Journal
WOW.......It has been an amazing few months here at Sue Sommer Ministries!!! I know I haven't written since June!! (Sorry!) but today I want to catch you up on what has been happening!!! Well it is a new year and we are so looking forward to what God is going to do in 2008! If the beginning of the year is an indicator of the rest of the year then WOW what an awesome year we are going to have!
We have just returned from an amazing 3 weeks on the road. We were in Leesburg where I had the opportunity to lead worship for their amazing women's retreat for the United Methodist conference. While we were getting ready to leave for MI we stopped and stayed with some precious friends in the Villages and on the way there had lunch with a special couple at a Cracker Barrel (of coarse) in the Villages in Ocala, FL. Well let me tell you the experience that day will be in my mind forever! As we were getting ready to order a waitress came out and started singing Amazing Grace in the middle of the Cracker Barrel and before long the ENTIRE restaurant was singing with her and praises God! I was blown away by this. It was the coolest thing I had ever seen. I mean there were people that even stood up and were worshipping. That woman is making a huge difference in Cracker Barrel every Sunday when she sings that beautiful hymn "Amazing Grace".
Well it was time to get on the road and we left for MI, a bit nervous about the weather since they have had the worst winter in a very long time but as we prayed everyday it was like God just parted the snow and we went through with no problems. PTL!!! We only had one day that it was a bit scary on the road with snow showers all day long but God made a way and we just kept going! Once we were up in MI we had a wonderful experience there with their Women's retreat and then Worship on Sunday morning! Hidden Springs Church is an amazing place full of the Holy Spirit and man.......can they worship!! We love being there and worshipping with them! Well after Sunday's service the pastors made a way for Marcia and I to go snowmobiling SO FUN!!!!!!!!!!! We also built a snowman (Marcia's 1st) and had a snow ball fight with our new friend and her family in front of the church!!! We had a blast!! It was very cold but the time there was a precious time!
Then we were on our way back to Florida, we headed back to Leesburg where I had the blessing of speaking at this retreat about How God see's singleness. God blessed our time there.
Before this trip we had some other very great times of ministry, we were at Leesburg two other times as well where I spoke to the ladies again about How God see's Singleness. Also we were at New Horizon Church in Deerfield Beach where I had the opportunity to lead worship. Another amazing time to see God at work in the lives of His people!
I hope this catches you up a bit from the last time, keep looking for changes on the web site, new pictures and new things!!! We will be updating things soon!!
We pray for you all and we appreciate that you keep us in your prayers too!! Please pray for open doors that we may have more opportunities to share the Love of Jesus to others!!
Oh yea one other thing I have a new CD out called "Sing for the King"! CHECK IT OUT!!!!!!!!!!!
Well Hello Everyone!!! It has been a really long time since I last wrote to you! We have been super busy getting the 3 Sommer Sleepover's going and we are excited about what God is going to do with these retreats. Our prayer is that the women that come will grow in their faith, relax and have fun.
We have also been busy doing other events such as the Women's retreats in Leesburg, Meadow Park Church in Parkland, Trinity United Methodist Church Women's Retreat, New Horizons Church in Deerfield, promotions in Palm Harbor, FL. for the Sleepover in Clearwater (1st time for this retreat) and have had the opportunity to sing at my church (First UMC of Coarl Springs) a few times! It has been a busy and wonderful few months doing God's work!
We just got back from a absolutly AWESOME weekend in Rockledge, FL. We were at Rockledge UMC and had the wonderful opportunity to be a part of their Women's retreat and also their Worship Service. So I can say "IT IS ALL GOOD IN ROCKLEDGE" What a powerful women's retreat they had and to hear about how God had changed the lives of these women at the Sunday morning Service was so awesome!! God is so Good and He is so Faithful to His children. We look forward to the next time we can share in ministry with these ladies and their loving church!
In closing, I want to encourage any ladies reading this to sign up for the Sommer Sleepover in your area. This year we will be in Deerfield Beach, FL., Clearwater Beach, FL. and Joliet, IL. You can check out more info about the Sleepovers on this website under the Sleepover icon! We would love to have you come!!!
Our prayer it that you keep your eyes on Jesus is all that you do!
Blessing to All of You!!!
Well hello everyone and Happy 2007!! I pray that everyone had a wonderful Christmas and our prayer is that your new year will be blessed!!! We are gearing up for the new year, we have some dates already booked but now comes the hard part of getting those other dates booked!! Please keep us in prayer as we make those calls that God will be in control and go before us and open the doors for us to be able to tell others about Jesus and His Love. I know I never finished up after we got back from our tour in November and for that I am sorry but just to let you know God was all over that tour and gave us all the strength to make it through. The most exciting part of any tour or for that matter any ministry is to be able to see God working and wow.......we saw Him working in all things. He is so AWESOME!!! So this year we trust Him with all things and we pray that we can follow His direction in this ministry! Please be in prayer for us as we look forward to what God is going to do in 2007 at Sue Sommer Ministries!!! Blessings to all of you!
