Faith Filled Fridays From Croley’s Corner of Chicklit Power

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Here it is, Faith Filled Friday already! So glad you could join me. I’d like to ask a question of you: Do you have a garden or are you thinking about one for this year? If so, have you surveyed the land for the right place to see the best results? I’m always excited when it comes to experiencing what He has prepared for us together, so let’s not delay any further. Grab your coffee, journal and let’s get started.
I love my prayer walks; each day He speaks to me something new. He is always faithful to give me a word of inspiration. Why? Because I have made myself unavailable, not capable of being disturbed by anything… no texts, no phones, no list of things that need my attention this very second.
In my walks lately I’ve noticed the parchedness of the ground and for many who have beautiful landscaping, the amount of water, or lack of water being used has certainly had its effects … because of our drought
Water, no matter what the condition of the ground is… lifesaving. Water is essential of any kind or way for life!
I know He’s been speaking to my heart about soil and as I shared last week in “A call to Sow,” the question still echoes: “Who are you sowing into?”
But after you’ve carefully tilled the ground, one must ask, “Are you sprinkling and saving on watering?” It struck a chord in my heart.. “Wow, am I under watering? Am I that busy that I only hear in part?” Sure, my intentions are pure yet sometimes I can be over-cautious in order not to offend. And the question is “Who am I offending?” If He has prepared them for me to do some sowing, then I’d better be prepared to sow…and if I’m supposed to water, then I better be prepared to water.
In order to sow, we must prepare in the rightful manner of God’s Word so it can abide, imparting His love upon their hearts and minds and if their hearts are not duly ready and prepared to receive it, it falls on hard ground. This is where the watering comes in. Water is vital in order for the seed to germinate. Watering is equivalent to pursuing keeping a watchful eye on what you’ve just sowed.
Life at this point of the sowing is very precious and fragile; timing is so important.
The devil is very busy, about ready to steal from the hearers that you’ve been sowing into just as the fowls of the air go about the seed that lies above ground. When the heart, like the highway, is untilled, he is like the birds; he comes swiftly, and carries away the seed of God’s Word sown.
Remember, He takes consideration in every single person ….just as we must take into consideration those whom He sends our way.
Using the right tools when we sow and reap is also important to the process. You cannot use a sowing tool when you reap and you cannot use a reaping tool for sowing. Oh, the steps of a garden: the tilling, the right seeds in the right season, and the right amount of watering and weeding in order to reap a bountiful harvest!
My prayer for you as you take some time to read today or this weekend comes from Isaiah 55:8-11 & John 4:27-38: that you will understand that you are used for every part of His “soul garden” and that He will accomplish His Word through you, for His ways are far greater than our ways…. lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already ripe for harvest… and remember; A word spoken in due season, how good it is!
Thanks for stopping by today’s Faith Filled Friday’s and keep Him close to your heart.

Love, Deb

Faith Filled Fridays From Croley’s Corner of Chicklit Power

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

A call to Sow
Galatians 6:8… but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life.
Welcome to “Faith Filled Friday’s.” We’re going to do a little gardening today so grab your water to hydrate yourself and all the right tools as we begin to dig into His word to see if we’re preparing for a bountiful garden.
Now is the time to start your garden and there are several that I know who are talking about it, where and what they want to plant…. at least in our section of the country. Many are busy preparing the ground to plant their seeds.
For those who are novices, you can’t plant one day and expect your harvest in a week!!  It takes time to cultivate… You must water daily… keep it free of weeds…. keep watch over it for pestilences…. fertilize the ground in order to cultivate a good hardy growth.
So likened unto the Kingdom of Heaven… How and who are you sowing into these days? What are you doing to prepare…. to yield their ground?
Don’t think that Sunday is just when people are sanctified. We can often see many struggling to grow and it well may be because they have experienced many years of hard ground.  We can’t give up when we know we've planted or sown into them and if we are diligent and practicing Galatians 5:22-23 -- But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law” -- it is possible to see them flourish and produce.
We of the household of faith must be prepared to labor at great lengths. We must understand and be prepared for a lifetime of ministry and be long-suffering in helping those who struggle in their growth. Over time, if we will see and teach people as Christ saw and taught then we WILL see a harvest…it’s called reaping and sowing. It probably won’t happen in one day as a result of one sermon; however, with the right kind of seeds planted, others will begin to live God’s way. He then produces good fruit into their life and our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard.
We also can, in general, get easily discouraged, because of the lack of fruit that we see for all of our sowing in doing good for others. We can definitely grow weary when we sow and sow and sow and hardly see any fruit, if any at all; therefore, we grow impatient…. frustrated and that leads us to become weary.
But God’s Word encourages us that “in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”  Plain and simple… Paul teaches us in Galatians 6:9: “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”
The harvest will come. It will come at the proper time, a time determined NOT by the seasons or the weather, but by the will of God.
“Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.”  James 5:7-8.
Last year I planted a small garden working hard, yet it wasn’t as fruitful as some and I asked myself why? With some investigating, I am willing to admit I did not prepare the ground properly; also, the weather was not cooperating (too hot) and confused my garden! The results: my harvest was puny and very little.
Take time to sow into people properly, in truth. It’s worth all the efforts and the determination to witness the end results… If you want an abundance of harvest you must be willing to invest in using the right tools…the right seed…the right time. To prepare the ground and sow effectively means trusting in Him that in all your endeavors, you’ll reap abundantly.
Sow faithfully and wait patiently for the harvest and you will see a bountiful harvest…indeed!
Thanks for stopping by Faith Filled Fridays and I pray sowing into your “people garden;” that it will be fruitful, for it’s the greatest investment into His Kingdom!  Have a wonderful weekend. See you next week.
Love and blessings in abundance,
Debbie

