Ann Hutchison
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River of Grace!
Hello Sumites, Ian from hot and humid Sydney here. Photo courtesy of pexels.com and Quang Anh Ha Nguyen I thought I’d tell you a story today. have a frustrating relationship with my mother-in-law. Lyn is a lovely lady and in the almost 30 years we’ve been in each other’s lives, our relationship has been awkward…
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New Adventures in 2025!
Happy New Year, dear SUMites. We trust your Christmas went well and you’ve stepped into the New Year, yes, it’s 2025, positively. As a quick side note, the world often expects us to charge into the new year but after a usually busy December, I find it’s often good to gently step into it. Our…
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Advent 2024: What are you Hoping for?
“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:31 (NIV) Hello, dear Sumites, Ian from sunny Sydney. Here we are at the end of another year! And another Advent season.…
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Praying for ALL the Lord’s People!
It’s Election Day in America. I’m drafting this post with the last polls on the West Coast soon to close. By the time many of us read this post, a winner may have been declared. Or not. I wanted to keep this post brief. I was reading Ephesians 6 the other day for a prayer…
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Living Well when Not Knowing – John Chapter 14:6
John 14:5-6 – “Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” The three ‘I am’ statements in verse 6 are incredible in their significance and as…
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Keep Praying!
Photo courtesy of Arina Krasnikova and Pexels.com Following on from Lynn’s post, I too felt led to write a similar post after reading something earlier in the week. As a result of both Lynn and I being led to write similar posts, I’m sensing there’s some of us are feeling discouraged. We’re believing these posts…
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Being Pursued!
Photo courtesy of Pexels and Magda Ehlers Hello, Ian from sunny Sydney here with a short post today. I listened to these words the other day and they were a great reminder of God’s immense love for every one of us: Listen! My beloved! Look! Here he comes,leaping across the mountains, bounding over the hills.My beloved is…
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Summertime Stillness!
Photo courtesy of asadphoto and Pexels.com I’m writing this post on a chilly winter’s afternoon here in Sydney. However, I know for most of us, it’s summer in the northern hemisphere and many of you will be enjoying long days and hopefully some down time. Those of us in the southern hemisphere, I trust are…
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The Power of Remembering!
Photo courtesy of Tara Winstead and Pexels Hello, Ian from Sydney here. As many of you might recall, I’ve been reading the Psalms most days for the last few years. I’ve now forgotten how long it’s been as I never tire of their goodness, wisdom, and passion. As you’d expect, across 150 psalms, most of…
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So What Happens Now?
Photo courtesy of Adrian Cogua at Pexels.com Hi everyone, Ian from Sydney here. How was your Easter? We hope it was full of goodness and happiness, especially with the wonderful message of the Resurrection. Jesus is Risen! Easter has passed for another year. What happens now? Did the message of the Resurrection change anything in…
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Love is All Around!
Holy Week. It’s one of my favourite weeks of the year, but also one filled with sadness. It reminds me of Lectio 365’s Lenten Evening Meditation which they title, “Bright Sadness”. I find the week is a microcosm of life with Jesus. We journey with Him, suffer death, wait for something to happen, and then…
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New Year – New Beginnings!
Happy New Year, dear SUMites. We trust your Christmas went well and you’ve stepped into the New Year, yes, it’s 2024, positively. Photo courtesy of James Wheeler and pexels.com As a quick side note, the world often expects us to charge into the new year but after a usually busy December, I find it’s often…
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Advent – A Season of Hope!
As some of you may recall I’ve been observing the season of Advent now for many years. Hi, it’s Ian from warming up Sydney. Photo courtesy of Lil Artsy and Pixels.com Advent means “arrival”. Interestingly, the arrival, Jesus as a babe, occurs on the last morning of Advent, ie, Christmas morning. And then of course,…
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We Need Each Other!
Photo courtesy of Pexels.com and Matheus Bertelli Hello! Ian from sunny Sydney here. In the last few days, I’ve been reflecting on my observations of the group of us who joined Ann and Lynn for a few days of fellowship and attending the Bethel conference last month. One point particularly struck me: we need each…
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Dealing with Disappointment
Ian from sunny Sydney here. Spring is here, Down Under and the flowers are beginning to blossom as the temperature increases. Photo courtesy of Mikhail Nilov and Pexels.com We’re a little sad in our house at present. Fiona and I were off on a holiday last week, but I injured my back, and it didn’t…
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Book of Ephesians – Chapter 3
What a great introduction we’ve had from both Lynn and Ann on this wonderful epistle of Paul’s. Ann mentioned how much I love Ephesians and one of the reasons is that Paul is prayerful throughout it. It starts with a prayer, includes a couple of great prayers (chapter 1 and 3) and then ends with…
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“Do you enjoy spending time with Jesus?”
Photo provided courtesy of Lisa Folios at Pexels.com Hi Ian from Down Under here. It’s getting colder here in Sydney. But our winters are typically pretty mild and often quite dry as well which makes them very pleasant so long as there’s a heater not too far away if the temperature suddenly drops. I read…
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Wednesday, Two Days Before the Crucifixion
Ann, thank you for guiding us through Holy Week. It’s such a good practice as others have mentioned in the comments to deliberately walk through each day alongside Jesus. Now it’s Wednesday. A quiet day. Well, it is in the Scriptures but there was still a lot of activity, some in public and some of…
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The Goodness of Lent!
Photo courtesy of MinAn at Pexels.com Hello, Ian from sunny Sydney. Lent started last Wednesday 22 February with Ash Wednesday. It’s a season that marks the 40 days leading up to Easter, mirroring the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness. Accordingly, it’s a season when we have an opportunity to consider that we too…
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The Power of a Praying Mom (and Dad!)
Photo courtesy of Karolina Grabowska at Pexels.com Hello, everyone. Ian, from hot and humid Sydney here. One of our challenges as SUMites is the spiritual welfare of our children. I know for many of us it causes us a great deal of angst for a host of reasons but one that often raises itself in…
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Where’s our Focus when we Fast?
Happy New Year, dear SUMites. I do hope you all had a blessed time with loved ones over the Christmas/New Year period. And now we Fast. It’s become the traditional way we SUMites start our years. It’s a great way as individuals to draw closer to God and doing it together can deepen that experience…