Hello, dear friends. Ian from autumnal Sydney here. Autumn is my favourite season and even though we’re almost halfway through it, we’re only beginning to feel those early morning chills that remind us that summer is past, and a new season is upon us.

How has Lent been for you all?

It’s a healthy practice to review one’s progress. Even if you haven’t chosen to specifically acknowledge the season or fast, asking yourself the question whether you feel you are drawing closer to God is always a healthy option. Life with God is a long journey, with ups and downs and everything in between. Like any relationship, our one with our Creator follows a similar trajectory as the journey. At times we feel especially close, at other times, perhaps distant and sometimes a little ambivalent.

What we can always be certain of is that God never leaves us, even if He is quiet. His Word tells us this: “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Stepping out of the Wilderness

Even though wilderness seasons can be long; we only must look at the 40 years the Israelites experienced before stepping into the promised land; they will come to an end.

Last week’s lectionary readings for the Fourth week of Lent spent some time in the book of Isaiah where the prophet shared some good news for those of us who are wandering in the wilderness. Read along with me these encouraging words in Isaiah 43:

“I am the Lord, your Holy One,
    the Creator of Israel, your King.”
¹⁶ Thus says the Lord,
    who makes a way in the sea,
    a path in the mighty waters,
¹⁷ who brings forth chariot and horse,
    army and warrior;
they lie down, they cannot rise,
    they are extinguished, quenched like a wick:
¹⁸ “Remember not the former things,
    nor consider the things of old.
¹⁹ Behold, I am doing a new thing;
    now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
    and rivers in the desert.
²⁰ The wild beasts will honour me,
    the jackals and the ostriches,
for I give water in the wilderness,
    rivers in the desert,
to give drink to my chosen people,
²¹     the people whom I formed for myself
that they might declare my praise.” (v 15-21 ESVUK)

As one commentator said, “When God made a way out of Egypt for the Israelites, he didn’t allow their enemies to follow. Yet if Israel dwelt too much on her past, the painful memories of slavery in Egypt could continue to harm her.

God got his people out of Egypt, now he wants to get Egypt out of them!” (Hannah Heather, 24x7 Lectio 3 April 2025)

As you read these verses (perhaps do it a few times if you’re able) do you get any sense the Lord might be nudging you towards the ‘[new] way he is making in the wilderness’ for you? Isaiah even asks the question, ‘do you perceive it?’ Did you notice that?

Do you perceive something?

May I encourage you to spend some time over these next day’s talking to God about what ‘new thing’ he might be doing for you? Maybe the ‘new thing’ won’t miraculously appear at Easter or even soon after, but I’d encourage you to keep pressing into see what the Lord is sharing with you about what he might be inviting you into.

Would you mind if I pray for us all?

Loving Lord, Holy God, we love you, we worship you. We thank you that you are always at work in and through our lives. You are always inviting us into something new. Please give us ears to hear and hearts to perceive what it may be that you’re inviting each of us into. Lord, we want to know. We want to follow you out of our wilderness and into the promised land that you have for each of us.

Thank you, Lord. We love you, we praise your holy name, Jesus.

Amen.

Happy Easter, my friends Be safe, don’t eat too much chocolate and dig deep through the wonders and challenges of Holy Week, Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday.

Grace and peace

Ann, thank you for guiding us through Holy Week. It’s such a good practice as others have mentioned in the comments to deliberately walk through each day alongside Jesus.

Now it’s Wednesday. A quiet day. Well, it is in the Scriptures but there was still a lot of activity, some in public and some of it in secret.

A day Jesus’ enemies plot against him. We’ll get to that in a moment.

Jesus Teaches (Luke 21:37-38)

As he has done each day so far Jesus leaves Bethany to travel to Jerusalem to teach in the temple. Remember, there are millions of people in Jerusalem for the Passover Festival and Jesus is taking every opportunity to teach as many people as He can.

What do you think it would have been like in Jerusalem this week? I’m not good in crowds but the opportunity to hear Jesus would be something special, wouldn’t it?

Plotting to Kill Jesus (Matthew 26:3-5; Mark 14:1-2; Luke 22:1-2)

We’re told in Matthew that the leaders of the Sanhedrin are meeting at the home of their boss, the chief priest Caiaphas. They want to surprise Jesus by arresting him by stealth, so that there isn’t an uproar from the masses of people in the city.

The decision is made. But they must wait until the end of the Passover Festival which is tomorrow (Thursday) night. The crowds would leave the city on Friday so there’s less chance of a riot.

There is now an increasing sense of darkness in the city. The plot is hatched, they have their spy, Judas, and now they just wait for Thursday to be over.

I’ve always found it incredible that one of his followers would betray Jesus. I wonder if Judas wanted Jesus to be that messianic King who would take on the Romans and help the Israelites live a life of peace?

Judas challenges us to wonder if we have expectations of Jesus that maybe He doesn’t meet? Perhaps healing of a relative, rescuing a prodigal child, or salvation of our spouse? Why not take a moment to talk to Jesus about any hurts or disappointments you might have regarding any expectations you have of Him.

And now to Maundy Thursday we go.

Have a blessed Easter, dear SUMites. May I remind us to keep our eyes and hearts firmly focused on Jesus. He’s right here with us.

