This week I did something fun: I went on the radio here in New Zealand to talk about 'How to continue to be strong in your faith when your husband or wife is not a believer.'
New Zealand, where I live, only has 4 million people, but nevertheless there are a good few SUMites who live here. Of course, most of you live in the USA, UK, South Africa, and Australia, along with other parts of the world. Isn't it just amazing how we can congregate online, despite our diversity!
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this 'Kiwi' chat at Radio Rhema, with Diane Campbell who's pictured here. You can have a listen by clicking on the link below:
It’s an honor and privilege to share with the listeners on the Equipped show with Chris Books, Moody Radio, the amazing journey I took marching around Jericho and my unsaved spouse's faith journey. Chris is an amazing host and our conversation covered many aspects of living and praying for our unsaved spouses.
The broadcast interview will be Tuesday, July 7 from 1 to 2 pm CENTRAL; 11-12 noon PACIFIC time. Visit the station and listen in: Moody Radio
Welcome to all who have come to this church without walls, to find love, encouragement and hope for your marriage.
If you are new, grab your copy of Marching Around Jericho, and start your march this week. Also, visit our new here page and find our community. Leave a prayer request in the comments and we will pray for you. You can connect in a number of ways through the blog comments, on Facebook, Instagram.
If you want more information and free resources to help you on your march visit, MarchingAroundJericho.com. Click on the Equipping center.
I’m deeply thankful to Chris Brooks and Moody Radio for allowing me to share the hope I have. And to share that we can learn to love, live and thrive in faith and our marriages while we pray for our spouse’s salvation
It was awesome to spend time speaking with Maria Rodrigues in London, England. Maria is the host for Woman to Woman show on Premier Christian Radio. It was a fantastic interview. Thank you, Maria. You are a woman who God loves. Hope you can listen in as Maria and I discuss the real issues related to unequally yoked marriages. Hugs, Lynn
I want to tell you what happened when I asked Dineen to marry me. *grin*. I didn’t really ask her to marry me but I did do something extraordinary. But I must move the end of that story to next Friday.
Today I want to give you a heads up. Dineen and I flew to Arkansas in January. We were privileged to be guests again on FamilyLife Radio with Dennis Rainey and Bob Lepine. These interviews were unlike all of our others.
Now It’s hard for me to remember all the topics we discussed but I know we tackled pornography and marriage. The difficulty and hope for raising kids. I know I had a very unexpected response to this question: What would you say to an unbelieving spouse who is listening to this broadcast right now.
Dineen and I have very different answers but when you put them together they were a perfect reply to this question.
Please find a station near you and listen in beginning Monday, March 10. Then again on Tuesday and our final interview is on Wednesday.
Here is a link to LAST YEAR’S interviews (click here).
And more than anything, please pray for those who are feeling alone in their mismatched marriage. There have been so many private emails this week that have torn my heart. There are so many who need a fresh word of hope from our Great King. And pray for all the newbies who will find this amazing family on the web next week.
I love you my friends. Have an amazing week in His Presence. Hugs, Lynn
My friends, Lynn and I had a fabulous time at FamilyLife Today with Dennis Rainey and Bob Lepine last week. These two men have such HUGE hearts for families and marriage. What a privilege it was for us to share our hearts with them. And they asked us some really challenging questions! Good questions. As soon as we get the details of the broadcast, we will share it with you.
SUMites, you know our hearts desire is to encourage wives and moms in their mismatched places, in ALL walks of life and circumstances. And I see that desire in so many of you too. Abba has given us so much! So much hope and strength in our mismatched places. It just bursts out of us. That's why we wrote Not Alone. And let me say how grateful we are to our publisher, Regal Books, who believed in our message and ministry. These people are dedicated to Jesus and sharing His saving hope. Amazing!
In greatest honor to our sweet Jesus, I have a couple testimonies for you. My friend, testimonies are POWERFUL (Rev. 12:11). The enemy knows this and wants to keep us quiet and will even squelch us down if he can. Trust me, I know (and will hopefully share more on this soon). That's because he knows that testimonies increase faith and hope, and release God's power in our lives, our marriages, our children and the world! As Lynn and I sat on the plane on the way home, she turned to me and said, "We need more testimonies." And I agreed.
Yesterday as I walked and prayed I asked Abba for this, for more of His miracles to be released in this community and to bring us more testimonies. He will do it!
