Hi Sumites, Lynn Donovan here.

A few weeks ago, I was stuffed in the backseat of a rental car with my two granddaughters. My son and his wife were driving us to an overlook in Portland where we would view the entire city and the volcano in the background. It was spectacular.

Somewhere in the conversation topics that ensued in the backseat, ranging from gymnastics, hair styles, boys, and parents, my eldest granddaughter shared a story about a girl at school who said to another girl who didn’t believe in God that “said” girl would go to hell.

Wow, nothing like being put on the spot. So, here is my best recollection of my response to this statement. “Well, you know that we all will make a choice about our beliefs in Jesus and God. And the girl who told the other girl she would go to hell probably heard that from her parents. But, what this sounds like to that child is that God is mean.”

I continued, “Why would anyone want to find out more about a God that is mean?” They both listened earnestly. Parents ears in the front seat tuned in.

“God doesn’t send people to hell. He doesn’t hurt people or make them sick. He loves them and cares about every detail about our lives. He loves our dogs, and he is with you kids in your classrooms at school. He would never hurt you.”

“This little girl only heard that God is mean and cruel but never learns about the good Father that we really have.”

“Now, on the other hand, the devil will do everything to hurt, destroy and make you sick.” At that point the conversation bounced to another topic. But the truth was made clear. God is good and it’s the devil that is the “bad guy.” (PS. Just for clarity, God doesn't send people to hell. Indeed, we choose hell for ourselves. *gulp*)

Sometimes you just have to tell people about the real God, our Father. Who is kind, loving, and filled with goodness and forgiveness.

John, Chapter 14 reveals the entire purpose of Jesus ministry. His ministry, not His death and resurrection.

The ministry of Jesus was and IS: To reveal the Father. And reveal that He is good!

The entire exchange with Philip is our invitation to “know” the Father. To understand and experience God, as an intimate and good Father, because we have seen and know Jesus.

The implications of being known and knowing God as Father are so far reaching, I doubt we can unpack it all, if ever.

Jesus leads the disciples to a statement that is life changing.

Verses 19 & 20: A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. 20 At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.

Knowing the Father will lead us to comprehend who we are because He is in us, and we are in Him. We understand the power and authority we hold. The significance and the identity we receive from this statement, is a complete mind-blow.

If we are in God, and God in us, why would we fear the future. If this is true, we can do all things through Christ. We are more than conquerors. We are the head and not the tail. We are loved, strong, stable, fortified, provided for, never forgotten, abandoned, or insecure.

In all truth, I've only slightly begun to unpack the implication of these verses in my life. But knowing this, assures me that I hear God’s voice, that I will overcome everything the devil sends my direction, I am secure in my life, health, finances and I have a GREAT hope for every day of my future.

Sure, sometimes the chaos of the enemy works to pervert this truthful knowledge but, my greatest warfare is to simple return to the truth. Jesus is in God, the Father, and I am in Jesus and He is in me. This is the beauty of the Holy Spirit that abides within. God in us. How could we ever lose?

Gang, if you understand the implications of this message in John 14, please share. I’m waiting with great anticipation to hear what you think.

I love you. PS. If Jesus is in the Father, and you are in Christ and I am in Christ, does this mean we are all connected and within one another?

So many crazy and profound thoughts to consider.

Lynn

Glory and a New Command

(Read to the end. The prayer at the bottom is good) John, chapter 13, concludes with two messages. The first, Jesus is glorified.

But what does that mean? I jumped into some research and the one-word-summary that fits is: honor.

Father, is bestowing honor upon Jesus. And the honorable actions and life of Jesus bring honor to God. I believe these few passages are conveying meaning and depth that I’ve yet to grasp. Our understanding of what is implied is limited.

In other words: THIS IS A BIG DEAL.

Yet, I can’t unpack it fully. I can only compare this glorifying to how it feels when we are respected, honored, and appreciated for what we accomplish and stand for. It’s deeply satisfying and fulfilling. It’s peaceful and meaningful. Hmmmmmm probably a very weak description for what is actually happening in this portion of scripture. Please add your thoughts in the comments.

Secondly, tucked in this chapter is a new commandment: Verse 34: A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 

35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.

