Chronicles of the Donovan Clan. My friends, it’s been a long while since I’ve simply sat down and shared with your what is happening in the Donovan life. Well, today, as you read this, I’m sitting in an audience and...
My friends, it’s been a long while since I’ve simply sat down and shared with your what is happening in the Donovan life. Well, today, as you read this, I’m sitting in an audience and watching my daughter, Caitie, walk across the stage to receive her degree from BIOLA University (Bible Institute of Los Angeles). She graduates summa cum laude and also with high commendations from Torrey Honors Institute.
It’s interesting to reflect as I consider the fear in my heart all those years ago when she started kindergarten. Would she grow up to know Jesus? Will her dad’s unbelief impact her for eternity? I wrangled with a hundred terrifying questions. I shared about so much of my parenting journey in our book, Not Alone. And I wrote that while she was still in high school. But here we are. She graduates from a Christian college.
I will share with you that my daughter has a solid faith. She also walks in some kind of gifting from God in prayer. She PRAYS. I will tell you at that age, I didn’t pray. I partied!! I’m so glad she is not a chip off the old block.
I will also share that her faith doesn’t look like mine. She has spent four years of study and has read most of the classics and her views can and do differ on faith from mine. Her spirit is different than mine. I’m a warrior. She’s a servant at the core. It’s beautiful and I truly learn so much from her. She challenges my ideas and my preconceived opinions about Jesus, faith and the church. It’s frustrating at times and I need it as well.
She is a wonderful and beautiful young woman now.
So, if you are parenting a child right now, remain steadfast in your faith. Your faith and your prayers are, at times, the ONLY THING that keeps the devil from them. As a mother, I cannot shout this message enough. Your faith and prayers are more powerful than you know. Just read 2 Timothy chapter one about Timothy’s mother and grandmother.
Caitie is off to Purdue in the fall for graduate work with a full scholarship. Thank you Jesus! She continues to grow and live and love Jesus. I can’t wait to read the fantastic books she will write one day.
Now about my husband, Mike. I think in some way, he’s a closet believer. Can that be a thing? I’m convinced he thinks Jesus is real. He just struggles with “religion.” Does that make sense? He is a kind man and quite gray now. He is my rock in this life, next to Jesus. I love him deeply.
I will tell you this, the Donovan Clan House is known in heaven. Our home is love. Our home and family isn’t perfect but we are moving that way only by the grace of God. We are protected and we are guided. Our Clan is blessed.
So from one ordinary woman to all of you, Be Blessed and know that you are loved by our Savior and by me. Have a wonderful weekend with your family. Hope to post photos of the graduation on my FB page. Find me there.
Hello, SUMites! Last week I talked about where we sit in our faith and our marriages, that we are strongest when we are firmly seated in the truth of who we are in Christ Jesus and also see our spouses from that perspective too. And wow, what an eye opener it is to think of this in terms of our marriage, that we are “one flesh” with our spouse and seated in the heavenly realms—at the same time. I’m still wrapping my brain around possibilities of that one!
Our next position of influence and partnering with God to release what He has placed within our spouse is our “walk.” A couple of you actually shared this desire in the survey just recently:
“Loving our spouses and children. Being a light for Jesus in our mismatched marriage. How much can we truly talk to our spouses about Jesus according to I Peter 3?” — Amanda
“I am always seeking how to live my Christian faith before my family, husband, and grown children who have families of their own. I am looking for specific answers based on what God’s word teaches.” — Naomi
These are excellent questions. And I believe the second part of this series will go far in answering them. Let’s first take a look at some verses from Ephesians.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.— Eph 2:9
What I love most about this verse is how clearly it shows God’s heart for us. We are not only His, we are His workmanship. So is your spouse. And you both were created in, through and by Christ Jesus (John 1:3) for good works, which He prepared (ordain, make ready) ahead of time. That you should what? Make them happen? Figure out how to do it all? Wait around for God to make it all happen?
Paul tells us we’re to “walk in them.” The Greek word for walk (peripateō) has broader meanings than just to put one foot in front of the other. It also means to walk at large, especially as proof of ability. It means to follow, as a companion. It means to make one’s way, progress and to make use of opportunities. In the Hebrew, it’s a word that means to live, to regulate life and conduct yourself.