This first one is from our book and you'll recognize Gillian's name too. She is a righteous mama contending for her kiddos! I love how she used her children's toys to teach her children! Moms, don't be afraid to ask the Holy Spirit to inspire you with ideas like this. It's fun!
I read a short story from a children’s Bible, and we sing a praise song or hymn each night at bedtime. “Jesus Loves Me” has become a favorite. Because they are very young, I sometimes use figurines and toys to act out Bible stories—it’s simple, but it really holds their attention and makes the story come to life for them—and for me.
This is what I pray on the nights when I put my young boys to bed:
Dear Lord, thank You for _______, _______ and _______. Thank You for Your love for them and Your special plan for each of their lives. Please bless them and keep them, and lead them all their days. May they always know Your great love for them.
The last line I find especially important. That is the one thing everything hinges on, because it is when we lose sight of how much God loves us that we tend to fall away from Him. But even when life’s not fun, if we can still feel His love, it makes all the difference.
—Gillian Russell Meisner
This next testimony is one sent in by a reader. So amazing! As you read it, claim that this kind of miracle is possible for you too, becaue with God, ALL things are possible (Luke 1:37).
Hi Dineen, I'm so sorry I missed the opportunity to join the week of fasting with the community, but I have no doubt that all will be blessed as a result.
We exchanged emails last year when I was going through a tough patch in my marriage and you gave such encouragement and wise words to me through that time.
Well, I wanted to share briefly with you the latest to encourage that God does hear our heart's cry and moves on our behalf, but He also looks for us to actively get involved too. Obedience and His power seem to go hand in hand - Father is so gracious that way, He loves to do things with us.
2013 was a tough year and continued to have challenges in my marriage right up to the end. But even I wasn't prepared for the conversation 2 weeks before Christmas that saw my husband announce the end of our 12 year marriage (and a relationship of 18 years). I was devastated but I knew that God had given me the strength to finally say no to something that was tearing us apart and was unbelievably unhealthy for our marriage and our souls.
Now my husband is a man who, when he makes his mind up, does not bend even if he is in the wrong. When he said our marriage was finished, I had no reason to doubt him. But only 5 days later he took my hand and said that this situation was very wrong, a waste of 18 years and that he didn't want to be without me.
I was stunned. Was this possible? Only with God, I would have to say! I knew that the prayers I had been praying and those of supportive Christian friends had been heard.
Then my second shock that night - I once again asked him to consider counselling. He has never agreed to counselling as he doesn't think it does any good. However, as he began his protestations, God directed me to say that surely if we wanted to save an 18 year relationship, counselling as a last resort was worth a try. He said, amazingly, that he would agree to "consider" a selection that I would provide him with. Again, this is a huge step forward.
So instead of the expected disaster of Christmas and the New Year, my beloved was just wonderfully kind to me, loving and sweet. It was the best Christmas present I could ever have.
Then, as if to add a cherry on this wonderful "cake", God brought another present to me. My husband has a sharp mind with an ability to debate and contest. I'm far more a feeling, sensing person, so he runs rings around me usually on the rare occasions we discuss Christianity.
However, the first Saturday into the new year, out of the blue we meandered through topics of conversation and ended up talking "religion." As mentioned above, I'm not very good at debating, certainly not compared to my husband but, this time, the Holy Spirit just dropped words into my mind and unbelievably my husband was arrested by them to the point that he was nearly speechless. A first in my experience!
The key moment was when, in response to one of his statements, I said I largely agreed with his comments on religion, but that faith in Jesus was actually about a relationship with a personality rather than an organisation. I was even able to share Psalm 139 with him.
Trust me when I say this was a big breakthrough. I'm not expecting my husband to become a Christian tomorrow, but I truly believe that something has been loosed in the spiritual realm to open his heart further to God. So whilst we still have a way to go, still need to get that counselling sorted and deal with our issues, I know that my Father has this marriage in His hands and that He will withhold no good thing from us for it's renewal and healing.
Amazing, amazing, AMAZING! And so GOD! As this dear woman said, God loves to do things with us. Have an amazing weekend bathed in the promises of our Lord and Savior, Jesus. He is mighty to save—ALL of us!
