By Martha Bush God spoke to Abraham and said: “Leave your country, your family, and your father’s home for a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation and bless you. I’ll make you famous; you’ll be a blessing. I’ll bless those who bless you; those who curse you I’ll curse. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12:1-3 MESG) In that day, going into Canaan, the place God was leading Abraham, was like going into Indian territory in the Old Wild West. There was no law; it was the survival of the fittest. It was not a land filled with good crops, a lot of it was barren wilderness. Nevertheless, God told Abraham “if you go that way, I will bless you and make you a blessing.” Abraham decided to go the path God directed him and, indeed, he... Continue reading

By Martha Bush Note: Adapted from my journal entry during the Sumite Fast, January 10, 2018. ***** She walked to the well as usual to draw water. Since she was an outcast from her society, she came to draw water at midday because she wasn’t welcome to join the other women of the town in the morning when it was cool. She was unmarried, living with a man and had shacked up with a few others guys before this latest guy. She wasn’t perfect, unlike the “other women” of the town who obviously thought they were. (John 4) As Lynn told the story of The Woman at the Well and her encounter with Jesus, she had these words to say in regards to our family: “This salvation experience is what our unbelieving family members are looking for. They need an ENCOUNTER with the God of love, power, forgiveness and wisdom.... Continue reading

By Martha Bush With their adrenalin still running high right after miraculously crossing the Jordan River, Joshua, Caleb and a new generation of Israelites had to make a “pit stop” for three things to take place before moving forward into Canaan. It happened like this in a little town called Gilgal: 1. Don’t Move Forward Before Building Memorial Stones God instructed Joshua to choose twelve men, one from each tribe to take a stone and carry it back out into the place where the priests were still standing in the middle of the Jordan River. Pile the stones up as a monument. “In the future, when your children ask you, 'What is this monument for', you can tell them it is to remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the ark of the covenant went across. The monument will be a permanent reminder to the people of Israel... Continue reading

By Martha Bush Are you looking for that perfect gift for someone on your Christmas shopping list? Allow me to suggest a gift-giving idea that won't cost you a penny! Take a stroll with me to the bedside of a dying father in the Old Testament by the name of Isaac as he was about to give this free gift to his oldest son, Esau. The name of the gift - - The Blessing. In keeping with the custom of the day, parents in the Old Testament set aside a special day to give The Blessing. On this special day, the parent spoke words of love, high value, acceptance, and words that painted a bright future into their child’s life. And so it was, Esau had been summoned to his dying father's bedside to receive The Blessing from his father. However his brother, Jacob, had deceived their father into believing... Continue reading

By Martha Bush It's that time of the year again - - a time we set aside on the calendar for "stuffing the turkey" and "giving thanks for our blessings." We pull out our recipes, head to the grocery store to buy the ingredients needed for stuffing the big bird, and the cooking preparations begin. When Thanksgiving Day arrives, families gather together, have a time of giving thanks, and then carve the stuffed turkey waiting on the platter. For just a brief moment in time, most of us capture the true meaning of "giving thanks unto the Lord" on Thanksgiving Day, no matter what kind of trials we have been through during the year. But, what about the day after Thanksgiving--“if you could actually put your heart on a platter like the stuffed turkey, what would you see stuffed inside that might rob you of a thankful heart throughout the... Continue reading

By Martha Bush Background Libby Finan Drawing A former pastor of mine, the late David Berkheimer, made the following statement in his sermon: “I believe with all my heart the greatest trials of life are the obedient things God calls us to do.” He pointed out that the trials we face are often in the path God is leading us. A prime illustration of this is in the life of Abraham, the father of our faith. Abraham was seventy-five when he left the comforts of his homeland to obey God and, indeed, walked straight into trials and difficulty. The trials were the kind of things that would, perhaps, challenge his thinking. “Did I really hear Your voice leading me this way, Lord?" (Genesis 12-16) 1990's I agree with Pastor Berkheimer’s statement that the greatest trials of life are often the obedient things God calls us to do because it happened... Continue reading