In other words, how you live your life. You see, our faith and how we live it (our works) were never intended to be a separate area of our lives that we pull out when we think the time is right. Paul is telling us to “walk” it out every day and every moment, all the time.
And it’s not something we have to make happen either. That leads to performance, my friends. It simply means be who God created you to be. Be a daughter or son of the Most High King and live your life according your identity and inheritance. Walk through life firmly planted in your seat.
Yes, sitting and walking in the physical sense are impossible, but in the supernatural they are simultaneous. We walk through life on this earth from the perspective of where we’re seated and see everything from this heavenly place. God’s already done the rest. He’s given us the skills (giftings) and the good works. We get to see it, follow His lead and simply do what He’s told (or telling) us to do.
In Ephesians 4:2-3 Paul says to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
So we are to “walk”:
In a worthy manner
With humility
With gentleness
With patience with others
In love
In unity
In peace
In verses 14 and 15 of the same chapter, Paul says we’re no longer children tossed around in our beliefs. But rather, we’re to grow up (increase and give increase) in every way in Christ by speaking the truth in love. And that in doing so we are built up, in that very love.
In chapter five, Paul says we are to “walk in love,” (vs. 2) walk as children of the light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true.)” (vss. 8-9).
In other words, trust what God has already placed in you. Walk in the truth of who you are and live accordingly. That is our most powerful witness and influence to those around us. And when you do have the opportunity to speak, do so in love, edification and encouragement. Let love always, always, always be your highest goal (1 Cor. 14:1).
SUMites, we’re called to love people, not change them. But God’s love can.
Which brings me to the latest treasure I unearthed in God’s word that knocked my shoes and socks off. A couple years ago, God put it on my heart to pray Ephesians 5:14 over my hubby:
“Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
I looked up the word “awake” and discovered that it is the very same word Jesus uses in John 5:8 when He tells the invalid to “get up.” Remember, the word “get” in Greek (egeiro) means to waken, rouse (from sleep), sitting, lying, disease, death, obscurity, nonexistence, rise up or stand. Jesus is actually telling the man to wake up and rise up out of his disease and sin.
And here is that exact word again, to be called to awaken from a state of darkness, and we can pray this, SUMites! Pray over your spouse when they’re away, “Awake, O sleeper (or spouse’s name), and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you!”
Declare the truth in love, “I say to (spouse’s name)’s spirit, wake up and arise from the dead, for the light of Christ is shining on you!”
Guess what, SUMites? That light is you. Paul said we are children of the light, so you are the light shining on your spouse. You are the light shining on your children. You are the light shining on your family, in your community, at your work—even in the grocery store.
Here’s a final word of encouragement for you, dear friends. In verse 15, Paul tells us to pay attention to how we walk, “not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time.” He’s telling us to make the most of every opportunity, and we can do that by making our faith a 24/7 way of life. By living every moment in the truth of who we are. By walking in love and speaking the truth in love.
And here’s how we do it. Look at verse 18. Paul instructs us to “be filled with the Spirit.” Yes, you are indwelled by the Holy Spirit, but do you ask Him daily to fill you up? There’s a difference, my friends. It’s like having the key to your car. You know you have an engine in it, but it won’t start unless you put the key in and turn it (or push a button if your car is fancy).
Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you up every day. If He needs more room to fill you up, He may show you some stuff to deal with (unforgiveness, sin, bitterness, strife, etc.), but you know what? He’ll always, always, always, speak the truth in love to your heart.
Holy Spirit, I pray that every SUMite to be filled to overflowing with Your powerful and loving presence. I pray they see opportunities every day to love those around them with affirming words and actions. I pray they will speak the truth in love and that You, Holy Spirit, give them those words. And I pray for the hearts of those they are loving on, to be receptive and ready to receive you. We say as the SUMite community to our spouses, wake up, O sleepers and arise from the dead, for Christ is giving you light! In the name of Jesus, amen!
The last few questions of the Survey were about attending some of our events. Such as a conference, a virtual classroom or one of our charity events. As one of the leaders of our SUM community, I’m personally overwhelmed each and every time we offer or host one of these kind of events. These events are where names on a screen become people in front of me. I SEE JESUS IN YOUR EYES. I have so much love for you that I could burst with hope and joy.