My friends, I know I said last week that we’d be discussing Luke chapters one and two today, but we have a lot going on at the moment in the radio-sphere, the blogosphere, the web-sphere and a few other places that we want to make sure you get to take part in. So today’s post is kind of a coral ‘em up and keep you “posted” day. We will go back to our journey with Mary and Joseph either Saturday or next Wednesday. And I’m working on a little gift for you too—something you’ll be able to download and enjoy. Stay tuned for that!
So here’s what’s happening, SUMites!
Lynn will be on 700 Club Interactive tomorrow morning from 11:00 to 11:30 am Eastern time. I’m SO excited to catch this LIVE interview. Let’s keep her in our prayers and pray for those who Abba brings our way as a result of this wonderful opportunity to share His love. Click HERE to watch.
The interview we did in August with Dr. Dobson made their “Best of the Best in 2013” list. Yay! God is GOOD! They will be re-airing the show Thursday and Friday. Click HERE to listen each day. And again, please pray for those hearts that God touches with renewed hope and leads them here so we can encourage, love and pray for them. This is our SUMite Nation at its best! Woohoo!!!
How’s your community project/random act of kindess going? So exciting! Can’t wait to hear your stories too. I have one I’m looking forward to sharing with you about a trip to the grocery store—shocked me and the woman I had the chance to share God’s love and blessings with. Abba is so awesome!
Here’s another story I’d love to share with you about my daughter Leslie, and her generous heart. Read “Shocking the World with Generosity,” HERE. I want to be just like her when I grow up.
Our very own Martha Bush has a post up by Lynn at her site, Martha’s Blog. “The Home with the Open Door.” Go and check out this inspiring article about powerful parenting HERE.
That about sums up what’s happening at SUM! (Yes, goofy pun intended.) Have an amazing week, my friends. Now let’s close with a prayer for all those moms and dads out there (inlcuding us!) who worry about raising their children to know Jesus.
King Jesus, You are our Best Friend, our Comforter, our Strength and the Author and Perfecter of our faith. Lord, I ask that You renew, strengthen and restore every mom and dad who is reading this right now. Pour out Your Spirit over each one and over their homes and children. Fill each one with new hope that they CAN raise their little ones to know You, because You are right there helping us do it—every day, every hour and with every single prayer. Leave no doubts in their hearts and minds that You are pouring out Your love and blessings over them. Abba, let this be the day that we take a step of faith and say, “Yes, we can raise our children to know Jesus, because we are not alone. The Creator of the universe has invested His Son in our children and HE WILL NOT FAIL! In Your Holy and Powerful Name, Jesus, amen!
Love you, my precious friends! Take that step of faith and BELIEVE James 5:16. As believers we bear the righteousness of Jesus and our prayers are powerful and effective! Amen!
I want to encourage all of our new friends who found our community here yesterday. And I want to love and encourage those who find us today.
Mostly I want to encourage our entire family who meets here every day to share life, love and our Savior. I adore you. Thank you for loving each other and our Jesus.
Today, the Family Talk broadcast will talk about raising children in a spiritually mismatched home. I’m absolutely passionate about this issue. Truly, when I was a young mom, I feared that my husband’s unbelief would influence my daughter, perhaps even affecting her eternity. But....
Our newest book that releases October 7, 2013 is all about this topic. And I promise you, God showed up while Dineen and I wrote it. Today, I want to offer you an excerpt from that book.
While I was writing the last chapter, I discovered a profound passage in scripture that applies to all of us. And to find out what that is, you need to buy the book. (yep, sorry a teaser). But as I finished the last chapter, I remember being out on my walk n pray and feeling frustrated. It was as if the story wasn’t yet finished. So finally out of frustration I asked God, “Lord, what do YOU want to say to all mothers.”
My friends, God was waiting for me to ask. And immediately He began to download to my mind……
A Letter.
It’s a letter that God has written to all moms. And today, I share His love letter with you.
It’s currently uploaded on our Ministry site. So click over there. Read it. Weep. I kid you not, I cry each time I read it. I really do. And I wrote it. Sheesh! Well I only put it to paper (so to speak). Anyhoo, click over when you have an uninterrupted minute and receive this word from our God who loves you.
I’m ordinary. I’m a mom, a wife, a weekend gardener and a
follower of Jesus. I’m a believer who is sold out for my Papa, Daddy and I
refuse to live lifeless Christianity any longer. I believe the Bible. Every
Word.
