Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power: Monday Manna

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Happy Monday Manna,

I hope you all had an amazing weekend!

Before this week’s Manna, let’s take a few moments to reflect on a spiritual victory that has recently been made in our lives. Spiritual victories come in all shapes and sizes. Your victory could be related to a close friend or loved one recently coming to Christ, or finding out how to use a God-given gift to bring others closer to Christ. Maybe you discovered that through walking in faith, God has provided for you and your family financially and spiritually. Friends, these victories that have taken place in our lives are a true testimony to HIS unfailing love for each and every one of us. Our God is a providential God and His ability to become our every need is a reminder to me that God’s love never fails. What about us? Do we fail at loving others or are we following God’s perfect will in our lives? If not, how do we know?

I’m sure each and every one of you has prayed “That prayer.” My “That prayer” last week was “God, I want to grow in you and I submit myself unto you. Put me where you want me.” After I prayed I thought, “Garrett, why would you pray for that!?” That’s a serious prayer, right? Maybe I should have thought about that prayer more before I actually articulated it verbally? Well, OUR God answers prayers and after last week I will never be the same. Let me share how and why. After last week's writing, I experienced my first "attack," if you will, an attack that hit me hard and really made me think about writing, and what I write about and wondering if I was in His will by writing for this blog. In the midst of this attack, I was reminded of a couple Biblical people:

When I think of following God’s perfect will I’m reminded of Jonah. God calls his faithful servant to Nineveh to warn the people of their great transgressions and impending Judgments but Jonah, afraid and fearing the worst, detours and flees to Tarshish. Jonah was not following God’s perfect will, and as you continue to read you can see how God chastises His beloved servant. God chastises those He loves and I find that when I am not following HIS perfect will, God will redirect me through the use of fellowship. I’ll admit it; I’m as stubborn as they come. I am easily blinded by the fear and apprehension of my own Nineveh, but that is why God has provided me with a village of support, such as my wife, my family, Evinda, and each one of you that offer support through your comments on these writings. You have no idea how much you have impacted me and because of you I feel like I am getting closer to being where He wants me to be.

God answers prayers, even if they are scary prayers. God knows our hearts and God knows what we are capable of. God uses the tax collectors, the Christian murderers, and society's outcasts to accomplish HIS perfect will. It wasn't until after the attack, being several hours outside of it and through the counsel of others that I realized that the attack didn't come from Him, rather from the enemy who doesn't want truth out there in cyber space!

When we are in HIS perfect will, we experience a peace that transcends all understanding, even in chaos! God Bless You!
 
In His Love,

Garrett Castro
P.S. Join Steve & Kim (Evinda) for more relationship revelations on How to Love Who You Love BTR today at 1:00! Click on this link to land in our show and listen at your convenience. www.blogtalkradio.com/Chicklit-Power

Power Friday @ Chicklit Power

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Thanks so much for joining me today for our Power Friday @ Chicklit Power! What a week! Grab your coffee and come on in.

I’ve been working on a curriculum for our Transform trench class, an in-depth study to the eight roots to any hurt, habit and hang-up. The first root is the root of fear. Who doesn’t struggle with fear? We fear what will happen if . . . We fear what will happen when . . . We fear how to . . . We fear if something doesn't . . . The list could go on and on.

I can assure you that while there is a good fear, these kinds of fears are not from anything or anyone good!

Anyway, as I was writing and studying, and digging, I received this little mini download from Him that I pray opens up the eyes of your heart about the tool of fear:

 Fears are like robbers:

they steal from your present and rob from your future.

Oh, may we learn to live a fearless life, lost but found in His love!

In His grip,

Evinda

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power: Loving the Unlovable

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Loving the Unlovable

Step 4

Whew, our last coffee hour was a bit grueling, but freeing, don’t you think? The fact that you are continuing confirms that He is with you and encouraging you in this process. I am excited to be on this journey with you, on our way to Destination? Joyful! ™ I wish I could see you face to face in our Coffee Hour! Grab your coffee and let’s go and talk a little more about Step 4.

The digging we did in that last step wasn’t easy to do; at least it wasn’t for me. I’ll never forget the splash of perspective and emotional pain I felt when the revelation and truth of being just like the first unlovable/difficult person on my list penetrated deep into my heart. But I can say this: As it illuminates, and we walk in its light, we are closer to freedom, just as John 8:32: “You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.” (NKJV) Another truth that I’ve learned to live by is actually the title of a book I read years ago “For Things to Change, I Must Change!”

Another brilliant spark within these truths is as long as you work on you in this process, that unlovable/difficult person no longer holds the same power over you! Sure, they may remain on your list, as a couple of mine have, but if we work these steps, they will move down the list instead of up, and the chances of them moving off the list increase when you continually practice loving the unlovable.