My favorite event of all time was the Wal-Mart prayer event. Still, to this day, I’m deeply impacted by two things from that day. One, the utter generosity of our community who gave to provide gift cards and flowers to the patrons that day and also prayed. Two, those who stopped to receive prayer outside of Walmart on a warm Thursday morning a few years ago. You can read about it here if you have time.
We haven’t offered an event like this since because I truly wait to hear from the Holy Spirit. And you know what?
IT’S TIME. It’s time again to be a community who reaches people with the hope we have discovered through Jesus.
A few weeks ago, I asked friends of mine who has a ministry to our local women's prison if they would be interested in a donation of our some books, Winning Them With Prayer, for the women? Both her and her husband were THRILLED and replied with thankful surprise and resounding, YES! They went on to tell how desperately they needed a prayer book.
A couple of years ago I actually met a woman from this prison. She was a woman who had been recently saved then released and was staying with the couple I mentioned, until she found a job. I listened as she gave her testimony. I bawled through most of it. You see, she was my age. She wasn’t born into the life that I was blessed with. She was born into abuse. In and out of jail for drug abuse, violence, theft and few other things. She looked haggard with skin and teeth suffering the years of drugs and her voice was graveled from chain smoking. But I looked at her and wept….. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN ME.
Many women such as this one, come to faith right there while doing time because of the prison ministry. They study and read the Bible. They pray and then they worry and cry. Many of them fear their release as they must return into very difficult situations and to family members who are far away from Christ. Friends, they make our unequally yoked marriages look easy.
The ministry works diligently to equip them as fast as they can so they don’t lose their faith when they leave prison. It’s a monumental task. So when I offered the prayer book, the ministry leader was thrilled. (I wish you could have seen her face.)
Now what is also interesting is that within a few weeks following my offer to the prison, a SUMite made a large donation to our ministry to cover the cost of the first shipment of books. God is so cool. And thank you to that SUMite because your donation will have eternal ramifications on families who are in desperate need.
So SUMites, we have an opportunity to give another set of books to another prison ministry. Will you think about giving $5, $10 or $20 toward these women?
Or would you consider giving a recurring donation monthly of $5, $10 or $20 to our SUM ministry to be used to pay for the postage of books, the internet expenses and the furthering of the SUMite ministry to other countries. We need to get our books translated and published in Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin and few other languages. These expenses are simply way outside of what Dineen and I can afford.
God is telling me that it’s time that the "church" embrace us, the spiritually mismatched. It’s time for us to step up and be a missionary for others besides our family. And we can do it.
Pray and ask the Lord, Can I make a small donation monthly?
AND a GIANT THANK YOU to all of you who already give. We are utterly thankful and use every penny for further the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Let your heart guide you. And if you can’t give, pray for the women in the prisons that these books transform their faith life and families as ours is transformed. In Jesus name. AMEN
There are two buttons below to choose from and consider:
This button is for a donation of any amount to our 501c3, tax-deductible Non-profit Ministry, Three Keys Ministries. To give to the book ministry, use the button beneath it.
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The button below is to make a donation to the same ministry but specifically to give to the prison book ministry. THANK YOU. Lynn & Dineen
My friends, I loved your comments from my post on Monday. Several of you shared you would really like to know more about the Greek meanings of the words I’m researching, so please know that I’m thinking and praying about how to do that best. Right now I think a video would be easiest to explain and bring these treasures to life, so stay posted.
Today, let’s start talking about where we “sit” with God. Let’s take a look at Ephesians. The first chapter of Ephesians is all about our identity, who were are as new creations in Christ Jesus and what we’ve been given as our inheritance in Him.
Many of you shared in the survey that you wanted to understand more about our identity in Christ as well. Knowing and understanding these truths is very important to the sturdiness of our “seat,” especially where and how we “sit” in our mismatched marriages. In taking these truths into our spirit by studying, praying and believing them, we will operate from a greater place of influence in our homes and marriages simply by living our lives according to these truths.
Take a look at this list of who YOU are right from Ephesians 1.
Blessed in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places
Chosen before the foundation of the world
Holy and blameless before Him
Predestined for adoption
Blessed in the Beloved
Redeemed through His blood
Forgiven of all trespasses, according to the riches of His grace (not limited by yours)
His will and purposes made known to you with all wisdom and understanding
United with Him, things in heaven and things on earth
SUMites, this is what Jesus died to give us, our complete identity in Him. And not only that. He gave us His Spirit, the Holy Spirit, as a seal and guarantee of our inheritance.