Seven Sacrifices to Joy

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Happy day to you and thanks so much for stopping by for our Coffee Hour and more of our Seven Sacrifices to Joy! Grab your coffee and your Red Strand of Faith and join me for what I hope to be some knot-tying moments!
Have you ever gone through a time of uncertainty? I mean real uncertainty like not knowing where your next paycheck was coming from? And then once you start thinking about that fact, your mind explodes with the ramifications of no paycheck, and pretty soon, especially we as women, we’re spider-webbing all over the place! Before you know it, we’ve picked up the broom, pushed the panic button and away we go!
Well, I almost went down that exact route the other day … but stopped myself. I’ve shared in our last WOW that my husband is now unemployed … his choice. He just couldn’t take it anymore. The crazy thing is he quit without another job. Now, the old me would have been throwing a fit and then falling in it; but I’m in Meekness 101! I CAN’T! I DON’T WANT TO FAIL THIS TEST! See, I know that I know that everything He’s taught me up to this point has led me to this point and greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world, and His plan is to prosper me, to build me up, offer me a hope … despite the truth that often what my husband does will affect me.  My God is greater; my God is bigger … Oh, yeah, I’m singing!
You may be wondering, how in the world can you be singing in such an uncertain time as this? Uncertainty can create insanity … if we let it. If I am taking God at His Word, then my actions need to show it. After we put his final check in the bank, that’s it! NADA! Caput! If we’re not making any deposits then our ability to withdraw decreases. That works with relationships, by the way! You’ve got to make a deposit before you make a withdrawal.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a tiny bit scared but I am filled with uncertainty more than anything. I can either allow Him to make certain what is uncertain, or I can go from uncertainty to insanity by trying to control what happens. For example, I could go back to court reporting three days a week and totally take the financial burden away … but increase the burden of disobedience. See, God said if I do that, I will move out of His will for my life and away from the calling on my life.
So what do I do? I am forced to sit in uncertainty, waiting for God to do His thing in and through my husband. I have no idea what that looks like, where it will take us, how long it will take. There is no other way out at this point in my life. I must sit in this classroom while my husband sits in his, each of us learning different lessons, joined together by our trust and faith in our Ultimate Provider. I don’t want to fail this test; my Father says I have all the tools to get more than a passing grade …
Oh, but His Word has proven true, trustworthy so many times in my life, and I never thought I’d understand that concept, the concept of praise for pain. Sounds rather sadistic, huh? But oh, am I learning that there is beauty that comes from pain. It reminds me of our body’s muscles; when we work them, they grow, but not without pain. They can’t grow, or shake the fat around them without the element of pain. So it is with spiritual muscles and as He works that muscle of meekness that has been buried by a whole host of other unhealthy tissue/habits, the pain has been almost excruciating causing me to wince just at the thought of it. But as I make my way through it, and I dare to look back, what I see behind me is different than what I see now, and I feel the peace of His approval, the safety of His love guiding me to and through it all. Yes, praise can rise above the pain.
Join me next week for the second of the Seven Sacrifices of Joy!
Joyfully,
Evinda

This Homeless Kid Was Freezing On The Sidewalk. What Happened Next Crushed My Heart.

This Homeless Kid Was Freezing On The Sidewalk. What Happened Next Crushed My Heart.