Rather than leaving you with a song as Ann has done this week, I thought I'd leave you with some reflections on this day from the pen of Ann Voskamp. I've been following Ann now for over 1o years and she has such a gentle soul for Jesus which I so admire. I trust you find Ann's words encouragement as we step into the next couple of tough days. Grace and peace, dear friends.

My friends, today it is Resurrection Sunday, and along with the wider Body of Christ around the world we're celebrating this wonderful, wonderful event.

It's funny to think about how that group of people in first-century Jerusalem (e.g., the disciples) were so normal ... And yet what they experienced that day was completely mind-blowing.

That day, that Sunday of the Resurrection, the women went to the tomb to find a stone rolled away, and men dressed in white -- Angels. One of the women, Mary Magdalene, even saw Jesus with her own eyes. Was she crazy??

Peter and John raced to the tomb to find it was indeed empty. The burial garments were lying in a pile, including the body's head covering neatly folded in a corner. What on earth had happened?

Two men were walking on a road to Emmaeus and Jesus appeared to them to explain the scriptures and what had just happened. As soon as they recognized him he vanished from their sight. "Didn't our hearts burn within us?" They said afterwards, trying to debrief with each other.

And finally, the grieving disciples were in a locked room hiding from the Jews when suddenly their beloved Master appeared from the dead in front of them! They nearly fainted with shock, but then got to touch his side, saw his hands, and sat back in awe, hearts pounding.

That was the immediate reality, though several of these people might have wondered if it was real. The Bible says many doubted, and it's not surprising. It was an extraordinary day which they would never forget.

What they couldn't possibly have imagined, however, is what would happen to the world after that. That, to me, is as big a miracle. That resurrection power swept through the world, beginning in Jerusalem, and changed individual life after individual life, eventually reaching yours and mine. It first touched people in the places where the twelve apostles took the Gospel, and then continuing to explode like an atom bomb from generation to generation, like a powerful domino effect. Signs and wonders often accompanied the message, as did a lot of prayer behind the scenes by saints past and present.

The resurrection message of Jesus had the power to spread without compulsion or force and it changed whole nations. Every authentic conversion that occurred did so by that same resurrection power that lifted Jesus from the dead.

That you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead .. (Ephesians 1:18-19, NKJV) 

Today almost one third of the world's population calls themselves Christian, and the resurrection power of Jesus Christ continues to touch individual lives, one after another. 

And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen. (John 21:25, NKJV)

The above verse is the very last verse of the four Gospels. Though it is speaking of all the things Jesus did in first-century Israel, it feels to me like a prophecy too. Indeed, the world truly cannot contain the number of the things that could be written about what Jesus has done ever since the Resurrection. Testimonies of changed lives are now as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore.

Amazing.

What do we do with that? Well, I'd say we must stand on the fact that the power of the resurrection is such a powerful force that it changed our world. If that is the case it can change our home too.

And that brings us to the end of our time of commemorating the passion of Christ. Dear SUMites, I hope you have a meaningful day and let's celebrate the Resurrection today with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength.

Love,

Ann

The Passion Week – Wednesday- by Lynn Donovan

The Silent Day

SUM Nation, on this Wednesday as we remember and honor the Passion of Christ, let’s focus on what happened on Wednesday leading up to the resurrection. The Bible offers little information regarding Jesus, His disciples, and their activity that day.

But we know many things were rumbling underground that day. This is when I believe satan issued his command to kill the Christ. The devil knew from the beginning who Jesus was and believed it would be catestrophic to allow him to live. Evil foresaw the future where the entire world became healed, prospered, and stepped into our original design and destiny as children of God.

The satanic evil counsels conspired plans to stir up Judas Iscariot and the Sanhedrin to torture and kill the Son of God. Their wicked laughter shook the blackened ruins of hell, as the tempters planned Christ’s death with a mere pieces of silver placed before a very broken and greedy man, Judas Iscariot. Demonic generals inhabited the religious rulers and they formed a plan to kill LIFE itself.

BUT……. If satan knew what would happen with the death of Jesus, he would have stopped it at all cost!

In the silence this is what God was doing!!!!!!  Jesus aligns fully with His destiny. He is resetting the entirety of humanity back to our original design and purpose.

• Death is DEFEATED. 1 CORINTHIANS 15:54
• He creates a new species of beings on earth. 2 CORINTHIANS 5:17
• The Holy Spirit arrives in power and with comfort. ACTS 1:8
• We become Children of God and co-heirs with Christ. ROMANS 8:17
• Our eternity is certain. 1 JOHN 2:25
• Daily life is covered with hope and promises. 2 CORINTHIANS 1:20
• We reign with Christ forever. REVELATION 5:10
• We have life abundant. John 10:10
• We have a renewed mind, a healed heart, a firm foundation and a life of promise. ROMANS 12:2, 1 PETER 5:10, MATTHEW 7:24-27, ROMANS 10:13

In the silence of a single day, Father, saw His Son and affirmed Him. He saw His many children lost and deceived and knew they were about to experience the greatest moment of all time.

The death and the glorious resurrection of the Messiah. Yeshua, who is Christ the Lord!

Is silence your companion today? Is the enemy plotting-destroying your hope and peace? Is it a struggle to see a way forward because all is silent and dark?

