultimate, a team sport involving a frisbee. He and a team of other boys are battling it out on the fields against teams like Belgium, Canada, Japan, China, and Mexico.

Exciting!!

One of the sweetest parts of this week is that one of our SUMites, Libby, who lives locally, came for the day to support our team and join in the fun of the tournament.

Not only that, Libby brought her two sons, one of whom is in his early teens and the other in his twenties, along with the older son's girlfriend. The Son was shining on us as we watched the games together and chatted a wee bit. But for me there was something extra special about this: We have been talking about our houses here on the blog, and now here I was hanging out with Libby's house.

She and I, and her boys, and the girlfriend, chatted away as if it was the most natural thing in the world. And quietly, I sat and thought, "She and I each stand in faith for our families, and we support each other in this."

We don't always feel strong in it, but the spiritual truth is we're positioned. We've put a stake in the ground for our family. And even if we don't see change in the natural, the impact will be seen in eternity. What a job it is, and what a privilege.

Proverbs 31 speaks of a woman who puts her all into her life, house and family, however hard it is. In that passage it promises two things, among several:

Her children will rise and call her blessed.

And --

Her works will praise her at the city gate.

When I read this, I think of the SUM men as well as the SUM women. For any person who fights for the faith of their whole home and does it alone, I believe that chapter is for them. When it speaks of their children arising, I think of that as our children being resurrected into eternal life; and when it speaks of works praising us at the city gate, I think of that as happening in eternity when we reach heaven's gates. 

Keep fighting, dear friends! The story's not over yet.

Ann

My friends, I am still lingering over Proverbs 24, which encourages us to build our houses with wisdom, knowledge, and understanding.

Sometimes God plants you in a scripture, and you don’t move on from it for a while! Well, that’s the case here.

By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures. (Proverbs 24:3-4, NIV)

I did a little study of these three words -- Knowledge, wisdom and understanding -- as I was keen to know what they looked like more specifically. Here we go:

Wisdom, in Hebrew, is the word Hakma. It means, skill in war, wisdom in administration, shrewdness, prudence in religious affairs, and wisdom in ethics.

Understanding, in Hebrew, is the word Tabun. It means intelligence, discretion, reason, the act of understanding, insight.

Knowledge, in Hebrew, is the word Da’at. It means cunning, knowing something, discernment, perception.

Together, these three descriptive words – which do overlap in meaning – capture the ingredients of how to build a strong house (i.e., family). They are the builder's materials, as we wisely build our homes.

So now, let’s take some of the above definitions and discuss what this looks like, in practice, when building our own homes:

Skill in war: I understand spiritual warfare. I understand that there are forces of evil as well as good, that are trying to derail my house, and I actively fight in prayer for the protection and spiritual health of my family. (Side note here: If you haven't yet, and want to become upskilled in spiritual warfare for the unequally yoked, read Lynn's book, Spiritual Enforcer!)

Wisdom in administration: This could refer to having Biblical wisdom about things like finances, lending and borrowing, the management of a family, and linking your family in a healthy way to community, church and society.

Discernment: It is important to be able to discern spiritual things in relation to our home. That is, we learn to discern the spirits. If there is a problem, we should be able to ask ourselves and God 'What is the root cause of this, spiritually?' God gives us eyes to see and ears to hear, so that we can keep our homes healthy.

Prudence in religious affairs, insight, wisdom: I know the Gospel of Jesus Christ and understand what pure and undefiled religion looks like (James 1:27), then I bring that into my home in insightful ways.

Intelligence: I know why I believe what I do, I have examined truth and error, I have a good grasp of scripture, and I am growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Cunning: I am wise as a serpent but harmless as a dove in my home, and as I lead my family.

When I say 'I' in all the above statements, I don't mean myself: I mean all of us, and what it looks like to build our homes with these ingredients.

My friends, we could go on here, but that gives us a little taster: Wisdom, knowledge, and understanding are profound things, and have a key impact on our homes. What’s more, scripture shows at various points that these are things that others unwittingly recognize and find themselves attracted to – Like the Queen of Sheba who came to see Solomon and marveled. There are quite a few statements in scripture that say others will be attracted to, and will notice, your hakma, tabun and da'at.

So with all that said, all the best building your homes with knowledge, wisdom and understanding; and once again I pray for a downpour of these things for our SUM houses!

Love you all

Ann

Hello all!

Today's post was delayed due to the global IT outage – Oh dear! But thankfully the blog is up and running again, phew.

I have been, once again for a few days, staying at my parents’ house in Oxfordshire, England. Sitting at their dining table yesterday afternoon, I looked up to see my Mum’s Bible sitting open. She reads it all the time and leaves it sitting around here and there. I thought to myself, ‘That is a woman who builds her house with wisdom, knowledge, and understanding.’

Later, she and I went for a walk along the River Thames, and to a pretty village. We passed a church, and it had a verse on it. She stopped me and said, ‘You know, that verse is a special verse that I pray over Travis’ (my son).

Then she spoke it out, the whole verse to me.

She then said, ‘I have a special verse for each of you – I have one for you, one for Miles, one for Travis, one for Bryce…. I feel God has given me a verse specifically for each person.'

‘Oh, what’s mine, what’s mine?’ I said, like a kid in a candy shop.

She told me…

And then –

‘What’s Bryce’s?’

She told me that too.

That’s one example of how you build a house with wisdom, knowledge and understanding.

Here’s a pic of us out for lunch in an English pub garden. My mum with the house she's built.

Love you all!