Yes, Step 4 does require some honest reflecting into your own character, and doing this will work like a mirror reflecting what needs to change in you. Most of the time, you will see yourself staring back at you through those descriptive adjectives. Remember, a lack of transparency translates to shame, and walking with shame is not abundant living!

There may be an occasional time when that powerful realization of the need for change doesn’t come to fruition. Then what do you do? You could list three more adjectives for that unlovable person, and see if those fit. Something tells me they just may.

For many of us, it is so much easier to focus on the flaws and faults of others, especially if you have a tendency to avoid your own emotions, as well as the emotions of those with whom you have relationship. Jesus knows about this weakness in each of us. Let me tell you why I say that:

In Matthew 5, Jesus escapes the multitudes and heads up to the mountaintop and His disciples follow. It is during this time that the famous “Sermon on the Mount” is given. There are so many priceless life lessons in the couple of chapters that follow without any sort of break in between. I wish I could have been up there with them but at least we have the recordation of it. In Chapter 7 He teaches them and us about not criticizing and/or judging others.

As I re-read this chapter in Matthew, and the footnotes, I can actually

imagine Jesus looking out to His disciples and chuckling as He tells them “And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye?” (NKJV)

He knows that the things that bother us about others are often the things we dislike in ourselves and that it’s so much easier to magnify the flaws and faults of others while minimizing our own. He even said it twice; He wants us to get the picture and seriously, if you visualize this illustration, while           the Book that teaches
it’s humbling, there is humor. Our God loves us right where we are and               us how to love the
encourages us to do the same with others. That’s grace and to whom much is             unlovable!
given, much is required!

Smiles and hugs,

Evinda

Coffee Hour @ Chickllit Power: Loving the Unlovable

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Thank you for joining me for another Coffee Hour and into these ten steps to loving those unlovable/difficult people in your life. We are now up to Step 4, almost halfway through! Congratulations to you for sticking with it. He is smiling at your progress. Grab your coffee and come on in.

Before I forget, for those of you reading this who know my adopted mom, Pat, would you please send her a happy birthday! What an amazingly loving woman God placed in my life all those years ago, the first person to ever show me unconditional love. I love you, Mom, and pray the memories we create celebrating your day make you smile from the inside out!

When I first wrote this series, I was literally walking through them as I wrote them. Please know that I am again walking through them with you, challenging myself before I challenge you to be Christ-inspired to love those unlovable and/or difficult people. The truth that there will always be relational challenges necessitates these ten steps. If you are having a hard time relating because of a lack of unlovable and/or difficult people in your world, perhaps a place to start for you would be to check if your emotional gauge is working. What I mean is if you tend not to get emotionally involved, nine times out of ten, the reason for that goes way back to how you were loved as a child, also known as the attachment theory (Milan & Kay Yerkovitch, How We Love).

Understanding that emotions are need-driven and need dictates behavior is a huge piece to this puzzle of learning how to love those unlovable/difficult people in our life! Paying attention to emotions/feelings is analogous to watching for signals and signs on the dashboard of your car. When the “check engine” light comes on, do you ignore it? Hopefully you don’t or you won’t have a drivable car for long. :) But why is it we tend to blow right past the signals – the feelings/emotions -- on the dashboard of our minds? Maybe those on your list are unlovable and/or difficult because they are not in touch with their feelings, or you may not be in touch with yours?

Wow, another truth just splashed me in the face with reality: When we practice these ten steps for each of our unlovable people in our life, on our list, it’s like a tune-up for the heart; a way of keeping that emotional trunk free of junk that can sneak back in if we are not progressing in our process. Okay, let’s move to Step 4!

I remember when Step 4 came alive. It was like a firework that came to life right in front of me, bringing me to an abrupt halt yet causing me to stand back because I was too close. The ironic thing is I was out for a run and almost to the end of it when this revelation came charging through me and exploded, literally bringing me to an abrupt stop so I could admire it internally. I hope and pray that this step will illuminate understanding in your heart and mind, igniting you to be encouraged as you learn to love those unlovable/difficult people in your life.

Step 4: Go back up to the first person on your list and look at the adjectives you used to describe why they are difficult or unlovable. Really think on those adjectives and then ask yourself this: “Are there times when I am …?” This takes some honest reflecting, so I’m going to put myself out there and go back to the adjectives I used as an example for the person now first on my list. They were loud, angry and bossy. So here’s the huge revelation: Yes, I have been loud! As a matter of fact, my marriage has revealed that I can get really loud, unnecessarily! Have I ever been angry? Oh, most definitely. Again, the mirror of marriage is looking me in the face. And have I been bossy? Oh, the image I see is one of a bull in a china cabinet when I’m behaving like this. So could it be that I like this person less when I am “behaving” just like her?

Ouch! I know for me, that was a stinger! Now do you see why this was like a firework that went off right in front of me, bringing me to a dead stop in the midst of my run?