By Martha Bush In my post last month, I told of a betrayal that touched the lives of all my immediate family. This betrayal, with all its false allegations, lead to a court trial. Convinced that I had forgiven the parties involved, even before the trial began, I still had a gnawing feeling that something was still missing. I discovered that the missing link was to Take a Step Beyond Forgiveness - Bless My Enemies. Bless those who persecute you. Bless and Curse not.” (Romans 12:14) My efforts to find out “HOW” to apply the blessing principle lead me to Numbers 6:22-27: The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron this is HOW I want my people blessed: the Lord bless and keep you, the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious unto you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.” You can... Continue reading

By Martha Bush "Whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thou God my God." (Ruth 1:16 KJV) With that final scripture spoken over us, my groom and I kissed and ran down the aisle to start our new life together. From a peanut farm in Georgia to Tripoli, Libya, and on to Maine, Louisiana, and Texas-I lodged with him. His family became my people, and along the way, we had two kids of our own. And then it happened. Seven years into the marriage, I fell in love with someone else. His name was Jesus, and at that point, the god of this world we had served together, was no longer my God. Fast forward to another season of this high school sweetheart romance and marriage-I wanted out! I had grown tired of waiting on God's promises... Continue reading

By Martha Bush On May 19, 2018, the world tuned in to watch on television as Meghan Markle arrived at Windsor Castle. All eyes were upon her as she walked down the aisle in St. George's Chapel to say, “I do” to Prince Harry. Meghan was referred to as a commoner because she was not born into a royal family bloodline. Yet, on that day, Queen Elizabeth gave the bride and groom the ultimate wedding gift - brand new royal titles! From that day forward, Harry and Meghan would be known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. It was a fairytale wedding - one that all little girls dream about. It took me back to my childhood when I played pretend games with my girlfriends. We often pictured ourselves in a faraway land where we would meet our prince charming and ride away in a carriage drawn by white... Continue reading

By Martha Bush It was 4:30 A.M., April 22, 2017. My mother’s nurse tapped me on my leg while I was grabbing a short nap on the sofa down the hall from my mother’s room where she lay at the point of death. I sat up quickly at the feel of the nurse’s soft gentle touch and immediately said, “She is gone, isn’t she?” “Yes,” the nurse nodded. As the dawn of day lurched forward with a beautiful array of sunshine despite death all around me, funeral arrangements had to be made and relatives and friends had to be called. A few days after the funeral, we left Georgia headed back to our home in Texas to clear my mind before I took on the task of returning to Georgia in a month to empty out my mother’s home, so I could sell it. However, two weeks later, we received... Continue reading

By Martha Bush For a peek into one of the most, shall we say, romantic books of the Bible, follow along with me today to Song of Solomon, and let’s go on a love adventure with our Lord. I particularly like Chapter 2 because it resonated with me during a particular time in my life when I was ready for a new season to begin. In the first few verses of Chapter 2, Christ is pictured coming to His bride to spend some time with her. The way in which He is approaching her clearly shows that He is full of joy and excitement as He looks forward to spending some intimate time with His bride. He comes leaping over the mountains and bounding upon the hills. He comes swiftly like a young deer (vs. 8-9) When Christ arrives, he looks into the window of His bride’s heart, and says:... Continue reading

By Martha Bush Praise and Worship was over, the offering had been taken, announcements had been made - time for my pastor to begin his sermon. As he walked toward the pulpit, I readied myself to listen to his sermon by positioning my Bible and notepad on my lap. Yes, I am antique - I still carry my big Bible to church. Ipads and smart phones do not allow for the sweet sound of pages turning on an open Bible, plus seeing all the notes written on the pages from years past as the pastor speaks. All of a sudden, from the pulpit, I heard the pastor say, "There's a lady I want to honor this morning for the ministry she has led the past several years. She doesn't know I am going to do this, but Martha Bush, stand up!" Obviously, I was taken back as I stood up... Continue reading

Hello to all my SUMite friends: Martha Bush I jolted straight up in bed out of a sound sleep. I looked at the clock - 2 A.M. I sat on the side of the bed, trembling, as my thoughts started screaming out to the Lord, "I cannot teach the Bible study course with Carol next week. None of the promises You have made me have come to pass; I have nothing to offer anyone!" A few years ago, Carol, my friend and neighbor, had asked me to co-teach a class with her in her home. Carol and I were "Sidekicks," as we referred to one another, doting on the Word, and talking about the Lord for hours. We giggled like school girls with the thought, "We are going to have a New Testament Church in Carol's living room." However, things were not quite as "spiritual," shall we say, at my... Continue reading