A Promise is a Promise… Only if it’s Kept from Chicklit Power
2 Peter 1:3-4
His divine power has given to us all
things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him
who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us
exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be
partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in
the world through lust.
Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power…
Thanks for joining me for a little coffee break and the conclusion to our September WOW. Grab your coffee and let’s go wrap all these promises up!
Another beautiful scripture in His Word (promises) is in 2nd Corinthians 1:20:
“For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.” Remember, “amen” means so be it!
Now let’s conclude with our actual WOW to use as weapons of warfare. I think it’s important that we try and take it a bite at a time and sort of chew on it so all of its nutritional value will root in our hearts and sprout up and out in our lives. Here we go:
It is His divine power that has given _______ (put your name in there) all things that pertain to life and godliness. In other words, every physical need and all things needed to be Christ-like have been purchased and paid for (there’s the covenant) and therefore promised! This refers to the present physical life here on earth and the ongoing spiritual life.
We understand this only through coming to an experiential knowledge of Him. Remember, to “know” something or someone means to experience it/them with your inner being, aka, your heart and mind. Because we experience Him, He calls you and me to a higher standard that leads to eternal life with Him. But it is His power that will carry us through to that eternal glory, as the end, by our permission, which comes out in our Christ-like behavior, as the means. In other words, He’s promised we are not alone in the journey.
His power continues to hold our hand and lead us to walk in and experience His great and precious promises. These promises in and of themselves lead us to the divine nature that helps us to rise above the corruption of this world. It’s not that we are better than anyone, but we rise above the corruption and lust that is overtaking all those who are not in Christ Jesus. We rise above the corruption in our wisdom, understanding and thereafter our actions.
Not only are His promises to lift us up and help us, offer us a hope and a future, but He is the promise! So if we cling to the ultimate promise of Him, not only do we inherit all of the promises but we are able to keep the ones we make!
I pray that I would be slow to promise and quick to keep that which I promise.
Showered in His promises,
Evinda
P.S. We’ll pick up with Nana Holds on Monday!
September 5th, 2013
Happy day to you! Thanks for coming back to our WOW to use as weapons
of warfare. I hope you are enjoying what we are learning about the
little word of promise. It is loaded with symbolism and power. Grab your
coffee and come on in.
I have to admit, I was getting a bit confused there as we dug deeper and deeper into the Hebrew definitions, but what a huge diamond we came up with. A promise pertains to all things of God, from God to us for us in every situation we encounter in this temporal world!
Let’s take a quick look at a couple of definitions from the Greek concordance. Ooh, this is good: “An announcement (for information, assent or pledge; especially a divine assurance of good) message, an undertaking to do or give something.”
Wow, there are still a few really relevant ones so hang in there.
It says that whenever promise is in the N.T., except in Acts 23:21, it refers only to the promises of God! It frequently stands for the thing ‘promised’ and so signifies a gift graciously bestowed, not a pledge secured by negotiations. Wow, this is getting meaty but hopefully the premise of promise is clearer than when we first began this dig!
In other words, it is vital to our spiritual and emotional well being that we understand that the O.T. law is not against the promises of God for if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law (Gal 3:21).
We, you and I, inherit the promises through faith and patience as
clarified in Hebrew 6:12. The promise/covenant of grace was established
by and through the original covenant (Heb 8:12). Hebrew 11:13 speaks of
those who lived and died in faith without seeing the fruit (promise) of
their faith; yet they preserved by their belief in the promises of God.
And then Hebrews 11:32-33 tells about the heroes who obtained some of
His promises in their lifetime.
A promise is a promise… only if it’s kept and He promises to keep them. He promises to save those who put their trust in Him. He promises peace for trusting; He promises to meet all our needs according to His riches in heaven. He promises strength for the weak, rest for the weary. He promises to be a father to the fatherless, the husband to the widow. He promises to deliver us from temptation. He promises never to leave us or forsake us; He promises to take care of us, our coming and our going. He promises to protect us from evil. He promises to bless us for our faithfulness. He promises we will bear fruit by abiding in Him, He promises to reward His children with a new and beautiful dwelling place in eternity; He promises victory over death!
Go ahead and add to the list; it will affirm His promises to you!
Wrapped in His promise of grace,
Evinda
A Promise is a Promise… Only if it’s Kept from Chicklit Power
2 Peter 1:3-4
His divine power has given to us all
things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him
who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us
exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be
partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in
the world through lust.
Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power…
I have to admit, I was getting a bit confused there as we dug deeper and deeper into the Hebrew definitions, but what a huge diamond we came up with. A promise pertains to all things of God, from God to us for us in every situation we encounter in this temporal world!
Let’s take a quick look at a couple of definitions from the Greek concordance. Ooh, this is good: “An announcement (for information, assent or pledge; especially a divine assurance of good) message, an undertaking to do or give something.”
Wow, there are still a few really relevant ones so hang in there.
It says that whenever promise is in the N.T., except in Acts 23:21, it refers only to the promises of God! It frequently stands for the thing ‘promised’ and so signifies a gift graciously bestowed, not a pledge secured by negotiations. Wow, this is getting meaty but hopefully the premise of promise is clearer than when we first began this dig!
In other words, it is vital to our spiritual and emotional well being that we understand that the O.T. law is not against the promises of God for if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law (Gal 3:21).