Talk about a huge piece of humble pie. :)

Oh how I need to commit this step to memory and pray that it would come to the forefront of my heart the next time I see her. I have come so far since writing this series the first time and yet, there is always room for growth. What about you; did you see yourself in any of those three adjectives that you used to describe your first unlovable /difficult person on your list? Be honest, and remember, it is okay. He loves us despite us, right where we are. Go ahead and journal your answers.

Cheering for you,

Evinda
P.S. Happy birthday to my oldest niece, Keri-Lyn, and to a long-time friend, Susan Henning! May your day be filled with sweet moments.

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power: Loving the Unlovable

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Thanks for joining me for another Cup of Grace for the Day! When we allow Him to pour into us, we are able to love the unlovable/difficult people in our lives. Let’s get back to Step 3.

So did you think of someone you can share your list with? I did and it’s my husband. I just smiled as I wrote that because the first time I wrote this series, I wouldn’t have dreamed of sharing the list with him, and no, it wasn’t because he was on it – or was he? He does hop on and off periodically, but I now know that is “normal.” It becomes unhealthy if he stays on that list!

So we have discussed that finding someone to share our list with requires a level of vulnerability, but it also requires that we lay down pride. What’s in the middle of pride? That’s right, “I”! Laying down pride and letting Him reside is what it takes to admit to something that may reveal a not-so-positive fact.

Here’s a little diamond to help sparkle some light of reasoning on the need for accountability:

Guilt leads us to accountability; shame is a lack of transparency. Accountability brings us to freedom, and points us to our need for a Savior, while shame, a lack of transparency, keeps us locked up inside! Why is it we tend not to be so transparent about our struggles and weaknesses?

Think of some forms of accountability available to you right now. How about church attendance? See, His Word will never come back void, so that could lead us to accountability, if we allow it to and become doers of what we hear, not just hearers of what we hear. How about a small group Bible Study where you share your struggles as well as the lessons from the Word?

All right; let’s keep moving in this series before I begin another one! 

We’ve identified who those unlovable/difficult people are, whether one or ten by writing them in your journal here or in a separate one. Don’t forget to leave a line or two in between each name, and leave room to add more names. That’s right; because it’s not unusual for this list to evolve. After all, many people are in your life but for a season and some are in for many seasons, so before they evolve off your list, wouldn’t it be awesome to be able to say, “I learned how to love that not-so-loveable person”?

There is not one person in your life by accident, but I hope, as you work through these steps, your list will decrease as your ability to love increases. You will understand why and how that can even happen within the next few coffee hours so hang in there.

The second thing to do to help you in learning how to love the unlovable is to look at each name and allow your mind to wander to the last couple of interactions you’ve had with this person and then write down the first three adjectives that come to mind. As I am re-writing this series and bringing it current, I just realized that one of my unlovable and difficult people was second on my list and she has now moved to first place! Most of our interactions are now kept to surface stuff, but three adjectives that come to mind whenever I see her, let alone try to have a conversation with her are: loud, bossy and angry! Wow, those are similar to the adjectives I chose for my biological mom way back when. It is going to be interesting to explore this as we get further into the steps.

Oh, don’t you wish that we could twitch our nose and presto! We are able to love these unlovable/difficult people and not let them get on our last nerve! But, because of the tent of flesh we live in, the challenge to love others is real and we do need a form of accountability. So did you find someone to share your list with yet? If you’re struggling with that, I have a suggestion: Look up. He’s waiting for an invitation to this process.

Encouraging you in the journey,

Evinda

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power: Monday Manna

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Happy Monday Manna,

Hello friends. I hope you all had a blessed weekend. I can’t believe we’re almost in April; where does the time go? Last week we touched on the impact of spiritual warfare on our lives and how scripture disproves the lies of the enemy. The topic of this week’s writing is based upon a Biblical text found in Joel- “And I will show wonders in the heavens, and in the earth, blood and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the coming of the great and awesome day of Jehovah” (Joel 2:30-31).

The heavens declare God’s sovereignty-this is consistent with historical events that have taken place from the beginning of time, until now. In Isaiah 38:8, God’s covenant to extend King Hezekiah’s life by fifteen years, as well as protect his kingdom against the attacks of the Assyrian army, was confirmed through a miraculous display of power by moving the sun back ten degrees. Joshua 10:12 also demonstrates God’s ability to extend the day, which gave Joshua’s army victory over the Amorites. NASA scientists were boggled by the missing day and additional forty minutes that were “unaccounted” for until a Christian NASA scientist brought forth his Bible and read both of these scriptures to his staff. NASA scientists did not confirm the Biblical events that occurred in Isaiah and Joshua; Biblical events confirmed the missing day and forty minutes.