Ann

By wisdom a house is built,
    and through understanding it is established;
through knowledge its rooms are filled
    with rare and beautiful treasures.

Proverbs 24:3-4 (NIV)

SUMites, today we're going to talk about how the above verse applies to our houses.

Collectively, we each have a house that we treasure. Mine is in Auckland, New Zealand; and it consists of Bryce, my husband, and Travis and Miles, my two young adult sons.

Yours is somewhere else, in another pocket of our world. I love that about our SUM community.

We each build our 'house' carefully: We think about what we teach our children and spouse, and we think about what we allow into that house. I would say every SUMite I know thinks ever so carefully about such things. And in this way, we are each already building with wisdom.

Sometimes God will give us a blueprint as to how to build our house; sometimes he will be very specific. For example, one time he clearly asked me to remove Pokemon cards from my children. Eeek, that was hard. It was unpopular and my family still talks about it with a groan. "The time that Mum made us get rid of our Pokemon cards". I still don't understand why God asked that of me, but I did it and, in so doing, I built according to the blueprint.

At other times, we don't have a clear blueprint, so we go for it and do our best.

It's not just about what we allow in. It's more positive than that: It's equally about the encouragements we give our family, the way we conduct ourselves, the routines we build, and the things we enjoy and celebrate together.

I've been thinking about whether wisdom, understanding and knowledge are different to each other. Having studied the use of these three Hebrew words over the weekend, I don't yet grasp the difference between them. But the point is all three of these things come from God. Scripture makes it clear that it is God who gives wisdom, knowledge and understanding, and that these three things are things we are to pray for. So, a first prayer for our houses can be this:

God, give me wisdom, knowledge, and understanding so that I can build my house well.

Go into a quiet place, and deliberately pray this prayer. Find a photo of your house and/or your family, lay it mentally before him and say:

God let this house be built with wisdom, knowledge and understanding.

The next part of the scripture talks about the rooms of our house being filled with rare and beautiful treasures. I like the sound of that! But what might these rare and beautiful treasures be that come from God's hand? For me, I think of these things:

• The ability to hear God's voice
• Favor from God
• Salvation
• Knowing Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit
• Promises from God
• Gifts of the Spirit
• The fruits of the Spirit.

The above list is the best thing in the world, better than any bank account full of dollars, or any material possessions. And these things are rare indeed: How many people do you know in your life who have the above? Me: Not many at all. Though I will say that through the SUM community I am blessed to know quite a few.

Next, just imagine that the 'rooms of our house' are actually our family members. Say, in my case, that one room of my house is Travis's life and legacy; another room is Miles's life and legacy; another room is Bryce's life and legacy; and another room is mine. Imagine each of those rooms being filled with the above list of rare and beautiful treasures.

Oh God, please!

So then, let us pray:

God, fill the rooms of my house with rare and beautiful treasures.

My friends, God will honor these prayers, and will make our houses richly beautiful -- Brimming with rare and beautiful treasures. Some of these rare and beautiful treasures might not be seen or perceived until we are in eternity, but they are there.

For he is faithful who promises.

Ah, what a nice thing this has been to write about today. Can you think of ways in which you have built your house with wisdom, knowledge, and understanding?

Much love

Ann

SUM Nation,

Lynn Donovan here. 

I'm joining the Amazon Prime Days and ALL of my titles are on sale. $12 or less on some titles. That's it. Pick up a title you have been missing. Read it on the beach, at the lake house, read it with a group of ladies. Start your own online study.

Please be encouraged and equipped. You can walk through marriage, raising kids and a spectacular faith life!

Here is a link to the books under my name on Amazon. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your faith life. Amazon.com: Lynn Donovan: books, biography, latest update

I pray you experience freedom, hope and the power of God's love as your turn the pages this summer. Blessings and hugs, Lynn   ...-

Ann here, with the beginning of our series on building our house.

As a reminder: Our 'house' =our family, and our descendants. It includes ourselves, our spouse, any children and grandchildren we might have, our home, and the legacy we leave. 

So, let's go! Here is the first proverb we're going to look at:

By wisdom a house is built,
    and through understanding it is established;
through knowledge its rooms are filled
    with rare and beautiful treasures. Proverbs 24:3-4 (NIV)

I am going to pause here and ask some questions before we continue with the next blog post (which I am yet to write):

• What is the difference between 'wisdom', 'understanding', and 'knowledge'? Is there a difference?
  
• What are 'rare and beautiful treasures' in Kingdom terms - what might they look like?
• What about the different 'rooms' of our house in spiritual terms? What might that mean?

Can I suggest we all have a chat with God about these questions -- I will too -- and then perhaps you can share in the comments any insights you might have?

This is going to be fun!

Ok, catch you again next week once we've prayed into these questions.

Much love,

Ann

My friends, hello.

We're shortly going to be looking at the concept of our houses -- What does it look to build and care for your own house, spiritually?

But before we do, I wanted to share a visual that God gave me a while ago: He showed me that the SUM community is a collection of individual houses, all clustered together into a mountain.

Take a look, if you would, at the illustration of it that I've made here, and have a think about what this picture says to you.

Why do you think our houses are in the shape of a mountain?

For me this speaks of the sheer strength that we have in the spirit realm. You may feel like your little house, your family, is alone ... But the truth is that it is part of a gigantic force, a mountain constructed by God.

Well, I am going to keep this brief as my own little 'house' -- Bryce, me, Travis and Miles -- is off on a day out together. But feel free to share in the comments any further thoughts that you have about this picture.

Back again soon. 

In Christ,

Ann