My friend, stand up because Sunday is your destiny. It IS WRITTEN. IT IS ACCOMPLISHED ALREADY! And life within the Kingdom is not just a wish. IT IS OUR BEAUTIFUL REALITY!

We can do all things through Christ, because He LIVES!

Leave me your prayer requests and let’s destroy the silence and live a loud and bold life. In Jesus name. AMEN. Blessings and hugs, Lynn

On this Monday morning following Easter, I feel as though I want to share a passage that is continually running in my soul right now. It’s the passage that Easter is leading me to comprehend. It is the message from the Holy Spirit to the church in this season.

THIS is our inheritance and expectation as a daughter or son…. Or Bride of the King of Kings.

It’s a complete, full circle, from where we started this journey with the Father asking the Israelite slaves, Will you marry me.

BEHOLD! Our destiny, BRIDE OF THE MOST HIGH GOD.

The Glorious Company

18 For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest, 19 and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore. 20 (For they could not endure what was commanded: “And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned or shot with an arrow.” 21 And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I am exceedingly afraid and trembling.”)

22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel. —Hebrews 12:18-24

Hallelujah! AMEN!

SUMites, tell me about your Easter this year. Did your spouse attend church. Did you feel the love of Jesus. Did you pray and give Him thanks. Do you say, YES! I adore you, Lynn

SUNDAY:

GLORY!!!!

Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?”

She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.”

Jesus said to her, “Mary!”

She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to say, Teacher). —John 20:15-16

SUMites, it’s Easter morning. Hallelujah. I pray your find yourself in worship and that by a miracle of hope your spouse is seated next to you.

My friends, do you find it interesting that Mary did not recognize Jesus in the garden? She spent two years, literally, traveling with Him everywhere. She KNEW Jesus intimately. Why didn’t she know Him in this moment at the open tomb?

It was only upon hearing His voice calling her by name, that the resurrected Christ became apparent unto her.

He was changed. Different. Powerful. Regal. Authoritative. He was transformed.

But His voice of love called her name and she ran to Him.

Beloved on this day that we remember Jesus in His transformed, glorified state, let us determine to become transformed into His likeness. Because He is once again asking His Beloved:

WILL YOU MARRY ME?

Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,

“Hallelujah!

For the Lord our God

    the Almighty reigns.

Let us rejoice and exult

    and give him the glory,

for the marriage of the Lamb has come,

    and his Bride has made herself ready;

it was granted her to clothe herself

    with fine linen, bright and pure”—

for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.” —Revelation 19: 6-9

Saturday:

Dead.

In the Grave.

THIS is what He died for:

You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. — John 15:16

He died to give us freedom, just like the Israelites and the people of earth in every generation since then. He died for His bride.

Will you marry me?

What scripture passage did Jesus die for in your life? Tell me in the comments? I want to give glory to God!

FRIDAY of the Passion Week: On this day Jesus finds himself swept away to the courts of humankind. A mockery. Completely abandoned by every friend. Betrayed by a demoniac fueled man who regretted his terrible disloyalty of an innocent man. And sentenced: GUILTY by a false court of accusation.

Spat upon. Ridiculed. Tortured.

Every lash was taken without Jesus speaking a word. Why? His surrender was the superpower to our healing. By His stripes we were healed. A lash taken upon His skin bears the name… Cancer. Another blow across his back ripped the flesh from his ribs… Depression. Again…  Fibromyalgia. Again…  Poverty. Another blow… Heart disease. A lash that sends blood spattering on the people around Him, blindness, infirmity, sickness, mental illness and every malady know to mankind.

It turns my stomach to visualize this beating, yet in the same moment, I have experienced significant and ongoing healing because of this moment in time.

Hanging on the Tree. A spectacle, cackled at and scorned by the demonic hordes, Jesus with the sting of vinegar upon his lips, said three of the most powerful words uttered in behalf of all mankind, “IT IS FINISHED.”

Will you marry me? I paid the highest price for your love.

My question to myself and to you SUMite family, Do you believe this?

Read John, chapter 17 today and allow the words of Christ to change you.

Can you imagine the pain in the disciple’s hearts? I can’t help but place myself in Peter’s shoes. Two days ago, I pledged to Christ that I would die for Him. And yesterday I betrayed, lied, and abandoned the author of my Life.

I feel a pit in my stomach. Not only because of Peter but the times I did the same thing. Where I failed to stand up for truth. When I could have mentioned the Healer to my neighbor but was ashamed that I would look stupid. Agh!!!

Surely, I’m not the only one.

Today: At the request of the Jewish leadership, Pilate grants a guard and sets a seal on the tomb of Jesus. 

It's dark and all seems lost.  

BUT....  

