Encouragement
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Worship is More Than a Song
My friends, few weeks ago I asked Abba for a better understanding of what worship means to Him. If we look at worship from a worldly perspective, we can easily attribute human needs and behaviors, like ego and self centeredness to God, which is completely opposite of His selfless and merciful character. So I asked…
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Lord, Do It Again!
Last week I shared a Word of Encouragement that God impressed upon me about how He’s about to turn things around. Today I want to add a little more to that message-something else God showed me this last week, but first I want to share a powerful tool. This last week I’ve noticed Psalm 91…
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The Bush and the Tree
Once upon a time there lived a bush and a tree, side by side in a large garden. The bush sat squat and low, near the base of the tree. She often gazed up at the tree admiring her great height and wishing she could be so tall and so regal in the garden. Yet…
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Not the Answers I Expected
Leslie with our critters. Mittens on the back of the couch and our dogs Shasta, Riley and River. My friends, I want to give you an update on some things that have happened in my family, specifically my daughter as many of you have prayed with me for her over the years. For our newer…
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Line by Line: God’s Thoughts on Guilt and Shame
Good Friday Morning My Friends, I want to add to our summer study something that is not specific to our line by line study but something I feel as though the Lord is desperate to tell His children. I was talking with Dineen on Tuesday and sharing with her a discussion I had with a…
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God’s Preparation: The Cross
Dear friends, I believe this is the last post in this series about God’s preparation. We started with part one, about Trials and Challenges, moved to part two, Time + Honor = Fruit, and then last week delved into Recognizing God’s Preparation. Thank you for being so willing to share your hearts and stories. They…
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God’s Preparation: Recognizing God’s Preparation
Welcome back to the God’s Preparation series, my friends. I hope you are finding this encouraging and enlightening. God’s ways are so beautifully intricate and simple at the same time. I know that probably doesn’t make sense, but that’s how I’ve begun to see Him. Lynn and I speak often of this and how we,…
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God’s Preparation: Time + Honor = Fruit
My friends, this series about God’s Preparation continues. Last week we talked about trials and challenges, along with three key points in how Jesus moves in us and our lives during these times. If you haven’t read that post yet, click here to catch up. This next part continues to build upon how God prepares…
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God’s Preparation: Trials and Challenges
Dear Friends, one of the most extraordinary things that God is showing me of late is how interconnected things are and how often we miss it. So here is the first part of an unexpected series-I say unexpected because I'd made notes for what I thought were four different posts and then realized they are…
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Abijah – Godly Mother of Hezekiah (Part 2)
My friends, here is the conclusion of Olga's beautiful post. Moms, I pray this encourages you to keep on trusting God with your little ones (and big ones like I have!), because He faithful through the generations. And that is a promise straight fromt the Bible! Hugs! ~Dineen Abijah – Godly Mother of Hezekiah (Part…
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Abijah – Godly Mother of Hezekiah (Part 1)
My friends, this week I am swamped with jury duty and some design project deadlines, so I am thrilled to have one of our very own SUMites, Olga Gurina, fill in for me this week. I've so looked forward to sharing this beautiful nugget with you and this is the perfect week to do it.…
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God Makes Everything Beautiful
The three of us stood together, three women sharing hearts and faith. My prayer partner and I had just finished praying for our dear friend, who happens to be mismatched like me. Like you. And the weight of her yoke was sitting very heavy. That’s when my prayer partner began to share her testimony about…
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Our Greatest Promise (Part 2)
Happy Friday, my friends! Let’s finish what we started on Wednesday. I left off with an analogy of the Holy Spirit flowing in our lives like blood in our veins and how it’s important to keep the “flow” free of unrighteous impediments. As I said at the end of Wednesday’s post, the Holy Spirit helps…
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Our Greatest Promise (Part 1)
My friends, this is part three of the salvation series Abba has been leading me to share. The first week we talked about how we are Wired for Salvation and last week, we discussed the differences in our identity before and after accepting Christ in Sinner vs. New Creation. This week we will explore our…
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Sinner vs. New Creation
My friends, welcome to part two of this series on salvation. I just love how Abba shows me these truths and walks me through them. They are truths I desperately need and feel honored to share. As one is blessed with wisdom and knowledge to know Him better, I believe many are blessed too, as…
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Wired for Salvation
My friends, as I neared the end of the Transforming the Mind series, Abba downloaded a new one about salvation. Honestly, I never expected to write about this subject, but obviously He wants us to understand more about what His salvation is, because it truly is His and comes from Him alone (Psalm 51:12). Did…
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Transforming the Mind: Finding God in Worship
My friends, we have walked this journey of transforming our minds now for six weeks. We began with Feasting on God’s Word, then continued with Claiming and Praying God’s Promises, Giving the Holy Spirit Authority, Pleading the Blood of Jesus, Thanking and Praising, and last week, Choosing Joy. This week, we will talk about finding…
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Reader Question: Struggling with Shame and Regret
Hi Lynn and Dineen, I am writing this email because I feel an incredibly heavy burden. Right now I am struggling with a great deal of shame and an amount of regret over my decision to marry an unbeliever last year. It is tough for me to really believe that through this mistake, God will…
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Transforming the Mind: Choosing Joy
My friends, the Transforming the Mind series is continuing. Abba keeps giving me more and more to learn and share with you. What I love so much about this is that as I teach it I’m learning it as well. Just like what it says in Romans: You, then, who teach others, do you not…
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Transforming the Mind: Thanking and Praising
My friends, I’m amazed this series is continuing (I changed the main title to Transforming the Mind, because that is truly what it’s about, Romans 12:2!) So far we’ve covered Feasting on God’s Word, Claiming and Praying God’s Promises, Giving the Holy Spirit Authority, and last week, Pleading the Blood of Jesus. When I started…
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Reader Question: I Don’t Know What to Do
Hello Dineen and Lynn. My husband and I have been married for 15 years. He told me in January 2013 that he was no longer a Christian. He became an aetheist at 51 years old. I was and still am devastated. I married a Christian man and we based our marriage on the same religious…