The four blood moons symbolize signs from God that correlate to events related to Israel. Israel is the true epicenter of Biblical prophecy. The four blood moons, also called tetrads, have occurred within recent centuries: In 1492-1493, 1948-1949, 1967-1968, and another tetrad will be occurring in 2014 and 2015. According to the Jewish Talmud, the blood moon is a sign that God’s Sword is coming. A blood moon is a lunar eclipse that happens quite often, but rarely ever do they happen in a series of four within two years, especially on sacred Jewish holidays. John Hagee’s book The Four Blood Moons explains the significance of these dates and their relation to the Jewish people and Israel.

In 1492 and 1493, Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand exiled all Jews from Spain, after killing millions by burning them alive. On May 14, 1948, David Ben-Gurion, the head of the Jewish Agency, proclaimed establishment of the State of Israel. In 1967-1968, the six-day war, along with many other skirmishes, occurred and the dwarfed Israeli army was able to defeat armies of Egypt, Syria, Palestine, Iraq, and armies of Jordan. In doing so they killed 20,000 enemy soldiers, while only 700 Israel soldiers were killed…a true David and Goliath victory!

This year we will see a blood moon on Passover (4-15) and another on the Feast of Tabernacles (10-8). In the year of 2015, we will see a blood moon on Passover (4-4) and another on the Feast of Tabernacles (9-28). Coincidence…or is God trying to tell us something? Let’s keep our eyes on Israel, as God will allow surrounding countries to take up arms against his chosen people, as prophesied in Ezekiel 38 and 39 but God will protect his Holy Land and his people. Let’s remain diligent in prayer for Israel and for the Church. God Bless You!

Regards,

 Garrett Castro

P.S. There will be no Blog Talk Radio show today, but click on the link and listen to a previous broadcast! www.blogtalkradio.com/Chicklit-Power

Power Thought for a Power Friday: Letting go of the reins

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Welcome to our Power Friday @ Chicklit Power! Grab a coffee, or whatever you’re having and come on in for a few!

Wow, what a week last week was! I made it through something I never imagined would happen, and pray that it never happens again, and it left me asking “Why, God?” over and over and over again . . . Until I read something having to do with Proverbs 3:5, you know, the scripture that instructs us to lean NOT on our own understanding!

It was two days after losing over 80 hours of work, 180 pages of the Transform curriculum that I “just happened” to open up a devotional I hadn’t been using for weeks and felt as though Sarah Young, inspired by His Spirit, had just peeked in on my heart to hear me questioning why it all happened, while shaking my fist, I might add!

In her Dear Jesus devotional, here’s what I read, from her heart to mine and now from my heart to yours: “Behind this impetus to understand there lies this desire to feel in control of my life!”
I let go of that question as if it were a hot potato searing the lining of my heart. After all, it’s His ministry, His class and His curriculum! I'm trusting He is going to write it even better, not that He needs a do-over!

So the next time you feel the need to “understand” the why of something, double check to make sure you’re not trying to grab the reins out of His hands!

Remembering His plans to lift me up . . .

Evinda

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power: Loving the Unlovable

Loving the Unlovable-Step 3

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Thank you so much for allowing me to share your coffee hour and my experiences with you as they relate to loving the unlovable and difficult people in my life. It’s funny; while I was originally blogging this series, there were many real-time opportunities to put these steps into practice and as I review them now for you, I realize that as long as we are alive, there will always be opportunities for us to put loving the unlovable/difficult people into action. I hold myself accountable to Him and to you, which leads us to Step 3. Grab your coffee and let’s get to it.

Step 3 involves finding someone you respect and trust to share your list with. That’s right; this is going to involve self-exposure, but lay down that pride and let Him preside, because transparency can be a beautiful thing for all involved. For example, when my husband shares something from deep within and he becomes transparent, it softens my heart like nothing else can. I don’t consider him to be weaker in his moments of transparent vulnerability; rather, quite the opposite.

Can you recall a time when someone you care about was transparent with you? How did you feel in that exposure of vulnerability?

In the last few years, through my unpacking process, I’ve learned that many have a difficult time allowing themselves to be vulnerable. That is for a myriad of reasons, many of which are truly complicated and deeply rooted. In my third year of ministry, God gave me an incredible vision that totally lines up with what we are talking about right now, transparency and accountability. Let me explain what I mean.

I saw this girl, down on her knees. Directly in front of her was this over-sized trunk. It was sort of a dingy black-brown, the hardware somewhat tarnished, the handle quite worn. There were patches of the outside finish that had chipped off and let’s just say it looked worn, tired and worn. The lid was open and the girl was staring into the almost empty trunk, tears streaming down her face, but they were happy tears. There weren’t many pieces left to unpack, and yet, the ones that remained would take some time to get to their root. But she was no longer in a hurry. His love in the process had taught her that some things take longer to achieve than others, depending on their root. But, oh, the freedom she felt now. She looked up, lifting her arms up she thanked Him, again and again and again. And then, in order to comfort others with the comfort she continued to receive, she looked behind at all that He had unpacked and was accomplishing in her life. The pieces of emotional junk that once had the power to destroy her lay behind her now. The tears continued to flow and then, almost as if He put His hand ever so gently under her chin, she looked up behind the unpacked pieces and there in the distance were thousands and thousands of others watching the transparency, encouraged to begin their own unpacking process.