Today's Events:

• First trial, before Annas [nightime hours]; Annas is looking for an accusation, biding time till Sanhedrin is gathered at High Priestly villa
• Second [and primary] trial before Sanhedrin, Jesus is condemned, misused
• Third trial, immediately at dawn [meanwhile, Peter denies Jesus a third time; Jesus looks upon him]; the condemnation repeated, then Jesus taken to Romans
• Fourth trial before Pilate [till "beginning at Galilee"]
• Fifth trial before Herod [looks for miracle]
• 6th trial before Pilate
• Jesus is scourged; the city cries, "Crucify Him or we will tell Rome!"
• Jesus is finally turned over to be crucified
• Jesus mocked (Roman soldiers); crown of thorns
• Judas hangs himself
• Jesus bears His cross to gate on north of city and is crucified around 9 am
• Jesus' Seven Sayings from the Cross
• "Father, forgive them..."
• "Today...with me in paradise"
• "Woman, behold thy son..." [darkness: noon – 3 pm]
• "My God, My God..."
• "I thirst"
• "It is finished"
• "Into Thy hands..."
• The Death of the God-Man
• About 3 pm; veil torn, rocks rent; some graves opened and people rise [to mortality] and go into the city
• Jesus' side pierced
• Passover lambs slain in temple
• Jesus buried by sundown

 It's Friday but, Sunday's a commin'!

Thursday Events:

Peter and John sent to make preparation for Passover meal
After sunset, eats meal with the twelve; washes disciples; Judas departs
Lord's Supper instituted
To Garden of Gethsemane; Jesus' agony
Betrayal by Judas; arrest by Sanhedrin
To house of High Priest as Sanhedrin is convened; Peter betrays Jesus

BETRAYAL

Betrayal…. Thursday is a bitter darkness. I don’t know about you, but for me, I can forgive easily …. except when I’ve been betrayed.

Anyone???

There is something that breaks in the core of our being when we give trust to someone who didn’t keep our life, our secrets, and our heart safe.

I find that Jesus is calling me on this Thursday, before we move toward Easter, to let go of betrayal. Enter into this place with me. It can feel like hell to surrender the hurt that is so deep that it feels like it will pull you under, never to escape.

Imagine with me, Jesus taking that pain, betrayal, into the tomb and into the pit where He leaves it chained forever. And then see Jesus giving you joy, hope and peace as a golden shining crown upon your head. It’s in this moment is where the crucifixion and resurrection become authentic and powerful!!

Image courtesy of ikpro and FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Aren’t you loving Lynn’s Holy Week reflections? I feel a little like an interloper with my post this week but as I sought the Lord on what to post I kept coming back to: HOPE.

“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.” (John 11:25)

Death is not the end. The story is not over on Good Friday. Jesus defeats death and is resurrected on Easter Sunday and in so doing gives us the opportunity to have relationship with the Father. Not just now but forever.

We have an eternal hope.

Desire for Connection

I’d never really considered the significant number of intimate moments that occur during this week that is often called “Passion Week”. I was drawn to them by a couple of posts I read. Let’s look at some of them:

1. Jesus washed the disciples feet (John 13:5) – what a moment this must have been. “Surely the room was filled with a holy silence as pure and sweet as Mary’s perfume.”¹

Yes, the One who created these twelve men now performs an act usually performed by a slave. Of course there are strong spiritual messages here about being cleansed to be made righteous and the importance of service but for a moment reflect on the intimacy of the scene.

2. Sharing the Lord’s Supper (Matthew 26:26-30) – I love participating in communion. There’s something intimate in the ceremony. Picture yourself in the group of twelve as Jesus breaks the bread and passes you a piece and then the cup having wiped it clean before he pours some of the [real] wine in your mouth. He looks into your eyes as He says ever so tenderly: “For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for the remission of sins.”

More silence. And contemplation.

3. The Garden (Matthew 26:36-38) – three accompanied Him: Peter, James and John. All three have only moments declared they would not leave Jesus (as did the other eight), no matter what happens. Jesus is troubled. No wonder. It’s almost time. He asks them to be with Him in His troubled state.

“My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.” (v38)

He desired and needed companionship. To know His best mates were close. I expect it gave Him strength and some degree of comfort.

4. Addressing Mary at the Tomb (John 20:11-16) – Mary returns to the tomb for a second time. She is beside herself as Jesus is gone!

After an initial interaction with a man whom she presumed to be the gardener, she’s increasingly angry thinking this man had taken Him. He sees her anguish:

“’Mary!’” (v16)

What a moment. It’s like a soothing salve that calms her heart and dries her tears all with the one word: her name.

“She turned toward Him, ‘Rabboni!’”

The scales fell from her eyes, clarity came to her mind. It was Him. Her Jesus.

Hope

As we journey these last few days of Lent reflect on the hope we have in having an eternal relationship with Jesus and the opportunity for a tender, intimate walk with Him right now.

I hope you can take a little time out to simply sit in His Presence. Close the door on your world for a few minutes if that’s all you can get and linger with Him. Sit down in the tall grass beside the still waters with the lover of your soul.

Enjoy His tenderness, His soothing voice and the peace that passes all understanding.

Happy Easter, dear friends and thank you for walking through Lent with me.

Grace and peace,

Notes: 1. “The Women of Easter,” Liz Curtis Higgs, Waterbrook Publishing, 2017, p100

Tuesday's Events:
Leaves Bethany
Finds the fig tree withered; teaches on faith
Possesses the temple and its precincts; confounds and pronounces woes upon His enemies
Leaves city; Olivet Discourse on way back to Bethany
Judas bargains with Sanhedrin to betray Jesus
Spends the night in Bethany

On this day Jesus pours out so much teaching. Read Matthew 25 & 26. The story of the 10 talents always gives me comfort. God gives us responsibilities for His Kingdom according to our gifting and ability. He never intended for us to perform at a superior level beyond what we are capable. But only asked us to be diligent with what we have. What a relief.