Well good evening everyone!! Hope all is well with all of you and that God is blessing you in all things!! Tonight will be short! We are at the Grand Bear Lodge in Utica, IL. getting ready for our Sommer Sleepover here in IL!!! We are so excited as we get ready for the ladies to come on Friday! This place is great! Very rustic, actually it would fit really good at Fort Wilderness in Disney. They even have an indoor waterpark (Very Cool). We are really looking forward to see what God does at this retreat!! Our prayer is that He is glorified in all that we do, that we will decrease and that He will increase and that one life is changed because of our time here! Please keep us in prayer as we prepare for this event! After we leave the retreat, I will be singing at 3 worship services on Sunday morning, then, along with many different groups at Messiah Lutheran Church in Joliet, IL., I'll do an early Christmas concert. This weekend is going to be crazy busy and we need prayer for strength and stamina!!!! I am feeling better, to God be the glory!
It has been so awesome having mom with us on this tour and she just keeps counting all the Cracker Barrel signs. She wanted us to let you know that from Howell, MI to Plainfield, IL there are ony 13 of them!! We all decided that was a low number compared to the rest of the trip!!! :) He! He! She's a hoot!!
The tubes that we have carried our backdrop and poles in have been great. We've decided we should paint them to look like LifeSavor Rolls or Tootsie Rolls! It was quite humorous today as we tried to get the short poles out of the far end of the tube.!!! We laughed alot! Thanks Eric for all your work on this project! It sure was nice to have a backdrop for this weekend. And of course, thanks Janice for painting it!!! You two ROCK!!!
Marcia is doing well and says hello to everyone! I am so glad that God blessed me with a friend like her and someone that I love doing this ministry with!! What a great support system and a prayer warrior!
Thanks for your prayers....................We love all of you!
Well hello everyone...from Howell, Michigan!!! Since I last wrote so much has happened!! God is so good!!! We had a great time in Frankenmuth, Michigan but it was stinkin COLD the whole time we were there but we still had a great time and visited Bronners (the Largest Christmas house in the world). It actually took us two days to get through the whole place! It was really fun to see mom's face as she walked into this awesome place!!! Like a child in a candy shop! We left Frankenmuth on Friday morning and headed to Howell where that afternoon we were to set up for the singles event and the worship services that we were doing on Saturday and Sunday! On the way into Howell we noticed some white flakes coming down from the sky but actually didn't realize at first that it was snowing!!! My mom said "oh come on, it looks like something is just burning and the ashes are coming down"........But the ashes got bigger and we realized that it was SNOW!!! It was so exciting!! For some reason it seems like everytime we are in Howell it is either freezing cold or snowing!!! So the closer we got the harder the snow fell. We got to the church were we were welcomed with open arms and Christ's love. Hidden Springs Church is absolutly so amazing. Christ's love just pours out of this church and all who attend!!! Ok so it was a warm welcome, however it was still snowing and coming down now BIG TIME and we needed to unload all of the eqipment.........way to much fun. I think I smiled the whole time as we unloaded and just kept saying thank you so much Lord for this blessing. I don't think I have ever had that much fun unloadng the equipment. I wanted to stay out there and just take it all in as long as I could but of coarse it was getting a bit cold and now I was wet from all the snow on my clothes!! LOVED IT!!!!
So once we were set up, we went to the hotel and met up with our friends and big supporters of the ministry, the Martin's. We had a wonderful dinner together and had a chance to catch up and share about what God was doing in our lives! Then came Saturday and it was time to do the Singles program. The atendance wasn't huge but God really used what was said and one of the young men that came took me aside and told me that God really spoke to him and that he was ready to make some changes in his life!! I know we were there just for him!!! Very exciting!! If one life is changed it is all worth it, RIGHT!!!! We had a really great time of ministry with those who came! Then Sunday morning. WOW what a time to watch the Holy Spirit work!!! Got to see God work in so many ways...LOTS OF STORIES. I would like to share one of them with you!! It happened in the second service. A lady came up to me in tears and wanted to let me know that she hadn't been at church for 45 years but came that mornig because her friend was havng surgery for cancer on Thursday and she wanted to support her. She shared that God really spoke through me that morning and that she really felt like God was putting on her heart that she needed to come back to church!! That was so awesome!!!! Again if one life is changed for good it is all so worth it! I also shared what was happening with me...the anxiety stuff I have been dealing with. I wasn't even going to talk about any of it but that "still small voice" kept telling me to share so I did. It is just so amazing to see God work when we are obedient. At the end of the service the church as a whole laid hands on me, which was a total suprise and so humbling that they care that much to lift the ministry up in prayer!! VERY AWESOME!