What came to mind when I read this is the obvious command to love, but then my thoughts were, What are the commandments of Jesus?

1 & 2. The greatest commandment, Love God with all your heart, soul, mind. Second commandment, love your neighbor as yourself. Matt 22:37-39.

3. Love your enemies. Matt 5:43-44

4. Forgive others. Matt 6:14-15

5. Do not judge. Matt 7:1-2

6. Give to the poor. Matt 19:21, Matt 6:3-4

7. Be humble and serve others. Matt 20:26-28, John 13:5-20

8. Pray for your enemies. Matt 5:44

9. Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness. Matt 6:33

What is interesting to me is that all these singular commandments lead to a life of love.

Forgiveness of friends and enemies opens our closed and bitter soul to love and peace.

Judgement/offense shuts love off. Humble service allows our viewpoint to change and builds compassion within. Praying for our enemies is difficult and teaches us we can do hard things and yet, not allow our hearts to harden. All of the commandments lead us to the Kingdom of God and right living.

This is the path of love.

This is the path to peace and contentment.

This is the Kingdom of our God. Everything about the life of Jesus was to reveal our Father and His Kingdom. A Kingdom of love.

This begs the question: What is the door to the Kingdom? Well, the answer awaits us in chapter 14. Stay tuned.

The most important thing about this Kingdom of love begins with knowing you are loved. Truly love, accepted, enough, and made powerful because God loves you.

In our world of strife, grief, and fear, this truth is always under assault. For me, sometimes, I have to cry out, pray, and ask God for a greater encounter of His love.

My friends, this is a great prayer and God will respond, just remain persistent. I couldn’t have walked these past six months without knowing God really loved me. He wants you to know that too. He will affirm, reaffirm, and do it again.

Just ask. Okay, here we go. Father, today I feel less-than, unworthy, beaten down, discouraged. Today, this very day, I need a love encounter with You. Reveal your love and approval in a way that changes my discouragement to great hope, wonder, and expectancy. 

Jesus, reveal yourself and power in my life. Show me where you are today and lead me in wisdom to make decisions that are centered in love and reflect Your character. Reveal love to me today in a way that changes me. In Your name, Jesus. AMEN

As I was preparing this teaching last week about washing feet, I received the following text from a SUMite. She had no idea I’d just started this study and this week we were reviewing John, chapter 13, Jesus washed the disciple’s feet.

This is what she wrote to me:

I haven’t shared this with anyone, but I thought, you know what, Lynn’s heart would love this, and she would know how miraculous this moment was. 

I’ve been wearing that victory bracelet every day since you sent it, even during the separation (and I had no intention of getting back together with my husband) Then I prophetically drew his ring on one day in a church service a few months back in response to a message I heard on The bible story when Elijah accidentally cooks poison gourds and makes everyone sick but prophetically throws flour in the pot and it feeds His people.

Well last week I wanted to go get a pedicure cause my feet were rough, but I decided not to and instead, do it myself. 

I was in the bathroom and suddenly my husband says to me, “Let me wash your feet.” I sat there on the edge of tub with him. I just sat there in silence and in awe of what God is doing in him and in our marriage.

 Lynn, he washed my feet! I’ve held that close to my heart and I’m only sharing it with you because it was so precious to me. You and your obedience to the call on your life are a huge part of my story!

My friends, God can restore, redeem, refresh, rearrange and restart. Every now and again, we get to participate in the divine and witness His love and miracles in our lives.

This is one of those moments.

Thank you, Father.

Share today how you have witnessed the bible come alive in your life? I can't wait to read these testimonies. When you share your story, your words are written down in the annals of heaven. I love you. Lynn

Did you read the summaries in the comments of the previous post? Link here. They are SO GOOD!

Question: Why is this particular study important to an Unequally Yoked marriage?

Answer: Jesus said in John 13:34-35: ³⁴ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. ³⁵ By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

This commandment really is a summation of all that Jesus taught and modeled. But before we look at the end of Chapter 13, we need to take a look at the Feet Washing.

Let me begin this next portion of our Bible Study be agreeing with your summation that Chapter 13 is about service. Indeed, this passage is about service, born of a heart of love. But there is something magnanimous going on here.