Today I want to leave this passage with you: 

"But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." - Jesus

Oh how true this is. Years of living has proven this over and again. I pray often, teach me to be humble and LORD, I humble myself. 

It’s Monday in the Old City. Jerusalem is all a buzz that Jesus, the healer, is at the Temple. Reading through the events of Passion Week Monday, this verse, jumped out at me:

Following Jesus’ rebuke to the religious leaders where He said, “It is written, ‘My House shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a “den of thieves.’”

Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. -Matthew 21:13-14

Jesus healed them!!!! Amen and AMEN!!!

On Monday Jesus:

Leaves Bethany
Curses the fig tree on the way into the city
Weeps over Jerusalem
Cleanses the temple for the second time in His ministry
Late in day, looks into the Temple, then leaves the city
Spends the night in Bethany

I wonder if we might consider an event that occurred earlier in Matthew.

Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.”

Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment.

I wonder sometimes, I just wonder, if we need to be bold enough to put a demand on the healing power that is ours through Jesus? Or perhaps not just bold…. But desperate enough to lean into our faith and pray saying, “If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well.”

Persistence and faith, when married together ARE the touch to the hem of His garment. Pray with belief. Pray every day expecting. Pray and ask for your healing, breakthrough, and your increased portion of the Kingdom.

I’m not naive to say that healing always happens. But, I won’t stop asking just because I’m unable to explain every why or why not. I choose to believe because I have born witness to the miraculous. And if you are waiting for your turn to bear witness, then pray and ask, placing a demand on your faith and move heaven to seek your healing and breakthrough…. It’s the season for both…

It’s Easter!

It may be Monday, but Sunday’s commin!

SUM Nation,

Dineen and I have decided to push the series we are writing into next week because the LORD is prompting us to lead our SUM church through a week of reflection on Easter.

The Holy Spirit impressed upon me to take this week to reflect on each day the events of the Passion Week and allow us to walk with Jesus through it. The death and resurrection of Christ split time in two. It brought about the salvation of the Gentiles and it forever took the keys of death from satan. The implications of the shed blood are freedom, deliverance, healing and protection.

So, walk this week with me as I post a few short scriptures and the events of the week. Ask Jesus to include you into this week. Let the truth of this week and Resurrection Sunday change your life.

Also, begin to pray about asking your spouse to attend church with you. Don’t pressure, pray, ask and be okay with whatever reply comes.

Today is Palm Sunday. It’s the Triumphal Entry into the city of Jerusalem. These are the events of the day. Pull out your Bible and read the account in one of the four Gospels. I love Matthew’s rendition.

Today’s events:

• Jesus' triumphant entrance into Jerusalem
• Spends the night in Bethany

The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
“Hosanna to the Son of David!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”—Matthew 21:9

AMEN! 

In my kitchen is a small house plant. It’s called a Crown of Thorns. I’ve had this particular plant for years. Regretfully, year after year it has been barren. Never producing the pink blossoms I’ve expected. For some strange reason I can’t part with it. Perhaps it's because of the name….

Indeed, this plant’s stock is thorny. And they can grow to become very large and menacing. Many grow here in Southern California and they look imperious and I cringe when I think about Jesus and Good Friday. By the way, why in the world to they call today, “Good Friday.” It was terrible….. But I always remember….

Sunday’s a comin!

They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him. — Matthew 27:28-31

Do you think the Crown of Thorns is significant? Up until just recently, I always thought that the crown was of course, a mockery of His kingship or that it was in some way a spiritual representation that the devil perverted.

But No.

It’s so much more than all of that. The placement of the Crown of Thorns on the head of Christ was pointedly redemptive.

It breaks the curse placed upon the ground when Adam sinned.

 To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.” — Genesis 3:17-18

Everything about today! The day where Jesus mediated the New Covenant and set our redemption into place. Everything about the Crucifixion is meaningful.

This is just one of the many things the blood of Christ redeems.

Today, I received a phone call from Deborah, a Sumites from years gone by. She called me to share how she is hungry for more of God and to share all that the Lord has redeemed in her life. Today, on this day, Good Friday, I weep as I type. I’m overwhelmed as I think of the lives, that I have personally known, that have been redeemed, healed, saved because Jesus gave everything ….. TODAY, on “Good Friday.”

And as I was on the phone, I walked into the kitchen and my little plant, my Crown of Thorns, blooms. And it blooms in petals of perfect white.

I love you so much Jesus. I lack adequate language to say how your love has redeemed everything in my life and those who are part of our SUMite home. We honor you Jesus with words of worship, love and eternal loyalty. I’m so thankful we have all of eternity to love you and honor your sacrifice of this day.

My friends, I’m heading Holy Spirit’s nudge to write about the veil, which hung in the Jewish Tabernacle built by the Israelites and Moses per God's detailed specifications. I've always been fascinated with the veil and how it tore at the moment Jesus died. But let's go back to the first place the veil was established.