In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. — Eph 1:13-14
Christ Jesus has done all this for us so that we can be with Him and He can be with us. The veil separating man from God was both literally and figuratively torn upon His death to make this possible. Yet we still tend to think a type of physical separation remains, but God’s Word says otherwise.
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. — Eph 2:19-22
Read these verses carefully. God didn’t just want to save us, He also wants us with Him. And not just in eternity, but in an abiding relationship with Him always. When we understand that we are secure in our value, worth and God’s great love for us, we become more and more Christ-like in our faith, courage, integrity and strength. We begin to reflect the very characteristics of Jesus, and if you read the gospels, He was irresistible! People were drawn to Him. They saw the hope and promise He carried and they wanted it.
My friends, this is exactly why God always starts with us, the believing spouse, in a mismatched marriage. We are a conduit of His love and grace, we are a representation of His character, and we are the source of His delight. And we don’t do any of this. He does.
So this is where we start in releasing our spouses identity in Jesus, by living in belief and faith that we are God’s children, given the full inheritance in Christ Jesus.
Not just when we go to heaven. Now.
Every spiritual blessing, remember? My friends, as you think and pray about these truths about you, think and pray about them regarding your spouse.
You are blessed in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, so now bless your spouse with the same.
You were chosen before the foundation of the world, and so was your spouse. Declare this truth over his or her life.
You stand holy and blameless before Him, so thank Jesus now that He is doing the same thing for your spouse.
You were predestined for adoption and so is your spouse. See him or her from this perspective, as someone God is willing to die for so that he or she can LIVE!
You are blessed in the Beloved and God’s heart and intention is for your spouse to be too. Again, declare this truth over him or her. If your spouse is open to hear it, tell him or her they are blessed!
You are redeemed through His blood and have the power and authority through this to declare the blood of Christ over your spouse—heart, soul, mind and spirit.
You are forgiven of all trespasses, according to the riches of His grace. That same forgiveness is for your spouse too. Live forgiven and forgive so that your spouse can see what that looks like.
God’s will and purposes made known to you with all wisdom and understanding. Ask God for this same revelation of your spouse. What is God’s heart for your spouse? What gifts did He place in him or her? You can even ask God to show you how your spouse may already be operating in his or her gifting without even realizing it. I see this in my husband as he becomes more and more aware of the people around him and intentionally talks and spends time with them. I see his gift of engagement and evangelism already operating. And I chuckle as I watch him not only do this but how people are drawn to him!
You are united with God, things in heaven and things on earth. Therefore, through your faith (sanctification, 1Cor 7:14 and marriage, Mark 10:8) so is your spouse. Think about that for a moment. Let it sink in. Then take your spouse with you to those heavenly realms in love and prayer. Think of them as there with you already. Wow!
Okay, that one just kind of blew my mind. How about you, SUMites? I hope you’re beginning to see how important you are in God’s eyes and in your marriage. Nothing is impossible for Him. And you, my friends, as a co-heir of Jesus and a co-laborer with God, are part of His possibilities.
Today I would like to pray from Ecclesiates 4:9-12 "Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone?A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken."
Please pray with me.
Heavenly Father, I read your words and my heart aches for your people, those who still believe the lie that we are too different, that it's impossible for us to find fellowship in your holy church. Or maybe we've been isolated by the memory of someone in the church who deeply wounded us. Lord, whatever stronghold grips our hearts, I ask you to rip it down today. Impress upon us the need for community among a body of believers. I ask you to make a way for us to form these bonds and provide an obvious path for us follow.
Father, now my heart turns toward or community leaders; Lynn, Dineen and Ian. Cover them with your mighty arm of protection, that they would not become ensnared by the assaults of the enemy. Fill their hearts with an ever growing presence of your Holy Spirit and continue to give them the courage to act in obedience.
King of heaven, we praise you, we magnify and glorify you. Let all of our lives be lived in service and for the glory of your holy name. We thank you for your constant provision, protection and pardon. You are the one our hearts adore. We pray in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen!
For more information on our Prayer Partnerships please click the following link: Sumite Prayer Partnerships
It's never too late to request a Prayer Partner. If you're ready to be paired up then use this link to send me an email Email Christy Edney
Lastly, I am here to pray for you and support your partnership. Please feel free to email me anytime. Email Christy Edney