The Word-The Promise!
A promise is a promise… only if it’s kept and He promises to keep them. He promises to save those who put their trust in Him. He promises peace for trusting; He promises to meet all our needs according to His riches in heaven. He promises strength for the weak, rest for the weary. He promises to be a father to the fatherless, the husband to the widow. He promises to deliver us from temptation. He promises never to leave us or forsake us; He promises to take care of us, our coming and our going. He promises to protect us from evil. He promises to bless us for our faithfulness. He promises we will bear fruit by abiding in Him, He promises to reward His children with a new and beautiful dwelling place in eternity; He promises victory over death!
Go ahead and add to the list; it will affirm His promises to you!
Wrapped in His promise of grace,
Evinda
September 4th, 2013
Thanks for joining me for more of our WOW today and a little coffee break. Grab your coffee, and your spiritual shovel, and let’s keep digging! I just know that through the digging, we will come to a deeper understanding of 2nd Peter 1:3-4.
So what does promise mean from Webster’s perspective? “A declaration that one will do or refrain from doing something specified.” Yikes, see I did break my promise to Jimmy! Anyone reading this that knows him please let me tell him first!
Now, that may not have been a major promise, but still . . .
Another definition for promise is: “A legally binding declaration that gives the person to whom it is made a right to expect or to claim the performance or forbearance of a specified act.”
And finally, a promise is: “reason to expect something <little promise of relief> especially ground for expectation of success, improvement, or excellence <shows considerable promise>.”
Suffice it to say, we do make and break promises, but perhaps, if we understood the solemnity of a promise, we would be slow to promise and quick to keep it. Now let’s do a bit of spiritual digging.
Did you know there are over 3500 promises in the Bible? There are 108 scriptures about this very word in all its forms and interestingly enough, the majority are in the New Testament. The reason for that is the word “covenant” is used as a promise in the Old Testament; for example, in Deuteronomy 7:9: “Therefore know that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments.”
Now a covenant is actually deeper than a promise because of its requirements, but it would take me too long to explain — I lead a study on this very subject, and it actually took us almost a year to complete – but I did find an explanation on eManna that really fits so I’ll give you that first: “No promise binds a person as much as a covenant does. Men can make promises without being bound very much by them. But once we pay the price for that promise to become a covenant, we are bound by the covenant we have made. The price is the procedure necessary to make the promise a covenant.
I love that part I put in bold! In other words, the price God paid for the promise of grace was His Son, Jesus Christ! This is instrumental in understanding why, out of the many verses with the word promise, I chose 2nd Peter 1:3-4!
Now let’s look at a couple Hebrew and Greek definitions for the word promise and see what we find. Do you have your shovels?
Hmm, this is a bit unclear to me, but I’ll try and explain it as best as I can. The Hebrew concordance defines “promise” as “A word, matter, something.” Promise refers first to what is said, the actual words. Promise also appears to have had a technical status in Israel’s law procedures. Anyone who had a promise before Moses had a law case.
Now that’s interesting. So to promise or a promise goes all the way back to the Israelites.
Wow, here’s another part of it: “As a biblical phrase, ‘the word of the Lord’ is quite important; it occurs about 242 times”!
I was going to skip some of this and cut to the chase, but the light just turned on for me after reading the whole thing so bear with me as I summarize the other definitions from the Hebrew concordance: While the word promise may focus on the meaning of what was said, it also carries overtones of the actual words themselves made within the promise.
In most cases in the Old Testament, promise is a technical phrase referring expressly to prophetic revelation with some judicial (legal) overtones. “Promise” is also used of God’s affairs, His thoughts and His will and is contrasted with His name!
Bingo! There it is! God should be in every promise for He is the author of the greatest promises ever made and kept! Take some time to think about some of His promises you live by and feel free to share them with me. We’ll get into some New Testament definitions tomorrow.
Have a promising day,
Evinda
A Promise is a Promise… Only if it’s Kept from Chicklit Power
Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power…
2 Peter 1:3-4
His divine power has given to us all
things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him
who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us
exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be
partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in
the world through lust.
Thanks for joining me for more of our WOW today and a little coffee break. Grab your coffee, and your spiritual shovel, and let’s keep digging! I just know that through the digging, we will come to a deeper understanding of 2nd Peter 1:3-4.
So what does promise mean from Webster’s perspective? “A declaration that one will do or refrain from doing something specified.” Yikes, see I did break my promise to Jimmy! Anyone reading this that knows him please let me tell him first!
Now, that may not have been a major promise, but still . . .Another definition for promise is: “A legally binding declaration that gives the person to whom it is made a right to expect or to claim the performance or forbearance of a specified act.”
And finally, a promise is: “reason to expect something <little promise of relief> especially ground for expectation of success, improvement, or excellence <shows considerable promise>.”
Suffice it to say, we do make and break promises, but perhaps, if we understood the solemnity of a promise, we would be slow to promise and quick to keep it. Now let’s do a bit of spiritual digging.
Did you know there are over 3500 promises in the Bible? There are 108 scriptures about this very word in all its forms and interestingly enough, the majority are in the New Testament. The reason for that is the word “covenant” is used as a promise in the Old Testament; for example, in Deuteronomy 7:9: “Therefore know that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments.”