It stood as a physical and spiritual separation between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place, an inner room that held the Ark of the Covenant, the very presence of God. Made of finely woven linen and embroidered with blue, scarlet and purple cherubim, the veil hung from gold hooks attached to four posts of acacia wood, which were also overlaid with gold (Exodus 26:31-33). And strict rules determined when and how the priests could enter this Most Holy of Places, which if not adhered to resulted in death.

The Hebrew word for veil holds one unusual definition—separatrix. In mathematics, separatrix is defined as the boundary separating two modes of behavior. Dictionary.com defines it as "something that divides or separates, as the line between light and dark areas on a partially illuminated surface."

This veil would remain in place for hundreds of years, a constant reminder of the separation that existed between man and God due to sin. Darkness on one side, light on the other...

Exodus 28:36-38 speaks of the gold medallion adorning Aaron's turban. He was required to wear this on his turban to bear any guilt of the Israelites when they consecrated their sacred offerings in order to make the people acceptable. As the animal sacrifices were a prophetic representation of the final and complete Sacrificial Lamb, this medallion held the prophetic representation of the the Cross, the finished work of Jesus.

Fast forward to Good Friday, the darkest day of history that would usher in the greatest Light of all. Jesus spoke his last and released His spirit into the Father's hands. 

And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!” — Matthew 27:51-54

Not a simple tear, but a violent act from Heaven. I believe this was the first entrance of God's Kingdom come to earth. Our Heavenly Father gave His Son to remove the barrier and He wanted us to know it. Ripped from top to bottom, the symbolic act clearly tells of the fierce love of God removing the barrier. Nothing would separate God from people for the Son had become the bridge and His Holy Spirit the constant connection.

I am awestruck by this act, so violent yet full of love. A human being would have most likely torn the curtain from the bottom, clearly an act of man. Father God made it clear this tear was by His hand, from top to bottom, from Heaven to Earth. The final declaration of forgiveness and acceptance. 

It shook the earth, split rocks, opened tombs and raised the dead to life. Light had invaded the darkness and brought new life, new beginnings, a new way. The Way, the Truth and the Life.

Jesus.

The old way, with laws etched in stone, led to death, though it began with such glory that the people of Israel could not bear to look at Moses’ face. For his face shone with the glory of God, even though the brightness was already fading away. Shouldn’t we expect far greater glory under the new way, now that the Holy Spirit is giving life? If the old way, which brings condemnation, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new way, which makes us right with God! In fact, that first glory was not glorious at all compared with the overwhelming glory of the new way. So if the old way, which has been replaced, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new, which remains forever! — 2 Corinthians 3:7-11

My friends, I have this image of the veil in my mind, it's weighty fabric musty and old from all the years it hung between God and man. As the ground began to shake, I imagine dust shaking loose from the aged fibers and the weighty fabric undulating gently at first from its golden hooks, then rippling more violently as the earthquake shook the ground and framework of the Tabernacle. 

Then the heavens opened and perhaps a surge of light shot down from the sky, renting the cloth in two with a tearing sound as loud as thunder and startling as the earth shaking beneath it. Almost as if the fabric once thought to be holy now hung as an offense to the One who hung on the cross.

Do you see it, my friends? The tattered edges of the veil, split and rendered useless? Nothing would separate God from His creation any longer. Do you see how the passion of the Christ rendered the veil impotent and powerless?

But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. — 2 Corinthians 3:16-18

The enemy will attempt to replicate the veil in our loves ones, but even he knows the truth, that he wears the shame of defeat and the veil of lies he attempts to project cannot stand up under the light of Jesus. 

And we reflect His light. We reflect His love. We reflect the heart of the Father's love that made a way for ALL to come to Him. And that is the promise of Easter! He is RISEN! He is RISEN INDEED! AMEN!

Happy Easter, my friends. Love you!

I am wondering if any of you will be asking your spouse to attend Easter services with you?

Are you feeling anxious about asking? About Him attending?

Let’s talk about that today in the comments. I’m looking for suggestions and ideas to share with our community to encourage our spouses to attend church and yet preserve the peace in our home and at church, if our spouse decides to join the family.

See you in the comments. Hugs, Lynn

It’s Palm Sunday! I’ll finish up the remaining few posts about my mom’s story in April. Also in April, I’m compelled to talk about weariness. In the last few months, my heart has ached for SUMites who have told me they are weary in the waiting. Man, do I ever feel a revelation of the Spirit coming to speak to weariness in our community!! Look for that in April as well.

BUT TODAY!!!!  Let’s turn our focus, thoughts and worship toward Calvary!

My friends, did you know that everything we will ever need, was accomplished through the cross! Everything, in that moment, was made available to us who believe in Jesus, the Son of God, our Redeemer! 

So often the enemy gets us to look at our struggles. Our challenges. Pain. He is relentless to make sure we focus on the galactic mountain we are facing. He draws us away from the truth of our inheritance, our authority, our provision, and our faith to see the dark and thrust us into fear.

Hallelujah for the Cross!

When we remove our eyes for just a second to look clearly on the truth of the Resurrection, we see that we have everything we need to say to that mountain….. MOVE!!! 

Our resurrected Jesus became a man, to show us, to model for us, exactly how to live a life of victory, love and receive our inheritance as a Child of God right now on earth as well as in eternity.

I know the very mountain that many of you are facing right now. And there are many SUMites who are facing what appears to be unsurmountable cliffs of doom that I can’t even imagine, However, our Jesus is bigger than all of it. Truly!