There are so many more stories from this morning, I hope to be able to share them with some of you!!!!
One of the funny things that have been happening is that Marcia asked my mom to start counting all of the Cracker Barrel's. So that's what we hear all day long "HEY ANOTHER CRACKER BARREL"! She's so funny and cute and she says that she feels so important having this job!!! There are ALOT of Cracker Barrel's in this country............and I think we have eaten at a ton of them!
Ok, I am super tired. We were up at 6AM today but what a great day in the Lord!!! He has given me the strength to make it through and I am so very THANKFUL and BLESSED!!!!
Goodnight all!! Be Blessed all of you! Be open to what God can do in your life!!!!!! We are off to Joliet, Illinois in the morning! Please keep us in your prayes!!
Well good evening everyone!!! Hope all is well with you and that God is blessing you in many ways!!! We are in Frankenmuth, Michigan on our way to Howell, Michigan tomorrow! So far this tour has been physically very rough on me. But through all of what is happening on the physical side, God is blessing me. My Mom is with us this time and it has really been fun to have her here! Marcia is doing great and is always such a great support and friend! She has been doing alot of the driving and smiling all the way through it! She is such a blessing to this ministry and me!
We are leaving in the morning for Howell, MI where we will be doing a singles program on Saturday night and then worship services on Sunday morning! We're really looking forward to seeing our friends at Hidden Springs Church!! From there we will be off to Illinios to prepare for our 1st Sommer Sleepover out of Florida!!! Hard to imagine a Sommer Sleepover in freezing COLD weather!!! Today we had a high in the 30's......that's right, 30's for a high!! But it has been such a good time of R&R as we prepare for a awesome time of ministry!
Today we got to see our friend Cathy Short from Bay City. She drove in to see us and had lunch with us. It was so nice to catch up and find out what God is doing in her life!!!
Well that is it for now. More later...............Blessings to all of you!!!!!!!!!!
Wow..........it has been a busy summer!!!! So much to share since I last wrote!!! God is so good and He has been blessing us in such wonderful ways!!! Ok so let me catch you up on what has been happening throughout the summer!!! In July we were at Community United Methodist in Fruitland Park, FL. I had the opportunity to lead worship in their services and do the children's sermon. For the children I was using the statement of "Got Milk" and turned it around to "Got Jesus" to show the kids how important it is to have Jesus in their lives. One of the boys didn't hear me real well and thought I said "Got Cheez-its" It was a hoot! The whole congregation was laughing. While at Community, we also had an opportunity to meet Paul who is a big supporter of Sue Sommer Ministries. It was such a blessing to meet him face to face and thank him for his blessings to us! Then we were off to First UMC Brandon where I shared in their 3 services!! That day was a real blessing and also a real challange for me! I became extremely sick before the first service and really had to rely on God to get me through the morning. It was so bad that one gentleman took his Bible and went to pray for me, while a wonderful nurse helped me with my phywical & emotional needs -- I was really scared and so weak that I thought I wasn't going to be able to make it through the services. But God gave me the strength. My favorite verse really came alive. That verse is 2 Corinthians 12:9&10 especially the end of verse 10 were it says......for when I am weak then I am strong!!! It was so awesome to see God work thorough all of this. Marcia said that no one would have ever known how sick I really was......that is totally a God thing!!!!! So that brings us to August. I had the blessing of being the song leader for our Vacation Bible School at First church called "Artic Edge". It was a VBS for the whole family and just a fun time! Again,I was blessed to lead worship at Meadow Park Church in Parkland, FL. I had the opportunity to also bring the Word that day!!! Then off to Parkway Christian School to do their chapel.............love those kids and the teachers and their parents!! We ALWAYS love having this time with them!!!