While studying in July, I’ll remind you, Father was teaching me about what holiness means to Him. Jesus had, still does, have me camped in John 13-17.

One morning while reading this passage, Jesus asked the question: John 13:12: Do you know what I have done to you?

This question is so interesting. It implies that there is something more here than the simple service of washing dirty feet. Hmmmmmm. But what is it. I prayed, Lord, what is it that you are doing here? What does this mean the washing of feet? What is it that you have done to these followers? What does this all mean?

John 13: 10: Jesus said to him, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.”

I sat there stunned as revelation came to me.

Clean….. Jesus is actually speaking of making them clean….. CLEAN

Then I asked, Jesus, what is clean? Then I heard the prompting of the Holy Spirit, look it up. So, I whipped out my concordance. (I looked online). The exchange between the Lord and Peter is the key.

The Word, clean, from the Greek Lexicon: ethically:

1. free from corrupt desire, from sin and guilt
2. free from every admixture of what is false, sincere genuine
3. blameless, innocent
4. unstained with the guilt of anything

Then the Father said to me, Lynn, this is the moment when they were sanctified. Made holy. This is holiness. This is the love of the Father demonstrated through My son. Then He sealed this act with His life-giving blood the next day. 

You see, Lynn. The disciples were made clean (sanctified and holy) because of my love (John 14: 7.. We will get there in the study). 

Lynn, you and all who choose My Son, Jesus, are made clean. This means every time you fail. When you are frustrated with Mike after 32 years serving him, your service cleanses you and him all over again. When you have a thought that you failed because you were angry, frustrated, fearful, the blood cleanses you again and again. 

The foot washing cleansed the disciples again, although they were already clean because of their belief and faith. But that night they were fearful. They were confused. Peter was frustrated with Jesus, yet they were cleansed over and over through the blood. The foot washing was the cleansing ceremony to which even the betrayer, Judas, was offered. 

When you fail and have a meltdown because of your challenging life-circumstances, it’s the blood. You are clean. You are clean, sanctified, and made holy. That is why you are welcomed into my Court and into My Presence.

I wept. Recently, I’ve felt so much failure. I have thoughts, I am supposed to be a mature child of God, so WHY did I let those words come out of my mouth. Why did I hurt that person. Why didn’t I do this sooner. Why do I fail to trust God for absolutely everything?

The Lord knows and yet He cleanses. He says just keep trying. Stay the course and believe.

Sanctified, in our doubts.

Made holy, when afraid.

Cleansed when disappointed

Welcomed into His profound Presence.

This is holiness. And this is the answer to the question,” Do you know what I have done to you?” Jesus said to the disciples, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.”

We are the people of the “after this.” We are made holy again and again, when we are fearful, regretful, ashamed, and at our wits-end.

We are STILL welcome to sit on the Father’s lap and tell Him all about our life and ask for his divine help.

I’m undone!

What has the Lord cleansed that utterly changes you? How does the Lord's Presence recalibrate your life? Whose feet need washing? Yours? Your spouse? Your kid? Your co-worker? O Lord, teach us. What does foot washing look like today in 2024?

Share your thoughts in the comments. Your summaries. Your experience. Revelations of this passage. I can't wait to read your wisdom. I love you, Lynn

Hello Sum Nation,

Lynn here. I'm going to step in while Ann is off through September. 

Let me ask you a question. Jesus sat with His disciples the night before his death and taught his disciples. Don't you think if this was his last night with Him, he would have some profound thoughts to share? Shouldn't we take a thoughtful examination of His words? Do you believe they are important for us today?

For the last several months, Father has been teaching me about holiness. WHAT a lesson to learn during tremendous pressures. Jesus has been instructing me through the book of John, chapters 13-17. And the Holy Spirit has been instructing me to ask to manifest Him in my life. I wrote about this to our SUM ministry financial supporters in July.

As I've camped on the later part of the book of John, I have gained some insight. So I thought we would walk through these chapters together through September and perhaps beyond when Ann rejoins. 

These chapters in the book of John are the last words of instruction spoken to his followers before died and they are incredibly important-life and faith-instructions for us.

So, get out your Bible, your pen, markers and a journal. This is an in-depth study of the later chapters in John. Today, read chapter 13 from the NKJV. Click here.