Today, this hour, take out your Bible. Turn to Matthew 17:20. Underline it! Write the name of the Mountain you want to move and then put 2016! And say aloud the passage.

He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”— Matthew 17:20 NIV

The truth of this single verse just ROCKS my world.. Nothing will be impossible… Jesus, I dream pretty big. I pray even bigger. Lord, the SUMites aren’t cowards. We stand in the cross-hairs every day in our own homes. Jesus, MOVE OUR MOUNTAIN! We cry out. We believe. We believe. WE BELIEVE!!!!

So, today my friends, tell me, how did you come to believe? How old were you? Share your salvation experience. Together let’s thank Jesus together as we were chosen to be children of the Most High God before time began! (Ephesians 1:4) Hallelujah!!

I can’t wait to hear your story and pray over your mountain in the comments. Have an astonishing week. Make plans to attend church. Attend a Friday service if you can. Do some kind of activity with your kids that brings the significance of this week alive in their hearts. I share in our book, Not Alone, how the Resurrection Eggs, greatly impacted my young daughter. This year, I get to open each one with my granddaughter. Oh, my heart swells!

SUMites….. He is risen! Just as He said! AMEN!

I love you, Lynn

Hello SUMite Nation, 

Again!!!!!! 

You did it again! This amazing family on the web emailed and left comments for Heidi that will fill her blossom tree. THANK YOU. You wrote words of faith, hope and love. 

THAT is what the family of God looks like. THAT is unity in Christ. You loved on this woman that you didn’t know. She will be forever touched by your kind words of love, prayers and scripture verses of encouragement. 

I adore you! 

As I’m typing I hear the Holy spirit whisper into my heart, “I’m so proud of the SUMite family. This nation, each person, is stronger than they think. They are mighty in deed and power. And their love reaches far past the darkness. THEY are the unlikely world changers. I love them with a fierce love.” —The Lord Almighty 

My friends, Easter is next Sunday. Today, what I want to do is chat about Jesus. Today let’s give a love offering to Jesus. The Son of God. The redeemer of our lives. Who frees us from the demonic, heals our hearts, souls and illnesses. Jesus who gave us the keys to the Kingdom. 

So, today on Palm Sunday. Share your favorite scripture passage, share your heart, testimony about how Jesus has change your life with faith, hope and love. I CAN’T wait to read the comments this week. 

May the Lord bless you and keep you;
May He make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
May He lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.

See you in the comments. Let’s make this praise-a-thon stir the heavenly host so that they join in. Watch for angels this week!!! Love you so much, Lynn

Hi SUMite Family, 

This week I’m departing from our Joshua and The Walls series. Today I want to share my thoughts and prayer about Passover. And on Friday, I’m sharing a glimpse I had of The Wedding of the Son of God and His Bride. (It’s way cool and perfect for Good Friday. Be sure to stop in then.) 

What is Passover? Passover is a festival of freedom. It commemorates the Israelites’ Exodus from Egypt, and their transition from slavery to freedom. The main ritual of Passover is the Seder, which occurs on the first night. 

As believers we know we are not under the Old Testament law. We are living in the age of grace because of the blood sacrifice of the Lamb of God, Christ Jesus. And as a person who loves God and ponders His ways and thoughts, I’m thinking that many of the ancient feasts and celebrations that He originated still hold meaning and expectation. 

This year’s Passover holds significance to me personally. You see, since December I have been praying for many of you in this SUMite family. Many of you by name. And I mean ALL of you, even if you have never made any personal contact with me nor left your name in a comment. I have prayed for you. 

And this is why. 

Breakthrough is coming for many of you with THIS Passover. 

At the end of last year many of my brothers and sisters in Christ were in the midst of enduring and trying to just survive tremendous spiritual warfare. Many of you have battled a life that seems to have run over you. Circumstances have left you defeated and bereft of hope. And you have been in this dark pit for months now. Many of you are specifically facing crippling financial stresses. There are many who are wrangling with overwhelming anxiety, dark depression, abusive spouses and heartbreak because of wondering children and a litany of other demonic tortures. 

Well my friends, I’ve been praying for you. I’ve been contending for you. For months. I’ve sacrificed in the quiet of the early morning as I beseeched the God of the universe to silence the enemy and bring freedom to the many of you who are held captive and as prisoners of this life’s evils.

My prayers began in December and as I marched through January I began to hear the Lord tell me they will lift. There is a change, a shift, which is ordained of heaven that will happen at Passover. 

THAT’S TOMORROW! 

I’ve been praying for a breakthrough. A breakthrough for many. I’ve been contending for this shift over the home of _________________________ (insert your name because I’ve prayed it.) My breakthrough, although contended for in private and sacrificed in prayer, over the past months will also bring breakthrough to many others. MANY OTHERS. 

THAT’S how our God’s Kingdom rolls!!!!!! 

The honest prayers of one can bring breakthrough for hundreds. I earnestly believe this with all of my heart. So today my friends, if you need this breakthrough to move into a new season with the Lord, declare it now and out loud. 