See, in 2nd Corinthians 1, we read that the comfort we receive allows us to speak into the lives of those who need comfort. Where you see failure and pain, He sees victory and healing. Go ahead and think about an accountability partner to share the process with.

Evinda

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power: Loving the Unlovable

Loving the Unlovable

Step 3

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Thank you for inviting me back into your coffee hour and into this series. I know what we are learning is not easy to hear, so please know that I am sincerely blessed that you are allowing me to walk with you in this. I believe with all that is in me that He has ordained this time to unpack any and all junk as it relates to unlovable and difficult people in your life. Grab your coffee and let’s go to the next step in loving those unlovable/difficult people in our lives!

Today, I would just like to share with you an analogy about why we are even doing this series, give you some thoughts to ponder before we move on to Step 3. Just as the first step in an addict’s or alcoholic’s recovery is the most important because admission of their problem opens the door to their recovery, so does acknowledging unlovable and/or difficult people in our life opens the door to healing. Let me explain what I mean. You see, in this process, the one that will change is you! You and I are powerless to change the unlovable and/or difficult people on our list! But, oh, how I’ve tried over and over again, delusional enough to think I actually could change others. Have you ever caught yourself thinking this of anyone in your world?

As a result of the change in you, that unlovable/difficult person may or may not move off the list you have them on, but I can guarantee you this: their unlovable, difficult attitude will no longer have the same power over you!

I’ll use my biological mother as an example. At the time I wrote this series, she was still an alcoholic, so negative, and obviously so angry, but I am no longer exasperated beyond belief when I talk with her! He has helped me through these steps to push exasperation and frustration to the side, at least most of the time and now there is room for understanding, and even love. I don’t want to give too much away all at once, so I’ll tell you more about my own experiences as we get further into this process.

If you need extra confirmation about making that list, let me share with you
Psalm 4:4 which says: “Be angry and do not sin” – this tells me that God            the Book with ALL
does understand anger and frustration; it’s what we do with it that separates             the answers!
us! It goes on to say: “Meditate within your heart on your bed” – or your
place of privacy – “and be still.” Now let me share with you a diamond I
found in that verse.

The word “meditate” sparked something so I dug a bit further into its Hebrew (Old Testament) definition, which is: “The act of thoughtful deliberation with the implication of speaking to one’s self, to consider.”

Go ahead and affirm your meditation by journaling your list and speak the names aloud to yourself. He will hear you!

Learning to love the unlovable,

Evinda

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power: Loving the Unlovable

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Loving the Unlovable-Step 2

Welcome back to what I hope and pray will be a life-changing series for you as you learn to extend grace, especially to those unlovable/difficult people. Remember, we don’t earn or deserve grace! Grab your coffee and come on in.

So, how did you do with the first step? Like I said, if you don’t have anyone unlovable at this point in your life, kudos to you! That is such a blessing. But please don’t skip these precious coffee hours because you never know when or if someone loving is going to turn unlovable or someone new and challenging is brought into your life!

So now that you’ve made your list, beside each of their names, write down three adjectives (descriptive words) about them that describe what makes them unlovable, in your opinion. As you do this, you need to own that these descriptive words are from your perspective and experience and not based on anyone else’s opinion or experience.

For example, at the time I was working these steps, my biological mother was at the top of my list and the three adjectives that best describe what made her so unlovable and difficult for me to love were: loud, prideful and bossy.

Then when you’ve written the adjectives, go back and write a sentence using that adjective explaining why you used that adjective. I’ll share a couple of mine. “I feel that because my mom is loud in her anger, she is unlovable.”

I have to stop before going on to the next one because I have learned so much about relationships since writing this series the first time years ago. I didn’t know then what I do now and what I’ve learned in the meantime makes this series all the more necessary and powerful. But let this profound statement, which I learned from Milan and Kay Yerkovitch in their book, “How We Love” serve as a reminder that our unlovable people in our life don’t set out to be any of the words we use to describe them! There is always a reason for their behavior, a root to trace it to. I pray that helps you in this step as you are writing these adjectives.

Let’s move to the second adjective. “Her prideful attitude is like a wall between us.” Mom would rarely apologize for her anger or when she was incorrect on something.