In the comments, please share what you believe Jesus' main message is in this chapter. Then share what it means to you and how this message plays out in our lives.

I can't wait to hear what you have to share. And please share, even if someone else summarized before you in the comments. Add your voice. It's incredibly important for the angels to see your testimony.

I adore you. I'll be back with some interesting nuances on this chapter in the days ahead. Love you, Lynn

Hello my Sumite Sisters,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Blessings, Your SUMite Sister in Christ, Evie

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

My friends

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

With love,

Ann

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

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

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

Here is the view from the roof top.

It is like living in Biblical times!

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

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

Here's that verse in a few translations:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What strategies do you have for being less quarrelsome?

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

Sending love to you all,

Ann

Hi friends

Ann here --

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

Be RESOLUTE, SUMites.

I pray that God enables you to be resolute.

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

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

That's what we have to be. 

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

Stay resolute.

Love you all

Ann

By Ann Hutchison

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

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

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

But is that really my dream home?!

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

And

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

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

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

Have I been undervaluing that? Perhaps I have.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Much love

Ann

Ann here!

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

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

Exciting!!

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

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

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

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

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

Her children will rise and call her blessed.

And --

Her works will praise her at the city gate.

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

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

Ann

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Love you all

Ann

Hello all!

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

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

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

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

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

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

She told me…

And then –

‘What’s Bryce’s?’

She told me that too.

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

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

Love you all!

Ann

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

Proverbs 24:3-4 (NIV)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Oh God, please!

So then, let us pray:

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

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

For he is faithful who promises.

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

Much love

Ann

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This is going to be fun!

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

Much love,

Ann

My friends, hello.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Back again soon. 

In Christ,

Ann

My friends,

Bryce and I have been joined by our children for this next month. They have flown over from New Zealand for their university holidays and we are now in Italy together.

It is precious being with them. 

This past week we have stayed in the home of an Italian family, on another house exchange. This house is in a non-touristy part of Italy, the north-east, in flat farmland. For miles and miles in every direction there has been nothing but flat fields. So we have taken bike rides to the local supermarket, enjoyed the fields of sunflowers, and driven to the places locals hang out, such as the local beach.

The house itself is a cheerful family home, rural style. On the walls, the children and family are celebrated, with many messages of love and huge home-made photos. The kitchen has a bruschetta machine in it, and a ginormous meat slicer, both of which might be Italian kitchen must-haves. For the boys, there's been table-football, and a well-worn but fabulous massage chair upstairs, which they've used every day.

We have loved being here.

I am continuing to think, therefore, about the concept of one's house. You can enter someone's house and it will have a feel to it. It might feel cosy and welcoming, or particularly orderly and serene. Or, it can be the opposite. A house contains special things and is often specially crafted or put together with love and care. Then it is opened up to others.

The book of Proverbs contains a lot of wisdom about one's house. As I mentioned last week, this doesn't mean a physical house so much as a spiritual house: Our house is our nuclear family, spouse, children, and then, in time, any descendants. We ourselves have a special job in all this: We're the spiritual leaders of our house. So, in the coming days I'm going to do a study from Proverbs on this concept -- The concept of our 'House' -- and discuss what it looks like to build our house well. When I write next I'll kick off a little series on that.

The SUM community is a house. But then we have our own individual houses too: Families of our own that we have lovingly formed.

In fact, recently God gave me a vision of the SUM community being a mountain of houses. 

What is your house like? Do you live in the city or the country? Do you put a lot of time into your physical house and space? What special things does your spiritual house have in it?

Phew, lots of questions!

Ok, back soon friends. Much love,

Ann

SUMites,

Time for a little ministry update:

Farewell Amanda

Our lovely Amanda, after writing for us for over two years, has let us know that she's needing to step down from writing to have more time to focus on her young family.

Life is busy as a young mum, and many of us have been there -- I certainly have. So, though we will miss Amanda, we completely understand, and we wish her all the best. As it is often said, our families are our first ministry.

We're ever so thankful for the time Amanda has put in to writing on the blog, and we're thankful to Daniel, in the background, who gave his blessing for her to do this.  But Amanda will not be leaving our ministry: She will stay reading along and you'll see her in the comments every now and again.