Father God, I receive this breakthrough on this day. This is the day that You Passover this earth and free me from the grips of the enemy. Lord, and free others from the terror of the evil one. Today, Lord, I receive my deliverance just as you delivered our ancestors long ago. You freed them from the tyranny of slavery and gave them a land flowing with milk and honey. Today, Lord, I too declare in front of the Kingdom of God my freedom day. 

I will promise to seek you with all of my heart from this day forward. I make a new and lasting covenant to pursue you with a relentless hunger. I will also step out of my bondage and make it my life’s purpose to free others who are on the road behind me. 

Today, I rebuke and break off any stronghold or bondage of the enemy that has kept me from stepping into my rightful inheritance as a child of the Most High God. And I slam the door shut on any lies I have believed that the devil has used to tell me anything that is not truth about myself and my circumstances. 

Lord, My Holy God, I receive my freedom by the holy blood of the Passover Lamb, Jesus Christ, Your Son. And I will live all of my days from this day forward, pursuing peace, joy and love. I will choose to love you with my whole heart and spend the rest of my life loving people. 

I declare and decree my deliverance, my future that is abundant, and ask today that you show me now where you have made my path straight that I may get on with bringing Your Kingdom to earth. 

In the most powerful name in all creation and the heavenly realms, Jesus, The Christ. The Passover Lamb of God. AMEN.

I have contended for you. I absolutely believe many of you will begin to see hints of the freedom that has just been released upon your life today. My friends, now give thanks to our Papa, Jesus and the Dove for you are been released to receive your full inheritance. In Jesus name. 

I love you. I will always contend for your lives, marriage and children. I will never stop standing in the gap when you are weak and unable. I am your friend and your prayer warrior. Your sister in Christ, Lynn

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Rejoice in the Lord always! And again, I say rejoice!

He IS risen!

I don't know about you, but that reality makes me wanna party like a rock-star (a holy rock-star, of course!). :-D

He is due worship and praise and adulation beyond your wildest imaginations.

Give Him his due today, guys! :-) Celebrate the miraculous truth that Christ lives!  

Lord God,

I come before you with such excitement! Such grateful, thankful, overwhelming excitement! My savior lives! He lives! He rose up and left his grave clothes behind! He lives, so that we can too. With You. For all eternity. We worship You, Holy One. We praise Your mighty, matchless name! Thank you Lord that You gave us a sin-bearer and that he willingly took the cup You placed before him. Oh Father we adore you! May we take the spirit of Easter with us every day. May we daily live our lives in remembrance of the sacrifice and in the great freedom of the new covenant of grace. We thank you and we praise you Lord. In Christ's name. Amen.

 HAPPY RESURRECTION SUNDAY, ALL!!!!  

Ro

I Remember - And You Should, Too 

I'm sitting at my desk, thinking about the week leading up to Easter and how every day has ministered to me personally as I sat down to share. 

The post for yesterday.. Wow... I'm not a shouter. I'm not a super vocal worshipper, but this whole week the Holy Spirit has just been so ALIVE inside me as I have worked through these posts. 

I remember that place in my walk where conviction rested so heavily on me and I began to grasp the fact that I am a MESS. I remember recognizing that I had grieved the Lord, that I had hurt him, that he suffered because of me. And then in that same breath, He showed me that no matter who I was - or even am, or what I've done, His love for me is as great now as it was before I cost him his life... 

I suppose that this could be a day filled with study and meditation and some great activity to remind us of the beauty that is the Christ, but gang, we don't need any of that. 

All we need is Jesus. 

Let your heart & spirit testify today. Remember where you were. Remember what it felt like when you realized exactly what you cost the Lord... 

Go to him today and talk with him. Ask him to remind you - and then ask him to show you who you are now. Ask him to minister to you. Take your delight in him and welcome his delight in you today as you await the celebration that is tomorrow. 

I love you gang, and I hope that you have had a wonderful, worshipful, reflective week...

Ro

Isaiah 53:5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we ARE healed. 

They beat him. They pierced his body. They brutalized him and hung him on a cross. Then they watched him die.

They shamed him. Then they watched him die.

All because of me. 

And he took it. 

All because of me.

I am so convicted when I think of the cost of his love. I am just so convicted... 

But ya'll! Look at the emphasis in the verse. Just look at it. All the abuse Christ took, all the pain he bore, is in the past. It. Is. Finished. Finished. All done. Never to be done again. There is no need, because when my Jesus hung his head on that cross and died, he finished it for all eternity. 

The moment he died, he saved me. He saved you! Because he bore our pain, our shame, our torment, we are continually redeemed. We ARE healed. Are, as in, "in the present state of". It will never be taken from us, the gift of constant pardon from our overwhelming humanity... 

I type this and I am so frustrated because my words fail me. I cannot possibly convey the enormity of what Christ gave us that day on Calvary. My heart just wants to shout - one of those old down home black Baptist church shouts *grins*! And really. If anything is worth a shout, the fact that someone who didn't have to, paid for my mess - and then loved me after it - sure should be. Oh ya'll... As SUMites, this should resonate deeply and convict us beyond explanation. 

Ya'll... 

Tetelestai. It is finished. 

Lord,

I don't know what to say. I don't even know how to come to You right now. How could you ever have loved me so? How could you ever have been so passionate for me? Thank you Lord that it is finished. In Jesus' Name. Amen. 

*insert church-lady shout here* :-) 

Love you.
Ro