And the final adjective on my list was bossy so my sentence reads: “I don’t enjoy most of my conversations with her because she tends to be bossy most of the time.” Maybe it was her way of feeling like she was a mother-figure in my life because she hadn’t been in my life for most of my life.
Things are never as they seem but it’s important to acknowledge our feelings. They are neither right nor wrong; they just are. What’s important to remember is we should never let them drive our emotional car!

If you have more than one unlovable and/or difficult person in your life, may I encourage you to do this exercise separately for each one. In other words, don’t sit there and do this for each and every person on your list, one right after the other, lest you fill up with self-righteousness and negativity, defeating the purpose of this step. So, for example, if there are three people on your list, do this in three sittings. Remember, this is a process and we are not in any hurry!

Rooting for you in your unpacking process,

Evinda

Monday Manna: Spiritual Warfare

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Happy Monday Manna!

Hello friends. I hope you all had a fantastic weekend and I hope that this week’s writing will fill each and every one of you with a hope that can only be provided to you through Christ.

There have been times throughout my life when I have questioned Jesus Christ’s sovereignty. As believers, we are constantly under attack; the enemy loves turning up the intensity of attack towards those believers who have grounded themselves in the Word and in prayer.

If you were to look at the statistics for Christian men who were helplessly addicted to pornography, the figures would truly frighten you. More Christina men are addicted to these forbidden websites than non-Christian males. Unfortunately, the tangible tools of the enemy often take on the form of a bottle or any other illegal substance. These destructive tools are all fair game to the enemy.

In Karl Payne’s book Spiritual Warfare: Christians, Demonization, and Deliverance, he speaks of how spiritual warfare occurs throughout the unseen dimensions around us. Through mathematical calculations and photon experimentation, many quantum physicists hypothesize that twenty-seven different dimensions exist. Spiritual warfare is as vast as the heavens, but we often find it occurring within our own homes. I often find that spiritual attack occurs when I’m alone and most vulnerable; I often find myself asking “Garrett, how do you know that Jesus Christ is the true Lord and Savior?”

I’ve asked the Lord for guidance and understanding. He always comes
through…always. I heard a sermon from pastor Raul Ries and he spoke of Calvary Chapel’s annual trips taken to Jerusalem. Raul, like any great evangelist, will always share the Word of God with the Jewish tour guides as they explore the sacred grounds of Jerusalem. He will always share with them Psalm 22, Isaiah 53, and Matthew 27:27-56 in this order. If you have your Bible near you I encourage you to read these passages now. The parallels between prophecy and the actual crucifixion of Christ blew my mind. As I read these passages, an overwhelming sense of peace and warmth overcame me. God had opened my eyes and my heart. Another            the Book with ALL
victory for Christ!                                                                                                       the answers!

God does not send us into battle defenseless; He has equipped us with his Word, which is as sharp as a double-edged sword. The enemy’s attempts don’t stand a chance against our Lord and Savior. But beware fellow believers because just as soon as an epic spiritual victory is won, the enemy will be on the prowl once again. Let’s remain faithful in the daily reading of His Word. God Bless You!

Warmest Regards,
P.S. Join Evinda @ Steve at 1:00 Pacific time today at www.blogtalkradio.com/Chicklit-Power for 30 minutes of relationship truths!

Garrett Castro

Power Thought for Power Friday

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Thanks for joining me today for our Power Friday! Grab your coffee and come on in.
I’ve been working very intently on a curriculum that addresses hurts, habits and hang-ups, and it’s been intense, overwhelmingly so, as well as freeing as He writes through me and shows me through words, scripture, others’ lives how and why people get stuck in the various hurts, habits and hang-ups.

I am definitely excited and anticipating the ways in which He will work through this curriculum that addresses the eight roots to any hurt, habit or hang-up. One of the roots is despair, and despair is defined as a loss of hope! I was going to go one direction with it and He led me another, revealing that the problem lies in whom and what we place our hope in and I am super excited for the revelations to come from the digging up of this root.

But for now, let me give you this power thought from this very root of despair:

When we put our hope in people and things, we lose our ability to soar through life.

Oh, that we would soar as with wings of an eagle . . .

Love,
Evinda

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power: Loving the Unlovable

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Loving the Unlovable

Step 1

It’s so good to be with you for our Coffee Hour and share these powerful truths. What a way to extend grace, which we’ve received, by learning to love those unlovable, difficult people in our lives. Grab your coffee and come on in.

I was going to move us on to Step 2 but then I remembered about something that happened when I was originally blogging this series, and it involves Step 1. I received a phone call from a friend and right away, I recognized her need to talk, really talk. In other words, this wasn’t going to be a light-hearted phone call. And I was right; there was very little chit-chat and within minutes she asked if she could come over and talk to me about this series that I had just begun to blog about.

My heart skipped a beat and I wondered if I had offended her in some way but I swallowed my self-doubt before agreeing to meet with her. We arranged a time for her to come over just a couple of days later, and by that time, we were working on Step 3.