Now a covenant is actually deeper than a promise because of its requirements, but it would take me too long to explain — I lead a study on this very subject, and it actually took us almost a year to complete – but I did find an explanation on eManna that really fits so I’ll give you that first: “No promise binds a person as much as a covenant does. Men can make promises without being bound very much by them. But once we pay the price for that promise to become a covenant, we are bound by the covenant we have made. The price is the procedure necessary to make the promise a covenant.
I love that part I put in bold! In other words, the price God paid for the promise of grace was His Son, Jesus Christ! This is instrumental in understanding why, out of the many verses with the word promise, I chose 2nd Peter 1:3-4!
Now let’s look at a couple Hebrew and Greek definitions for the word promise and see what we find. Do you have your shovels?
Hmm, this is a bit unclear to me, but I’ll try and explain it as best as I can. The Hebrew concordance defines “promise” as “A word, matter, something.” Promise refers first to what is said, the actual words. Promise also appears to have had a technical status in Israel’s law procedures. Anyone who had a promise before Moses had a law case.
Now that’s interesting. So to promise or a promise goes all the way back to the Israelites.
Wow, here’s another part of it: “As a biblical phrase, ‘the word of the Lord’ is quite important; it occurs about 242 times”!
I was going to skip some of this and cut to the chase, but the light just turned on for me after reading the whole thing so bear with me as I summarize the other definitions from the Hebrew concordance: While the word promise may focus on the meaning of what was said, it also carries overtones of the actual words themselves made within the promise.
In most cases in the Old Testament, promise is a technical phrase referring expressly to prophetic revelation with some judicial (legal) overtones. “Promise” is also used of God’s affairs, His thoughts and His will and is contrasted with His name!
Bingo! There it is! God should be in every promise for He is the author of the greatest promises ever made and kept! Take some time to think about some of His promises you live by and feel free to share them with me. We’ll get into some New Testament definitions tomorrow.
Have a promising day,
Evinda
September 3rd, 2013
Thanks so much for joining me for a little coffee break. It’s that time of the month again, time for our WOW, words of wisdom that we can use as weapons of warfare! Grab your coffee and come on in.
Have you ever been the recipient of a broken promise? Or have you ever made a promise that you couldn’t keep? Well, the other day, I was having a Twitterversation (ha, that’s conversation on Twitter!) with someone out in Twitterverse and she made a statement that really pricked at my heart and grabbed my attention. She said, “I guess they were just broken promises.” I tweeted back, “A promise is a promise, only if it’s kept; He never breaks His promises.”
Well, the whole promise thing has intrigued me since then and that word keeps coming to the forefront of my thoughts, occupying an awful lot of space in my head. I mean, even our little three-year-old grandson uses this word! (I love how he says it: “I pwomise, Nana.”) Where in the world did he learn it?
Why do we promise? What does it mean to promise? Somehow, it’s lost
its solemnity because of its overuse. I know just a couple weeks ago, I
broke a “pinkie promise”! I had promised my hair stylist I wouldn’t take
the scissors to my bangs, ever, but would come in when they were
driving me up a wall and let him trim them. Well, right after a haircut,
I didn’t have the courage to tell him I didn’t like the sides; they
were too long and the picture I showed him showed the cut without
sideburns! Two days after my haircut, I took the scissors and cut them
almost completely off, not quite like the picture! I didn’t do that bad
of a job, but I know when I go in he will be able to tell and the truth
will have to be told; that I broke our pinkie promise! I should have
just been honest in the first place.
Now while that’s a small issue, it still involves the same principle: a promise. The word continued to echo throughout my days and my perplexity rose to a level I couldn’t ignore when I was reviewing a Bible study I did last year on the subject of joy by Kay Warren and she was sharing about God’s loving ways through scripture. She quoted Psalm 145:13, the NIV translation which says: “The Lord is faithful to all His promises and loving to all He has made.” Hmm, hadn’t I just tweeted something like that? But when I looked it up in the NKJV – and this is where the perplexity comes — I literally shook my head because it didn’t say the same thing. Seriously, I read it at least five times, looked at the address to confirm I was in the right place, even began to question my vision because Psalm 145:13 in NKJV says: Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion (realm, rule, power) endures throughout all generations.
I wondered why the discrepancy? Oh, I’m so thankful for my innate curious nature which inspires me to go off and dig into the scriptures! I found a footnote in the Blue Letter Bible online which says: Following Masoretic Text (which is the authoritative Hebrew text of the Jewish Bible) and Targum (which are the spoken paraphrases, explanations and expansions of the Jewish scriptures given by a Rabi), the Dead Sea Scrolls, Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate add The LORD is faithful in all His words, And holy in all His works.
Those are some strong authorities that line up with many other scriptures about promises which we will explore in our next few coffee hours, but for now, look at the last sentence and may its truth, that God is faithful to keep His promises, begin to resonate in your heart. When we take Him at His word, in other words claim His promises in our life, I can’t help but wonder, would we live it differently?
Take a minute or two and reflect on our WOW and when I finally explain why I chose this one, I pray you will experience an aha moment, too!
Join me tomorrow for more!
Wrapped in His promises,
Evinda
A Promise is a Promise… Only if it’s Kept! from Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power
Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power…
2 Peter 1:3-4
His divine power has given to us all
things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him
who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us
exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be
partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in
the world through lust.