Seven Sacrifices to Joy

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Thanks so very much for joining me for our Coffee Hour and some more tying of knots in our Red Strand of Faith. Grab your SOF (strand of faith) and your coffee and let’s finally get into the first sacrifice of joy, since we have a good grasp on sacrifice.
You know, the deeper I dig into His Word, the more I realize how little I know … but what an adventure it is to be in the school of life and try to apply what we are learning in each and every classroom/lesson He has prepared for us, the answers of which are all in this one incredible Book. His lessons are noteworthy and praiseworthy!
Speaking of praise, let’s get to our first sacrifice to joy: Praise! Let’s go to Hebrews 13:15:  "By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name." So sacrifice number 1 is praise.
I don’t know about you, but for me, it’s easy to praise Him when things are appearing praiseworthy! When life is good, it’s easy to praise, right?
Why do you suppose that “praise” is a sacrifice then?”
Well, I know when I’m feeling like picking up my broom and flying around the room, and maybe even leaving home with it, to stop and actually praise Him in the heat of the moment brings a hot flash so strong it feels like a current pulling the opposite direction, or like pulling the reigns in on a wild horse that refuses to listen to direction! You know what I’m talking about?  Just the other day, I was getting my vitamins out of the cabinet and tipped over my freshly poured glass of water … all over my cook books, down the cabinet and onto the floor. This was FIRST thing in the morning! Is this going to be how my day goes, I muttered? Instantly I was reminded that this was one of those moments where I could praise or prattle!
But what about the more significant moments in our lives, those really hard lessons where you know that you know that you know that He is relentlessly endeavoring to show you something, give you hints, teach you a new lesson for the current season of your life and/or gift you with a revelation for a relevant situation?
I’m giggling as I write this because the smallest thing, like a spilt glass of water, can send me in a tailspin so far from the current lesson He has prepared for me but the deeper things are easier for me to recognize the lesson He has prepared to teach me. In other words, the deeper I go, the more I grow, but when I come up for air … I can sometimes be found gasping and sputtering for reprieve!
I find myself crying out, why do you gotta go so deep, Lord? (I’m hearing these words and the song “Why you gotta be so cruel” comes to mind! :-) ) Why is it I can’t just share surface stuff, in other words get to learn simple lessons in a simple way?
See, I am currently in the throes of the classroom of Meekness 101, and He is using the most unsuspecting people to teach me what it means to be meek, to have a quiet strength and power that literally renders me in control when others are completely out of control. Oh, you talk about a sacrifice!  What does that look like? Well, have you ever sat and listened to a person, I mean truly listened without interrupting, and not spoken until you have completely understood what they’ve said, even when they’re sitting there spewing out all kinds of negative things about you? I have and because I left my pride in the car, determined to truly listen and keep my mouth shut, I was able to see where the source of anger and pain was coming from and validate this person without agreeing with her!  It really wasn’t about me but her misperceptions were definitely tied to the pain of the past which kept driving her emotional car.
That was probably my first huge test, sort of equivalent to a final, in this class that I feel I passed. And as I look back over the last couple of weeks and all the other tests in Meekness 101 and rewind the painful lessons, I see the glimpses of meekness beginning to shine through the cracks as the sun rises into a new day. So though it’s been painful, it is oh so praiseworthy!
Have you ever learned a lesson wrought with pain that twisted you into change? Were you able to see the value of the lesson shining through into your heart as it changed your life? Were you and are you able to offer up a sacrifice of praise for His relentless love that can’t leave us the way we are but inspires us to become all that we were meant to be?
Join me tomorrow for more on this first sacrifice!
Love and laughter,
Evinda