When she came, she again didn’t waste time on idle chit-chat and got right to the subject of loving the unlovable and/or difficult people in her life. I could see that she was really struggling in her heart with this series, and it wasn’t that there was something she didn’t agree with. No, there was like this fear undertone in her transparent sharing. Suddenly, in the midst of her sharing about one of her unlovable people, something I hadn’t thought of prior to writing about Step 1 began to dawn on me.

I asked Ivy if she had started on Step 2 in this process, and a confession so profound burst out of her mouth. As a matter of fact, I’m not sure who was more surprise, her or me! She said: “I just – I haven’t even started my list yet!” She looked as if she might cry with exasperation as she tattled on herself. I sat there, silently encouraging her to continue. “I just can’t bring myself to do it!”

Her admission collided with my understanding, which prompted the next question: “Is it because you think it’s a reflection on you?” She began to squirm a bit, and I continued. “Do you think that by writing the names down, you will be admitting there’s something wrong with you? Or perhaps you are unlovable at times?” You could have heard a pin drop but her eyes affirmed the answers to my questions, which I had asked because of my own experience in this part of the process!

Her sweet, sweet transparency further inspired me to affirm you in making your list. Unfortunately, I can’t say what you would like to hear; that is that your perception of a particular unlovable/difficult person isn’t a reflection of something not quite right in you, because when you write their names down, it may trigger an unpleasant image of something in you that you don’t want exposed!

I know; that’s a lot to process in one sitting, so go ahead and journal your thoughts. It’s so much better to get them out instead of leaving them in. And if you haven’t made that list of unlovable/difficult people in your life, may you be free to do so now.

Evinda

Coffe Hour @ Chicklit Power: Rewrite Loving the Unlovable

Loving the Unlovable

Step 1

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Thanks for joining me today, a new day to revel in His mercies, so we can extend some to others, especially those unlovable difficult people in our lives. And if you don’t have one of those right now, store this information for later because we all, at one time or another, run into them Grab your coffee and let’s get started.

At the end of every year, and before the new one begins, I have a habit/tradition that I practice and it is to write down my goals for the upcoming New Year. This goal setting doesn’t happen all in one sitting, if you will; rather, it takes several and I pray in between. I divide my goals up into two categories: spiritual/personal and then monetary. You may be wondering, what in the world is a “spiritual” or “personal” goal so I’ll share a few of mine with you. For example, last year, I wanted to do a 40-day word fast. That was a spiritual goal.

It is easier if the goal involves just you and God and is not contingent upon someone else's actions. For example, one goal I’ve had is to initiate reading the Bible with my husband more often. Well, if he doesn’t want to read it, does that mean I fail in my goal? No, as long as I initiate, that’s the key.

Monetary goals are pretty simple: anything that costs more than $100 – or you pick an amount -- and is not within your normal budget.

So a few years back, I had reached a point in my life, physically and spiritually, where I had become very aware of the necessity to love the unlovable/difficult people in my life as well as the people that I was    convinced didn’t love me. What brought me to this awareness? Well,           probably a combination of things, because everything worthwhile just
seems to be a process for me but the final light in my head and heart turned on when one of my sisters died by drinking herself to death! I’ll never forget the taste of anger that rose in my throat as I watched my alcoholic      mother during the memorial. I was so shaken by the revelation of unresolved anger in me towards her and when it hit me in the face with a           The Book that Began
force barely unrecognizable, I knew I couldn’t let it go untamed.                               the Journey!

My sister’s life and her death helped me realize that when my life is over and I stand before our Father, He’s not going to ask me how so and so treated me. No, He is going to talk to me about me and how I treated them, how I loved them despite them.

So that was the year that on my personal/spiritual side of the goals I wrote, “Get better at loving” . . . and I listed the names. That’s right; I said “list”! It’s hard to admit but there were several on my list. Let me tell you, it’s a powerful experience to list them, visualize their faces and officially hold yourself accountable to love the unlovable.

This is the first step. May I challenge you to do the same? You don’t have to wait for the New Year, because the sooner you start, the lighter your load will be, which means less junk you will be carrying in your own emotional trunk. And for those who have been with me since the beginning, let's do this again, together! Go ahead, get your pen and be still for a few minutes and think; then journal the name or names of those unlovable and/or difficult people in your life.

Encouraging you,

Evinda

Coffe Hour @ Chicklit Power: The Rewrite

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Thanks so much for joining me for a coffee break at Chicklit Power! I hope you are not feeling that loss of one hour’s sleep! Grab your coffee and come on in for the introduction to a re-write of a very special series!