I love people and like flowers. I see God’s face in nature. Every…. single….. day…. I hear His voice and I live on the edge because God
likes surprises and He still training me. I refuse to live a comfortable faith
because that JUST NOT GOOD ENOUGH anymore. I am in His army and I’ve been
bloodied but I’ve also watch God move in the supernatural that leaves me
undone. ON THE FLOOR…. undone.
Children are God’s best gift in life. And I believe in
marriage and as a follower of Jesus I can THRIVE in my marriage, parenting and
live a life of joy and abundance--God’s abundance.
I am a woman who prays with real belief and passion asking for more
love to love my God and His people and to especially love the un-lovely in my sphere
influence.
I’m a bit zany, ask Dineen! And I have blonde moments. But, I KNOW my Lord and He knows me. I love fall leaves and
Fantasy Football, and also my whacky dog, Peanut. I can’t wait to get up in the
morning to see what adventures my Daddy has instore for me.
Life is full. It’s sometimes pain. It’s often puzzling and
yet absolutely astonishing because I spend it with Jesus.
I’ve seen feathers falling from the sky where they shouldn’t,
I find doves everywhere (My every day miracles), I’ve had gold dust
appear on my hands and I’ve been overwhelmed to the point of shaking under the
love and power of my God. I believe in the gifts of the Spirit and that His
Holy Presence is walking with me and sits upon my right shoulder. I’ve prayed
for healing for me and others and to my complete amazement, God answers my prayers.
I’m an ordinary woman who will settle for nothing less than
being a sold out Jesus follower for the rest of my life.
Join me and let’s do this journey together. Dineen and I
share our hearts, our homes and our love for our Papa here. It’s a safe place
where you can find refuge from the world. A place where judgment dies and
people are free. This place is where Jesus shows up on the web and changes us.
He really changes us and He is good. We are a family here and our passion is to love God with
all of our heart and to love people.
It’s one of the best places in the world, the heart of God.
And if you are new here, you are in for the ride of your life. Today may be the
day you too will join us and become a follower of Jesus and leave life-less
Christianity behind… Because we want the miracles. And God does not disappoint.
We love you so very much.
Lynn Donovan & Dineen Miller
Okay, in the comments, TELL ME, WHO ARE YOU?
Visit, Mismatched & Thriving for more information and resources for the Spiritually Mismatched. And a GREAT BIG WELCOME to all who found us through Dr. Jame's Dobson's Family Talk.
There are a lot of things happening in our SUMite Nation
over the next couple of weeks.
On Wednesday, we will be ready to launch our new Ministry
website. And we will be asking you to partner with us to welcome in the
newbies. We, the mismatched, who have been walking this road for some time, can
wrap our love and cyber arms around those who find our home in the next few days.
We can pray and encourage and let God’s people know that we have hope. We have
hope for the supernatural. We have hope for the salvation of our spouse. We
have hope knowing our children will be centered in the will of God. And we KNOW
that living in the Presence…. Changes EVERYTHING!
Watch for that announcement here on Wednesday.
On Thursday please tune in and find a radio station that
carries Dr. James Dobson’s Family Talk broadcasts. On Thursday AND Friday
Dineen and I will be guests with Dr. Dobson and his son, Ryan Dobson. We had an
absolutely divine and anointed time with these two men. And our broadcast discussions
are filled with some of our zany and God-sized personal stories about God’s
faithfulness, love, and how we live and thrive in our marriages. And what
turned out to be just fantastic is that Dr. Dobson was so excited about our new
book, we spent an hour talking about that. So, you will hear some stories we
share in the book. And I also remember Dineen discussing a sticky subject of a
controlling spouse.
We are humbled that God opened this door and especially for
me personally. I will share more about my story and Dr. Dobson on Thursday. It’s
gooooood!!! I promise.
Also start thinking about making a commitment to our week of
prayer and fasting that will begin the Tuesday following Labor Day. Tamara, one
of our long time SUM family members suggested we spend a week on focused prayer
for ourselves. This will be a time to dwell in God’s Presence and to search His
Word and pray for our personal relationship and strength for our marriage and parenting.
Dineen and I thought, What a good idea!
So, watch for posts to this purpose the first week of
September. And by the way, Rosh Hashanah is Thursday of that week. Plan to fast
on that day. I will be sharing some insight to how this Jewish High Holy Day is
something for us as modern day believers to consider. It’s cool!!!