Thanks so much for joining me for a little coffee break. It’s that time of the month again, time for our WOW, words of wisdom that we can use as weapons of warfare! Grab your coffee and come on in.
Have you ever been the recipient of a broken promise? Or have you ever made a promise that you couldn’t keep? Well, the other day, I was having a Twitterversation (ha, that’s conversation on Twitter!) with someone out in Twitterverse and she made a statement that really pricked at my heart and grabbed my attention. She said, “I guess they were just broken promises.” I tweeted back, “A promise is a promise, only if it’s kept; He never breaks His promises.”
Well, the whole promise thing has intrigued me since then and that word keeps coming to the forefront of my thoughts, occupying an awful lot of space in my head. I mean, even our little three-year-old grandson uses this word! (I love how he says it: “I pwomise, Nana.”) Where in the world did he learn it?
The Word-The Promise!
Now while that’s a small issue, it still involves the same principle: a promise. The word continued to echo throughout my days and my perplexity rose to a level I couldn’t ignore when I was reviewing a Bible study I did last year on the subject of joy by Kay Warren and she was sharing about God’s loving ways through scripture. She quoted Psalm 145:13, the NIV translation which says: “The Lord is faithful to all His promises and loving to all He has made.” Hmm, hadn’t I just tweeted something like that? But when I looked it up in the NKJV – and this is where the perplexity comes — I literally shook my head because it didn’t say the same thing. Seriously, I read it at least five times, looked at the address to confirm I was in the right place, even began to question my vision because Psalm 145:13 in NKJV says: Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion (realm, rule, power) endures throughout all generations.
I wondered why the discrepancy? Oh, I’m so thankful for my innate curious nature which inspires me to go off and dig into the scriptures! I found a footnote in the Blue Letter Bible online which says: Following Masoretic Text (which is the authoritative Hebrew text of the Jewish Bible) and Targum (which are the spoken paraphrases, explanations and expansions of the Jewish scriptures given by a Rabi), the Dead Sea Scrolls, Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate add The LORD is faithful in all His words, And holy in all His works.
Those are some strong authorities that line up with many other scriptures about promises which we will explore in our next few coffee hours, but for now, look at the last sentence and may its truth, that God is faithful to keep His promises, begin to resonate in your heart. When we take Him at His word, in other words claim His promises in our life, I can’t help but wonder, would we live it differently?
Take a minute or two and reflect on our WOW and when I finally explain why I chose this one, I pray you will experience an aha moment, too!
Join me tomorrow for more!
Wrapped in His promises,
Evinda
September 2nd, 2013
Welcome to Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power. I’m glad you came by this morning. Today is a special day, Labor Day, and I’ve never taken the time to understand what it is, let alone why it is. It’s just always meant a three-day weekend, and who doesn’t like a little more playtime, right? Come on in and let’s talk about the meaning of “Labor Day.”
So one of the sites that I visited on this subject defined Labor Day as: “a creation of the labor movement, dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers.” Let’s stop there for a moment. Considering our economy right now, this statement seems like an oxymoron, but then again, we must consider how far this country has come, thus the word “achievements,” which denotes a process. We all know that our dollar has decreased in value, but it’s our nation’s values that have decreased more than the dollar. The next time you’re at your bank, ask them if they have any of the new dollar coins. Then look for the words “In God We Trust.” Unfortunately, you you’ll need a magnifying glass to find them; that phrase is also getting smaller and smaller. The rest of the definition for Labor Day says: “It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.” Now, we could go off on all kinds of directions about the last part of this definition, but all I’ll say is for those of us who do have a job, we should be celebrating the fact that our working is considered a contribution to our country’s overall well-being, and in today’s economy, the fact that we do have a job should also be celebrated.
A little history about the first Labor Day holiday: Actually, the first Labor Day was celebrated on a Tuesday, September
5,
in 1882, and the first place on the map to do so was New York City,
N.Y. They did so in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor
Union. Then in 1884, the first Monday in September was selected as the
official holiday, as originally proposed by the Central Labor Union, and
other cities followed the example of New York and celebrated what they
called then a “working man’s holiday” on that date. The idea spread with
the growth of labor organizations, and in 1885, Labor Day was
celebrated in many industrial centers of the country.
So whether you are employed or not, may you enjoy this Labor Day. May its true meaning resonate with the freedom we enjoy as American workers, and may this be a day that brings you memories that make your heart smile for years to come. For those of you who listen to our Blog Talk Radio show on Mondays at 1:00, we will not be on the air today, but will pick up next week with our show.
Have an awesome day
Evinda
Why Labor Day? (From Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power)
Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power…
Welcome to Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power. I’m glad you came by this morning. Today is a special day, Labor Day, and I’ve never taken the time to understand what it is, let alone why it is. It’s just always meant a three-day weekend, and who doesn’t like a little more playtime, right? Come on in and let’s talk about the meaning of “Labor Day.”