Faith Filled Fridays From Croley’s Corner of Chicklit Power

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Good “Faith Filled Friday” morning to you! Today I’m going to take you on one of my morning walks and it’s going to require you to do some walking with me.... grab your coffee to go… ear buds, walking shoes and let’s get started.…. well, maybe not literally; instead let's see what He has in store for us and what insights we will gain from our “spiritual” walk today!
For the most part, every morning I go for a walk. Generally it’s about a mile and I’m stretching myself by increasing my distance. Where I live it can be a bit challenging as a good portion of Yucaipa is up-hill and no sidewalks. So in my efforts to walk on level ground, it can be interesting, to say the least.
Usually when I walk I’m good about watching where I step as not to fall or twist my ankle. And I’m pretty good at looking down while I'm walking just so I can see the uneven ground or any holes. However, there have been a few incidences where I have found myself planted on the ground, and in hopes that no one saw me. Yes, how vain and prideful was that…what IF…. I really needed someone to help me....good point! So I confess my pride, jump up and move along!!  I walk the same route every day; one would think that I would remember.
In describing my walk briefly, I’d like to share a thought on a similar analogy, except it’s about spiritual walking.  I’m going to compare it to temptation that presents itself to us. Like the hole…we see it… we know it…. we recognize it… yet we continue to walk right into it. When we see temptation (the enemy is called the tempter) we need to ask ourselves, “How can I avoid this?”
When Jesus came out of His 40 days in the wilderness, Matthew 4:1-11 tells us the enemy tempted Him three times. It is important to understand that Jesus was NOT tempted to sin - as in wanting to sin. James 1:13 tells us, “God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone”. We have also heard the phrase coined “the temptation of Christ” for so long, that we liken it to our own “feeling tempted”.  Christ’s temptation was an outward exposure to Satan’s ploys. Jesus remained sinless, the perfect sacrifice, able to take on the sin of mankind and sometimes we need to be reminded of that truth!
None of us are perfect by any means and at times, we can walk on uneven ground.  We may even have cracks in our sidewalks, so to speak, yet if He is our sure foundation and we’re unswerving in Him, then we are assured that when we fall short of our temptation, He will make a way of escape. This is why we must always be on the lookout for holes in the sidewalk—deceptions that would lure us into sin.  Tweet This!
The Word of God tells us clearly: No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. 1st Cor. 10:13
God has promised and provided a way out. He will always, and at all times provide another street for us to walk down. If you know the hole or crack is there, don’t go down the same path and fall in the same hole. Instead, trust in Him and go another way.
How can I go another way, you may be asking? Find someone you can be accountable to; we call it the “Buddy System,” perhaps a trusted friend...a Pastor, etcetera.
So what are the holes in your sidewalk? Let me encourage you to take that question to God through prayer, and ask Him to show you if you’re walking towards a hole, to remind you that He has promised you a way out! That’s His guarantee from Him to you and me.
It may be He’s requiring you to walk down a whole new street and that in itself can be intimidating and uncomfortable… have faith in the new direction HE is leading you towards. The more you walk, the more you overcome! Remember, you have choices to either fall in the holes or sidestep any further occurrences.
For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 1st John 5:4.
Thanks for stopping by today’s “Faith Filled Friday” and be reinvigorated as you begin to take a new walk…. down a new street?
Love,
Deb

Shades of Greed

  

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Luke 12:15
And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”
Thanks so much for taking time out of your day to come have coffee with me, to turn it all off for a few minutes and just encourage your soul. I pray that this month’s WOW has given you plenty of knots in your red Strand of Faith. After all, there’s nothing like a splash of perspective to put out the fire in our souls that can often send us off on a desire to acquire things that make us spiritually haywire!
So I left off with a questions/cry out to God, what are you trying to teach me? I got my answer and it came in the form of a vision at a sweet time of prayer with our connection group. I don’t remember who was praying, but my soul was quietly agreeing, my mind on the prayer requests when He reminded me of a sweet time years ago that He brought me to and through: It was the morning after being placed on workers’ compensation. I was sitting in my big comfy chair, sipping my coffee, trying not to choke on my sobs. I was almost yelling at Him, telling Him I was a court reporter and I didn’t understand why He was allowing this carpal tunnel and tendonitis situation to become so unbearable that I could not even hold a pen, let alone report the oppressive family law matters we heard every day that relentlessly filled the court room five days a week, six hours a day!
His gentle response told me that that is what I did for a living; now He was going to perform open-heart surgery, spiritually speaking, so I would be equipped and ready to do what He created me to do. And I remember what happened right after that, as if it were yesterday. I saw a huge mountain, and there were waterfalls all over the place so you can imagine the sound … the beauty … from atop. What happened next was so beautiful … I jumped and as I jumped, I said I trust you, Father, to provide for me. I trust that you will never leave me or forsake me. I trust that the plan you have for my life is not to harm me, but to lift me up and give me a hope, a future … The funny thing is I have never landed … but I do remember feeling a peace that transcends all understanding that has guarded my heart and mind and kept me mid-air, so to speak, my life no longer mine but His.
As He replayed that moment for me, He gave me a different ending: this time in the vision, there were two people, holding hands, getting ready to jump. This is my husband’s time to take his jump off the mountain, trusting the Lord our God with all his heart, soul and mind for a new direction that will lead him to his purpose in life, not land him in a job that will simply pay the bills, but to be spending his life on eternal things.
See, the shades of greed can keep us from our purpose; the pursuit of money, love, acceptance, achievement, power, food, sex … whatever it is that we require to acquire which causes us to count on our own resources and keep us believing we are independent of God, these are all detours.  Tweet This!
God never intended for our financial blessings to divide families, cultures, religions …He never intended for us to desire anything more than Him which is why He warns us against idolatry. Anything that we desire to acquire that rents more space in our head and heart is a form of greed/idolatry! Everything we have is borrowed, gifted to us temporarily. What would our world look like if we were to spend our external blessings (time, money, ourselves) on eternal purposes?  Tweet This!
Let’s not forget what money and/time cannot purchase! Let’s give ourselves completely over to eternal things.
All of us are presented with choices when the desire to acquire things comes upon us; our choice will determine the height of our jump or the depth of the term haywire. In such a time as this, I can resort to the desire to control and return to my vocation of court reporting to give us the money to acquire more, pay bills, taking me further and further away from my calling and purpose, or I can grab the hand of Jesus, and my husband’s and jump … who knows, our purposes may entwine!
As George and I begin to jump, hand in hand, there is a warning to us as well as a reminder for us as we begin this jump of faith: Take heed, beware of covetousness (shades of greed) for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of things he/she possesses, but in He who possesses all.
Thanks for joining me … be sure and come back for Faith-filled Fridays with Debbie!
Evinda