If you could, would you share our button below on your
Facebook wall or on Pinterest. No pressure but you might very well help a
struggling wife or husband who is thinking they are all alone in this unequally
yoked journey. We want them to find hope, community, and love.
Have an amazing week walking in the Powerful Presence. I
love you, Lynn
My friends, I'm so pumped that I get to share some pictures and the cool stuff God did while we were in Colorado Springs doing our taped interview with Dr. Dobson and his son, Ryan Dobson, two incredible men of God!
When we flew into Denver Wednesday, we went pick up our rental car. Before you leave the lot you have to be check by the security guard. This man was so friendly from the get go and asked the usual questions like what brings you to Colorado. We told him why we were there and next thing we knew this dear man, James, was down on his knees next to our car praying for us! (We sensed he might be a believer.) He said it was an honor to do so because he'd rather think of other people instead of his own stuff. LOL! What a blessing! Angel is disguise? I don't know but I know God sent this man to pray for us and bless us. And that he did.
Here's James getting ready to pray for us!
Then on we went to our hotel and settled in for the night. The next day we rose bright and early and had breakfast, then off we went for a walk and some worship time before heading to FamilyTalk.
Dineen and Lynn at FamilyTalk. Woohoo!
Here is a picture of us with Naomi, our producer for the show. She is a stunning woman of beauty and a heart for God. She shared with us how her family grew up listening to Dr. Dobson but never dreamed one of them would wind up working in his ministry. We had a chance to pray with her at the end too. We also met Laura Lynn who is an associate producer and handled the show as well. Somehow we didn't get a picture of her but the entire staff at FamilyTalk was wonderful! So full of joy! Each one blessed us with their precious smiles.
Dineen, Naomi and Lynn
Before the taping, we sat in Dr. Dobson's office and talked with him and his son, Ryan, about our book, Winning Him Without Words, our amazing community here (yes, we carried you with us, SUMites!), and our heart to share what God has so graciously done in our lives and this community. Lynn asked for prayers last week to give Dr. Dobson the message God wanted her to share with him specifically and she was able to do that beautifully! God provided just the right moment. Thank you for those prayers, precious friends!
Our time in the studio went so fast. We wound up taping two shows. The first one will be about Winning Him, and the second will focus on our book coming out in October, Not Alone. We didn't expect that to happen at all! Again, God just blessed us over and over again through the entire trip.
Ryan Dobson, Dineen, Lynn and Dr. James Dobson
When we find out the airdates we will let you know. Please pray for blessings and continuing growth and prosperity over the FamilyTalk ministry.
Thank you again, SUMites, for all your prayers. We are so grateful for your support and we love you all so much. Words just can't express how much we adore you and carry you with us in our hearts and prayers. Dineen
So, it’s kinda weird for me to listen to myself talk on
radio.
But it’s even weirder to listen to myself talk on the radio
with my husband standing right next to me. Sheesh! But, my guy did listen to
the portion of the broadcast where Dennis spoke to him over the airwaves.
Dennis said something like, “Hi Mike. It’s pretty cool that
you are not threatened by your wife’s faith.”
Then Dennis followed up with a few more statements. As I
watched my husband’s face while Dennis was speaking, I felt strange. So, I
stopped the recording and asked, “So what do you think about what Dennis said
that there is a book titled Winning Him
Without Words and that “him” is you?”
Well my low-key husband replies, “Well it certainly is much
better than badgering me.”
Vintage Mike Donovan, folks!!!!
I just had to laugh. I then pressed a bit further and asked
him about where he is on his faith journey. THAT is always scary and I rarely
ask. And as you might imagine I received a non-committal shrug.
Ugh!!!!!
This journey of the unequally yoked is sure an emotional
one. Some days I’m convinced it’s only a matter of hours and then some days,
his salvation is way, way off in the distance.
It’s a back and forth between convinced hopefulness and
disappointment.
And I’m finding I’m not alone in all this.… There are those
who have emailed me recently who are so discouraged by the victories they read
about in other’s marriages. Then there are those who have emailed me recently
who are discouraged because they are not reading about many victories in other’s
marriages.
I understand both and I want to hug every one of you. I
think at SUM we must be real enough about the real struggles and yet we MUST
continue to focus on the victories. We need people who are finding power and
authority in Christ to lead us forward. In this place we will always have some
at both ends of the spectrum.