So one of the sites that I visited on this subject defined Labor Day as: “a creation of the labor movement, dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers.” Let’s stop there for a moment. Considering our economy right now, this statement seems like an oxymoron, but then again, we must consider how far this country has come, thus the word “achievements,” which denotes a process. We all know that our dollar has decreased in value, but it’s our nation’s values that have decreased more than the dollar. The next time you’re at your bank, ask them if they have any of the new dollar coins. Then look for the words “In God We Trust.” Unfortunately, you you’ll need a magnifying glass to find them; that phrase is also getting smaller and smaller. The rest of the definition for Labor Day says: “It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.” Now, we could go off on all kinds of directions about the last part of this definition, but all I’ll say is for those of us who do have a job, we should be celebrating the fact that our working is considered a contribution to our country’s overall well-being, and in today’s economy, the fact that we do have a job should also be celebrated.
A little history about the first Labor Day holiday: Actually, the first Labor Day was celebrated on a Tuesday, September
5,
in 1882, and the first place on the map to do so was New York City,
N.Y. They did so in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor
Union. Then in 1884, the first Monday in September was selected as the
official holiday, as originally proposed by the Central Labor Union, and
other cities followed the example of New York and celebrated what they
called then a “working man’s holiday” on that date. The idea spread with
the growth of labor organizations, and in 1885, Labor Day was
celebrated in many industrial centers of the country.So whether you are employed or not, may you enjoy this Labor Day. May its true meaning resonate with the freedom we enjoy as American workers, and may this be a day that brings you memories that make your heart smile for years to come. For those of you who listen to our Blog Talk Radio show on Mondays at 1:00, we will not be on the air today, but will pick up next week with our show.
Have an awesome day
Evinda
August 30th, 2013
Ah, it’s so good to be with you again. Thanks for stopping by. Grab your coffee and let’s get into another symptom of confusion and the relationship infection. I’m so excited to share the breakthroughs from this symptom and how He has used an incredibly special three-year-old to accomplish this!
“Do you think that you sometimes might be crazy?” Hmm, that’s a great question for a woman in menopause! Oh, sorry, we’re talking about co-dependency!
This one actually grabs at my heart and steals my breath away, not because I wondered this about myself as I shared at the event, but something happened a month and a half later that definitely brought that question to the forefront of my heart and mind in the heat of it all. But let me stay on track. That’s for upcoming days in this series!
Yes, I absolutely still have those moments when I wonder if I’m going crazy, where I wonder if I’m just imagining things about others’ behavior or is it my intuition, and if it’s my intuition, is it being hypersensitive? This is why, and I can’t stress this enough, we must meet with Him first thing in the morning to start off on solid ground, to arm ourselves against the thoughts that tend to sneak into the back door of our mind. And that’s not to say that those thoughts won’t sneak up on us and in us throughout the day, because they will. But the more truth we feed our mind, the less space there is for lies!
If we have relied on others for self-esteem, security and overall emotional wellness, as we come to a greater understanding of just how unhealthy that is, we will experience a great level of resistance and that will create a sort of confusion and questioning of what we are learning. Hence, the question of going crazy will probably scream its loudest in the midst of conflict in and with those we have come to depend upon.
For me personally, by the time I stood sharing at the event, I was probably right in the middle of that symptom, learning how to check for an undivided heart, even in the midst of conflict. As I mentioned, it doesn’t mean that question hasn’t haunted me again. When it comes to establishing a boundary or drawing a line, that question no longer screams at me, but there still is a whisper of it… going in one ear and out the other!
Think about this and ask yourself, when it comes to drawing a boundary to establish a healthier you, is it uncomfortable and do you question yourself, wondering about your sanity? If you do, you are right on target!
Finally sane,
Evinda
Nana Holds from Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power
Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power…
Ah, it’s so good to be with you again. Thanks for stopping by. Grab your coffee and let’s get into another symptom of confusion and the relationship infection. I’m so excited to share the breakthroughs from this symptom and how He has used an incredibly special three-year-old to accomplish this!
“Do you think that you sometimes might be crazy?” Hmm, that’s a great question for a woman in menopause! Oh, sorry, we’re talking about co-dependency!
This one actually grabs at my heart and steals my breath away, not because I wondered this about myself as I shared at the event, but something happened a month and a half later that definitely brought that question to the forefront of my heart and mind in the heat of it all. But let me stay on track. That’s for upcoming days in this series!
Yes, I absolutely still have those moments when I wonder if I’m going crazy, where I wonder if I’m just imagining things about others’ behavior or is it my intuition, and if it’s my intuition, is it being hypersensitive? This is why, and I can’t stress this enough, we must meet with Him first thing in the morning to start off on solid ground, to arm ourselves against the thoughts that tend to sneak into the back door of our mind. And that’s not to say that those thoughts won’t sneak up on us and in us throughout the day, because they will. But the more truth we feed our mind, the less space there is for lies!
If we have relied on others for self-esteem, security and overall emotional wellness, as we come to a greater understanding of just how unhealthy that is, we will experience a great level of resistance and that will create a sort of confusion and questioning of what we are learning. Hence, the question of going crazy will probably scream its loudest in the midst of conflict in and with those we have come to depend upon.
For me personally, by the time I stood sharing at the event, I was probably right in the middle of that symptom, learning how to check for an undivided heart, even in the midst of conflict. As I mentioned, it doesn’t mean that question hasn’t haunted me again. When it comes to establishing a boundary or drawing a line, that question no longer screams at me, but there still is a whisper of it… going in one ear and out the other!
