Hello friends, Ann here Over the last few years, I have been writing my testimony up into a book, and it is finally about to be published! Here it is — The Pair-Shaped Promise: A True Story of Faith and a Promise Kept. It is a story of my own coming ...
Over the last few years, I have been writing my testimony up into a book, and it is finally about to be published!
Here it is — The Pair-Shaped Promise: A True Story of Faith and a Promise Kept.
It is a story of my own coming to faith, it is the story of how Bryce and I navigated our spiritually mismatch in marriage, and it is a story of how I felt God had given me a promise to hold onto.
My friends, I can’t wait for you to read this book. It will be available to order shortly on Amazon, and I’ll be writing about it some more this week.
Many thanks to Lynn, and Three Keys Publishing, for helping me get this book out there. And love, as always,
Easter, the death and resurrection of Christ, is an event that altered the fabric of humanity. Easter is the centrality of love. By this everyone will know that you are…
Easter, the death and resurrection of Christ, is an event that altered the fabric of humanity.
Easter is the centrality of love.
By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. -John 13:35
As I consider the love in the heart of Christ that He willingly offered Himself to be beaten brutally for me and nailed on a tree. I’m moved with emotion and purpose to love others, to forgive freely, to speak life and not death, to include, to be the hands, feet, and voice of my Father. Christ paid a very high price.
The profound implication of Easter is far greater than most believers set aside time to reconcile. Powerful and life-changing gifts were bestowed upon our generation through the covenant that Jesus sealed for us on the Cross. We are honor bound as benefactors of the spilled blood of Christ, knowing who we are and whose we are, to love well.
What does love look like?
Love is longsuffering. Love is kind. Love is humble. Love is forgiveness. Love is vulnerability. Love always places connection with another as the highest goal. Love is brave communication. Love removes condemnation and releases honesty. Love is the wellspring that flows from our heart. Love is laying down my need to always be right. Love is giving away my heart with the risk of betrayal. Love heals, love restores, love triumphs and love is our foundation. Love is everything good from the Father’s heart. Love restores a single life and love redeems nations.
This Easter, let us lock arms together because we have something our spouse, our neighborhood, our country and this world is desperate to experience. We are the Beloved of Christ, His ambassadors of love, beginning within, then outward to our family, our communities and to the ends of the earth.
I pray you are deeply touched by the love of Christ this Easter. Lynn Donovan
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 & vs. 13 New International Version (NIV)
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Easter is the greatest love story ever told. And our SUMite Nation is founded upon the love and grace of Christ Jesus.
Today I would like to challenge you to read the Upper Room Discourse, John, Chapter 13-17. These chapters are some of the most meaningful, powerful and life-transforming in the entire Bible. I become lost in pondering these passages.
For example, a couple of weeks ago one of my prayer clients asked me, “How to do feel closer to God. How do I feel and know His Presence?”
Great question. We all want to know.
The Holy Spirit immediately responds and I hear, “The Upper Room.” Meaning the answer was given by Jesus to the disciples in the Upper Room.
I opened my Bible to John, chapter 15. Immediately verse four jumps out at me: ABIDE IN ME.
I share this statement with my pray-ee. They ask the obvious question, “How? What does this look like?”
I said immediately, “It’s all right there. How to abide follows in that passage… Look up verse nine.
Be curious about the Lord’s Words. Listen to what the underlying messages might be.
Read these chapters and ask Jesus questions. Example: Jesus what does it mean to abide. What is the full function of the Vinedresser? Jesus, when you say I may be full of joy, what does that look like? How do I get there?
Allow the Lord to really speak to you through His Word this Easter. There is something special for those who linger in these passages this week.
Easter is next Sunday so we will take a break from our Healthy Relationships Study. Let’s focus our time on the Greatest Event in History, the Holy Week.
It’s Monday for most readers here at Sum. Today marks the Triumphant Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.
Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King
11 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 3 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’”
4 They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, 5 some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” 6 They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. 7 When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. 8 Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. 9 Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted,
“Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” 10 “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
11 Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.
My friends, Mark, Chapter 11, changed my life. Get out your Bible. Read it. Did you watch the Chosen when Jesus entered the city? How does this week make you feel?
See you in the comments. Leave a message for me about Jesus and this week. Love and hugs, Lynn
Sandra Bleser Elkhorn, Wisconsin Married 20 years – no children “I’m not short, I’m fun-sized!”
“The humble will see their God at work and be glad. Let all who seek God’s help be encouraged.” (Psalm 69:32)
Thank you so much for your dedication to this ministry. I can say that God spoke to me through a comment within a podcast where you were being interviewed about a year ago and it has transformed the hopelessness and despair. I was suffering to hope.
We were not meant to change or fix others, only what we can change, which is ourselves. God is the one who changes hearts and minds.”
I recently noticed that you were inquiring about thoughts on how to address personality traits on the SUMA site. May I share some revelations I’ve learned as I’ve been on my journey toward redemption, healing, and restoration:
I think it’s wise to learn about the different types of personalities as well as my own. They not only help us to understand but become aware and watchful of the areas we’re most likely to be prone to temptation … kind of like the 90/10 rule.
God has blessed each of us with a unique mix of traits that I believe are meant to be reflections of His character (so our traits were originally created as good!).
Satan was originally good but became corrupt. I think it’s the same for us (and he uses this to sidetrack and prevent us from experiencing and praising God’s goodness—hence the original sin).
Our unique mix of traits were from God to give Him glory (like the fruits of the spirit), but it’s the 10% part of us that is more prone to certain influences (temptations)—the imperfections caused by the original sin curse that trip us up from expressing the “fruits of the spirit” within our heart, mind, and soul.
The “brokenness” of our personalities is like everything else in creation since the fall…imperfect, and the curse is that our lives ARE a constant struggle until we are called home to Jesus.
But as with everything else, we CAN overcome in Jesus. Satan wants us keep thinking we’re bad, rotten to the core, unredeemable—and it’s a powerful trick. After all Adam and Eve’s first “corrupt feeling” was shame.
However, it’s a simple shift in perspective. If we see the “goodness” our unique mix of traits are, and a gift from God, we can begin to identify and approach the imperfections (traits where we’re most prone to temptation) as helpful “intelligence” as we fight the battle each day.
I now think of these as the “thorns in my flesh” that Paul was speaking in 2 Cor 12:6-10. We should not be upset or fearful, rather, rejoice! “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” (vs. 9).
God has given to each what He thinks is necessary to keep us humble and reliant upon Him instead of ourselves.
To be able to identify the traits we have within us is a glorious and encouraging revelation! It provided me great hope, joy, strength, and healing because I knew what “goodness” within me to FOCUS upon, cultivate, and express for God’s glory, and to become more watchful, strong, and quick to surrender to God when I’m tempted:)
Hope this helps, and may God continue to guide, direct, and bless the ministry He’s appointed you to!
Friends, please share your thoughts on how you view God’s perspective on our mix of traits. See you in the comments.
REMINDER: The information shared in this series of posts, Healthy Relationships, is to add to our understanding of our relationships and with some specifics to marriage. The information I share has been vetted to the best of my ability. I may not have the full scope of practices or ministries of which I’ve obtained information or share.
Additionally, many post contain REAL LIFE experiences from our readers here at SUM. We will not judge or criticize anyone here for their experiences. We choose to love and we choose to learn. Because we will find ourselves and our friends within the process of these stories.
Please offer your thoughts and wisdom. We are all on a journey together. Blessings and hugs, Lynn Donovan