What I've loved about Amanda's writing is she has often been an oasis of calm. When she writes, new voices have often hopped on in the comments as she has said something that has spoken particularly to their heart. God gives that kind of gift. She is one who nurtures her relationship with God as a top priority, and she is full of wisdom.

She and I have never yet had the chance to meet, despite working together on the blog. But one day I hope we will. Well, we will in eternity at the very least!

So Amanda, we wave you off with our biggest thanks, but we look forward to keeping in touch and hearing about your continued life adventures.

Lord God, we pray blessing over Amanda. We pray that all she has given to this ministry will be given back to her, and more, and overflowing! Lord, we pray life and life abundantly over Amanda, Daniel and their little ones. I pray that this new time she has will be a blessing for her family. We pray your protection over them, and that they will continue to be a family who grows together in the things of the Kingdom. In your name, Jesus, we pray. 

Amen.

Similar prayers are in this book.

Hi, Lynn Donovan here,

I want to share a short but powerful prayer when we are standing in the gap for someone in the spirit. 

Lord, let me stand in the gap for_________________. So that his eyes will be opened, and he will be freed from demonic bondage, so he can see his need for, You, Jesus.  I also forbid any affliction, illness or attack to come against me, my family and all under my love, stewardship, jurisdiction.   And I also forbid the same for the person whom I’m standing in the gap for.  In Jesus name.  

Pray this aloud. 

Print this out. Place it somewhere that you frequent and then pray it aloud whenever you see it.

Blessings and hugs, Lynn

PS. Thanks for the prayers for Mike. He is in remission, and we are awaiting a donor for a bone marrow transplant that is in the near future. I'll drop an update when we have more info.

I LOVE YOU. I LOVE JESUS. LITTERALLY, HE HAS SAVED ME AND MIKE OVER AND AGAIN!

Hi SUMites!

In the last week, Bryce and I have walked 78 Km, from France into Spain, phew! I am now writing this from a little guest house in the vibrant Spanish city of Pamplona. 

The Camino has been glorious, so far, but exhausting. This photo here captured how it felt to reach the city gates of Pamplona after hours of walking in the hot sun, LOL.

Is that a metaphor for what it might feel like to reach the gates of the Kingdom of Heaven?!

Have Bryce and I come together in any way spiritually by being on this 'pilgrimage' together? Well, I didn't have any expectations on that front, but there has been one pleasant little surprise:

On this walk, I brought my Bible to read, which I always read through chronologically. Currently I'm in the time of King David. 

Well, just before we started the Camino, Bryce wanted something to read and downloaded a novel onto his Kindle called 'The Source' by James Michener.

It turned out to be a fiction book about the history of Israel, starting from the beginning of civilisation right through to modern times.

The book itself is a story about a fictional town in Israel, and what happens to it over the centuries. It is well researched, draws heavily on details in the Bible, and brings in characters such as King David and Abraham, as well as cultural details like the Canaanites burning their first-borns in fire, concubines, pagan gods, and then Israel's special relationship with YHWH.

Strikingly, on the first day of the Camino, there I was in the middle of the life of King David in the Bible, and I discovered that Bryce too was reading about the life of King David in James Michener's book!

A little coincidence. Or a God-incidence.

So we started to talk about King David as we walked....

... And then we started to talk about other things in James Michener's book as we trekked through country paths, and villages. It's all about the Old Testament.

"Where are you up to now?" I said to Bryce yesterday.

"Oh about 200BC" he said.

"The Israelites have been captured by the Babylonians, returned from captivity, and now it's the Greek empire, right? Or is it the Romans?" I like history.

These have been stimulating conversations, and it is a tiny coming together, of sorts.

In our SUMs we have these almost imperceptible moments. Every so often it seems as if our spouse turns their head a little to our world.

Well, onwards! I hope you are all well.

Ann

SUM family, Ann here.

Our hearts are with Lynn and Mike, having heard the news that Lynn shared last week. 

The leaders of SUM recently wrote out some prayers for Mike and sent them via WhatsApp to Lynn. I've written these prayers out below, and if you have some time I wonder if you would speak these prayers out for the two of them?

It would be an amazing thing for us to stand as an army, speak out prayers jointly, and fill the bowl of incense of the prayers of the saints in Heaven for Mike! (Revelation 5:8).