Think about this and ask yourself, when it comes to drawing a boundary to establish a healthier you, is it uncomfortable and do you question yourself, wondering about your sanity? If you do, you are right on target!
Finally sane,
Evinda
Nana Holds!
August 29th, 2013
Thank
you so very much for taking time out of your busy day to join me for a
Coffee Hour and more of Nana Holds. I know in my heart He longs for us
to be still and take time to hear the silent lessons He longs to share. I
pray that this series is speaking right into your heart because I’m
writing it from mine! Grab your coffee and come on in.
Returning to this relationship infection which I was sharing at the February event, Revival for Relationships, we are actually on the last category of symptoms and this one is under the heading of confusion!
The first question asks if we ever wonder what it means to be normal.
For most of my life, I have sought for that sense of normalcy as much as I have chased happiness. I have always wondered what it would be like to be “normal,” especially since I didn’t have what I deem as a “normal” childhood, growing up with a mom and a dad. And in no way do I think that having a mom and dad makes life happily ever after, but I have come to believe and know that normal is a dad to provide the frame while a mom who colors it all in. In other words, Dad helps build the core values and skills necessary to maneuver successfully through life and mom is the one who does the nurturing, both leading by example.
Who has had all of that, really? Is “normal” more than a setting on a washing machine and/or dryer? Is normal a thing to
be arrived at? I do believe God does have a normal for each of us to
reach despite any abnormality we’ve grown up in and under! This season
of Nana Holds continues to reveal the truth of normal!
For many, chaotic homes, stressful lifestyles, unhealthy relationships are their normal because they have never experienced anything else. How does one come to understand that what they’re settling for isn’t normal?
As I stood before the friends of CPM on that day, I would have to say that I, up until the recent past, have always wondered what it would be like to be normal, wondered when I was going to get the whole relationship thing right and land in that state of normalcy. So while yes was an answer of the past, I can now emphatically state that it has been in this journey of loving Bryden that I have come to learn about a new normal, both for myself and for him, despite his circumstances!
Join me tomorrow for another symptom of the “confusion” part of the relationship infection!
Love and laughter,
Evinda
Nana Holds from Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power
Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power…
Thank
you so very much for taking time out of your busy day to join me for a
Coffee Hour and more of Nana Holds. I know in my heart He longs for us
to be still and take time to hear the silent lessons He longs to share. I
pray that this series is speaking right into your heart because I’m
writing it from mine! Grab your coffee and come on in.Returning to this relationship infection which I was sharing at the February event, Revival for Relationships, we are actually on the last category of symptoms and this one is under the heading of confusion!
The first question asks if we ever wonder what it means to be normal.
For most of my life, I have sought for that sense of normalcy as much as I have chased happiness. I have always wondered what it would be like to be “normal,” especially since I didn’t have what I deem as a “normal” childhood, growing up with a mom and a dad. And in no way do I think that having a mom and dad makes life happily ever after, but I have come to believe and know that normal is a dad to provide the frame while a mom who colors it all in. In other words, Dad helps build the core values and skills necessary to maneuver successfully through life and mom is the one who does the nurturing, both leading by example.
Who has had all of that, really? Is “normal” more than a setting on a washing machine and/or dryer? Is normal a thing to
Nana Holds 2-23-13
For many, chaotic homes, stressful lifestyles, unhealthy relationships are their normal because they have never experienced anything else. How does one come to understand that what they’re settling for isn’t normal?
As I stood before the friends of CPM on that day, I would have to say that I, up until the recent past, have always wondered what it would be like to be normal, wondered when I was going to get the whole relationship thing right and land in that state of normalcy. So while yes was an answer of the past, I can now emphatically state that it has been in this journey of loving Bryden that I have come to learn about a new normal, both for myself and for him, despite his circumstances!
Join me tomorrow for another symptom of the “confusion” part of the relationship infection!
Love and laughter,
Evinda
Nana Holds!
August 28th, 2013
Thanks for stopping by today for our Wednesday’s Word, a sort of power thought that I pray will encourage you in and through your day. Grab your coffee and come on in.
This past week, I was out in Twitterverse, (the universe for Twitter!) and I had tweeted that God is the only one who can make two wrongs equal a right and I sent a question out, “What two wrongs has He made right for you?”
Within minutes we got a response sharing that He hadn’t done that for this person because she said that she felt her wrongs were being focused on and not forgiven.
I then followed up with: Focused on by? And, not forgiven by? I wanted to make sure she had forgiven herself, which she tweeted that she had. That is where this power thought comes from because it lines up with this relationship infection and the need for others’ approval and/or forgiveness.
Forgiven,
Evinda
Wednesday’s Word-from Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power
Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power…
Thanks for stopping by today for our Wednesday’s Word, a sort of power thought that I pray will encourage you in and through your day. Grab your coffee and come on in.
This past week, I was out in Twitterverse, (the universe for Twitter!) and I had tweeted that God is the only one who can make two wrongs equal a right and I sent a question out, “What two wrongs has He made right for you?”
Within minutes we got a response sharing that He hadn’t done that for this person because she said that she felt her wrongs were being focused on and not forgiven.
I then followed up with: Focused on by? And, not forgiven by? I wanted to make sure she had forgiven herself, which she tweeted that she had. That is where this power thought comes from because it lines up with this relationship infection and the need for others’ approval and/or forgiveness.