Seven Sacrifices to Joy!

Thanks for stopping by today. Hmm, my mind is on the upcoming holiday, swirling with all the facades of romance. Grab your coffee, your red Strand of Faith and let’s go talk about sacrifice and Valentine’s Day!
Ah, so a little over a week ago, I took a little breather from what I was doing – actually I was cleaning out my email and there was a Groupon ad in there for whale watching in Newport Harbor, so I checked it out and thought, huh, this would be a fun thing to do for V-Day, and if I wait for my honey to do anything romantic… I may be disappointed. So, without reservation, I booked a reservation for a whale/dolphin watching cruise for February 14^th, this Valentine’s Day.  At least I knew we would do something “romantic.”
What does this have to do with sacrifice, you’re wondering? Well, I’m glad you wondered aloud because the sacrifice on my part is taking the burden from my husband and initiating the romance instead of always expecting him to do it! I’ll tell you, our men get a bad rap, having to not only provide the majority of anything which requires money, but also be romantic, too?
But as the days blurred into one another and this holiday is getting closer, I’m feeling a little nudge on my heart to include in our little excursion some single friends who are in their SOS, their season of singleness. Oh, I remember my SOS and how I would cringe with loneliness and a bit of resentment the closer we got to V-Day. It’s a difficult day/evening for single people, don’t you think?
Don’t get me wrong; I’m all for romance in marriage for that is where/when it is desperately needed. I just wonder what it is we sacrifice to make it what we want it to be. If I am honest with myself, especially since we no longer have kids at home, we could do something romantic any day of the week, seven days a week, any time of the month and many times throughout the year. Why do we need a holiday to tell us to be romantic?
Oh, but I need work in this area, to initiate that romance and do my part to keep the love alive … this would be a sacrifice for it would take me into waters unfamiliar, where my feet have never wandered, stretching me and increasing my stock in Spandex! I think I’ll ask my husband, without telling him what we’re doing what he thinks would be for the greater good!
So, let’s bring this whole sacrifice subject full circle, back to where we started a couple of days ago, with the verse found in Hosea 6:6 which resonates the words of Matthew 9:13: “For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.”
What in the world is Jesus saying? While religious “rules” can help us understand God and even nourish our relationship with Him, especially if we look at them as safety lines, they are only helpful if carried out, followed with an attitude of love for and an obedience to God. Jesus Himself showed concern (mercy) for others over ritualistic observances and legalistic behavior; the ultimate act of mercy demonstrated in His being unjustly accused … and saying nothing – talk about a sacrifice – His beatings and not saving Himself – again, a sacrifice within a sacrifice because every super hero we know comes to the rescue and brings a happy ending. Contrarily, Jesus didn’t save Himself; He gave Himself.
To truly know Christ is to know that He will stop at nothing to teach you everything. The only thing He asks for is your sacrifice, one piece at a time.
I think we’ve pretty much covered what we need to learn about the contexts of sacrifice. Join me tomorrow for Faith-Filled Fridays with Debbie, and next week for our February WOW! Then we will move into the actual Seven Sacrifices …
Love,
Evinda