Let's pray:

"Right now, in the authority and name of Jesus, I lift up Mike and Lynn as they stand in this place. I release shalom peace over and into them. I bind chaos and all forms of darkness coming against them. I release all provision into this situation. Peace, healing, right steps forward and His assurance that He is in control. Lord be their shield, and their faith."

"I pray that the chains of leukaemia be broken in Jesus' mighty name. I declare that Mike is a born-again son of the most high God, his name is in the book of life and he is covered by the blood of the Lamb. I speak healing miracles and divine reversal in Mike's body. I bless him with healing and health in Jesus' mighty name. I bless him with perfect peace and pray that he will experience his Father's love like never before. I lift up Lynn to the throne room of Grace, and I bless her with peace and strength, that she will hear God's voice directing her, leading her and encouraging her. I pray the Holy Spirit will fill them both to overflow. I stand with Lynn, I love her and I bless her. I stand on God's word that no weapon formed against Mike will prosper, and I speak life and love over them both.  Thank you, Lord, that you hear every prayer, even when our prayers are groans, and you collect every tear in your bottle. Lord, hold your daughter Lynn close, put your arms around her and gently rock her so that she knows she is held in tight and safe in her Daddy's arms. In your precious name, Jesus, the name above every other name. Amen."

A scripture that one of our leaders prayed over him:

"Because Mike has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver Mike; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with Mike in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy Mike And show Mike My salvation." (Psalms 91: 14-16 NJKV)

"Jesus, Jehovah Rapha ... as said above we are all in agreement with Mike living a long satisfying life, and that You Lord have heard our prayers and pleas! Prince of Peace and Mighty Warrior, fight this battle like only You can. We speak shalom over our sister. We command fear and chaos to leave her now and we bless her to be calm and full of wisdom to make needed decisions. We command all foul, unclean, demonic presence to be out of their hospital room right now in the name of Jesus. We speak Jesus over this leukaemia. It's a trespasser on Mike's holy temple. Jesus' blood flows through his body and it's healing now! We tell the mountain of sickness to be removed and cast into the sea now! Mike will live and not die and declare the works of the Lord. Amen so be it."

And finally,

"May Lynn and Mike be saturated in God's love and life. May the next steps be very clear for them and the doctors. Lord, you know what's going on in Mike's body, please pass that knowledge onto the medical team and give them the wisdom to make the right decisions in regards to treatment and next steps. May all treatments target and hit the leukaemia cells and please supernaturally protect every healthy cell in Mike's body. Lord, we love you, we're in awe of your goodness and faithfulness to Mike and Lynn. Amen."

**

Thank you SO much for praying in agreement, SUMites, and may God pour oil on the flame of these prayers!

With love and thanks to you all,

Ann

Hi Everyone, TWO AWESOME THINGS TO SHARE TODAY. 

First, the Lord showed up strong and right now Mike is on his way to recovery. Hallelujah. I'll keep you posted.

Second, I want to share an interview with Amy Morgan. Her fabulous ministry is The Marriage Initiative. And it's filled with so much helpful marriage information. The link is below. But I want to share some of the feedback from a listener about the interview. I hope you are encouraged in your unequally yoked marriage. 

(From a listener)

"I wanted to thank you again for the invite to the marriage initiative presentation. It was timely and there were things that were said that I so needed to hear. Lynn Donovan's experience is so similar to mine in some ways, and it was so inspiring to hear how God used her challenges with an unbelieving husband to change not only her own marriage but to positively impact others going through the same. It was so touching. I felt so seen and so much of what she talks about I have experienced. It hits at a hard time for me. This year has been such a struggle. Homeschooling hasn't been what I had hoped and has negatively impacted my mental health and not been the best for (her daughter) either. I've been down and unmotivated for some time now, and the transitions and moving have put me in a very "sad, stuck" place. It has affected every part of my life, including my walk with God. Hearing this today, and what to do about it, was very encouraging. I loved when Lynn said to step up bravely to be the spiritual leader of your family if your husband cannot or will not. I had not heard it put like that before and I needed to hear it. I also loved how she encouraged us by saying we become strong warriors in prayer and spiritual warfare as a spouse to an unbeliever. It made me realize how important it is to stay in prayer and scripture, to not give up, that I'm not alone. (Her husband) is a very "hardened" person and I often struggle with the way he perceives life and people and purpose, and this presentation just reminded me that I'm not doing this alone, that God is with me. 