The prisoner trapped in the bondage of bitterness is the one handcuffed to the offense, stuck in un-forgiveness.
The encouragement I was sending her was the only forgiveness we need
to keep going forward is His! I marvel at the ability to communicate
with others within a matter of seconds, no matter what part of the
universe they’re in! What an amazing tool to encourage others with the
comfort we’ve been given!Forgiven,
Evinda
August 27th, 2013
Thanks so much for joining me today. Grab your coffee and come on in. Today is a special day for me!
I can’t help but smile because nine years ago today, I entered into the covenant of marriage and began the most insightful journey of my life with my husband. Everything I had been to up to and through that moment led me to him. I can honestly say that I love him in a much deeper way than the day I married him and I truly mean that. But what is even more telling is this truth: Marriage is the silent teacher that brings out the worst or the best in me; it is up to me to decide which one!
Another truth that makes my heart smile is this: Men have wounded me physically and emotionally; yet, He’s used this man to bring deep healing in so many areas of my life! Yes, we are wounded by relationships and we are healed in relationships. Only He has the power to make that possible, because otherwise, we would keep doing the same thing over and over and over again, expecting a different result!
Steve made a statement at our final How We Love group, and I’ll paraphrase it for clarity because many of us looked stumped after he said it: marriage teaches me about myself, and if I get to be happy too, then the lessons are successful for happiness comes in the process!
Now, I was going to share about this next couple, but after searching my heart and for the sake of anonymity, I realized I really couldn’t share too much because the details leading up to this comfort circle make it all the more powerful in its explosion of understanding. I will say that he went first and his two feeling words were quite telling. We all watched the process come to life as he shared small pieces of his childhood which collided with his two feelings that haunted him from within, causing chaos in his home.
And as he shared, some of us gasped, sucked in our breath as we learned how his imprint was affecting his wife. I knew in the core of my being that she was afraid of being honest, but her righteous anger wouldn’t let her be anything but.
As the process continued, I looked to Steve and again, because of their honesty and vulnerability, he was crying. Their process was just as powerful to witness and when they stood and held each other, the class again erupted with applause. What we witnessed together, combined with all the learning we had done bound us together in a way that changed us forever. None of us wanted the night or the class to be over. Everyone said they’d be back for the next one in January and each of them had someone to bring!
Join me Thursday for more of Nana Holds and the last of the symptoms of the relationship infection, which will fast-forward us closer to where I am in this precious season of life.
Joyfully,
Evinda
Nana Holds from Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power
Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power…
Thanks so much for joining me today. Grab your coffee and come on in. Today is a special day for me!I can’t help but smile because nine years ago today, I entered into the covenant of marriage and began the most insightful journey of my life with my husband. Everything I had been to up to and through that moment led me to him. I can honestly say that I love him in a much deeper way than the day I married him and I truly mean that. But what is even more telling is this truth: Marriage is the silent teacher that brings out the worst or the best in me; it is up to me to decide which one!
Another truth that makes my heart smile is this: Men have wounded me physically and emotionally; yet, He’s used this man to bring deep healing in so many areas of my life! Yes, we are wounded by relationships and we are healed in relationships. Only He has the power to make that possible, because otherwise, we would keep doing the same thing over and over and over again, expecting a different result!
Steve made a statement at our final How We Love group, and I’ll paraphrase it for clarity because many of us looked stumped after he said it: marriage teaches me about myself, and if I get to be happy too, then the lessons are successful for happiness comes in the process!
Now, I was going to share about this next couple, but after searching my heart and for the sake of anonymity, I realized I really couldn’t share too much because the details leading up to this comfort circle make it all the more powerful in its explosion of understanding. I will say that he went first and his two feeling words were quite telling. We all watched the process come to life as he shared small pieces of his childhood which collided with his two feelings that haunted him from within, causing chaos in his home.
And as he shared, some of us gasped, sucked in our breath as we learned how his imprint was affecting his wife. I knew in the core of my being that she was afraid of being honest, but her righteous anger wouldn’t let her be anything but.
As the process continued, I looked to Steve and again, because of their honesty and vulnerability, he was crying. Their process was just as powerful to witness and when they stood and held each other, the class again erupted with applause. What we witnessed together, combined with all the learning we had done bound us together in a way that changed us forever. None of us wanted the night or the class to be over. Everyone said they’d be back for the next one in January and each of them had someone to bring!
Join me Thursday for more of Nana Holds and the last of the symptoms of the relationship infection, which will fast-forward us closer to where I am in this precious season of life.
Joyfully,
Evinda
Loving life!
August 26th, 2013
Thank you for coming by for our Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power and more of this series, Nana Holds, a series that is transforming many areas of my life, but especially the relationships in my life. I hope and pray it will do that for you, too. Grab your coffee and let’s get back to the other side of the comfort circle from his perception taking into account his feelings.
When the tables reversed and it was his turn to express two feelings, we all scooted closer and stretched to hear his soft-spoken expression: one of the feelings he expressed was alone! He also said he felt he was never good enough.