For example, a few weeks ago Dineen shared a wonderful story
about her family Thanksgiving. For her it was as if she was able to catch a
glimpse, a reward, for all of the hard years of pouring into her children. She
experienced a new level of peace and love with her husband. Well, honestly,
that was difficult for me to read. And you know why, because after my son left
on Wednesday, Thanksgiving Day dawned and my husband and I launched into a
fight, complete with me screaming and lots of tears. Sheesh!
I have to say that it’s been a long, long time since we have
struggled in that kind of a conflict. It surprised me. It hurt. It was awful.
Thankfully, we’ve moved forward.
Anyhow, all this to say that there is a place here for all
of us. Dineen and I are far from perfected. We still struggle with our
marriages, with raising our kids to faith, even in our own faith journeys at
times. But, it does get easier. The pain doesn’t last as long. Mistakes are forgiven
more quickly and more than anything we learn to love better, deeper through the
power of Jesus Christ.
So, today I want you to receive this special encouragement.
I want you to own it. To KNOW it. To let it live inside of you with such truth
and passion that the fiery darts of the enemy just bounce off because of it.
Say this with me now:
I am treasured by God.
I am beautiful to God.
I am loved by God, His son, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
God always has His best for me. I will lack nothing. I will
rise above all things and soar on wings like eagles. I will taste of the good
life just because I am His. I will live in victory, love, peace and will
fulfill my purpose and His plans. I will be happy and will proclaim the gospel
is the living hope of the world.
My friends, we are so loved by our Lord. And I’m convinced
that we must truly KNOW this in our bones. So, for the next few weeks we are
going to be talking about love. It is a power that can conquer all things and
we have it within us.
Come back Monday because it’s time to talk about an area so
many of us struggle with. How do we love ourselves? Ooooooh, it’s going to be
good. Because when we figure this out, our husband’s unbelief loses all power
and authority over us.
And then stay tuned for January because we are going to be
on the F.B.I. watch list…. *grin* More to come on that. You will love it.
I love you my warrior friends. Choose love this day and tell
someone you love them. Hugs, Lynn
We are psyched to be on the FamilyLife Today broadcast Monday, today, through
Wednesday. In
the broadcast Dennis Rainey and Bob Lepine welcome Dineen, me
(Lynn) and another guest, Darla Stone, to share our stories. I think today is
also when Dennis stops the broadcast to say something to my husband over the airwaves.
I’m still freaked out about it and I will share more on what my husband thought
about that later in the week. But today, Dineen and I just want to welcome listeners
and wrap our arms around you. (To listen to the broadcast online or find a
station, click here.)
My friends, those of you who are part of our amazing
community and all of you who are just finding us today, we love you. Dineen and
I, Lynn, are walking in the trenches with you. We are just ordinary wives
and moms who love our pre-believer spouses, our kids and we love Jesus with all
of our heart, mind, soul and strength.
If you are reading this today, it’s not an accident that you
find yourself here. God has heard your cry to know Him more and to grow in His
love. Some of us have been part of this community for years. I myself, have been
married to my pre-believing spouse for over 20 years. Some of us are relatively
new to this group of amazing believers and some of you may be joining us for
the first time today because you heard Dineen and me on the radio.
All of us who call this little place on the web home, we
want you to know that we are honestly here to pray for you today. So many of us
have come through the fire and are now waiting to take you by name to the mercy
seat of grace in prayer. So my friends find your courage, your Joshua courage,
and leave your prayer request in the comments, click on comments below this
post.
If you are new here, please spend a few minutes here and get
to know us. Click on the links in the sidebar, Join Us, which is a short description
of our ministry. Also, visit the Community Map and see where we are all located
around the globe and add your name.
Please click on the New Here link. There are a ton of
resources to help you take real steps forward in community and in your
marriage. Listen to some of the videos. Join us on Facebook. Visit our book
website, Winning Him Without Words, there are free resources there as well
(resources).
Mostly ask the Lord now to ignite in you a renewed passion
for Jesus and for your spouse. Allow the Lord to begin a new work in you and
then my friends….. STAND BACK and be astonished at all that God is going to do
in your life.
Today I want to remind all of us in this community about one
thing. One truth that changes everything….
Jesus.