I immediately purchased a copy of Winning Him without Words and I'm looking forward to reading it. 

Here is the link to the broadcast on YouTube.

Hello my friends, hope you had a nice weekend!

Bryce and I are currently in the north of England spending two days with my sister, who lives in the most delightful cottage in equally delightful countryside (the Peak District). My sister, an architect, restores ancient churches for a job -- some of which come from the Norman era, the 11th century. What an amazing job.

Speaking of old churches, in the middle of our boundaries series, I found the following comment from Ian to be a little 'oasis', and it fit with the fact I am currently visiting a lot of ancient churches -- so I wanted to pop it on here today.

Ian said, in response to my last post:

"I, you and others in this group have experienced God's faithfulness to us and our marriage when we do set the boundaries you outline.

Fi and I are home together a lot these days and my office is an 'open room' (no door), so having time with the Lord can often be interrupted. One thing I do each week is go to the prayer room at our church so I can have complete uninterrupted time with the Lord. I love Prayer Rooms. They're a liminal space, a thin place where prayers have soaked into the floorboards, walls and the soil underneath for hundreds of years (well my church that is). Fi understands how important this time is for me."

I just loved that.

It is true: If we are courageous, and fight for the things of God that are precious -- In this case, these positive boundaries -- he will reward us. 

... For he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him (Hebrews 11:6, NKJV)

We take a lot of brave steps for God in our spiritually mismatched marriages, he is well-pleased with those acts of faith, and will reward us. Many of us in this community can attest to that.

... So let's keep making space and time for him in our marriages. Like Ian, let's seek out quiet spaces, places where we can find him -- Churches and prayer rooms included!

SUMites, may we all have a beautiful week with the Lord, seeking out the things of him that are precious; and I'll continue the boundaries series later in the week. Bye for now!

Ann

Dear SUMites

This Friday, I pray this for you:

In the name of Jesus,

I pray for His comfort to flood your soul.

I pray for the gift of faith for you.

I pray that your faith will be cast-iron solid, unshakeable, unmoveable, unmeltable.

I pray that He will fill the loneliness in your heart, and delight you with His romance.

I pray that your ears will be fine-tuned to hear His voice.

I pray for hope to fill your mind, and your imagination to be sanctified.

I pray that every place the sole of your foot treads, He will give you, and I pray that your faith will be catching to others like wildfire.

I pray that you will grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.

And that all these same things will spread to your family.

In His name.

Amen.

**

Have a beautiful weekend, SUM family!

Ann xx

Sumites,

Some of you have been readers here for more than a decade and some only a short time. We have shared faith, our families and lives, difficult situations and so much hope in Jesus. Today, I want to say thank you. Thank you for learning with me as I grew in faith and in my marriage. Thank you for your precious time and your trust. I hold my responsibility to lead from a place of wholly relying on the Word of God, God's grace, wisdom, and the love of Jesus Christ with great reverence.

I want to thank you for every encouraging word you have spoken over me. Thank you for the emails and prayers you sent my way.

THANK YOU!

I also want to thank you for the many recent emails and notes about Enforcer. Many of you have shared how you've been greatly encouraged through the book. I spoke to someone last week, a precious daughter of God, who said, "My eyes were opened to what I am really facing in my marriage." So many of you have plowed through the challenging chapters to uncover areas that the Lord is now revealing where change is needed. And many of you have been galvanized into action to see the victories and promised that the Lord has for you. 

You have been so brave!

Your hunger for God, over all else, is such a beautiful gift to our King. 

Well done my family. WELL DONE. Keep marching. Swing your sword. Wear your armor. God is moving with such amazing change. Hang on as we are going to watch His hand move and destroy the evil that we have faced. And we will help as we pray and believe.

Today, I bless you with greater courage, greater awareness of the Lord's presence in your life, and with so MUCH HOPE for your future and family. In the Mighty name of Yeshua, our Lord and Savior. AMEN

Blessings and hugs, Lynn