She looked somewhat surprised by his admission, and I know from our past conversations she never in a million years thought of him having those feelings! She sat forward in her chair, willing to listen to why and when he felt these feelings. When I think of all the frustrations she’s expressed in the past to Steve and I during her separation, I am not only incredibly proud of her, but I am also convinced that there is such a great need for getting in the trenches with others to help them sort through these relationship issues which stem from how we were loved in our childhood.
“Have I ever made you feel alone and not good enough?”
I held my breath, praying for his honesty to come forth – I already knew the answer! He looked away and down, paused, and then looked back up and ever so timidly he nodded his head up and down.
Instead of going into what her contribution was to those feelings, Steve switched it up a bit. I sat in my chair amazed as Steve walked him through a couple of childhood memories where he admitted to never being good enough in his dad’s eyes, that the only time they had communication was when his dad was telling him what he was doing wrong.
I just happened to glance quickly at Steve and what I saw took my breath away: his chin was quivering and his eyes were welling up! He was right there with him, empathizing with his childhood but definitely participating in the moments of this comfort circle, allowing his own vulnerability to shine through. I have never, in sixteen years, seen this from him!
As the scene unfolded, it became apparent that that is exactly where they had left off in their marriage; his wife had turned into his dad, and she sat in her chair ever so calmly and acknowledged her part. There was no condemnation, just understanding. It was so powerfully revealing and healing
Steve finished their comfort circle with each of them sharing two things they valued about the other. I watched Steve as he watched them and the tearful expression on his face, his willingness to cry sent me over and when he asked if they wouldn’t mind hugging they did not hesitate one bit. All I could do was cry and clap as they held each other, and I wasn’t the only one. There wasn’t a dry eye in the class.
It was so powerfully freeing to see the imprint play out. It is only when we own it that we can disown it and I treasure every moment that led up to their moments in the comfort circle. As the clapping began to subside, I looked over to the couple I was praying would participate. He caught my eye, and I his, and I mouthed, “Are you going to go?”
He nodded his head yes, tapped his wife on the shoulder, and they made their way to the front.
Join me tomorrow for more of these moments that make Nana Holds even more powerful, for my season of learning, loving and nurturing this precious little boy have prepared me for such a time as this!
Evinda
P.S. Join us today at 1:00 Pacific time for more of Breaking Free from Co-Dependency on Blog Talk Radio. If you can’t join us at 1, you can still click on the link and download any of our shows! www.blogtalkradio.com/Chicklit-Power
Nana Holds from Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power
Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power…
Thank you for coming by for our Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power and more of this series, Nana Holds, a series that is transforming many areas of my life, but especially the relationships in my life. I hope and pray it will do that for you, too. Grab your coffee and let’s get back to the other side of the comfort circle from his perception taking into account his feelings.
When the tables reversed and it was his turn to express two feelings, we all scooted closer and stretched to hear his soft-spoken expression: one of the feelings he expressed was alone! He also said he felt he was never good enough.
She looked somewhat surprised by his admission, and I know from our past conversations she never in a million years thought of him having those feelings! She sat forward in her chair, willing to listen to why and when he felt these feelings. When I think of all the frustrations she’s expressed in the past to Steve and I during her separation, I am not only incredibly proud of her, but I am also convinced that there is such a great need for getting in the trenches with others to help them sort through these relationship issues which stem from how we were loved in our childhood.
“Have I ever made you feel alone and not good enough?”
I held my breath, praying for his honesty to come forth – I already knew the answer! He looked away and down, paused, and then looked back up and ever so timidly he nodded his head up and down.
Instead of going into what her contribution was to those feelings, Steve switched it up a bit. I sat in my chair amazed as Steve walked him through a couple of childhood memories where he admitted to never being good enough in his dad’s eyes, that the only time they had communication was when his dad was telling him what he was doing wrong.
I just happened to glance quickly at Steve and what I saw took my breath away: his chin was quivering and his eyes were welling up! He was right there with him, empathizing with his childhood but definitely participating in the moments of this comfort circle, allowing his own vulnerability to shine through. I have never, in sixteen years, seen this from him!
As the scene unfolded, it became apparent that that is exactly where they had left off in their marriage; his wife had turned into his dad, and she sat in her chair ever so calmly and acknowledged her part. There was no condemnation, just understanding. It was so powerfully revealing and healing
Steve finished their comfort circle with each of them sharing two things they valued about the other. I watched Steve as he watched them and the tearful expression on his face, his willingness to cry sent me over and when he asked if they wouldn’t mind hugging they did not hesitate one bit. All I could do was cry and clap as they held each other, and I wasn’t the only one. There wasn’t a dry eye in the class.
It was so powerfully freeing to see the imprint play out. It is only when we own it that we can disown it and I treasure every moment that led up to their moments in the comfort circle. As the clapping began to subside, I looked over to the couple I was praying would participate. He caught my eye, and I his, and I mouthed, “Are you going to go?”
He nodded his head yes, tapped his wife on the shoulder, and they made their way to the front.
Join me tomorrow for more of these moments that make Nana Holds even more powerful, for my season of learning, loving and nurturing this precious little boy have prepared me for such a time as this!
Evinda
Nana Holds!
P.S. Join us today at 1:00 Pacific time for more of Breaking Free from Co-Dependency on Blog Talk Radio. If you can’t join us at 1, you can still click on the link and download any of our shows! www.blogtalkradio.com/Chicklit-Power
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