This series has such a special significance for me because it’s what He used to bring people forward to ask for help in this area and ultimately begin a ministry. It’s crazy how it happened, really and when I rewind the journey, the only fingerprints I see are His. In other words, I could have never master-minded this, let alone orchestrated a ministry like this. It confirms yet again His sense of humor! I have to just take a bit of a detour before we start this series. Something tells me you just may benefit from it, if not get a little chuckle at least!

It’s kind of funny, looking back through all of the twists and turns, thinking I knew what I was doing, where I was going and what I wanted to accomplish: to write a book and have it published. It was that last part that proved to be the most challenging part because the publishing industry has changed dramatically. I’ll never forget the horror I felt when I finally finished my first fiction novel and my editor told me I now needed a website. So I begin that process, and the web designers inform me I needed to link in Linkdin, to tweet on Twitter, to face on Facebook, and do some other forms of social media. Oh, and also, you need to blog! I didn’t even know what a blog was.

The web designer explained that the tools of Social Media were to be used to bring people to the site and lead them to the book. She explained it rather simplistically so I began to blog. I remember a week after I began, He gave me the title: Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power. And I continued blogging. I blogged this very series, and in the midst of it – I’m not sure which step – I began to get requests to teach the steps.

I gathered my book team, and together we planned that first workshop based on this very series. I’ll never forget that day. Seventy people showed up! From that point on, my focus began to change ever so subtly, and now, instead of a publication journey and/or a quest for an agent, the writing journey has turned into a ministry.

I must confess I had no idea that’s what it really was going to be; I thought it was just part of the journey to get where I thought I wanted to be! But oh, how my perception has changed and He has used so many things and people and circumstances to change it, including giving me a vision.
Let me share it with you because maybe, just maybe you will be able to relate to the girl in the vision. I saw her, on her knees, bent down in front of a trunk of junk, only it was easy to see that many things had come out of the trunk and they were now behind her.
Still kneeling, she lifted her eyes and hands to the Father above in praise, realizing she was experiencing more and more freedom daily from the unpacking process. As she brought her gaze back down, a movement caught her eye and she looked up, and in the mirror behind the trunk. She nearly gasped at the silhouette of thousands of people standing there, watching her unpacking process in the mirror, each lost in their own thoughts.

It gives me chills every time I think about it and it makes so much sense. The vision encourages me to encourage you in this process of loving those unlovable/difficult people in your life because the transformation that comes from the process is a beautiful thing. Transformation brings the quietness of transparency for all to see.

Looking forward to loving the unlovable with you,

Evinda

Monday Manna: Don't Worry

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Happy Monday Manna Once Again,

A new week has arrived and I am thankful for it. As Sunday approaches I begin reminding myself of the unfinished work assignments that are waiting for me at the office on Monday and my inability to complete my scheduled housework before another week begins...I feel like I’m getting behind! I suddenly begin to lose the focus on the opportunities during this new week that have been provided unto me as a believer in Christ; opportunities of fellowshipping and ministering to others. Then I pray and my worries and concerns are dwarfed by God’s sovereignty and His ability to cast away my worries.

Let’s face it; distractions are part of our daily lives, but it wasn’t until recently that I realized distractions are a huge tool utilized by the enemy. These distractions remove us from a place of close fellowship with Christ. But don’t be disheartened, for as quickly as we lose that intimate place of fellowship, we can gain it back through DAILY prayer and diligent reading of the scriptures.

I often find myself getting distracted with the problems of this world. I am now praying harder than I ever have that God will watch over His Church.
 It is apparent that our nation is headed in a dangerous direction and it’s evident that we are living in the end times. The prophecies written within the book of Daniel help to explain. In Daniel 2:31, Daniel interprets King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. Daniel explains that this marvelous image that the king has dreamed of represents the different kingdoms that will come to be: The head of gold representing the Babylonian Empire, the chest and arms of silver representing the Persian Empire, the belly and thighs of bronze representing the Grecian Empire, the legs of iron representing                 the Book with ALL
the Roman Empire, and the ten toes consisting of part iron and part baked clay.        the answers!        

“Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided” (Daniel 2:41). Then Daniel speaks of a stone cut from the mountain that will bring down the image and all of its parts, and then the God of Heaven will set up a Kingdom that will never be destroyed. God’s word has and always will be the final authority.

Matthew 24 also gives great insight as the disciples ask Jesus what the signs will be of His coming and the end of the age. “For you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. This is the beginning of sorrows” (Mathew 24:4-8).

The Church is in need of prayer because the time is near that the Lord will separate the sheep on His right hand from the goats on His left hand. One day EVERY person will stand before the throne of God and give a full account of his/her life. On that day God will either be your Judge or your Savior. Which one will it be? God’s love for you is so immense that He gave everything for YOU, including His one and only begotten son…for YOU.

May God continue to bless you and let’s remain diligent in prayer and in the reading of his Word that we would be distracted less with the eyes of our heart on Him.

Warmest Regards,

Garrett Castro