The Anointed One, the Messiah
Jesus makes all the difference in every circumstance. When
you feel defeated and so alone in your mismatched marriage that your heart
physically aches. When you feel like there isn’t one soul who knows your pain.
When you are facing tremendous trials and feel that no one in the world is
praying for you, that you are all by yourself, I want you to remember this and never forget it.
JESUS IS praying for you. He is standing before the Father beseeching
His favor, grace, love, joy and comfort for you.
...Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Romans 8:34
It’s never about, why is
this happening to me. It’s ALWAYS about, what are You showing me in this.
Jesus is always with us.
Jesus never fails. Jesus will never leave us nor forsake us. Dineen and I are
living, breathing testimonies to these truths.
So link arms with us
today and defy the enemy and his lies. We are people of God. We have victories
ahead for us, for our marriages, our children and for a world in desperate need
of our Savior.
We love you. We REALLY
love you. Please share a little about yourself with us in the comments and let us know how we can
pray for you this day. Love and hugs, Lynn and Dineen.
Photos from our
adventures with the FamilyLife Broadcast:
One of my favorites from our trip
Darla Stone and Tonda Nations, Research & Guest Relations, FLT
Max Lucado, Lynn Donovan
Dineen Miller, Max Lucado
Dennis, Bob and Max (They recorded before us)
In the production room
Family Life
Joanne Kraft, Dineen Miller, Lynn Donovan: Dinner at Crackerbarrel
Dennis Rainey, stops the broadcast and speaks directly to my
husband, Mike.
My friends, this is the craziest, bestest, radio interview with
Dineen and I to date. As I told you yesterday, I was able to listen in before
the BIG DAY… And I about fell on the floor when I heard Dennis Rainey start
talking to my husband. I had completely forgotten about this exchange. I can’t
wait to hear your thoughts about it all.
Dineen and I are praying that God will help men and women to
“happen” on to a radio station exactly when we are on the air to find us at SUM.
(oh ya, like it’s a coincidence, *grin*) We know so many are out there who feel
alone in this crazy journey of the unequally yoked. We WANT them to find all of
us.
We are desperate to tell them that Jesus can and WILL make
all the difference in their marriages and their lives and that Jesus brings
healing, hope and JOY!
Everyone, this broadcast is also about all of you. We don’t
want it to be about us. It is our community which God has blessed. It’s about
the love and the power that flows through all of us. So may Dineen and I humbly
ask you to help us next week?
Will you please decide today to partner with someone who
lands on our site Monday and then again on Tuesday and once more on Wednesday?
Will you see some young wife who is brave enough to leave a comment on the site
and will you pray for her right there in the comments? Will you give your name
and offer your love? Can you tell her you know how she feels? Can you say to
her, there is hope? There is always hope because we serve the great God of the
universe.
Stop in once, twice or more each day. Pray for more than one
newcomer. Pray for each other if you want. Just be present in the comments to
love one another. So many of you have come so far in your journey and as you
share your love, your testimonies, two amazing things happen in the spiritual
realm. One: You OVERCOME… by the word of your testimony and TWO: you give great
honor to our Lord.
Do you remember where you were when you first found this
online place? So, walk this out with us and share all that God has done in your
life.
So I ask you today: Are you in? (Let me know in the
comments)
I love you so much. Our Great God is preparing us to ROCK
this world. The devil quakes when this community is in action. So let’s kick
butt and take some names for the sake of Christ.
Before that however, let me just tell you that I have been reading the prayers you left for Dineen and me. I promise you, I burst into tears, sobbing at times over the love and caring you poured into our lives. I will be printing them out and saving them in my Daily Bible and as you know, that is where my most precious memories live. ~Thank you, Lynn
Okay now.
Are you ready for a little fun?
Tweet... Tweet... #WinningHim
Well tomorrow Dineen and I along with the Twitter guys at Focus on the Family, @FocusMarriage, are going to have a Twitter Forum.
Say what?
Well, I’m glad you asked. *giggle*
For all of you who Twitter and Tweet and even those of you who don’t, join in the fun as we Tweet along with Focus Marriage on Friday, March 23rd Noon-1 Pacific. So that’s 2-3 p.m. Central and 3-4 p.m. Eastern. We hope to peak a little curiosity in our upcoming broadcast on Monday and Tuesday.
Follow or join the conversation using the hash tag #WinningHim.