Then came the "Sommer Sleepover"..............AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!! God moved in so many ways that weekend!! We had 130 ladies attend this year. It was held at the Embassy Suites in Deerfield Beach, FL. Our speaker was Anne Berger from IL. This was truly a time for worship, fun and relaxation for the ladies. We feel so blessed that God gave us this event to do!!! We can't wait for next year!!! So here we are in September. So far, Scott and I sang for the couples dinner at First Church. The speaker, Bernadette Todd, was awesome. She reminded us how powerful "love" is, especially God's love. She captured my heart by what God had given her to say! The next morning I led worship once more at Meadow Park Church. This past weekend I was blessed to sing "Jesus Take The Wheel", with Patty Cunningham. We shared that song for the first time at the "Sommer Sleepover" and it was so great to be able to sing it again! Looking toward the next few months, we will be busy doing God's work and we are so looking forward to it! In October, we are heading to Palm Harbor, FL., for a Women's Day and concert, doing an event for Hope Pregnancy Center and then off for a tour into Michigan and IL. We'll be bringing our Sleepover for the first time to IL. Please keep us in your prayers that God will be Glorified in all that we do. I'll write soon!!!!!!!!!! Blessing to all of you!!!
Well Good morning everyone!! I pray you all are having a great day full of God's blessings!! WOW so much has been happening since I last wrote! I am sorry I have not kept up with my writing but I am going to try to catch up here today!!! We have been working really hard at the Sommer Sleepover retreats that are coming up! We have our Sommer Sleepover right here in Deerfield Beach, FL. coming up August 25 - 27!!! Also we are doing a Sommer Sleepover in Joliet, IL. this year!!! We are partnering with Messiah Lutheran to put on this event in their area!!! We are so excited about both of these events and we are praying that God will open up even more doors to this event in other places!!! We have also done a few concerts since the last time I wrote. We've been to St. Peter's in Wellington, FL. where we had a great night being a part of their Sunday School Volunteer appreciation dinner. We did a concert to thank those volunteers! What a fun night!! Next,we were a part of the Women's Tea at the First Church UMC in Coral Springs (my church!) The ladies that gave their testimonies were amazing and God was truly being honored and glorified!! I got the chance to sing some new songs with my new friend Jim Leonard who plays the piano (AMAZING!) In our next event, we had the opportunity to sing and minister at First UMC in Miami Lakes at both of their worship servies. What a time for ministry!! It was an awesome morning! This past Sunday, June 18th,(Father's Day) we were in Hobe Sound at First UMC of Hobe Sound. I sang and gave my testimony at all three of their services. It was a tough morning emotionally since I just lost my dad in September. This was my first Father's Day without my Daddy but God gave me the strength to make it through, and for that, Lord, I am so grateful! So as you can see we are staying busy. We would like to ask you to pray for more opportunities for us to spead God's message. I feel so blessed to be doing this ministry and so humbled that God uses what we do to change lives!
Wow..........CIA SUMMIT was amazing!!! In case you may not know, CIA stands for Christian Independent Artist. This event was held in Nashville, Tennessee and it was a really great event. Attending were 400 other artist just like me looking for some encouragement and finding the tools to help us spread the gospel in a better way!!! This was put on by INDIEHEAVEN. To find out more about Indieheaven go to their web site at www.indieheaven.com Marcia and I traveled to Nashville with our good friend Bruce Danna who is also my producer. Bruce is also a singer songwriter. You can find out more about him by going to his website at www.brucedanna.com It was great having him along and we had a chance to talk alot about how we felt God was leading us in ministry! We also met up with fellow Christian Artist Jason Cork and his wife Melissa. He has just released an aweomse CD of Hymns called Great is Thy Faithfulness. You can find out more about Jason by going to his website at www.jasoncork.com I feel so blessed that we were able to attend this event! We learned so much, and more than that, we worshipped our Lord Jesus Christ and were encouraged to give our all in spreading the gospel to those who will listen! I take this responsibilty God has set before me very seriously and I pray that everything that is done,is done in excellence honoring my Father in Heaven. I would ask all of you to please be in prayer for Patrick who works at Holiday Inn Express. Our prayer is that he will find the love of our Lord soon!!!!!! God bless all of you. Go and tell everyone about Jesus!!!!!!!!!!
What a great weekend I just got back from Leesburg, Fl. I was one of the enrichment leaders for this amazing weekend! This was the 22nd Annual Leesburg Women's retreat put on by the Florida Conference! There were 740 women at this retreat and God was really moving in a very powerful way in so many ways!!! I usually have the blessing on doing the worship leading for these retreats but this time I lead a enrichment for singles called "God's Special Agents". Wow this is such a needed ministry, the response was amazing and the one thing that I felt like God wanted me to share with these women is that being single is a gift just like being married is a gift. God's Word shows us this in 1 Corinthians 7:7!!!!! What a great verse!!! Isn't it great that God see's all of us as a gift no matter where we are in our lives! Also that God not your marital status defines your life, He makes you whole not anything else, that is from 1 Corinthians 7:17. The whole weekend was full of blessings!!!
Hi it is a great day full of blessings!! God is really been blessing us as we plan and prepare for Sommer Sleepover and seeing doors open to do other ministry opportunities.