Take a peek at this hash tag now. There are already some tweets singing. (Do tweets sing such as birdies or do they only post???) I’m not sure?
We plan to have a lively conversation and work our way through some great questions. For example:
How do you handle praying at the dinner table?
What unique ways do you flirt with your spouse? (Keep it G-rated!)
How does your relationship with Christ help you love your spouse?
I’m looking forward to hearing from you. Dineen and I would be so thankful if you are a Twitterer (is that a word?) and would join us on Friday for a few minutes or even the whole hour. Help us reach out to those who use this social media. We also will have the live feed up on our site Friday.
So tune in, join Twitter, get ready to tweet, retweet, and answer the questions. We will be looking for you our community and will give you a special shout out in the future.
We can never express fully how your love and prayers have filled our hearts. Thank you with eternal love and gratitude, Lynn and Dineen
Lynn and I just had one of our lively phone conversations—this one in preparation for our Focus on the Family broadcast scheduled for March 26th and 27th. There will also be a Twitter "party" on Friday—stay tuned for details on that.
But we need your help. God is throwing open doors to this ministry that we never imagined possible. We hoped, we prayed, but did we dare to dream? Yes, but not on this level. God is AMAZING!!!
So, how can you help?
We need your prayers. This community has proven to be a huge blessing for all of us—a place of safety to seek prayer, encouragement and understanding. We are expecting the upcoming events to bring new people into our midst as they find out they are not alone in their mismatched marriage, that there are others walking this path who care and can come along side them in prayer, and that God is showing them the way to thrive (not just survive) in their mismatched marriage.
Will you start praying for them now? Ask God to bring the men and women He wants to hear the Focus on the Family broadcast and to this site for more resources. Ask God to strengthen them and to show them His wild hope.
And finally, Lynn and I would like to ask you to pray for us and our marriages. We need protection. You above all else understand the spiritual warfare that surrounds all of us, especially when we are fighting for our marriages and for God's kingdom. The enemy would like nothing better than to discredit our testimonies by tearing our marriages apart. Please pray for our protection.
Leave your prayers in the comments for us—we'd love to read them and be encouraged by your precious words as we prepare for the upcoming events and seek God's leading in all of it.
All of this is because of God and for His glory alone. We are so grateful for every one of you. You are the reason we are here—to share God's comfort and strength. Now it's your turn. Let's make God proud.
Join Marsha Harwood & Julie Hunsucker at Grace Café ~ Sharing Life, Hope and a Cup of Coffee; a place for women to grow in grace together, every Monday @ 11:00 Eastern Time 8:00 am Pacific on CWA Radio.
Marsha and Julie are joined by Lynn Donovan for a frank discussion about marriage, divorce and remarriage.
Isn't marriage supposed to make us happy? Is divorce the only option? Struggling with feelings of guilt and shame?
Whether you are happy or unhappy in your marriage, divorced or considering divorce, this program is for you. Maybe you know someone who is going through a divorce or is divorced. Marsha, Julie and Lynn want to help you help your friend with compassionate and biblical ways to bring hope, healing and comfort in a difficult situation.
Click on this link to listen to the Interview. I hope my words will encourage someone who is struggling in their marriage. Hugs, Lynn
The Bible has quite a bit to say about Christians being “unequally yolked”. What does this mean and how big of an issue is it to the church today. What does this issue mean to Christians who are married to unbelievers? Well, large numbers of Christians find themselves in this situation and our guest this week is one of them. Lynn Donovan is a believer in California who is married to a man to does not believe in God. Be sure to tune in to hear this amazing program and learn how Lynn copes in her “unequally yolked” marriage. ~ Jim Norman, Host of the Radio broadcast, Wise People, on KDKR 93.3fm Dallas/Fort Worth.
Can I tell you how scary this interview was and how I loved sharing the hope I have at the same time? I have yet to hear it polished. And, I don't think I remember what I said. So, join me as the interview will air this Saturday, April 3, 2010 at 8:30am Central Time (6:30am
Pacific Time)
You can hear the
program by going to www.kdkr.org and clicking on the live link at the
top of the home page.
Dineen's interview is on April 10th.
It is my prayer that someone is encouraged through this broadcast and Jesus is honored. Have a fantastic day, Hugs, Lynn
SUM on Radio Rhema, New Zealand
